Rating: 
Summary: Utter Trash
Review: I don't know how Ian Fleming got his reputation as a good writer, as this book is simply awful. The worst thing about it is the writing, which seems as though Fleming got no education on how to write well. He will go on and on and on and on about the tiniest detail, so that when he finally finishes, you forget what's going on. Mind you, there are lots of other things about this book that make it stink like rotten poultry. Take my advice: don't even bother borrowing it from the library!
Rating: 
Summary: Different and Better than the Movie
Review: I have been a James Bond movie fan for years. I never read the Ian Fleming novels because I never could have imagined an improvement on the big screen edition. Boy was I wrong. The novel is a vast improvement over the movie bevause it can pack more details and adventures into the story. It sees James Bond barely escape the clutches of a giant squid, safely cross through a cage full of hairy tarantualas, and endure the burning of a red hot ventilating system that is only a few inches larger than he is. None of this is in the movie. Also, the story reads almost like a different yarn than the movie:
- In the book, Dr. No is killed by a pile of bird dung that is dropped from a crane manned by 007. In the movie, he dies during the breakdown of his palace.
- In the book, Quarrel (Bond's partner) picks 007 up at the airport when he first comes to Jamaica. In the movie, a Dr. No employee picks him up and is killed minutes later by his own hand.
- In the book, 007 sees a giant centipede crawl up his body when he's in bed. In the movie, it's a tarantula.
- In the book, Honey Rider first appears naked. In the movie, she's wearing a bikini.
- But most of all, the novel's primary focus seems to show that Dr. No is a seller of bird dung that wishes to keep people away. In the movie, he wants to keep people out, but we are deprived of the bird slant that is really quite important to the story as a whole. The book "Dr. No " reads almost as a totally different story than the movie, and it includes more adventures. I recommend this highly.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks, Penguin!
Review: I'll review this one because it was the first movie made, but not the first Bond story written by Fleming. My comments here can apply to all the Bond books in this Penguin reprint series. I'll leave it to the other reviews to tell you about each Fleming story. They vary in quality, but, hey, it's the original James Bond. The books as reprinted by Penguin, which is what I really want to talk about, are the best I've seen for slush paperbacks. They're a little oversized, but the artwork and printing are exceptional. They feel good in your hand and you eye flows on the pages easily. Nicely done, Penguin. 9 of the 14 Fleming Bond books are available now. 3 more are coming in September. That's leaves just 2, Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy. I haven't been able to elicit any info if Penguin will be issuing these. So, if you want James Bond in print, don't hesitate to get these.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent thriller.
Review: Ian Fleming (1908-1956), a reactionary, nationalist, misogynist snob, was, at his best, a superb writer of thrillers. Not all the Bond books are first-rate, but when Fleming's imagination was firing on all cylinders, he was capable of great stuff. "Doctor No" (1958) shows him at his finest. Its story is one of his more outlandish, and the romance a little more mushy than usual, but in terms of plot, suspense, and non-stop danger, this is as exciting as the Bond books get. If you've seen the movie, you basically know the plot, though there are a few minor differences. If you've never read a Bond novel before, this is as good a place as any to start. Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a Secret Service agent. It is soon apparent that there is much more afoot than he had anticipated, and a third of the way into the novel, Bond is sailing by night to the island of Doctor No, determined to find out the truth. Along the way the loses a friend, charms a babe, and foils the nefarious machinations of the evil doctor. Oh yeah--and he kills a giant squid. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent thriller.
Review: Ian Fleming (1908-1956), a reactionary, nationalist, misogynist snob, was, at his best, a superb writer of thrillers. Not all the Bond books are first-rate, but when Fleming's imagination was firing on all cylinders, he was capable of great stuff. "Doctor No" (1958) shows him at his finest. Its story is one of his more outlandish, and the romance a little more mushy than usual, but in terms of plot, suspense, and non-stop danger, this is as exciting as the Bond books get. If you've seen the movie, you basically know the plot, though there are a few minor differences. If you've never read a Bond novel before, this is as good a place as any to start. Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a Secret Service agent. It is soon apparent that there is much more afoot than he had anticipated, and a third of the way into the novel, Bond is sailing by night to the island of Doctor No, determined to find out the truth. Along the way the loses a friend, charms a babe, and foils the nefarious machinations of the evil doctor. Oh yeah--and he kills a giant squid. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Dr No
Review: Ian Fleming at his best is the best, but this book is quite poor. Only this one and Live and Let Die are inferior to the film versions, in my opinion. Fleming's writing itself is superb as ever, but the plot here is weak, as though he is making it up as he goes along. Particularly bad is the scene with Honey and Bond half way through the novel, which is really corny. And you wonder why a trained spy would go so close to the mechanical dragon that he is in the line of its flames. Surely, he would have kept himself hidden at that point?! The desciptions of Jamaica and Quarrel's character are good, but the whole thing lack any real suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Good Adventure Story
Review: If you have seen the movies, you will find many interesting differences in the books upon which they are based. James Bond is much more vulnerable and not nearly as sinister as Sean Connery portrayed him. Honey Rider is a much more complex character. Her beauty is flawed by a broken nose caused when she was raped. The movie softens this in a way that takes away from understanding her character. Dr. No is much more menacing. This book is not great literature but it is a worthwhile diversion.
