Casino Royale

Rating:
Summary: Top notch right out of the gate.
Review: Not completely divorced from the flavor of the films to follow several years later (Bond is, after all, brought down in a "gadget" scene where metal spikes are released from the back of the villain's car while Bond pursues him), this first James Bond adventure nevertheless delivers a more introspective and moody Bond than we are used to from the films. For my money that's a plus, as in the unusual, unpredictable plot structure: the main hero vs. villain story is satisfyingly concluded about two thirds of the way into the book, and the rest of the story concentrates on Bond's physical recovery from his assignment, and the psychological ramifications of Bond's harrowing experiences during the case. These concluding themes are almost as interesting as the earlier caper plot (those it's weird to see Bond for a while get seriously philosophical about who is truly "good" and who is truly "bad" on the geo-political stage), and it's all capped with a memorable ending. Fleming's writing also benefits from an effective sense of place; no one is better at describing restaurants, casinos, tourist districts, local customs, etc. We feel like we're really along with James Bond on his adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Quick and fun reading
Review: As the first James Bond novel, it is fun to read this realizing that probably no one in 1952 foresaw the beginning of an entertainment franchise. Casino Royale is a quick fun read. I read this book 20 years ago and again this year. There is one very violent scene that a reader will remember for more than 20 years. Ultimately most readers should enjoy this as an atmospheric cold war tale loaded with bad guys, beautiful women, cool cars and exotic locations.

Rating:
Summary: quite impressive
Review: I have read a few Bond novels written by Fleming and what surprises you the most (because of the movies) about them is their fatalistic and melancholy undertone (Bond does not always triumph at the end, nor does he always get the girl). And in no book is this more evident than in this one. What impressed me so much about the book is not so much the first half, but what comes after the (grim) torture scene. The latter half of the book has very little action, and is dominated by Bond's deep depression over, among other things, how he can (literally physically) satisfy Vesper Lynd after the torture. Even though the book is a thriller first, it has quite a lot of bitter (but genuine) feelings about the male-female relationship. And the ending, even though it isn't even all that original when you think about it, is nevertheless shocking.

There are a lot of things hard to like in Fleming, such as his rampant racism, nationalism, sexism, snobbism, etc. but he is quite a bit more nuanced writer than is perhaps given the recognition for.

Rating:
Summary: Baccarat is the Game
Review: The plot of Casino Royale concerns James Bond and Le Chiffre, a Soviet spy. Bond must defeat Le Chiffre at the baccarat tables to foil a plot. Thankfully Fleming explains the rules of baccarat for the uninitiated. The main problem with the novel is its predictability. Casino Royale is the only Bond book never made into a Bond movie, I can understand why. You can't make a movie interesting if the only tension is a roll of dice. It's not hard to guess that James will win at baccarat. After James wins, however, the novel does not end. It meanders for around 90 pages. In Casino Royale, James Bond says love is parabolic, small at the start, fiery in the middle, and small at the end. The same would be true of Casino Royale. The novel is well-written with tight prose, but Fleming's plot couldn't sustain my interest. I still enjoyed and will continue with the series.

Rating:
Summary: Choppy First 00 Outing
Review: This is where it all began, a very simple, unadorned tale of a British spy sent to destroy a Communist agent at the baccarat table. The first 007 story presents a nasty, misogynist, misanthropic Bond-a government assassin who is highly ambivalent about the role he plays in the Cold War. There's even one remarkable scene in which Bond asks what makes his government right, and what makes it moral for him to kill Britain's enemies. Unfortunately, his cynical self-examination is brushed under the table by his new CIA pal, Felix Leiter, and that's the last we hear of that! We learn that in the war, Bond killed a Japanese spy in New York (although the circumstances described strain credulity and common sense), and knifed a Dutch double-agent, earning him the 00 "Licensed to Kill" designation. Here, he's asked to break the bank of a French Soviet agent who has been gambling with his Moscow-provided bankroll.

Bond is sent to the fashionable French casino of the title to pose as a playboy gambler, and with the aid of beautiful British assistant Vesper Lynn, a French agent, and the CIA's Felix Leiter, ruin Le Chiffre at baccarat. Once you get over the sort of obvious question (if Le Chiffre is that dangerous an agent, why not just kill him yourself instead of going through this dangerous gambit of trying to bankrupt him, thereby forcing SMERSH to kill him?), the buildup and eventual battle on the green baize is quite gripping. Fortunately, the rules and strategy of baccarat are explained (it's a very very simple game), so that the reader can follow along, blow by blow. There's loads of atmosphere and tension, but the structure is a bit awkward and there are some rather bad flaws. One of these is that there's absolutely no reason for Vesper to be in the book other than to serve as a plot device and sex interest. All she does is get in Bond's way and distract him, and it's hard to imagine why she would ever really be given the assignment to back up Bond. It's also rather strange to find the Le Chiffre affair concluding 3/4 of the way through the book, with the last quarter devoted to the Bond/Vesper romance. And I won't even get into the lame "saved by the bell" device that occurs at the climax. All in all, the book exhibits the excellent eye for detail and atmosphere that characterize most of the Bond books, but Fleming is clearly just learning pacing and structure at this stage.

