Rating: 
Summary: Initiation to Mr Bond's series
Review: As most teenagers, I had my "Bond movies phase", renting and watching every movie from Sean Connery through Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and now Brosnan. Even so, I had never read one of Ian Fleming's books, prejudicialy dismissing them as childish and poorly written. After ten years, I found "Doctor No" in a used-books store, and since I made the mistake of thinking this was, like in the movies, the first book of the series, I bought it. In "Doctor No", James Bond, after a bad mission and spending some time in a hospital, is given a kind of "vacation mission" in Jamaica. He has to discover what happened to the local stationed british secret agent, who is reported missing. When Bond gets there, he is driven towards Crab Key, a misterious island owned by Julius No, a tall, bald maniac for privacy and who is hiding things from jamaican administration. To my surprise (and showing I was wrong in my prejudices), Fleming is a good writer who can hold the reader's attention at most times. It's just a pity that I didn't begin the series with the first book, "Casino Royale", to see how Fleming developed his writing style, characters and plots while writing the books.
Other surprise was to compare Bond in the books with Bond in the movies. Bond in the books was more human and credible, even to the point of throwing up after moments of extreme tension. Other characters are interesting as well, like nature girl Honey Rider and Bond's friend Quarrell. I also liked to meet again characters like M and Q. Doctor No, though, as everything related to Crab Key island, is a little too fantastic for my taste, but, from the information I gathered, "Doctor No" is Fleming's most "exotic" and implausible book. The important considerations are that Fleming can create good thrilling scenes, and that James Bond is a better character than I expected. I will surely look for "Casino Royale" and start the series in proper order. Grade 8.8/10
Rating:
Summary: Initiation to Mr Bond's series
Review: As most teenagers, I had my "Bond movies phase", renting and watching every movie from Sean Connery through Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and now Brosnan. Even so, I had never read one of Ian Fleming's books, prejudicialy dismissing them as childish and poorly written. After ten years, I found "Doctor No" in a used-books store, and since I made the mistake of thinking this was, like in the movies, the first book of the series, I bought it. In "Doctor No", James Bond, after a bad mission and spending some time in a hospital, is given a kind of "vacation mission" in Jamaica. He has to discover what happened to the local stationed british secret agent, who is reported missing. When Bond gets there, he is driven towards Crab Key, a misterious island owned by Julius No, a tall, bald maniac for privacy and who is hiding things from jamaican administration. To my surprise (and showing I was wrong in my prejudices), Fleming is a good writer who can hold the reader's attention at most times. It's just a pity that I didn't begin the series with the first book, "Casino Royale", to see how Fleming developed his writing style, characters and plots while writing the books.
Other surprise was to compare Bond in the books with Bond in the movies. Bond in the books was more human and credible, even to the point of throwing up after moments of extreme tension. Other characters are interesting as well, like nature girl Honey Rider and Bond's friend Quarrell. I also liked to meet again characters like M and Q. Doctor No, though, as everything related to Crab Key island, is a little too fantastic for my taste, but, from the information I gathered, "Doctor No" is Fleming's most "exotic" and implausible book. The important considerations are that Fleming can create good thrilling scenes, and that James Bond is a better character than I expected. I will surely look for "Casino Royale" and start the series in proper order. Grade 8.8/10
Rating:
Summary: Doctor No is great
Review: Being a fan of the James Bond of the movies, I decided to go back to where Bond got his start--in Ian Fleming's novels. Doctor No is the third Bond novel I've read and thus far I think it's the best. Bond is called to investigate the mysterious death of Strangways on the island of Jamaica. Upon arriving, Bond finds that Doctor No, the enigmatic owner of an island rich in guano, is behind the murder. As Bond investigates No's island with his Jamaican friend Quarrel, he encounters the beautiful Honey Rider and the dangers of dealing with Doctor No. As I said before, this is so far my favorite of the Fleming Bond novels. The location is exotic and mysterious (Fleming probably chose it because he lived there), Bond is more ruthless than ever, and the thrills are plentiful. Honey Rider is more developed here than she is in the Dr. No movie, and the villain himself is much more sinister and menacing. The pace is much quicker than the other novels, with there being very few parts that drag. By modern standards Fleming is a racist and sexist but his dated descriptions and language don't remove from the story. Some claim the giant squid chapter was too much, but I thought it worked; that chapter was probably my favorite because it reminded me of Jules Verne and all the adventure novels of the past. I had a few problems, though. The bird guano elements to the book really throw the pacing off and are kind of boring; I found myself skimming the pages when Fleming started describing them. The death of Doctor No is absurd and unintentionally funny; I wanted something more exciting than what Fleming gives us. The characters seem fond of going into really long monologues as well, which can be tiresome. Overall, though, I had more fun with this novel than the other ones I've read. I'd give it a high recommendation just for its sheer fun. Somehow I can't help but play the James Bond Theme in my head while reading these books.
