Casino Royale
is Ian Fleming’s first novel and introduces the character of James
Bond and his tastes and vices in a style of vivid writing that led
to the accusation of “sex, sadism and snobbery”.
It introduces
us to many of the concepts that are to feature in the later books
and in the films, and establishes the characteristics that are now
so firmly associated with Bond; his appearance, the drinking, the
smoking and the gambling. The book was first published in the US
with the sex scenes toned down for the sensibilities of
the American book buying public and was also released under the
title You Asked For It.
Although the
story is relatively straightforward, Fleming demonstrated a flair
for writing in a style suited to his journalist’s eye that fleshed
out the bones of the plot to make a riveting and exciting read,
while introducing the reader to a view of a life that was both sophisticated
and brutal.
First published
in 1953, the book had been written the previous year, supposedly
to take his mind off his imminent marriage. Set in a time of Cold
War paranoia and using the period that he had spent in Naval Intelligence
during the Second World War as an inspiration (a time in which he
had built a reputation for conceiving imaginative, although sometimes
impractical intelligence operations), Fleming had M send Bond on
a mission to beat the the head of a Russian financed trade union
in France at Bacarrat. The head of the union, Le Chiffre, had managed
to lose a significant amount of Russia's funds through an unauthorised
personal investment and was planning to win it back at the Casino
in Royale-les-Eaux.
The operation
was designed to discredit Le Chiffree with the Russians, who would
assassinate him as a traitor, instantly wiping out the whole of
their carefully built up French operation.
Described by Fleming as being "just north of Dieppe" and lying "near
the mouth of the Somme before the flat coastline soars up from the
beaches of southern Picardy to the Brittany cliffs which run on
to Le Havre", we have few clues as to where we can find Royale-les-Eaux
and it is not until On
Her Majesty's Secret Service that we learn a few
more details.
Casino Royale
was a great start for Fleming and its reception inspired him to
go on to write 11 more novels and two books of short stories. It
is also one of the most unfamiliar for many of today’s Bond fans
who have been raised on the films, as the book has never been filmed
as part of the official series.
The book is
one of the most polished of the books and the scenes in the casino
are vividly painted. Although the plot is on the whole straightforward,
almost mundane, it has enough of a spark of originality and daring
to pull the reader into the story and finishes with a bitter twist
in its tail. The book is peppered with information about Bond’s
habits and vices, such as his preference for his drink to be “shaken,
not stirred” (not the simple Vodka Martini of the films, but a concoction
of his own design) and custom made cigarettes with three gold bands
on the filter.
The James
Bond of the books was always very different to that of the films
and in Casino Royale we are introduced to a brooding and at times
rather introspective character, full of doubt and with a cynical
view of his profession. These make the character much more believable,
as it seems that his job has taken its toll on his life, which he
solves through excessive drinking and smoking, always half expecting
for the next moment to be his last. However, Fleming seems to get
out of his depth as a writer when Bond is talking to the head of
French intelligence about the philosophy of good and evil, which
comes across as childishly naïve and seems completely out of place
in the novel.
Overall, Casino
Royale remains one of the best of the series. It has a freshness
and readability that make it hard to put down, vivid descriptions
of the card game and should grace the bookshelf of any serious fan
of James Bond.
Fleming
saw the big screen possibilities for 007 from the beginning and
an option on the film and television rights were sold separately.
In 1954 came Bond's screen debut in the CBS television film of Casino
Royale, with Bond played as an American agent. The title was
later produced as a comedy starring David Niven after the official
series of films, produced by Albert "Cubby" Broccoli,
had raised public interest in Bond. It has little, if anything,
to do with the plot of the novel.
First editions
of all the books are highly sought after by collectors and as a
result prices are high. However, old copies of the paperbacks are
good value and the covers are better that the rather sterile covers
of more recent reprintings.
abebooks.com
- second hand books, including first editions
The
books and films below are provided in association with
Casino
Royale
