Ian Fleming and Robert Whitfield - Casino Royale: A James Bond Novel

Pros: Cutting-edge fiction for its day. Quality character introspection and scene-setting.
Cons: Deadly-boring card game Baccarat requires tedious twenty-page set-up.

The facts of author Ian Fleming’s life are awash with nearly the drama of his fictional works. As domestic commander of the WWII British intelligence unit labeled "30AU" (as in assault unit), his main mission was to find and claim the German ...

Pros: James Bond's introduction to the world
Cons: Very sexist attitudes, takes it for granted everyone understands French

The recent release of Die Another Day, the twentieth installment of the James Bond 007 movie series initially produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli (and now the project of the latter's daughter), celebrates the 40th anniversary of the...

Pros: A first look at a classic character, this book started it all.
Cons: A little short, too many unexplained French phrases.

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 ...

Pros: Excellent atmosphere, vivid detail, and the beginning of the Bond world
Cons: Bond's mission is very simplistic, book isn't very long

When Ian Fleming wrote a story about a handsome, somewhat eccentric English spy named James Bond, little did he know that this character would take the world by storm. After countless Bond novels and 19 motion pictures (with the 20th in the works), one...