Thunderball

Despite many faults this remains one of my favorite Ian Fleming James Bond novels. 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 outright complacency even 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.

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.

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.

After reading some of the recent works of Raymond Benson, I thought it might be fun to go back and read one of the classic 007 novels. I had never read THUNDERBALL before, but I thoroughly enjoyed both movie versions; especially "Never Say Never Again".Thunderball is one of Fleming's best! The scuba diving battle beneath the Caribbean between Bond and Largo is epic, but the most enduring feature of the novel is it marks the first appearance of the criminal organization SPECTRE, and it's diabolical leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld!Did Ian Fleming have any idea how much impact this character would have on the rest literary world when he created him? Blofeld started out as just an arch rival for James Bond, but his character became the role model for all evil genius villains with megalomanical dreams of world domination!Thunderball is a must-read for all 007 fans.

"Thunderball" introduces us to SPECTRE and its leader, Ernst Stavros Blofeld. Blofeld would become Bond's archenemy for a while, and he is certainly one of the five greatest villains James Bond has faced in his 35-year literary career. When SPECTRE steals two nuclear warheads, Her Majesty's Secret Service assigns every agent to tracking them down. Based on a personal hunch, M sends his best man (Bond, of course) to Nassau. Bond, fresh from a disastrous stay at the Shrublands health clinic, flies to Nassau to sort things out. Along with his American buddy Felix Leiter, making a most welcome return, Bond traces the danger to its source: Emilio Largo, second only to Blofeld himself in the organization SPECTRE. Bond girl Domino plays an integral role in the dissolution of SPECTRE's scheme. "Thunderball" is one of Fleming's finest novels, and it kicks off the Blofeld Trilogy, which continues in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "You Only Live Twice." Top-notch work.