A final point of clarification, the Frenchman "Le Chiffre" is not an agent of SMERSH, as many reviewers seem to think. The fictional SMERSH, with its motto "death to spies", is an internal Soviet agency dedicated to counterespionage and making sure Soviet agents don't stray. As is explained early, Le Chiffre is forced to gamble because he's afraid that SMERSH will kill him if they discover he's blown his party funds on a bad business deal.

Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: This was a good book but it felt like the story finished very quickly like on page 130 and the death of the guy was quick. It is hard to explain about how short feeling it was. But the end was touching and sad. You can obviously tell Fleming hasn't got his rythem yet but in later books like Moonraker, the best, he got better and you were at the edge of your seat. But this was a great book and definatly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Introducing, James Bond...
Review: Introducing, Bond, James Bond. This is where it all starts ladies and gentlemen. The international man of mystery, the man with the golden gun, and the woman magnet.
This mission was like any other. He had to stop the "le Chiffre" from getting any money. Simple enough, except this time he had a partner. A girl partner. The sexy Vesper. It starts with Bond and "le Chiffre" in a grueling game of Baccarat. I can't even tell you what happens after that, or I'd give away the plot and excitement. It involves a lot of Booms and Bangs.
Bond and Vesper plunge into this action/ mystery novel by Ian Fleming from the beginning. There is always action. The book is full of twists and turns, and even curves when Vesper's around. Fleming's writing is astounding; crammed with details and descriptions. The characters are stuck in your mind for weeks, even after reading it.
A must read!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Darker and More Compelling Book Than I'd Have Suspected
Review: Like so many people, I've seen the Bond movies but until now I never tried the Fleming novels. I chose to start with Casino Royale because I had not seen the 1967 movie (or farce, as some would say)and would have no preconceptions about the story. And it's a very good story! Bond is not the one-dimensional portrayal we see in the Roger Moore movies, nor does he possess Sean Connery's charm. He's cold-blooded and ruthless but he doesn't enjoy killing; he's a misogynist, but he doesn't sleep with as many women as the movie Bonds do. He's human, he makes mistakes and he lets himself fall in love, a fatal mistake for a spy. The story is well paced and the characters are well drawn out, particularly Le Chiffre. The torture scene in this film is harrowing, unlike anything else I've read. It frighteningly smacks of realism, or at least of one of the many similar cases that must have come across Fleming's desk during his wartime work in naval intelligence. This book was entirely plausible and realistic, with a real Cold War feel, and I recommend it highly. Penguin has reissued 6 of the Fleming novels in attractive slim volumes with 1950's pulp fiction style covers. I hope they will complete the list!

Rating:
Summary: A good first start
Review: "Then the enigmatic cards would be burnt or defaced, a shroud would be draped over the table, and the grass green battlefield would soak up the blood of its victims and refresh itself."

So describes the tale created by the James Bond writer Ian Fleming. Like many individuals, my interest in the James Bond movies led to the search of the books that helped create the movies I grew up watching. With so many books to choose from, I decided to start reading the books in order of their publication. This is something I highly recommend. Casino Royale helps set the tone of the future books that follow. In this novel James Bond's task is to out gamble Le Chiffre, a paymaster of the murder organization SMERSH. This leads to a few action packed sequences as well as a highly intense gambling scene which is highly remarkable due to the size of the novel (about 150 pages). I feel that this novel offered a more realistic version of James Bond when compared to movie version which everyone is familiar with. Ian Fleming's James Bond is a person who depends fully on luck and often falls into deep despair because of the turn out of his luck. I also feel that this novel was helpful because it allowed me to see into Bond's mind and read his thoughts. Reading this novel allowed me to know his character on a more personal level. If you have any interest in the James Bond movies, I highly recommend that you start reading the novels and that you start with Casino Royale.

Rating:
Summary: quick question...
Review: I really don't have any more to say than what has already been put down by my fellow readers. Of course the book is great. But I do pose a question to you the potential reader.

Have you seen the movie "Casino Royal" that is probably being featured at the left of your screen as you scroll through this and other reviews of the book? If you haven't don't waste your time if you are in the mood for the real James Bond.

The movie as you may know is a farce and not even worthy of claiming to be a James Bond film. Pick up the book and see were agent 007 got his literary begining.