it was to my expectations and more loved this book would love to read it again ( )

The first one or two of the Bond novels were new and exciting. The plot and characters seemed real to me, so I liked this one. When they became a series, they lost their appeal, became kinda trite. ( )

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming was a truly marvelous classic.

I can totally understand why this book is considered one of the classic and first spy novels. It felt exactly like what I would expect a James Bond book to be - full of thrills, surprise twists and turns, double agents, alcohol, gambling and pretty women.

My favourite part of this book is that it wasn't exactly like a James Bond film - this James Bond made errors along the way and wasn't the perfect spy. He was headstrong and did what he thought was best (even if it wasn't the best plan). It made Bond feel like a real person.

I also really enjoyed the writing style. Mr. Fleming's writing felt elegant and perfectly placed for a spy thriller. I was enchanted along the ride and loved the word choice. It felt more royal, like the English Secret Service should be. On top of that, the heroes, heroine and villain all feel like actual people instead of characters. It was the way and tone of Ian Fleming's words that made it feel so real instead of just written words.

That being said, it was a lovely read. I would highly recommend these books to those who love thrillers and want to see the history of the genre. I found the book really intriguing. I might not continue reading the series but I did really like it book. It was a nice change from my normal read.

Three out of five stars.

( )

Good, not great. Showed a different kind of Bond than we see in the movies, which was interesting. Is this because it is the first book, and the later books will be more typical? Or did the movies change things to be less nuanced? ( )

I read this book years ago, but have a fond memory of it. It is the first in the series. The Daniel Craig movie version captures a lot of the spirit of the book. Bond clearly cares for Vesper, and the fact that he has impermanent relationships with women in most of the novels seems symptomatic in light of what he paid because he loved and trusted her. Losing her scarred him in "Casino Royale" and seems to have left something permanent.

The theme of this novel is betrayal and corruption. Le Chiffre, the villain is as brutal as he is corrupt. (He has been played in video productions, BTW by an impressive bunch: Mads Mikkelsen, Peter Lorre, Orson Welles.) The focus on gambling at cards becomes a recurring one in Bond novels. Baccarat, the favored game here, is similar to Twenty-one, only you are trying to get to a score of nine, not twenty-one. Your cards must add up to--but not exceed--the target number at the end of the hand. whoever is closest to the target number, without going over, wins the hand.

Le Chiffre is a crime boss, but he has his own bosses, and he is stealing money from them. If he can get enough to pay back what he owes, his bosses will probably look no further, but if Bond can win big in a head-to-head game of Baccarat with Le Chiffre, the crime boss will be ruined and probably killed by his masters.

Those are the stakes, and if Le Chiffre feels threatened by anyone, whether Bond or Vesper, he will do whatever he must to keep his head on his shoulders. He kidnaps, imprisons, and tortures them. The Climax is grim, the denouement is sad. ( )