Customer Reviews

Moonraker

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bond author Ian Fleming was advised by friends to write his second Bond novel LIVE AND LET DIE before he had even tested the waters with his first 007 thriller CASINO ROYALE. Fleming's friends impressed on him that if the first novel failed he would be less inclined to write a second one. His friends need not have worried as is proved by this third 1955 entry into the James Bond literary series.

After some shaky elements in his first two novels Fleming and his characteristic Fleming-sweep, really hits its stride here and he delivers a thriller which is not only consistently ranked as one of the best by fans, but also a personal favorite of mine.

One of the great strengths of this book (as was the case with the subsequent 1979 movie adaptation) is the main villain Hugo Drax. A leading member of British society with a somewhat mysterious background, Drax is ostensibly building a weapon to help protect Britain, but all is not as it seems.

Bond's first encounter with Drax is at the behest of his superior M who is convinced the industrialist is cheating at cards at M's gentleman's club Blades. Bond uncovers the method behind Drax's remarkable winning streak but also effectively turns the tables on him.

In this novel Bond is not the superhero of the movie that would follow over two decades later. This is no clearly more evident than in his rejected advances towards Gala Brand, an undercover policewoman at Drax's plant. Brand is actually one of my favorite leading ladies of the Bond literary series, she is both independent and intelligent and one of the better drawn female characters of the Fleming books.

The plot is low-key enough, the villain suitably overblown and the heroine so irresistable as to make this compelling reading. Drax's monologue towards the end is so well done and Fleming keeps the twists and turns coming at a fast enough pace that the reader can easily overlook the improbabilities and plot holes and simply enjoy the book.

Well recommended, not just for Bond fans but all people who enjoy a good solid thriller.

Moonraker, the third entry in the James Bond saga, tends to be overlooked by those unfamiliar with Ian Fleming's original novels, largely because almost none of it has made it to the big screen. Practically the only thing it shares with the laughably bad 1979 movie (arguably the worst Bond flick ever) is the title. And the book is even a bit of an anomaly within the series, but nevertheless it's an important book in the Bond canon.

In the first Bond Novel, Casino Royale, Fleming was clearly just starting out both as a novelist and as a chronicler of Bond's adventures. The second Bond book, Live and Let Die, is much more solid and action-packed, and gives us both a Bond and a Bondiverse that are more fully developed. But it's in Moonraker that Fleming really delves into Bond's personality, his background, and his day-to-day life in England. Then, just as we're developing a feel for the daily grind of a 00 agent, Sir Hugo Drax enters the scene . . .

Drax is the most human of all of the bond villains. Mr. Big, Dr. No, the Spangs, and of course Blofeld, often come off as larger-than life megalomaniacs or set-piece villains. But Drax--though he's certainly villainous--is a very down-to-earth one, being lecherous, nasty, tough, smart, and boorish. He, like Bond, is a three-dimensional character, and as such has no villain-equal in the series, except for perhaps Auric Goldfinger.

The plot, too, is more life-sized than those of the later canon. Escapism? Yes, put of an almost-believable kind, especially when set against the backdrop of the postwar U.K. (this is the only Bond novel to take place entirely in England) and the tensions of Cold War Europe. About the plot I won't reveal more, but Moonraker is the most life-sized Bond books and still well worth reading.

This is the third review I have done for a 007 novel and as always I will tell the reader that the book is nothing like the film. Forget the pseudo-science fiction of the movies (done to capitalize on the Star Wars craze) this book is a completely different animal.

Plot aside (Moonraker is a super ICBM capable of destroying London; not a space station) the biggest differences are in Bond and mastermind-of-the-hour Hugo Drax. Bond is, again, Fleming's human being as opposed to Hollywood's super-agent (He actually gets TURNED DOWN by his leading lady and you get the feeling he's ACTUALLY A LITTLE HURT). Drax is much more intense in this book, coming off as what today we would call the typical megalomaniacal mastermind (but since Fleming was instrumental in defining such a character, this must be accepted as part of his vision for the 007 mythos).

