Words, Words, Words

It is hard for me to be objective when it comes to agent 007, but I will try. Casino Royale does read quite a bit like an origin story, with all the good, and bad that brings with it. There is not nearly so much action as one might expect coming from the film franchise to the books. Additionally there is the pull of the known ending, which I can't blame entirely on having watched the movies. Vesper's cagey and wildly inconsistant behavior is suspicious from nearly the beginning and you want to scream at the elite secret agent. Taking the book on its own merits: It works in the sense of an origin story, Bond, a business minded double-O completes a mission at the Casino Royale, but is waylaid by a double agent. He was not duped by a femme fatale, but genuinely found a loving partner, who just happened to have been turned by the Russians. It adds a dash of righteous indignation and an emotional chill that makes Bond such a legendary character, but you'll have to wait until...JAMES BOND RETURNS IN Live and Let Die