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(Paperback - Reprint)
| More Formats | |
|---|---|
| Paperback | $19.95 |
| Audio - Unabridged | $17.95 |
| Compact Disc - Unabridged, 4 CDs, 240 minutes | $17.05 |
In the first of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, 007 declares war on Le Chiffre, French communist and paymaster of the Soviet murder organization SMERSH.
The battle begins with a fifty-million-franc game of baccarat, gains momentum during Bond's fiery love affair with a sensuous lady spy, and reaches a chilling climax with fiendish torture at the hands of a master sadist. For incredible suspense, unexpected thrills, and extraordinary danger, nothing can beat James Bond in his inaugural adventure.
Here Bond is not the charming, witty sophisticate that Sean Connery, Roger Moore and other actors have made him. Casino Royale is noticeably lacking in humor, and Bond is equally noticeably cold and ruthless, yet at the same time a romantic susceptible to love's pangs. In fact, the novel is as much a love story - with a sad ending - as an espionage thriller. — Roger K. Miller
More Reviews and RecommendationsIan Fleming (1908-1964), creator of the world's best-known secret agent, is the author of fourteen James Bond books. Born in London in 1908 and educated at Eton and Sandhurst, he became the Reuters Moscow correspondent in 1929. In the spring of 1939, Fleming went back to Moscow as a special correspondent for the London Times. In June of that same year, he joined Naval Intelligence and served throughout World War II, finally earning the rank of Commander, RNVSR (Sp.). Much of the James Bond material was drawn directly from Fleming's experiences as an intelligence officer. Later, Fleming became a consultant on foreign affairs for the London Sunday Times, by which time he had become far better known as the creator of James Bond.
Mr. Fleming died August 12, 1964, at the age of fifty-six.
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June 20, 2009: Fleming is a great author and writes a thrilling spy novel, but I read him mostly to absorb his misogynistic views. He poignantly expresses these throughout Casino Royale with statements such as, "Bond saw luck as a woman, to be softly wooed or brutally ravaged, never pandered to or pursued."
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May 02, 2009: Fleming's character descriptions are so elaborate you will find yourself remembering visual scenes after finishing the book, only to realize it was those scenes were just words you read not pictures you saw. The story is suspenseful and exciting. Fleming helps you to connect with the characters: You'll wish the villain to lose and for Bond to win. You'll feel tense when Bond is in a tight spot and relief when he escapes. The writing is very concise; each paragraph furthers the plot. This is the best book in the Bond series.