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.
This was enjoyable. The story involved high stakes, the criminal was established from the beginning through an innocuous conduit, and it took place in England ! Whereas Bond is usually racking up miles and gallivanting with exotic international women, he is home-bound and tracking a domestic criminal with international ambitions. Being far removed from the 1950s, I cannot understand the constant fear and anxiety felt by the threat of a nuclear attack. From what history shows, the threat was reenforced by governments that amped up their defense spending and pursued all kinds of weapons headlong. The idea of a moonraker works brilliantly within this scheme, portraying itself as the new weapon in a world dominated by invented weapons. It gives Britain great pride to have its own citizen - a decorated war hero, nonetheless - conjure the device. The telltale signs are there that something is rotten in the state of England (only Germans working on the device, ingeniously playing on the fear of a revanchist West Germany), yet the desire to have a defensive device to protect against USSR attack surges England into ignoring all other alternatives and throwing its stock behind this device. The rationale for the device and pursuing it are interwoven with the existing social norms, and I care for social history and accuracy, so that hit a positive note with me.Sir Drax plays the perfect criminal. His cheating in the super duper exclusive Blades club becomes apparent and even begins to make sense as Bond unravels the plot and the mystery. A full Nazi who is still seething at the mouth from what he considers betrayal against the Hinterland (sounds like WWI language, as well), he devises a ploy to destroy what has become his surrogate country. Having deceived everyone into believing that he was a decorated British war hero, he uses his monopoly on Columbite and goodwill to be the lead in creating the moonraker. Everything fits beautifully and nobody suspects him until trouble brews. It is simultaneous with his card fiasco the week of the test launch. What confuses me, though, is if Drax is a Nazi in hiding, why does he have a Jewish partner at Blades? Blades, by the way, was exclusive beyond anything I could ever comprehend. Seriously, what is the point of replacing yesterday's money with freshly printed money. It is the same amount, same currency. Today's one pound note is yesterday's one pound note. I suppose the ever exclusive aura of the club brings pride to its 200 members.Being that the story is set in England, Bond actually has a chance with a British girl. Gala by herself is nothing special and Fleming seems to intimate as much. There is no long and drawn out dalliance that requires Bond dig deep into the core of his seduction and pull out all the stops to woo her. She is cold and detached from him at first owing to her suspicions about his horny intentions and then they get comfy with each other at the beach. Simple enough. As he is wont to do, Bond falls head over heels for her, despite the machine like nature of his service. This results in great disappointment because she shuns him at the end, just as he exclaims about great plans for a fully expended vacation throughout France and Germany. Adding some more depth to the story, Fleming finally introduced us to M and how he operates. Despite not knowing, I think we are to assume that he is slightly out of character because Bond is working so closely with him, but M is shown to be careful and competent as a leader, as well as well-connected and powerful. We are given insight into what Bond does when he is not on assignment - report to work, eat lunch, drink coffee, and go home. His life is the diametric opposite of what it is when he is actually in the clutches of death and excitement. He is literally waiting for his next opportunity to save the world and imperil himself while doing so. This happens twice or thrice a year and then Bond goes into retirement. This necessary background information fills out the picture of who Bond is and how he operates. We are still waiting for an origins story, though this is not a comic book.There is an attractive aspect of Bond's character that I absolutely love. He knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. This does not parlay well all the time with the womenfolk, as Gala shows, but knows his drinks, food, cards, people, psychology, etc. The hero must have the proper physical attributes, but he rounds himself out into a super hero with the requisite mental strength and ability.
What do You think about Moonraker (2002)?
I have been reading the Bond books in order. This is #3. This is the first book that Bond felt closer to the movie-version Bond. Fleming seemed to make Bond a bit more stylized here, at least until the end.Reading these books really takes me back. Bridge plays a big part of this story for the first third of the book. I suspect most folks under 40 know little or nothing of the game these days. It was prominent here for it was prominent then. I have forgotten the movie version, but I imagine the game was changed for it, and that was more than 30 years ago.Bond once again saves the day. I was less enthralled with this story that the previous two; it had more of a fantastical feel to it (rocket that would be tuned loose on England by a renegade German).Fleming's writing style appeals to me. It is comfortable. Interestingly, Bond did not get the girl in the end here. One loose end to the story was whether or not he was actually paid off for the bridge win. I know he ordered the new car, but did the £15,000 ever get transferred?M. was shown to be human and caring here. Bond's affection for him was evident.