Rating:
Summary: Good Adventure Story
Review: If you have seen the movies, you will find many interesting differences in the books upon which they are based. James Bond is much more vulnerable and not nearly as sinister as Sean Connery portrayed him. Honey Rider is a much more complex character. Her beauty is flawed by a broken nose caused when she was raped. The movie softens this in a way that takes away from understanding her character. Dr. No is much more menacing. This book is not great literature but it is a worthwhile diversion.
Rating:
Summary: I'll Never Watch A Bond Flick Again
Review: Most of us have seen a James Bond movie at one time or another and enjoyed the outlandish antics in which he participates. However, upon getting my hands on this edition and finishing it in a matter of hours, the movies suddenly hold no appeal. I love the literary Bond! Sure, he's a lecherous alcoholic who smokes 60 cigarettes a day, but that's only during his downtime; when he's on the job, women and booze are secondary. And sure, it's vastly outdated, but the Cold War is still, by far, the best setting for an espionage thriller. The Bond in the novels is a cold cutomer who wouldn't hesitate to kill someone close to him to spare them a worse death (as in the latter part of Live And Let Die). Also, the literary Bond's body is a patchwork of scar tissue, and his handsome features are marred only by a scar on his right cheek.
That said, Fleming's style is great--short and to the point, much the same as his days writing reports during WWII during his stint in the military. His prose isnn't flowery, and it advances the story at a brisk pace.
Dr. No is an excellent turning point for both Fleming and Bond. Fleming killed Bond at the end of From Russia With Love (one report being that he'd tired of the character, but fans clammored for Bond's revival). The events of the previous novel are touched-on briefly in the beginning of the book, but they don't have much bearing on the rest of the story. However, the return of Quarrel (from Live And Let Die) and his loss greatly affects Bond, bringing a depth of character rarely explored by the celluloid Bonds.
Dr. No is a great read of the genre of its time, featuring a dashing secret agent hero, a capable sidekick, a beautiful seashell-hunting love interest, 5-inch tropical poisonous centipedes, flamethrowing dragons, sadistic henchmen, a giant squid (not in the movie!), and of course, Dr. No, the pincer-handed, ultra-rich, ultra-evil, guano-dealing nemesis! Who could ask for anything more?!
Rating:
Summary: James Bond returns to battle the fanatical Dr. No!
Review: Returning once again in the 6th book by Ian Fleming, James Bond is back and he is on his way to battle the evil Dr. Julius No, who describes himself as a maniac. Dr. No is a 6 ft. tall, bald maniac who has claws instead of hands puts 007 up to one of his most dangerous and daring assignments ever. 007 has apparently survived the excrutiating death of being stabbed by the poison shoe of Rosa Klebb. He's back in action and more dangerous than ever. He is sent by M to Jamaica to discover what has happened regarding the dissapearance of SIS agant Strangways and his secretary. 007 soon discovers that somebody doesn't want him to find out why, after a poisonous centipede and poison fruit make their way to Bond's hotel room. the suspect is Dr. No who sells bird-dung on the mysterious island Crab Key. Bond teams himself with a local, called Quarrel and they sail to the island. 007 meets Honeychile Ryder from walking up onto the beach from the water. Together the three search the island, but Quarrel is killed and Bond and Honey are captured and sent to the headquarters of Dr. No. He then tells them that is a Soviet agent that is causing havoc to the USA military tests of their rockets. Dr. No is a sadistic maniac who is obsessed on how much the human body can take. He forces Bond to go through his death course filled with electric shocks, poisonous spiders, heat and a giant squid. Bond surprisingly survives and kills Dr. No by suffocating him under a large pile of bird dung. Bond then rescues Honey and they go to a vacation together. Dr. No is one of the most thrilling, exciting and adventerous novels of Ian Fleming. It's filled with exotic villians, Dr. No, exciting girls, Honey Ryder and unstoppable excitement!
|
