Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Ian Fleming continues to surprise me pleasantly. It is popular to think that his James Bond novels were dated, sexist and offensively quaint in their attitudes and anyone who judges their attitudes through a twenty-first century perspective would be doing himself or herself a disservice. Yes, a lot of Fleming's writing is indeed a product of his time and we cannot condone him for that. But why miss the solid storytelling qualities, his gift for both suspense and romantic chivalry and the general atmosphere of high-stakes peril and excitement for all these things?

"Moonraker" is the fifth James Bond novel that I have read and it is so far the strangest and simplest that I have read. The action takes place, not in any exotic location like Japan or Jamaica, but in good old England, shuttling from the luxurious gambling rooms of the Blades Club in the first act to the hills of Dover in the subsequent sections. The plot is utterly simple - James Bond chances upon Sir Hugo Drax, the famous Columbite King of England, who is also heading the highly touted Moonraker defense project for the nation, when he discovers that this widely loved millionaire, for some strange reason, cheats at cards. What begins from that point, after a thrillingly orchestrated game of wits between the gloating Drax and the coolly taciturn Bond, is a fairly simple and even routine detective story in which Bond has to investigate whether the missile launching site at Dover, which houses Drax' gift to England, holds some dark secrets of its own or not.

So far, so simple, indeed. But Fleming was a more gifted writer than he usually gets credited for and even as "Moonraker" is more grounded than those vivid flights of fancy that other Bond novels take us on, his calibrated style of writing, enlivened by wit, a roving eye for detail and also stirringly imaginative in places, ensures that we are gripped effortlessly into the thickening twists and turns that come into the tale. Fleming expertly balances tension and an unmistakable sense of apprehension with plenty of warmth, camaraderie and even tender romance in the proceedings and by portraying his own hero with more congeniality and lending him a welcome shade of chivalry and cool-headed charisma, he even makes Bond appealingly winsome and wise as a hero to the reader in the best sense possible.

The tension escalates dramatically by the time we wind into the second act of the novel - the practice launch of the Moonraker is just a couple of days away but there has already been a ghastly murder and an inexplicable suicide and a whiff of paranoia can be scented in the launching site even as Drax is trying to run his outfit like a tight ship. Bond encounters Gala Brand, a Scotland Yard detective dispatched with the same mission as him to discover a rat and I will come to her again in this review; together, they discover more than just a rat and the damning, devastating truth of their findings results in a startling, shocking twist that comes right out of the blue and vindicates all their suspicions in one dangerous stroke.

By the time Fleming takes us into the third and final act of the novel, our nerves are already frayed and fevered with the surfeit of quietly simmering tension and this brings us into a desperate, breakneck car chase unwinding from London to Dover, a battle of gears and wits and grudges that culminates in truly devastating fashion too. "Moonraker" is a superb slow-burn thriller for most of its part but as the novel arrives at its intensely dramatic denouement, Fleming proves that his penchant for action and danger is still worthy and one will be sweating pensively as one devours the final thirty pages, driven to the edge of the seat to find out if Bond and Brand will indeed save the day or not.

There are a few niggles, though. For one thing, Drax, while initially so full of mysterious promise and capable of genuine enigma, fizzles out in the climax when it is revealed that he is merely another deranged villain with a diabolical plan who can be outsmarted with just a little logical thinking. In all the Bond novels I have read before this, the villains have been supremely intelligent and always a step ahead from Bond - Blofeld, Dr. No, Goldfinger and SMERSH - and they have really given Bond a tough time. Drax succeeds at that too but one expected Fleming to flesh him out a little more interestingly - he is merely a gloating, delusional megalomaniac who trips over his self-confidence fatally and thus becomes easy game for Bond and Brand to tackle.