Rating:
Summary: Doctor No is great
Review: Being a fan of the James Bond of the movies, I decided to go back to where Bond got his start--in Ian Fleming's novels. Doctor No is the third Bond novel I've read and thus far I think it's the best. Bond is called to investigate the mysterious death of Strangways on the island of Jamaica. Upon arriving, Bond finds that Doctor No, the enigmatic owner of an island rich in guano, is behind the murder. As Bond investigates No's island with his Jamaican friend Quarrel, he encounters the beautiful Honey Rider and the dangers of dealing with Doctor No. As I said before, this is so far my favorite of the Fleming Bond novels. The location is exotic and mysterious (Fleming probably chose it because he lived there), Bond is more ruthless than ever, and the thrills are plentiful. Honey Rider is more developed here than she is in the Dr. No movie, and the villain himself is much more sinister and menacing. The pace is much quicker than the other novels, with there being very few parts that drag. By modern standards Fleming is a racist and sexist but his dated descriptions and language don't remove from the story. Some claim the giant squid chapter was too much, but I thought it worked; that chapter was probably my favorite because it reminded me of Jules Verne and all the adventure novels of the past. I had a few problems, though. The bird guano elements to the book really throw the pacing off and are kind of boring; I found myself skimming the pages when Fleming started describing them. The death of Doctor No is absurd and unintentionally funny; I wanted something more exciting than what Fleming gives us. The characters seem fond of going into really long monologues as well, which can be tiresome. Overall, though, I had more fun with this novel than the other ones I've read. I'd give it a high recommendation just for its sheer fun. Somehow I can't help but play the James Bond Theme in my head while reading these books.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book Great Cover
Review: DOCTOR NO is one of Ian Fleming's best. There is great atmoshere and detail on this adventure with James Bond. I really enjoyed this one. There are quite a few differences from the book to the film. I really enjoyed the way Fleming put words together in this novel. He was realy in a groove here. My only complaint is that this edition is so thin. Despite the beautiful cover, I was expecting a much larger book. But don't let that come between you and this excellent novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Dr. Maybe
Review: DR. NO is fun to read but it is also a disappointment. The first problem is that James Bond very distinctly died in the last book, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. As Arthur Conan Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes, Ian Fleming must have decided that Bond deserved to be resurrected, but he does so unconvincingly. Bond didn't really die from the sure-fire poison of Rosa Kleb, he was resuscitated and made it through. Conan Doyle is not the only classic adventure writer Fleming borrows from in DR. NO - there's Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jules Verne in here, too. Also, strangely, there's a little of the bird guide written by a long forgotten ornithologist with the boring name of James Bond from which Fleming got the name. All of this meshes together well as a pulp fantasy-adventure book except the part about the birds. Birds, absent from the movie version (which, along with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, is one of the only two movies to actually improve upon the Fleming novel), play a central role in DR. NO. Their presence however is ridiculous, and their contribution to the death of Dr. No is about the silliest moment in the entire James Bond series. The problems with DR. NO don't stop with the birds. Bond once again makes his way along by his physical endurance rather than his wits. Sure enough, Bond suspects foul play when other authorities don't, and this time he picks up a few obvious clues that he nevertheless would have missed in prior books, but he always muscles his way out of a jam. The reader then cannot admire the way Bond thinks, or the way Fleming devises clever situations. As with most Bond novels, the reader is left to admire how Fleming puts together words. Fortunately, Fleming can still put together words quite well. Despite DR. NO's faults, it somehow works out to be the most exciting Bond novel of the series thus far. The book is basically a string of fantastic action scenes, interspersed with characteristic descriptions of food, drink and Bond's surroundings. This is what Fleming excels at, and he may have had an upper hand in writing this book because he set it mostly on Jamaica where he lived and the nearby Crab Key. Each Bond book contains certain genuine surprises. While none can surpass the surprise ending of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, DR. NO does not disappoint in this regard. The biggest shock is the extent to which Bond kills in cold blood here. Bond murders at least four unsuspecting guards, participates in a (mildly) torturous interrogation of a young woman, and ends up sleeping with a girl half his age (though he resists her throughout the book). Combined with his familiar superhumanly heavy drinking and smoking, this rougishness substitutes for character in maintaining Bond as interesting. On the whole, I get the sense from DR. NO that Ian Fleming was tired of his main character and wanted to write a different kind of book. As a "different kind of book" it works, and it is fun to read. Many of the later John Garner and Raymond Benson books seem to follow the DR. NO fantasy model, and that is too bad. Fleming gets away with it because nobody does it better.
Rating:
Summary: SAY YES TO DR. NO!
Review: Dr. No was one of my most favorite James Bond books. I read this book on a plane ride to England of all places. I was most pleased with the return of James Bond, and dispite what others say, in From Russia with Love it is plausable for Bond to have survived. The only problem I had with the book is the inconsistent writing style of Ian Fleming. He often tosses in foreign words without explanation of what they mean. But if you like James Bond, pick up Ian Fleming's Dr. No.
Rating:
Summary: PREETY SWEET!
Review: Dr. No was the very first movie so people might think that it is the first book, its not. While it does stand alone by itself, the reader may want to read 'Live and Let Die' and 'From Russia With love' (this is where Bond gets sick). All in all its a very good mystery novel. The whole pus-feller (octopus) thing at the end is far fetched (but so is most of James Bonds exploits right?). Buy this today, you shant regret it darling!
Rating:
Summary: Bond goes on a tropical adventure
Review: Dr. No, the first Bond Novel I read, (an accident, I did not realize that the filmakers made the movies in a different order from the books) the sixth in chronological order. I thought this one was great! Bond must investigate the mysterious disappearance of John Strangways (the representitive of the secret service to Jamaica) and his secretary. Once there he slowly finds the truth behind Strangway's disappearance. Enter: Dr. No, who is sending wrong messages to Missiles causing them to crash from his private island north of Jamaica. Highlights: Centipede ordeal, "Dragon", No's establishment, Obstacle course, Fight with Squid.
Rating:
Summary: FUN AUDIO BOOK OF DR. NO
Review: For those of us that are 007 fans, this is an interesting mustown tape. Not quite the same as the movie version, but more complex -explores a much more sinister side of the Dr. No character than the movie conveys. Well worth the listen.
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