Books: James Bond - Dr. No Revisited

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - Ian Fleming is an underrated writer. The late British author is famous as father of James Bond & creator of maybe the most successful franchise in the history of cinema, but his talents as writer are widely neglected. A mistake, Fleming had admirable writing skills.  He was an analytical observer of the world and spiced his stories with humor and intelligent & analytical musings.

Recently I reread "Dr. No".  This was the first of the bond movies sand established the brand. But the book is actually the 7th of the bond novels (wikipedia). The plot is set on Jamaica, where Fleming owned a mansion, and on a nearby island. "Dr. No" is a tropical adventure story and an exotic thriller with a grain of erotics.

The novel reminds a bit of Joseph Conrad´s tropical adventures. Fleming immerses the reader into a lush Caribbean setting which is alluring but also dangerous. I enjoyed his style and the descriptions of the environment & scenery: "The sticky fingers of the tropics brushed Bond´s face". The action scenes are intense and meticulously developed and he spiced the novel with geographic knowledge (here about Jamaica ), a bit economics & biology. I got a lot entertained and could even expand my horizon.

The novel is fun to read and recommended - not only for Fans of James Bond.