Rating: 
Summary: Ian Fleming - Underrated writter
Review: It is perhaps unfortunate that today most people know James Bond only through the movies. Casino Royale is an example of a novel that would not translate well to the silver screen. Although there is plenty of drama, the most dramatic moments are those of a card game, a torture scene, and an unfolding romantic relationship with a dark twist. In short, the novel has intellectual and psychological elements that do not work well in film. I am working my way through the Ian Fleming series and am now on "Moonraker" which is completely different than the film. If you have enjoyed the movies, do yourself a favor and read the novels. It is there that you will find the real James Bond.
Rating:
Summary: Not what you're expecting...
Review: A nifty little book. James Bond is lean and mean and flawed, and you imagine him (it's impossible NOT to...) as a young Sean Connery, yet with some of the elder Connery's gravitas. The slim adventure spy novel is a quick read, with some plot turns that you'll NEVER see in the movies. Yes Bond usually ends up being "tortured" in some way, but not like this, my friends...
You get an electric ripple up your spine as Bond describes the perfect martini, like you are present for some unbelievably momentous occasion but you're the only one who recognizes it as such.
Ian Fleming was clearly a developing talent at this point, and now I feel impelled to start the next in the series (..looks like I won't be reading anything else for quite some time...) just to see what he comes up with!
Rating: 
Summary: A different Bond than we know
Review: I would consider this one of the better Bond books in the series. It has a little more violence than some of the others, and is at points not as compelling, but all is made up for by a terrific card scene and an interesting end of the novel. After knowing the character Ian Fleming created and knowing the character(s) Terence Young, Albert Broccoli, and Harry Saltzman created, I think that the character in the novels is another actor playing the role in another story just like the Sean Connery-Bond or the Roger Moore-Bond play different characters or different interpretations of the role in other stories. If the films are cool to you, the books will be too.
Rating:
Summary: The Original Bond (oh oh)
Review: After seeing the movie (which has almost nothing to do with this novel), I was curious to see how Fleming originally portrayed James Bond. Casino Royale is still a great action-adventure book. Hint for anyone who's read a spy novel before: skip chapters 21 - 26 and pick up again at chapter 27. Not only will you be glad you did, but you'll also be ready to go out and have your own adventure that much sooner!
Rating:
Summary: A look at an "old Master"
Review: I have now had the pleasure of reading all of the Fleming Bond novels, and there isn't bad one among them. Most are excellent. Fleming was the Tom Clancy of his day, and his books are meticulous in their accuracy, and the writing never loses the reader. James Bond comes across as very human in the novels, and easy to identify with (with the possible exception of his spy skills). One of the great things about Casino Royale is its explanation of Baccara (sp?). For the novice, one gets a quick and understandable introduction to the game, an indespensible tool for sitting with 007 as he tries to financially ruin a kingpin in the French Communist Party. For those with an historical interest, the writing inside the setting of 1950's Europe and America is priceless.
Rating:
Summary: Who would have thought?
Review: I have always been a fan of James Bond films but i feel that in the movies we viewers have been jipped. Who would have thought that the novels the movies were based on could be so amazingly good? Casino Royale introduces James Bond as an incredibly smart spy on a new mission. The book is very well written and without all the campy cheesiness of the film adaptions. Every detail of how a spy would really work is described. The sadest thing about the book is that there has never been a film adaption that wasn't a spoof. The story is amazing. I can't even explain how good it is. All I can say is if you are a bond fan you have been missing out. The movies are a dumbed down marketable PG-13 version of the real Bond who (needless to say) is [great].
Rating:
Summary: Bond, James Bond
Review: I'm reading the whole James Bond Series including the Gardner and Benson books. I'm on Goldfinger now and this is one of the best I've read so far. When the two men in straw hats come in I couldn't put down the book! Fleming's description is great and the baccarat game with Le Chiffre, the torture scene and the surprise ending are the highlights in this one! Overall, Highly Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: 5 STARS
Review: First of all, I just want to say that this is a great book, here's why:
It starts off kind of slow, like much of Fleming's novels do, and like all the other reviews say, it's very dark. ... The game of baccarat, which the whole novel is centered around is very exhilerating. Fleming does a great job of describing the scene at the casino, and my heart was throbbing, wanting to know what was going to happen next(a real page-turner). There is a great torture scene, which is very, VERY descriptive(if you know what I mean). Finally, there was a surprise ending, that was...uh...very surprising. It's not like the 6th Sense or anything else where you can smell a surprise ending throughout the whole thing, it was very...how should I put it?...I don't know, it was very surprising and I wasn't expecting it at all. Just do your self a favor and read this book. But, don't do what I did, don't read the last paragraph of the book untill you get to the end of the book. I made that mistake, and the surprise ending was kind of spoiled.. but I still liked it, so if you don't do what I did, then you will like it even more. I say this because, that last paragraph gives you a really good picture of James Bond's personality and it makes you want to run out and get the next Bond Book, Live And Let Die, which is also very good(read my review!)
Rating:
Summary: GREAT!!
Review: This was my first "Bond" book and I loved it. It is a little slow moving, but the baccarat game in the casino, the torture scene, and the surprise ending were all great. It is 10 times better than the movie and I am now reading Fleming's second book, "Live and Let Die," which is also great; when I finish it I will review that as well. All in all, I love this book and I plan to read all the books in the James Bond Series. I highly recommend reading this book!
Rating:
Summary: JAMES BOND....
Review: A absolutely great story. Entertaining, fun, and it has a great ending! I just began reading the Bond series a little while ago I'm goin to read Gardner's and Benson's too but out of the ones I've read so far(Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, and Diamonds Are Forever)this is just as good as the others. Live and Let Die and From Russia With Love are the best so far! But overall a good read and the great torture scene in the middle with Le Chiffre, the relationship with him and Vesper! It's a grade A book and I loved it!
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