Thunderball (James Bond Novels) by Ian Fleming
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Book Reviews of Thunderball (James Bond Novels)
Book Review: A Fleming classic
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the original Thunderball novel that was based on a screenplay suggested for the first James Bond movie, and was ultimately filmed as the fourth installment of the series. It's written by Ian Fleming, but also credited to Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham, who sued for the rights later on (all reviews should mention this fact, since McClory never let people forget it).
Like the movie Bond must travel to the Bahamas to stop SPECTRE, who have stolen two nuclear warheads. There are similarities to the book, and there are differences. The character of Fiona Volpe does not exist in the novel, nor does her sequence in the Kiss Kiss Club. Bond and Domino's first meeting is different, and Felix Leiter plays a larger role. Still readers will recognize enough key sequences in the right order to see that the film was a stronger adaptation of Fleming's work than the later movies.
It's a fast, thrilling read, and if it's fun by today's more "sophisticated" standards you can only imagine what a thrill it was back in the 60's. You can sometimes picture Sean Connery's Bond as you read, but other times this Bond is more brooding and human, more reluctant serviceman than debonair spy. What I particularly like about the novel over the book is that there's a greater sense of urgency, and that Bond is never sure if he's actually right as he follows the very circumstantial evidence. On the other hand, the movie definitely brings a greater sense of scale to the final underwater battle.
Great on it's own, or as a companion to the movie. Classic escapist reading.
Book Review: Funny, Charming and Interesting
Summary: 5 Stars
"Thunderball", the ninth Bond novel, is the first of the "Blofeld Trilogy" (continued with "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and concluded with "You Only Live Twice" intercepted by "The Spy Who Loved me").
The novel begins with M, MI6's head, sending James Bond, our hero, to a two week vacation in a health clinic due to poor health caused by lots of drinking and smoking sixty cigarettes a day.
Of course, nothing for our hero goes smoothly and his vacation is smudged by an assassination attempt by one of the other guests who just happen to be a member of the Red Lightning Tong criminal organization from Macau.
Bond feels better when returning to London, following a better diet and smoking less, only to find out that SPECTRE, headed by Ernst Stavro Blofeld, hired a Royal Air Force pilot named Petacchi to hijack some bombers with two nuclear bombs on board and fly them to the Bahamas where Emilio Largo (Blofeld's second in command) is waiting on his yacht.
Petacci is killed and the Americans and British launch operation Thunderball to recover the missing nukes assigns Bond, on a hunch) to the Bahamas where he meets his old CIA friend Felix Leiter. While in Nassau Bond meets our villains, villainesses and other characters while solving the mystery and saving the world.
I found "Thunderball" to be very enjoyable and well written. The novel is part mystery, part thriller, funny, charming and interesting.
Book Review: Review of Thunderball
Summary: 5 Stars
Some say that Thunderball, by Ian Fleming, was the book that really started James Bond on his path of world-wide fame and recognition as a literary icon. For Thunderball was the first of the Blofeld trilogy - that iconic villain Ernest Stavro Blofeld.
Here, we are introduced to SPECTRE via their plot to steal two nuclear warheads and explode them at key locations in a ransom plot for money. James gets involved, accidentally, when a chance encounter with someone involved in the SPECTRE plot sets off a series of unfortunate incidents, resulting in James being sent to the Bahamas as a scout for the missing nuclear warheads. James teams up with CIA agent friend Felix Leiter, falls in love with the beautiful Domino, and winds up in the clutches of Blofeld's number one agent, Emilio Largo. That Domino seems to be Emilio's lover only adds to the spice, and trouble for Bond.
But while the movie version is pure action-oriented James Bond thriller that we know and love, the book version actually adds more subtle and introspective layers to the James Bond character that I would have never known from only watching Sean Connery. So while the movie is nice, I find the book much more authentic and, frankly, gripping.
(review by Kendall Giles)
Book Review: Now that was a blast
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've seen the movie you know the plot of Thunderball already so I won't get into that. Reading Thunderball is a great pleasure for Bond fans because the movie was so faithful to the book. There were a few things left out becuase they were considered too much for the big screen.
Ian Fleming must have had a marvelous sense of humor becuase the chapters where Bond finds himself stuck at Shrublands, drinking tea and vegatable broth and longing for spaghetti and chianti are extremely funny. Later when things get serious the reader gets wonderful scenes with M. who really was a fascinating character. The old man was even more ruthless than Bond.
The biggest thing Thunderball did was to introduce the world to Blofeld and nevermind the Austin Powers jokes, the original Blofeld was a very dangerous, very scary dude. The description of Largo and the scenes with Bond's old pal, Felix Leiter are also great.
I'm very happy that the old (real) Fleming books are being re-released in such good quality paper and with such snappy retro covers. My dad's old copies were literally crumbling whenever I touched them.
Book Review: An Interesting Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
THUNDERBALL is a very interesting Ian Fleming James Bond novel. I found the first two thirds of the novel very well written. The final third of the novel seems to lose all its steam and sinks into literary mediocrity and that's what really interests me. The first third of this novel contains some of the best prose that Fleming ever put on paper. It is rich in detail and thoroughly engrossing. It is a true delight to read and savor. As the novel enters the second the third it still remains engrossing but seems to lack some of Fleming's usual drive and coherency. The final third falls below what could even be considered commonplaceness for Fleming. Fleming seems to have just given up on this project at some point and just finished it out to get it into publication. Yet THUNDERBALL remains one of my favorite Fleming novels. The first third truly is brilliant and I enjoy reading it and examining at what point Fleming became disinterested.