Casino Royale (James Bond Classic Library) (ISBN 1567310567)

interesting:
I was curious about how Bond was originally conceived in Flemings writings. It satisfied that curiousity. A quick read and in depth. Bond lovers are sure to enjoy.

Too slight and inconsequential:
Fleming's first Bond book, and my last. They are not awful, just too slight and inconsequential to be worth reading, and I suspect bear little relation to the movies made from them.

Is Bond ready for an early assignment?:
The first of Ian Fleming's Bond books shows us the agent in his early work. We find Fleming's Bond to be a practical and capable individual, who is more confident in his own abilities and perceptions than what perhaps is warrented. The agent that emerges by novel's end is grim, resourceful and driven. The young James Bond is a far cry from the suave, imperturbable Sean Connery that we all came to admire. His vulnerability makes him more human, and his cold determination makes him less so. I enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading the next in the series.

BOND BEGINS:
It's always interesting reading the first book dealing with a popular character, whether it be Conan, Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes. The same is true with James Bond. Two things strike me as really fascinating about this book. First of all, the first half of the book deals with the card game of baccarat, which hardly sounds like an action-packed setting. Yet Ian Fleming did a good job of explaining the game so that even those like me who have never played baccarat will understand Bond's reactions when he holds 2 Queens in his hand or sees a 9 on the table. The second is that, despite his profession, Bond does not fire a single shot throughout this novel. At that rate, no shots are fired at him, either. With such little action, how could this first Bond novel have possibly become a series-starting hit? The answer lies not in the action, but in the rest of the book. For one, we get to see where Bond's attitude towards women comes from, why he orders such complicated drinks and meals, his meticulous methods of ensuring his room has not been disturbed and of his first two assignments that gave him his "00" status in the first place. All these make Bond a very mysterious, almost eccentric, character. I enjoyed the latest Casino Royale movie with Daniel Craig, and although I felt the movie did some scenes better (the chase scene and torture scenes, especially), the original book is just as good and definitely worth a spot on your bookshelf.

Awesome Book!:
Ian Fleming did a great job with his first James Bond book and I highly recommend it! If you're expecting the Daniel Craig movie (which was very good, mind you), this is not the same story (it's similar, but very, very different).