Lastly, sorry Jaws fans: he's not in here -- but check out the Peter Lorre-like Krebs. He's a good villain too.

All in all, Moonraker was my favorite of the 007 novels thus far. And though the car chase was a more intense clone of the one in "Casino Royale" it did nothing to detract from the enjoyment of this book.

"Moonraker" (1955) was the third of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, and it is a good example of Fleming in fine form. A solid, suspenseful plot; an evil, over-the-top villain; M puffing away impatiently on his pipe; and Bond, ready for action and maybe a little love.

Sir Hugo Drax is a national hero in Britain, and is donating millions of his own pounds to create the Moonraker rocket, which can hit any city in Europe and, therefore, protect England from invasion by any enemy. But when M discovers that Drax cheats at cards, a plot is set into motion that will eventually lead to Bond uncovering the tycoon's true designs.

This is a perfectly respectable entry in the series, but does not attain the heights of, say, "Casino Royale" or "You Only Live Twice." There is less action than one might expect, and the suspense sometimes sags. But still, this is a solid thriller and I recommend it to anyone interested in the original Bond novels.

Well I was ready to hate Moonraker because of the movie. So if you hated the movie...try the book. It isn't campy with the Space Shuttle at all. It has a rocket as the object, but it really isn't about that. The beginning part of the book is about cards. I loved it. However it starts getting bogged down in the middle section and then like all Ian Fleming books it wraps up really quick. I just felt the ending was just too contrived. I liked it because I was prepared to hate it, but it's still not that great. It's the best of the first three but that's not saying much. I would recommend it just for the beginning section because it shows how James Bond thinks and rationalizes things. Plus he doesn't get the girl at all in this book.

I've been rereading all of the 007 novels leading up to the release of the new movie of "Casino Royale" (by the way, the new movie rocks) and giving Ian Fleming another look. I'd read them as a kid 20 years ago and wondered how they read now.

"Moonraker" was the third book and I wasn't as excited as I'd been with "Casino Royale" and "Live and Let Die."

"Moonraker" plays out completely in London and the English coastline so the exotic aspect of 007's usual settings was missed, for me anyway. The first third of the novel reads too much like "Casino Royale"'s scenes at a gaming table, except that Bond isn't playing for high stakes to ruin a Russian bagman but to only expose a member at M's gentlemen's club as a card cheat.

(That Bond would later chase the villian who's kidnapped the girl, crash, and then also be captured was also reminiscent of "Casino Royale").

I also found it rather odd that a crew of Germans--not just atomic scientist Germans but an entire team of Germans handling everything--were working unmonitored on England's new missile defense system just one decade after WWII. It reminded me of the Monty Python sketch where a "Mr. Hilter" and his "school chums" are staying in a English bed and breakfast and plotting WWIII. That Bond, like everyone else in "Moonraker," wouldn't see that red flag was hard to get around.

Gala Brand, an undercover operative posing as Drax's secretary, isn't included in the first third and then she spends time ignoring Bond to keep her cover so Fleming doesn't give himself much time to turn her into a real Bond girl. By the end, you realize (as Bond did) that she had a whole unknown life before their little adventure that was greater than their "bonding" experience.

I did admire how Fleming anticipated the threat of nuclear terrorism, particularly when M explains their new job security: "These politicians can't see that the atomic age has created the most deadly saboteur in the history of the world--the little man with the heavy suitcase." (p. 240) Fleming published "Moonraker" in 1955 and we live in greater fear of those "little men with the heavy suitcases" in 2006!

Was "Moonraker" worth reading? Yes, definitely. Was it as well done as the first two? I don't think so.

It's part of the 007 experience so I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it!

I am reading (in some cases rereading) the Ian Fleming Bond books in chronological order. Moonraker is the third in the series. As opposed to the first two, this book delves into the life of the government secret agent. His everyday duties at work, and some of the personalities of those with whom he works. There is an emphasis on his chief "M" including M's real name (to my knowledge never spoken in the movies).

