Antihero: James Bond
Genre: Adult Fiction / Action / Thriller
Citation: Fleming, Ian. Casino Royale, Camberwell,
Vic : Penguin Books, 2006.
Annotation:
First published 1953 Casino Royale is the first of the James Bond novels
written by Ian Fleming. The English Author would later go on to write eleven
more James Bond novels and two short stories before suffering a fatal heart
attack. Two of the novels of his novels would go onto be published
posthumously. The franchise has been further contributed to by multiple other
authors continuing on the characters story. The novels have also lead to over
25 films being made with the popular protagonist. The Bond novels are ranked as
one of the best-selling fictional books of all time. They have sold over 100
million copies worldwide.
This thriller action adventure follows the story of James Bond otherwise
known as Agent 007 of the English Secret Service. At the beginning of the story
James could easily be described as a hero however as the story progresses and
by the end of the novel James has become the cold, hard, womanising assassin that
appears in the later novels. He is still willingly serving Queen and country
mostly obeying the rules of the secret service but no longer believes himself
capable of falling in love.
In the novel James is assigned to play against a known Soviet counterintelligence
paymaster in a high stakes baccarat game. The orders are bankrupt him at all
costs. Bond goes in undercover as a rich Jamaican playboy with the help of a
female operative Vesper Lynd. The game becomes increasingly dangerous as more
than just money goes on the line.
The novel is a fast paced read that includes some very brutal and
descriptive violence including a graphic torture scene. The plot contains
multiple twists with an ending that readers will not see coming. It is fascinating
to read the back story of how James Bond becomes the 007 Agent that readers are
most familiar with from the films created based on Ian Flemming’s later Bond
novels.
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