I have to say MOONRAKER didn’t have as much action as either of the two previous Bond novels. At least at the beginning anyway. Sure there was the consummate card game and torture scene, but neither hit as hard or as fast as what happened in CASINO ROYALE. But this was certainly an entertaining read, even though the female characters seemed to wilt at the first sign of trouble, or at least gave the distinct impression of the likelihood of such an occurrence.

I know it’s too much to ask (and it’s certainly not going to stop me from reading the rest of said novels), but just once I’d like to see a woman kick some serious butt in this series. I’d have to say the closest female so far has been Vesper Lynd, and even she had her flaws. Gala Brand held a certain amount of intrigue and promise, but I felt like the afterburner element was missing from her character.

Bond does show a bit of his human side in this one by not actually getting the girl (being just a mere mortal like the rest of us), which does make his character a bit more interesting, even if said girl (Gala) does notice his ample charm. And he, in turn, notices her abundant curves. Yes, these novels might be called fluff, but like Bond, these novels hold a sophisticated air and charm that isn’t easily quantifiable, and that’s what makes them so gosh darn entertaining.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

Bond is back. And the scope of his mission is bigger than ever.

At M's exclusive gentlemen's club, a high profile member is making a splash by accruing substantial winnings in high stakes bridge matches. Something is rather peculiar about the lucky streak this particular member is riding. Hugo Drax ought not to be the kind of man who would cheat at cards considering that he is a survivor of horrific war injuries, a self-made multi-millionaire, expert in precious metals that go into the manufacture of jet engines, and a philanthropist whose research is forwarding a rocket program that will forever alter the possibilities of transportation and weapons delivery mechanisms: the Moonraker. Britain could not be prouder of this jet-age hero. But M wonders why someone of this caliber would attempt a swindle at cards. Enter Bond.

Enlisted by a friendly request from M, Bond will brush up on his gambling skills and his card-cheat training in order to flush out Drax's tactics. Perhaps this will reveal something about the man's character along with understanding why he is willing to use his rocket program for Britain's benefit. It could be that someone who is so oblivious to etiquette and ethics has unknowingly allowed moles to infiltrate his ambitious intercontinental rocket systems and possibly sabotage the launch. It all starts with a card game. From there it is a countdown until launch day.

This book is a mixed bag, but good on the whole. The villain monologues, there is sappy melodramatic dialogue between Bond and a female character, and Drax is such an odd duck that his character borders on preposterous. However, the reader gets an exciting card playing sequence, a badass car chase, and a pretty decent gut punch in the last couple of pages. What more could a Bond fan ask for?

Ed eccoci alla terza avventura del più famoso agente segreto britannico, ovvero Bond, James Bond! Stavolta dovrà affrontare addirittura una minaccia nucleare ad opera del cattivo di turno, Hugo Drax, il quale vuole lanciare appunto un missile nucleare proprio a Londra.

Rispetto ai precedenti due titoli che ho già letto, qua vediamo la vita ordinaria che fa Bond nel suo ufficio (e infatti nei primi capitoli potrebbe un po' annoiare), cosa mai narrata prima ma che rende il personaggio più credibile, perché mica sta sempre in missione a rischiare la vita! L'azione ci sarà, naturalmente, ma dopo la seconda parte del romanzo, quando Bond dovrà infiltrarsi nella tana del cattivo.

Anche in questo caso mi è piaciuto, praticamente amo di più il Bond dei romanzi che quello cinematografico!

Three and a half stars.

(I know there could be some mistakes in this review. I’m trying to improve my English, thanks)

Having seen all the movies, this is my first James Bond novel and I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was the reading. I started with Moonraker because it is the highest rated in the series.

To begin I must say that the book is very different from the movie. In this regard, contrary to many opinions, I liked Roger Moore's film (it might have something to do with the fact that it was science fiction ;-).

About the book, I check that Ian Fleming knew how to set a spy novel, or more specifically a spy fiction novel or “Spy-Fi”. For example, the technical descriptions are good, specifically in the case of the missile that gives its name to the novel (more similar to a World War II V-2 than a current rocket); although today they are somewhat outdated, they complement the novel well and currently give it a touch "retro" which I find delightful.

On the other hand, I was very intrigued by the treatment of women in the 007 novels. Well, no surprise here, the man commands and disposes, in accordance with the prevailing ideas of the time (the novel was published in 1955). However, it should be noted that the heroine, Miss Gala Brand, actively participates in the plot and, by the way, she resists the charms of James Bond (but because she is engaged to another man). More peculiar is the author description -in the mouth of James Bond- of the women who work as MI5 secretaries, destined to be "spinsters", since a love relationship is incompatible with the necessary discretion in their work, which is not the case with the men.

No surprise either with 007's main adversary, Hugo Drax, as evil as you would expect.

