Title: Casino Royale
Author: Ian Fleming
Date Of Version Reviewed: 2012
Publisher: Vintage
RRP: £7.99
ISBN: 9-780099-576853
What the book is about…
In the novel that introduced James Bond to the world, Ian Fleming’s agent 007 is dispatched to a French casino in Royale-les-Eaux. His mission? Bankrupt a ruthless Russian agent who’s been on a bad luck streak at the baccarat table.
One of SMERSH’s most deadly operatives, the man known only as “Le Chiffre,” has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be “retired” by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won’t cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd.
The Positives…
This was the quickest, easiest 230 pages in have read. That’s not because it was poorly written, in fact if you are looking for a spy novel then you can’t go wrong with Casino Royale, despite many saying that Moonraker is the best that Fleming produced in the series. Casino Royale was included in the ‘1001 books to read before you die’ book and with good reason. Not only was it the debut novel in the franchise but it really bought to life the character of James Bond in ways that the movies never quite replicated.
Bond isn’t the polished, cool hero that typifies the silver screen version of the character. Here lies vulnerabilities and personality flaws that make him all the more human and I for one much prefer the novel. On that note I don’t believe Daniel Craig does the role justice, even though the last film (Skyfall) was a fantastic performance by all involved. Bond has all the typical ‘male’ attributes; he doesn’t deal with attachment well, his interest in women changes like the wind and he has a tendency to see things in a logical/black and white way. His misogynist attitude toward women may be outdated but this must be taken in the context of 1950s England.
Fleming explores the nature of good and evil during a scene where Bond questions whether he is indeed a good guy or a bad one. I personally loved this part of the book, often posing the question of who are the terrorists and who are the heroes in a world human suffering. I am unsure whether Fleming was aiming for philosophy but it seemed to have that intention.
One small detail I really liked was the explanation of what a ’00’ number is – someone who is willing to kill in cold blood for the state. It was one thing I didn’t know about the franchise (I haven’t watched all of the movies) and gave context around the use of numbers for the British Security Services spies.
The Drawbacks…
Not a lot happened. The story in itself is simple though if analysed in any depth the story falls apart. For example, why does Bond need to bankrupt the villain to discredit him? If Security Services have that much intelligence and specialist knowledge and skills surely they could have concocted a smear campaign by planting evidence or falsifying documents as a set up against the villain. This is a minor gripe but to suspend ones disbelief the author needs to explain – in a round about way – how these loose ends can only be tied up using the method she or he has chosen.
I didn’t quite know what to make of Vesper though maybe that was the intention. There was a lack of character development around her that subtracted from the story. What was she about? What made her tick? Was she interested in Bond? Again these are small issues but still something Fleming may have wanted to address if given the opportunity. That said the novel is about James Bond, not his female companion/colleague. Do we really need to know about the girl when it is 007 that is the star of the show? Maybe I think too deeply about this!
Final Thought: This was a strong showing for Fleming and was a fantastic way to kick off the series. Any fans of the movies would find this novel well worth a look, especially given the distinct differences between Bond the literary character and Bond the movie hero. The writing is fluid and easy to read and does not get bogged down by pretentiousness or overly poetic prose. It does what is says on the tin… it’s a spy thriller for the ages.
Rating: 
What the folks at Goodreads said…
” This was an absorbing, surprising introduction into the world of 007. I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this”. Mark Monday 3/5
” I’m a huge crime-mystery-thriller fan, and I’m a huge Bond fan, so this novel was quite enjoyable for me. I’ve been deciding between 4 or 5 stars, but I believe I didn’t find any flaws that bothered me that much”. Will M 5/5
” Misogynist zingers aside, it’s at least 70 pages too long. When it wasn’t repulsive and offensive, it was really boring. I’m not saying it didn’t have its fun moments, but they were surprisingly few and far between”. Inder 1/5
” James Bond is not the cool and super-efficient murderous automaton of the movies here – he is very human and vulnerable (too vulnerable where ladies are involved). Also, the novel is not entirely black and white with regard to heroes and villains: and the violence is graphic and the sex explicit for a book written in the fifties, which bespeaks boldness on part of the author”. Nandakishore Varma 3/5
” Casino Royale was an enjoyable and easy to read book. I flew through it. I loved the atmosphere, the story was catchy and I’m definitely curious for the next part in the series. The torture scene that is also shown in the 2006 movie adaptation is absolutely epic. The only thing I disliked was the sexist side of Bond, which made me doubt the character of writer Ian Fleming himself. Yet, this remained a very fun read”. Drama Queen 4/5
Credit: Casino Royale Description – http://www.ianfleming.com/the-books/casino-royale/#sthash.u97S99Hv.dpuf
The...Reviewer...Blog... 