James Bond: Moonraker - Ian Fleming (1955)
The most intriguing mystery in this book was why the German workers on Hugo Drax's Moonraker missile all possessed such an array of differing moustache styles. Given that we know all along that Bond will save the day, it really was this puzzle that kept me reading until the end. The explanation turned out to be rather disappointing, much like the rest of the book.
It's strange reading this now and trying to imagine the fear of Nazism returning that existed in the early 1950s when Fleming penned this story, but it's these fears that inspire the villainous Drax, whose motives are revealed to both Bond and the reader through the ultimate bad-guy cliché of tying up the hero and telling him everything. Drax's dubious motives aside, the plot is unconvincing and dull in turn, with the moustache mystery being the best it has to offer in terms of intrigue.
The distinction between the films and the original Fleming books has always been one of tone - the books take themselves far more seriously and Bond himself is a much less likeable character. Fans are divided between which they prefer. I have to come down on the side of the films.
Even considering the book as a work of its time, the sexism is a little blatant. Despite being a capable, demonstratively intelligent woman, Bond girl de jour, Gala Brand, ultimately relies on Bond to use his wily thinking and heroic fortitude to save her. Surprisingly though, apart from a naked scramble in a cliff fall, Bond doesn't get the girl - or come anywhere close.
As a standalone spy thriller, Moonraker is pedestrian and lazily written; as a James Bond story, it lacks the international capers and political intrigue of Fleming's other stories and leaves the reader feeling more than a little underwhelmed.
No comments:
Post a Comment