But Brand, the heroine of this Bond novel, more than compensates for that. For most part, the women in Fleming's other novels are merely there for mostly decorative parts - other than Vesper Lynd and Teresa Bond, of course - but Gala Brand is indeed the finest heroine that Fleming has ever created - drop-dead beautiful yet also extremely intelligent, self-assured, tactful and even heroic and quick-witted till the end. Together with Bond, who cannot take his eyes off her at first and who later grows to care for her and treat her as an equal, she makes for an admirably charming protagonist upon whom the fate of the whole of England depends. There are also lovely, lovely episodes in between the action and suspense when Fleming lets these two spies bond and befriend each other in the most unhurried and mesmerising fashion. When disaster strikes them both, the two rescue each other from certain death and this only deepens their bond and distinguishes it interestingly from just a case of infatuation or sexual attraction.

It is this wonderful core of tenderness in this novel that made me rate "Moonraker" so highly - that and of course, the excellently orchestrated suspense that simmers slowly and steadily to a boiling point of pure terror. And, oh, also that ending, the victorious yet oddly bittersweet note with which Fleming ends his novel - an ending that would take you by almost heartbreaking surprise. Read it from cover to cover to find out for yourself.

I really enjoyed this story which is so much better than I thought it would be. Bill Nighy was brilliant as the narrator, bringing to life the different characters so well. I particularly enjoyed his voice for Krebbs, Drax's assistant, even though it made my skin crawl. I highly recommend this audio.

If I have learnt anything this year, is that you cannot judge a series by its first two (or three) books. Half a star goes to the magnificent Bill Nighy. For more than seven hours I was constantly amazed at how good of a narrator he is.

This was an entertaining Bond novel that feels somewhat near-sighted compared to the other ones I have read. It takes place exclusively in Britain, so the European continental (and international) milieu of most of the other Bond novels was lacking. The plot was somewhat slowly paced. You don't understand the nature of the conspiracy that Bond is arrayed against until about two thirds of the way through, so the majority of the nov is more atmospheric, abstractly tense, and less plot driven. Gala Brand is interesting but doesn't stand out as a Bond love interest. The villain, however--Sir Hugo Drax, the multi-millionaire rocket engineer--is interesting and fun to hate. Some of the more memorable passages are when Bond is playing bridge in the opening scenes and when the Moonraker rocket finally lifts off. Fleming's writing style becomes innovative and stylistically intriguing during these scenes. I haven't seen the 1979 film adaptation but I'm told the novel is much more serious.

For all of you who read my previous James Bond reviews (Casino Royale and Live & Let Die) this four-star review will be giving you quite a shock.

James Bond is going about his normal life as a Double 0 Operative. And I really mean normal! He reads boring reports and goes to the shooting range. Then, he's called into M's office. He and M discuss a man who's a current English celebrity: Sir Hugo Drax. A very rich man who has invested tons of money into creating a Moonraker, a large rocket/thing that will be launched into the sky, and from there able to defend England from foreign threats. A loud redhead with very bad teeth, lots of hair on his face and body ... and a huge scar on half his face from when he was found injured after WWII. He was so injured, in fact, that little is known about him. He doesn't even remember anything before the explosion. He got out the hospital and went to work making money, becoming a millionaire in 5 years. Everyone admires him and is grateful for his gift of the Moonraker to England. It's going to be tested in a few days.

Bond knows M isn't one to chew the fat, so he's waiting rather impatiently for M to get to the point. This is the point: Drax cheats at cards. M is worried about this for a few reasons. Why would such a wealthy man risk everything by cheating at some lowly card games? Also, if he gets caught cheating at the super-exclusive club he belongs to, he will disgrace himself and England. So, M invites Bond to the ritzy club to beat Drax at his own game, so to speak.

Bond elegantly and brutally reduces Drax to nothing, earning 15 thousand pounds in the process. Drax is angry and humiliated and threatens Bond.

That night, while Bond and Drax are playing at cards, two men in Drax's employ on Moonraker are killed in a murder-suicide. Allegedly over a beautiful woman who is also a secret agent: Gala Brand. (Her full name is Galatea, so Gala is pronounced Gah-lah.) M knows that blaming her for the murder-suicide is bullsh*t. She is a professional and an agent. Even Drax had hit on her repeatedly, and she always refused him, wearing an engagement ring. When he gets too aggressive, she's forced to defend herself physically, which she is able to do, being an agent.