—Robert
SUMMARYIn the third novel about the character, James Bond is asked by his superior, M, to catch a popular national hero named Sir Hugo Drax cheating at cards at a popular gentlemen’s club in London. His initial success leads to a special mission where he operates outside of MI6’s normal boundaries and investigating possibilities of sabotage and betrayal surrounding the testing of the Moonraker nuclear missile- a project that has been funded and led by none other than Sir Hugo himself.This book is nothing like the 1979 Roger Moore film. If you didn’t like the movie, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy the book.OVERALL: 3 out of 5Moonraker is a good book about the early days of nuclear weapons, missile technology, post-World War II Europe, and the webs that tied everything together. The image of James Bond the reader sees here is more relaxed than in previous books, and perhaps even a bit off his own edge.All the elements of a Bond story are here; high society, gambling, a mystery, a threat to England (and perhaps the world), characters who are larger than life, a sex interest (does Bond really have any “romantic” interests?) (I should note that while women are described in detail that is not appropriate for younger readers, there actually isn’t any sexual activity in this book), a furious car chase, and twists and turns that keep you turning the pages all the way to the end.RATINGS BY CATEGORYCharacters: 3 out of 5I don’t think there can be any question that James Bond was really Ian Fleming’s idealized projection of himself, but he made an effort to make the character neutral. His reactions to circumstances and situations make him unique though.The female character of Gala Brand is a simple one, as most of Fleming’s females are. Her sudden shift at the end is a welcome surprise though.I particularly liked the character of Sir Hugo Drax, up until he reveals his true identity. He is a choleric man, and I was always wondering how he would react to the people and events around him. Once his "villain's monologue" is over, he felt empty and less realistic.Pace: 4 out of 5Ian Fleming knew how to keep my attention. Whether Bond is playing cards, shuffling his mail, beating up an enemy spy, or engaged in a furious car chase, I was never bored.Story: 3 out of 5This story is a good example of espionage in the days when nuclear weapons and missiles were still being tested. It’s a rich environment for a character like Bond. The Moonraker missile isn’t a character so much as a constant, looming threat in the background of all the other events.The big reveal of the villain’s plot is sensational, but seems too far-fetched to me. It’s definitely interesting, but actually not so removed from the bloated endgames of most villains in the Bond movies.Dialogue: 3 out of 5I like Ian Fleming’s dialogue. Occasionally characters talk too much or explain too much in ham-fisted fashion for the reader’s benefit, but each character has their own voice and mannerisms. Bond in particular, for such a neutral character, is a delight to read. It’s no wonder his movie adaptations have been so successful.Style/Technical: 2 out of 5I think Ian Fleming is a good writer, but he relied on certain techniques that I can only describe as cheap and poor. Too much time is spent describing Bond (in every book that I’ve read), and some terms are noticed when used more than once (“cruel mouth” comes to mind).Everything is clear though, except for the card games that I don’t understand, and those were still easy to read and have a general picture of what was going on. Fleming keeps things relatively simple so the reader’s mind can focus on the characters, the secrets, the intrigue, and the action.
—Jason
What is there that can possibly be left to be written about Britain’s favourite secret agent that hasn’t already been said a million times before, by feminists, by film reviewers, even by distinguished literary gents? While the cover art is calculated to have any teenage boy’s blood racing – girls! guns! rockets! – this book delivers on both the book and recent film versions of Casino Royale’s promise of a more appealing, albeit less charming, Bond.What you know are to become key elements of the films already exist here. Bond’s love of gadgetry and the high life are evident, whether that is fine tailoring, his Ronson lighter for use on his own blend of cigarettes, or the little flat off the King’s Road. He drives a Bentley, rather than an Aston Martin, an older, classic model he takes pride in racing against foreign engineering, at least until he totals it.Yet while aiming for effortlessness in all this acquisition, Bond is only one loss at cards away from ruin. We see him chafing at the daily routine and ploughing half-heartedly through the paperwork just like any other office worker, although in the privileged position afforded to a senior civil servant, he is no idle playboy. When away from London on operations, he has a Leica camera in one pocket and a Beretta in the other but perhaps more telling are the gadgets he lacks: having to drive to the next town to telephone allies in Scotland Yard or waiting for essential information to arrive by telegram.Also lacking is any contact with anyone he isn’t working with or for. Perhaps this lack of companionship is compensated for by being surrounded by women, of course possessed of a beauty that mere mortals can only dream of. Whether it is the carefully selected waitresses of the gambling club M frequents, the steely Secret Service secretaries, or a ‘severely competent’ police woman, the lucky fellow rarely encounters a plain woman. Yet central female characters Gala Brand and Loelia Posonby – though crazily named – are also blessed with a quiet strength, essential to keeping the battered and broken Bond on his feet throughout the action.Though Fleming laments that Posonby is approaching an age where:'Unless she married soon, Bond thought for the hundredth time, or had a lover, her cool air of authority might easily become spinsterish and she would join the army of women who had married a career.'Perhaps this is not the terrible fate he makes it out to be, and it is arguable if a quick tumble with 007 would be a better one, especially as he is facing a similar destiny. His own prospects for a long and happy retirement seem slim, after all. Although contemplating certain death with hopelessness after torture and near defeat, he never questions the rights and wrongs of the power the Service wields over his life. He is good at the essentials of his job, his boss is decent, that is enough. Bond is far more of a bastard than you remember, quite a lot rougher around the edges and unafraid to fight dirty if circumstances dictate. Able to pass with the Lord Basildons of this world, but not quite of them:'Bond knew that there was something alien and un-English about himself. He knew that he was a difficult man to cover up. Particularly in England.'Perhaps it is his misfortune that the exotic locations so fundamental to the films are passed over for this tale, which largely happens within sight of the White Cliffs of Dover in the usually sleepy South of England. Moonraker’s plot delivers such atomic age fears as a rogue scientists, cities laid waste by the most powerful rocket ever built and an unsettling yet impolitic mistrust of those who have gone from enemies to allies in the blink of an eye.It is a cracking read, belting along at a great pace and lending a warmth and a human side to its characters that you would perhaps not believe existed if you had only watched the films. You may think you know all there is to know about James Bond, but you won’t until you experience him on the page.
—J.C. Greenway
