So what do I think of the novel?
I'm pleased to report that I liked it. I think it's a strong novel overall. It's better, I think, than "Casino Royale," which didn't surprise me, since "Moonraker" was Fleming's third Bond novel. By this outing (which was actually just a couple of years later), Fleming seems to have become a better, more confident storyteller. The prose is stronger, and I get the sense that Fleming was feeling more comfortable as a writer. His writing is more graceful here, feeling less forced to me than in his debut try.
It was neat to see a bit of Bond's day to day work life. The movies can make it seem like Bond is more or less constantly off on some adventure, but this book reveals that he may be on assignment just once or twice a year. So the idea that his job often comprises a lot of boring office work was an unexpected insight. Also interesting is the notion that Bond is sort of ambivalent about his work as a 00. In "Casino Royale" he seemed okay with hanging it up after falling for Vesper, and here too he seems to groan at the prospect of doing the work much longer. Does the Bond of the movies share this attitude? Something interesting to examine, I suppose.
The book is fairly suspenseful and moves at a good pace. The threat that is revealed is a good one, and I found virtually everything involving Drax, his backstory, and villainous scheme to be strong. Drax is an intriguing and intimidating villain. I like how much personality Fleming gives him (even if he does rely too heavily on descriptions of Drax's "barking" laugh). I like that through most of the book, Fleming retains some mystery about him and what he is up to. Drax's evil plans are not explicitly revealed until closer to the end. Because of this, the climax is actually pretty tense and exciting. Based on the two Fleming novels I've read thus far, I would say his books tend to get better as they progress (in both instances, I found myself getting sucked in pretty good at about the midway point), and that his endings are very satisfying.
Gala Brand is a well developed female character. While I realize that these stories will, as a rule, tend to feature attractive females for Bond to work with (and want to sleep with), I must admit that Gala's relationship with Bond doesn't pay off the way I expected it to. How cool is it that, in the end, Bond doesn't get the girl? There's a lot to enjoy in "Moonraker." In the spirit of being somewhat critical, however, I will point out that various elements of the plot seemed similar to things that happen in "Casino Royale." For example, there is a lot of card playing, a car chase, Bond and the girl being captured and tortured. It's not all handled in the same manner as it was in the prior book, but it did strike me as a bit redundant.
Also, I read somewhere online that the basic premise of "Moonraker" was intended as a short story, and that Fleming ended up adding the early plot involving Drax's cheating at cards to flesh the novel out. I suppose it all works okay, but I does have the mild feel of something shoehorned in. But I suppose when it comes to writing sequences about gambling, Fleming just can't seem to help himself!
All in all, I liked "Moonraker" quite a bit. Fleming definitely seemed to be hitting his stride as a writer with this entry. I haven't seen the Roger Moore film in many years, but if memory serves, the movie is very different from the book. So if they ever end up remaking some of the Fleming novels, "Moonraker" is one I'd love to see.