Bond is assigned to take the dead man's place working for Drax. Right into the heart of enemy territory. What is in Drax's past? Why are all his men sporting shaved heads and mustaches? Why are they all German? Is the Moonraker mission going to be sabotaged?

....

This was a thrilling, engaging, edge-of-your seat mystery. Fleming leads you along with little tantalizing clues and glimpses of what's REALLY going on with the Moonraker, and you are right alongside Gala and Bond as they work together to figure it out before the impending launch.

James Bond definitely has a type: so far, every single "Bond girl" has been black-haired and blue-eyed.

Gala Brand is one of the best additions to the book and by far the best "Bond girl" yet. Fleming makes her an agent, and he doesn't hesitate to show us how smart, capable, strong, and determined she is. Unlike Vesper who was sulky and sullen, and Solitaire who was obedient, trusting and submissive to Bond, Gala really holds her own - even against England's most dangerous agent, 007. Fleming really hammers home this point by letting Gala narrate (3rd person) the story at numerous points. This was very exciting to me and also helped me relate to and sympathize with the character in a way I never could with other "Bond girls." I loved seeing the world through Gala's eyes, and seeing her spy, plan, and figure things out (often even before Bond!).

Bond himself is scads better regarding sexism in this book (I can't comment on racism since there are no people in this book except whites). I mean, he's no liberal woman's rights activist, and that's not what I'm asking - that's not what I expect him to be. ALL I ASK from James Bond is that he a.) sees the woman he's with as a person - not a toy or a stupid nuisance and b.) that he only engages in/fantasizes about consensual sex and doesn't hurt/want to hurt the "Bond girl." THAT'S IT. Those are my only requirements. I'm not even asking him to treat a woman as his equal - only asking that he consider her a human being with feelings and desires of her own. You'd think this wouldn't be too much to ask, but then again - it's James Bond.

ANYWAY. He is ALMOST perfect in this book. He really looks after Gala - he wants to protect her. When she's in danger he worries about her (instead of planning to let her die, as he so coldly did with Vesper in Casino Royale). He saves Gala's life numerous times, often shielding her body with his and taking most of the punishment: once during a landslide and once during an explosion. He does his best to protect her and save her and keep her from harm. He never made any snide, angry comments about how useless or weak she was (which he often did with Vesper). I was very proud of him.

And on Gala's part, she is amazing! Even Bond admits "she's got a great head for numbers." Gala impresses Bond with her bravery and intelligence again and again. She even comes up with the final plan to save England at the end. Bond is going to do something that would save England but kill a lot of people and she's tells him that he expects her to just take orders from him, but instead she's got a better plan. Bond listens to her. He trusts her. In the end it's her own plan that saves England.

The only times I was angry with Bond and this book didn't get 5 stars because of it. 1.) Stealing a kiss from Gala - even that I could forgive, if it had been the only infraction. 2.) And this is really my main problem - Bond wanting to kick Gala as a punishment for (get this) not flirting with him. o.O This kind of male entitlement annoys me to no end. And after the Isla Vista killings, I can't even stand reading about this kind of man who wants to hurt women simply because they are not sexually interested in him. If I didn't have enough to worry about from simply being born female, now in addition I find myself fretting over turning men down for dates. I can't even tell you how awful and scary it is to think that rejecting a guy will lead to him hurting/killing you. My friend asked me the other day, "How do I reject a guy in a way that he won't murder me?" and it just BROKE MY HEART. For these reasons, I could not forgive Bond for thinking this way, and if the Isla Vista killings had never happened this might not have affected me so strongly, but they are still fresh my mind and the minds of my friends/family.

Bond's relationship with M is explored more in this book and it's very touching. I was even going, "Awwwww" sometimes when Bond and M were talking to each other. Fleming really shows what a strong friendship the two of them have together.