The point of the story builds slowly, but once exposed the mystery moves with the familiarity of a Bond novel. Again, the writer examines the human side of his character that is not seen in many other adventure novels. This story also differs from the others by having a stronger female character who uses her wits and determination (and not relying on her looks) to save Bond's life. Again, Fleming gives a diabolic antagonist, however, this one is particularly disgusting in his personal qualities. What is very believable, though, is how those who meet this character, including Bond, allow their objectivity to be lost due to social and economic status.

The book includes some of the more clever prose by Fleming thus far in the series such as, "Bond could hear a quick, deadly ticking, the hasty tripping of tiny metal feet somewhere in the body of the Moonraker. It filled the great steel chamber like the beating heart in Poe's story..."

Missing is the exotic setting common for a Bond story. Finally, for those who see the Bond character as the ultimate male chauvinist, the ending will come as a surprise.

Also recommended in this series are, Casino Royale, and Live and Let Die.

Not the best of the Bond books, still a much stronger entry than most of his later books. The scene where Bond plays bridge against Drax at Blades is my favorite. The plot of the film Goldeneye was taken from this book. You will find no hint of the film Moonraker here, even though the deceased Mister Fleming seems to think otherwise.

What is it about death anyway?

This volume is unlike the preceding volumes, as well as those that followed, due to the fact that all the action takes place within London and the English seaside. It's an interesting installment, especially in this day and age, given the fear expressed within it about the crazy man who can fit an atomic bomb within a suitcase. We also see Bond as the spy that Fleming was probably most familiar with: deskwork, paperwork, target practice, etc. It's not until midway through that Bond realizes he's involved in more than just a case of a card-cheat and instead involved in a case of a man who is trying to wipe out London. And, so unlike the movies which followed, Bond is quite human, both in terms of getting beaten about by thugs, but also in not exactly having his way with his female counterpart. A fun, well-paced read -- one of Fleming's most exciting plotlines -- and probably one of the most relevant Bond books fifty years after it was written.

While I always knew that many films of the James Bond series drifted into camp and outright cheesiness, I never realized how much of a disservice some of them did to the source material until I read the novels. And wow--Moonraker in particular, while one of the better '70s entries in the film series, bears no relation to the gritty homeland security thriller written by Ian Fleming.

The titular Moonraker is an missile designed by British hero Sir Hugo Drax. Drax's invention is set to thrust Britain into the forefront of the Cold War arms race--with the Moonraker, the British will be able to target any European capital with a rocket capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. When the novel begins--on Monday--the Moonraker is set to be tested in just a few days--Friday, when a missile carrying a dummy warhead will be fired into the North Sea. Security is tight on the project--British prestige is at stake.

But 007's boss has other things on his mind. Drax is a fellow member of Blades, a gambling club, and M is convinced that Drax cheats. At bridge. Since Bond is between missions at the time, M drags him along to a late-night game of bridge, where Bond outfoxes Drax to the tune of £15,000. Unbeknowst to them, the same night one of Drax's subordinates was killed by a German engineer in a murder-suicide.

Mere hours after fleecing Drax at the cardtable, Bond is sent to him as a replacement. It seems the murdered man had misgivings about the security of Drax's project, and with so much at stake and so little time on hand, the Ministry of Defense wants no mistakes. Things are not, of course, what they seem, and it soon becomes apparent that the Moonraker is in the hands of madmen.

Like the Bond film, there is a certain measure of predictability about the whole proceeding; of course Bond will live, of course he will save Britain. Unlike the film, Fleming's novel has Bond make all-too-human mistakes, get battered and bruised, and even--spoiler alert--get rejected by the girl. And the novel moves so briskly, investing each and every point of the plot with tension and suspense, that even the mystifying bridge game at the beginning is exciting. Moonraker is pure entertainment.

Highly recommended.