Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "007"

Seen the film and not sure if the book can match it? Think again! Casino Royale blew me away. From basic mission dossiers from M, to what can only be described as one of the most intricate and yet fascinating build-ups to a casino game that will decide the fate of Soviet agent Le Chiffre. In a manoeuvre orchestrated between London and the folks at Washington, Bond is the man best placed to out-gamble Le Chiffre and remove the substantial Soviet fifth column of 50,000 men that he controls.

His nemesis is desperate to pay off his debts and this game will be the perfect chance. If Le Chiffre loses, his Soviet paymasters will hunt him down with the deadly organisation SMERSH, which deals with traitors and back-sliders.

Bond will soon learn that more is at stake than a casino game, and that he needs a proper reassessment of just how brutal the enemy spies are, and of what lengths spies are willing to go to keep their covers.

Casino Royale is a ground-breaking introduction to the entire Bond series, and is not to be underestimated. Though the casino game was the highlight, the atmosphere was classic Bond – it read like a film – and the characters were dressed as formal with powerful and well-concealed passion.