Lastly, I feel like Fleming did a great job of showing Bond's humanity. He doubts himself, second-guesses himself - even berates himself for mistakes in this novel. He's human both mentally and physically - he takes quite a few beatings in this novel and Fleming does a great job (as usual) of showing a pretty realistic recovery period and how injuries would affect Bond's fighting abilities. I really appreciated this more human side of Bond's mind and body.

Overall, this is a great book. Bond really steps up and improves his behavior, Fleming provides us with our first capable love interest, and in addition we get a mystery that is fun to try and put together. I can only hope that other books in this series continue with these trends. I don't want to have to write a 1 star Bond review again - BUT I WILL IF I HAVE TO. Do you hear me, Fleming? ;)

UPDATE: Okay, I saw the 1979 film with Roger Moore. Um.

The only reason to watch this film is to see all the beautiful women in it. There are tons of gorgeous women in the movie.

However, if you're not attracted to women, or you actually want some kind of quality in your movie - there's nothing else. No cute men, no acting abilities, and zero plot. It's confusing, silly, and nonsensical. Almost a parody of a spy film. I do not find Roger Moore attractive in the least.

If you're choosing between the book and film, DEFINITELY pick the book. It's 100x better.

Moonraker (Bond #3) (1955) by Ian Fleming. This is the third book in the Bond series and it is far different than the Roger Moore movie version. I know it isn’t kosher to call in a movie adaptation when writing a book review, but I feel that most current readers have only seen the vapid movie version, having forsaken reading the Fleming original. Sad but true. All too many people will only know Bond, The Lord Of The Rings and even Harry Potter by their cinema incarnations and not the original words.
tWhat a shame.
tAnyway, in 1955 England there was fear of atomic missiles being directed at that small country. It was only logical that some form of defense be formulated. And if that wasn’t possible, perhaps an offensive weapon. Enter Hugo Drax, the metals millionaire, with his plan for a defensive missile.
tDrax, an amnesiac because of WWII, amassed lots of Pounds after leaving Germany. He has offered his genius and his money along with the services of a hand-picked crew of German rocket scientists to perform the miracle of assuring England a place at the table of the powerful nations once again. Hence the Moonraker project.
tThe nation loves and adores this lost soul from the poorer side of Liverpool.
tBut Drax cheats at cards. At Blades, which is M’s club, the chairman has noticed that Drax somehow manages to win all the time. M calls in Bond and together they investigate Drax at the club that night. Bond spots the method of cheating and outsmarts Drax at his own game.
tShortly thereafter there is a murder/suicide of two members of the Moonraker facility. One is the security man for the complex. Bond is sent to fill in and find out what the threat is before the test firing of the rocket at the end of the week.
tThis is a fast paced addition to the growing list of stories and, while the mystery of the plot isn’t hard to unravel for a point almost 70 years after it was written, at the time this must have been a very thrilling adventure. To a lesser degree, having seen so many later variations of the theme, it is still a riveting read.

Given my enjoyment of all the James Bond movies over the last 30+ years, my mind has been repeatedly reminded that the movies are based on a character that was originally created by Ian Fleming. My intent to read a Fleming novel was reawakened with every movie, but I just did not get around to it, until now.

With Bond being such a dominate force in movies, the comparisons between book-Bond and movie-Bond spent a lot of time floating around in my mind. It turns out that book-Bond is this real person with a real job. When not on assignment, he goes to the office, does his paperwork, meets with "M," and typically has lunch in the employee’s cafeteria. He lives in a modest flat in London and his martinis do not necessarily need to be shaken, but they must have a slice of lemon peel in them. In comparison, movie-Bond is practically a superhero. He’s invincible with all of his gadgets, devices, and tricked-out sports cars. Movie-Bond is Batman in a suit and tie.

