Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10587 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Synopsis
'A dry martini,' Bond said. 'In a deep champagne goblet. Three measures of Gordons, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice cold, then add a thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?' 'Certainly, monsieur.' Introducing James Bond: charming, sophisticated, handsome; chillingly ruthless and very deadly, this, the first of Fleming's tales of agent 007, finds Bond on a mission to neutralize a lethal, high-rolling Russian operative called simply The Cypher' by ruining him at the Baccarat table and forcing his Soviet spymasters to retire' him. It seems that lady luck is taken with James. The Cypher has hit a losing streak. But some people just refuse to play by the rules and Bond's attraction to a beautiful female agent leads him to disaster and an unexpected saviour.

From the Publisher
With a new introduction by Jeffrey Deaver.

About the Author
Born in London in 1908, Ian Fleming worked as a banker and
journalist before serving in the British Naval Intelligence during WWII. He
published his first novel Casino Royale in 1953 and thus started the
astoundingly successful Bond novels and films. Fleming died in 1964.

Customer Reviews

Cold, cynical and brilliant
I'll admit that prior to the 2006 film Casino Royale I was not a fan of James Bond films, in fact I hated them. I enjoyed the ew film and it was the grittiness of this (that and the release of Devil May Care) that made me want to give the books a try. I am very glad I did.

Although written in 1953 and slightly dated in the way in which Flemming writes, I found his book to be gripping from beginning to end and loved the fact that it was very unsentimental but also very human (in a hero-like way). The villains are very bad and the heroes are very good. At least thats how it appears. However Flemming has crafted good well rounded characters to create flawed men and women rather than cardborad cut outs.

The plot was easy enough to follow although not being a card player myself (apart from the occassional game of 21!) I found some of the ideas a bit hard and had to re read the passages to make sure I got the hang of it. Other than that I thought the plot was a good introduction to James Bond and one in which I am going to follow up.

A brilliant spy novel full of twists and turns. I can't wait to get my hands on Live and Let Die!. 4/5

A numbers game
The man known as 007 is sent to defeat a villain known as Le Chiffre (the number) in a game of Baccarat in order to ruin the credibility of the Ruskies. The setting is the luxurious Casino in the grand, old French town of Royale. Bond, being an expert gambler and player thinks he'll have no trouble taking down Le Chiffre, but doesn't bargain on forces working against him from his own side.

I'm not sure if Ian Fleming originally planned this to be the first of a series but he does a good job of introducing us to all of the familiar characters. His writing style is short and terse and to the point. I often find myself reading books that waffle on and on with nothing in particular to say but Casino Royale wastes no time in getting to the important stuff. It's urgent, but still never feels underwritten. It's a perfectly balanced style and I hope that the rest of the books feel the same.

Despite being set in the 50's there isn't really THAT much in the book that dates it terribly. I saw the cast from the 2006 movie in my head, but don't expect the movie to be similar. The first hour of that film was pretty much new story and everything afterwards (save the sinking houses in Venice) is true to Ian Flemings book.

A good read and very fast paced.

Ian Flemings debut novel: Suspense written with fast pace
Background

Casino Royale is the place to start when looking for Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. It is the first book of which another 11 followed by the author himself, however other authors have continued the series. This novel was released in 1953 and was the starting point of an enterprise that would gain worldwide recognition. Inspiration for these books partly came from his time in the Naval Intelligence Division during WW2. Casino Royale was particularly influenced from his time in a Lisbon casino called Estoril Casino, which had a number of spies of warring regimes due to Portugal's neutral state.

Personal Opinion

This is the first time I have read a James Bond novel or any of Ian Fleming's work. I started it early evening and finished it the same night as it did have me enthralled with Fleming's quick pace and suspense filled action within the Casino. Unfortunately I seen the film earlier in the year and as the film stays quite true to the book I already knew the twists that take place. However I would still advise someone to read it if they have seen the film as I still enjoyed the book. I do think the book comes to a climax early on (the end of the casino chapters) and I felt as if I had come to the end of the book half way through. Yet overall the book is well written and Ian Fleming is very articulate without lavishing pages of description on setting, this style aids the books fast paced nature. A note to those who are inexperienced with casino practice or games (which I am having never been to one or played), Fleming provides a concise explanation of the main game played (Baccarat, unlike the Texas hold-em poker displayed in the film) and also portrays the atmosphere and setting well enough for me to feel competent about the main theme of the novel.

Other links: Casino Royale (film 2006), Casino Royale (film 1967), Live and Let Die (the second novel)