On the recent controversy (see link below) that it is planned to correct the James Bond novels, particularly for some racist aspects, I prefer to read them as they were written, with their original doses of racism, colonialism and machismo. They were simply other times, in which there were acceptable things that now -fortunately- they are not. In other words, what was tolerated 70 years ago is not accepted today, and some that is currently being accepted in our time it will not be so in 70 years from now (if the planet holds out, of course). On the other hand, about the disclaimer by the editors: "This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace", I find it correct and the explanation could even be expanded further highlighting these undesirable aspects of the novel, but I not agree with correcting the original work. After all, I think that it should be the reader himself (or herself) who should criticize and judge whether these aspects of the novel are appropriate or not.

You can see the news mentioned here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

Rubbish Book #4.

I too would’ve tossed this one in the bin! This book was written to restore the national pride of any drunken limey after England’s footy team gets knocked out of the World Cup.

The Moonraker Rocket Programme was the highlight of this novel for me. I wanted more about that, although it may have bored other readers.

A high-stakes game of bridge that shows the funding head of the project, Sir Hugo Drax, cheating leading Bond to get mad at himself for respecting Drax in the first place. So now, he has to find a way to take him down. He probably would have gotten away with everything if he had never cheated.

James Bond seems to somehow grow a tiny bit of a conscious about women in this one. He is still so full of himself that he doesn't even realize what a joke he is. The chauvinism is more immense than usual. his internal thoughts are like a lewd uncle lusting for his niece.

He finally finds a woman to care about in this one, like really this time, guys! So we all know how this will end...

As with most of the Bond novels so far and much of the literature of the time period, there is a lot more "telling" than "showing" the reader what goes on.

I wonder if the next novel will have us open to a depressed Bond trying to fill his feelings with new holes...

3 Stars for me.

So far in this series the stories have almost seemed a little far-fetched, they have a sense of make believe. However, Moonraker seems to encapsulate the worries in the minds of those living through the Cold War. After so recently experiencing WWII. With this realism in mind, I imagine the ending helped to give fresh hope to the public.
I really liked that M was explored more deeply in this novel. We saw a side of this mysterious character that has not been seen before.
This isn’t my favourite James Bond book so far, but it’s certainly a great read that filled me with tension.

n  “These secret service people always seemed to have time for sex however important their jobs might be.”n

After a couple of interesting but uneven entries, the James Bond series kicks it up a notch with the third book: Gambling! Methamphetamines! Intrigue! Sinister henchmen! Beautiful operatives! Megalomaniacal Bad Guy! Mustaches! World Politics! Car Chases! Remote Lairs! Rockets! Explosions! Submarines! And a race against time to save the world (or jolly ol' England anyway)! The plot won't contain many surprises for suspense/mystery readers but it's a blast just as well, and parts of the story don't turn out the way fans of the film series might expect. In fact, the Moonraker movie shared very few plot elements - almost none, in fact - with this book which was originally published in the wee hours of the Space Race, about two years before Sputnik fired the starting gun. And if you were wondering what M's name is...

n  "I thought M was a randomly assigned letter; I had no idea it stood for..."
Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006)n

Yet another case where the villain wastes time monologuing and concocting a needlessly elaborate death for the heroes instead of a quick bullet apiece. Oh, when will these supervillains learn?

I find these interesting for what they say about the time period itself (or at least the author and his view): the politics, the gender relations, and the views on masculinity. There's a sequence early in the book that captures all of it. No, not the bridge game, though that was fascinating. In talking about the Double-O Section secretary, Loelia Ponsonby, Fleming briefly goes through the strange position of the women in this department. They are hit on by the agents but smart women don't get involved, and if they marry outside the service then they are considered security risks and must retire. The ones who stay are unmarried and considered pitied spinsters. Which, of course, all the men comment about to poor Ms. Ponsonby. I couldn't tell if Fleming mentioned this situation with deliberate irony.

A solid thriller with an engaging villain and a crisp plot. It's, of course, less spectacular than the film, but viewed via a lens of its era, it's intense and exciting with a gritty edge and exciting action. The opening gentleman's club set piece revolving around drinking and bridge offers a lot of '50s style, and the tale builds to a tense, world-rattling conclusion. Bond and heroine Gala Brand are subjected to a brutal endurance test. There's even a reason provided for Sir Hugo Drax's expository speech that became ingrained in Bond and other megalomaniac tales. I put off reading this one, but it's really readable early Bond.

I really enjoyed this one. Surprisingly light on the misogyny for a Bond novel. Story was entertaining, and had me a bit befuddled until the big reveal. The movie was certainly a massive departure from the source material, which I can’t really understand, as the story stood perfectly well on its own, without the space station, eugenics, and all that nonsense.

Another really fun read! At this rate I might have to collect all the 007 books! There’ll be a couple spoilers but the book is 70 years old and the movie 50, so ya know,