Moonraker, the novel, is not much more than a typical mystery-spy novel. It moves along through its chapters revealing itself bit-by-bit through Bond’s deductive reasoning and spying skills. The story capitalizes on the public’s fascination with the then-emerging science of rocketry and its marriage with nuclear weapons. The first successful test of an ICBM came about two years after Fleming’s depiction of the one described in this book.

Gender depictions in Moonraker were an interesting snapshot of the 1950’s. Fleming’s women were made to exhibit unassertive brilliance while maintaining their attractiveness to men. In hindsight, this is something of a stepping stone on the long path towards achieving equality with men in society. Men, in contrast, were depicted as the masters of society who required ten packs of cigarettes on any given day to cope with life’s pressures.

The relative mediocreness of the novel and the bland nature of the James Bond character indicate a situation where the movie franchise probably perpetuates Fleming’s novels. Without movie-Bond, Moonraker would probably be relegated to the countless other dime-store paperbacks that find themselves for sale on eBay for only a $1.

n  ***2018 Summer of Spies***n

The oddest so far in the James Bond series. I was about two thirds of the way through when I started to wonder when something of significance would happen! The last third, however, held all the action that I’d been asking for.

A very slow start, back to Bond & his card expertise. Having just read Tim Powers’ Last Call, which heavily involves poker and other games of chance, I was maybe a bit worn out with the card games! However, what I did find fascinating in the opening pages of the book was Fleming’s description of James Bond’s schedule:

”It was the beginning of a typical routine day for Bond. It was only two or three times a year that an assignment came along requiring his particular abilities. For the rest of the year he had the duties of an easy-going senior civil servant—elastic office hours from around ten to six; lunch, generally at the canteen; evenings spent playing cards in the company of a few close friends, or at Crockford’s; or making love, with rather cold passion, to one of three similarly disposed married women; weekends playing golf for high stakes at one of the clubs near London.”

This is Fleming, the now-married man, describing his life during his stint in naval intelligence! It could almost have been written by his biographer, Andrew Lycett.

The third book in the Bond series, this is first one in which Bond doesn’t get the girl. I found the last sentence to be a bit sad: “He touched her for the last time and then they turned away from each other and walked off into their different lives.” Fleming drew so much from his personal life for these books that it makes me wonder who he had in mind when he wrote such a melancholy final line.

England probably suffered as much from the Second World War as any of the defeated Axis powers, what with rationing continuing until 1954, two years after Ian Fleming began the James Bond series, and the year before Moonraker was published.

Just imagine the English taking in the scene of the duel at Blades between Fleming super-villain Sir Hugo Drax and one "Commander Bond." The gambling club is flowing with rare French champagnes and Beluga caviar. The betting involves thousands of pounds sterling. This to me is the five-star part of the book.

Unfortunately, the ending involves the typical derring-do, as well as the chase of a Scotland Yard policewoman by the name of Gala Brand. Even worse, the villain commits the unpardonable faux pas of explaining his foul deeds ... and then walking away leaving James and Gala simply tied up. This simply won't do!

Fleming's popularity in the U.S. was to come later, with the popularity of such Hollywood productions as Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger. Add to that it was splendid as Cold War entertainment.

But really, why would the Russians ally themselves with Nazis after what the latter did to their country and people in the Great Patriotic War?

There’s something about these Ian Fleming books that makes them eminently readable. The writing is richer than you might expect. Moonraker as a story is well paced and has enough of the trademark gritty spy elements to really draw you in.

Rocketman. It was a straightforward Ian Fleming novel. Not the best, but the pages kept turning. A little weird reading it at the same time I was reading Gravity's Rainbow.

Book three in the James Bond series.

While these books are definitely products of their time, I must say I do find them easy reading, low concentration levels required.

There did seem to be far less problematic content in this entry compared to the first two books and it was great to see Bond blown out by a woman finally!

These books are a real eye opener for me, I was always under the impression that Bond was a super spy, intelligent, no one could fool Bond. However, he comes across as very ditzy to me, easily fooled and not particularly clever.

An easy read to start the year.

Three stars.