Decent review, my friend. I'm a fan of Fleming's Bond novels, but I don't think that Casino Royale is one of the best ones (nor is it one of the worst - for the better ones try From Russia, With Love or On Her Majesty's Secret Service). His writing got better as he went along. Some of your complaints are valid, as they do seem to express a particular world view that Fleming wasn't at all subtle about, but I think that they're fun novels that can easily be read in the space of a few hours. I'm not quite sure why I like them that much either - I'm not at all like James Bond nor would I want to be.
Perhaps I should give him another chance. I have been wanting to read On Her Majesty's Secret Service: I watched the film in mute horror and I have always wanted to know whether the book was as bad. To hear you describe it as one of the better makes it almost a must-read for me. It would not be the first time a film failed to get the point, I suppose.
The film is actually one of the closest adaptations of one of Fleming's novels. I happen to love the film as well (beautiful cinematography, brilliant score), and I feel like the story is one of the stronger ones in the series particularly because it's so different. The film has actually started to get a rather dedicated following from some of the hardcore Bond fans. Some even feel that it's the best film - others hate it because it's so different. You might like the novel more because you don't have Lazenby's rather uninspired performance.
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
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