Forget the movies - this is a different Bond

Having been a fan of the James Bond movies, I was curious to see how the books compared to the movies, and what better place to start than with the first Bond book by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale?

We are introduced to James Bond, who is summoned for this particular mission because of his gambling ability. He is to use his skill at baccarat to bankrupt a bad guy known as Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre owes money to an illegal syndicate, and if he is unable to pay them back, he will be forced into...shall we say...an early and permanent retirement.

With this story in place, Bond goes to work, and it's important to point out that this story (and this Bond, for that matter) are quite different than the ones we've come to know on the big screen.

Some similarities are present: Bond is confident of his abilities, sophisticated, and cool under pressure. He has a taste for the finest things in life. He drives a Bentley (the Aston Martin allegiance comes later, I presume), chain smokes his expensive cigarettes, and spends a good deal of his down time enjoying the pleasures of good food, good weather, and good women.

However, one nice thing about the book is that the medium of literature allows the writer to penetrate the thoughts and feelings of characters so well. As a result, we get a glimpse into the inner thoughts of Bond and find that things aren't quite as simple as they appear.

For one thing, Bond is frequently fraught with insecurities. He doubts himself at times, and becomes angry with his mistakes (and the mistakes of others). He is clearly human. He purposely keeps women at a distance, and his chauvinistic attitudes about women are uncensored and there for the reader to examine and evaluate.

Other reviewers have mentioned some of the sexist attitudes in the book, and while it is clear that this isn't a book that the Feminist movement would champion, it's important to remember that this book was written before the women's movement, and for an audience of 1950's-era men. It is true, admittedly, that the only woman has the following traits:

1) Does nothing positive to help the mission,
2) Gets kidnapped through her own apparent stupidity
3) Requires Bond to "rescue" her
4) Serves as a sort of "sexual test" for Bond's libido
5) Ends up being deceptive and dishonest

I won't go into too much detail about the above points (doing so would spoil the story), nor will I delve into too much detail about the plot. Suffice it to say there are plenty of twists and turns, a torture sequence that shows the strength of our hero and cements the villany of the bad guy, and a deus ex machina.

As always, Bond relies mostly on his own strength and grace under fire to get him through some tough situations.

As for the book's style and prose, I found the book an easy read, although I was mildly irritated by the frequent peppering of French words and phrases, which were not explained, or even very easily interpreted through the context. The story itself is also pretty short, and can easily be read in one or two sittings.

All in all, this is a book that serious Bond fans should definitely read, especially with the newest Bond movie coming out this year (2006).