Moonraker Novel Discussion

Moonraker
Bond is asked, as a personal favour to M, to expose a member of the exclusive gentlemen's club, Blades, who is suspected of cheating at cards. The man is Hugo Drax, head of Britain's Moonraker rocket program. The stakes are increased as a security officer looking into Drax's work is murdered, and Bond takes his place in an effort to discover the truth behind Drax's motives and his past.
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A fantastic novel. A lot better and down-to-earth compared to the film adaptation. Gala Brand is an exceptional Bond girl, the back story for Hugo Drax is engaging and well thought out, and the idea of it all taking place in England is very much welcome. It also aids in establishing a more personal relationship between Bond and M. Could this foreshadow the storyline of The World Is Not Enough (film)? M (Judi Dench) in the film does ask Bond for a personal favour, which leads into something villainous.

Read the book? Post your thoughts!

Moonraker has to be my favourite of the Fleming book's I have read. I haven't read it in ages but from what I can remember of my first impressions was that I liked, as Fields said, the down-to-earth nature of it and Gala Brand ... well she isn't a favourite Bond girl though I did love the ending with Bond being left behind. Really brought Bond into the realm of the every man there.

The no.2 book in my list. A fantastic read with several notable moments including that car chase back to Kent with the RAF pilot in his Alfa. Gala's a pretty nifty character and the fact it is all happening in England makes it a tight little novel.

Probably the best of the Fleming books though it is by no means typical - Bond is operating in England (illegally -- that's MI5's turf) and he doesn't get the girl. (If anyone thinks that's a spoiler then let me tell you, Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius and Laertes all die. Painfully.)

My joint favourite novel and it's always a pleasure to read.

I think it's the greatest (and first really) of all the James Bond adventures, with colorful characters, a tight and well paced plot, and some of the most suspenseful moments Fleming ever wrote.

Bond really takes quite a beating when you think about it....from the Cliffs of Dover crumbling down atop him, to a hideous car wreck, to Drax beating the living p*ss out of him, to being trapped in a vent, burned by the missile exhaust, and crippled by a Nuclear explosion. The downbeat ending is also rather touching, and I think Fleming's famous prose was at it's best with this novel. Such vivid imagery and dialog.

Overall, I love it. 10/10 from me.

It was my favorite for a while, as it was only the second one I read. The brilliane of FRWL has surpassed it, but just barely.

In Moonraker, it seems like you spend so much time with Bond as the man himself. You get an even more personal look into his thoughts than some of the other novels because he spends so much time alone and engages in a good deal of introspection. Then with him ending up alone in the end...I feel like Moonraker builds on the character of Bond more than any other novel save Casino Royale. I'm sure someone will challenge me on that, but I find the development to be so subte that it's all the more brilliant because of it.

Such a solid novel. Certainly one of the most enjoyable. I think it's a bit of a hidden gem. I think it gets overshadowed by OHMSS, FRWL, etc. Fleming was hitting his stride when he wrote Moonraker.

Totally. Pretty thin in comparison to the other novels but it's very solid and has one of my favorite chapters, specifically concerning the Blades club.

I love the character of Drax. Crazy Nazi bastard.

Overall, one of the strongest offerings of the series. Blades club chapter is quintessential Fleming.

It's the most romantic for me so far.... I read the entire novel aloud, one chapter per night, to Daniel before he moved to Vancouver permanently. It was amazing. I love Gala... It worries me that they will try to do her in the movies but fail. :(


I would suggest reading Fleming aloud. The way the words are stung together is very melodic. At least in this one.

If I ever taught a course on the espionage thriller, Moonraker would assuredly be on the reading list along with a few other Flemings. It is a classic of the genre.

Funny thing is, Moonraker's car chase and the lorry with the careering paper rolls is very cinematic, but it's never been used. I suppose in a foxy-babe-in-a-machine-gun-armed-helicopter age it wouldn't amount to much.

There is so much fine material from Moonraker, including the truck/Attaboy II/Bentley chase, that has never been used in the films. And the chase is quite ingenious--can't imagine why it hasn't made it to the screen yet. The dialogue between Drax and Krebs, incidentally, is very amusing in a weird way:

"'Bravo! Bravo!' screamed Krebs, beside himself with excitement as he knelt on the seat and looked back. 'Double somersault. Jumped the hedge upside down. I think he's burning already. Yes. There are flames.'"

"'That'll give our fine Mister Bond someting to think about,' snarled Drax, breathing heavily."

"'A masterstroke, meion Kapitan. You should have seen them charge off down the hill. The one that burst. Wundershon! Like the lavatory paper of a giant. That one will have maded a pretty parcel of him. He was just coming around the bend. And the second salvo was as good as the first. Did you see the driver's face? Zum Kotzen! And the Firma Bowater! A fine paperchase they have got on their hands.'"

"'You did well,' said Drax briefly, his mind elsewhere."

It's a fine passage; pulpy and fantastical yet still believable, conveying both Krebs' uncontained hysteria and Drax's steely quality; he's the born leader already working out his next move.

Oh. And mustn't forget Moonraker's moustaches... :)

"They have mustaches to distinguish one from another."

"Really? I would have thought it would have been easier to just paint numerals on their uniforms."

"Well I chose mustaches."

Or something to that effect.

Stilicho Bias wrote:

"They have mustaches to distinguish one from another."

"Really? I would have thought it would have been easier to just paint numerals on their uniforms."

"Well I chose mustaches."

Or something to that effect.

I love that exchange.

As well as Drax's line "shave your head and grow a moustache and even your own mother wouldn't recognize you" - or words to that effect. It often gets me thinking, that is, if was able to grow a decent 'tache...

colly wrote:

As well as Drax's line "shave your head and grow a moustache and even your own mother wouldn't recognize you" - or words to that effect. It often gets me thinking, that is, if was able to grow a decent 'tache...

From my experience, facial hair's like the hydra. Every time you shave it, it comes back stronger and faster until the day it dies.

Start off with what you've got, then wait for that to grow back. Keep going until it picks up some momentum.

I thought the whole "shave often and it'll grow quicker" thing was an old wives' tale.

Presumably Armenian wives.

Stilicho Bias wrote:

"They have mustaches to distinguish one from another."

"Really? I would have thought it would have been easier to just paint numerals on their uniforms."

"Well I chose mustaches."

Or something to that effect.

If I may:

In Moonraker, Ian Fleming wrote:

"I hear Bartsch saluted and shouted 'Heil Hitler' before he put the gun in his mouth," said Bond.

"So they tell me," said Drax evenly. "What of it?"

"Why do all the men wear moustaches?" asked Bond, ignoring Drax's question. Again he had the impression that his question had nettled the other man.

Drax gave one of his short barking laughs. "My idea," he said. "They're difficult to recognize in thosewhite overalls and with their heads shaved. So I told them all to grow moustaches. The thing's become quite a fetish. Like in the RAF during the war. See anything wrong with it?"

"Of course not," said Bond. "Rather startling at first. I would have thought that large numbers on their suits with a different colour for each shift would have been more effective."

"Well," said Drax, turning away towards the door as if to end the conversation, "I decided on moustaches."

and

Quote :

Drax wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and lay back in his chair gazing up at the ceiling, his eyes full of visions. Suddenly he chuckled and squinted quizzically down his nose at Bond.

"And do you know what we shall do first when we go on board? We shall shave off those famous moustaches you were so interested in. You smelt a mouse, my dear Bond, where you ought to have smelt a rat. Those shaven heads and those moustaches we all cultivated so assiduously. Just a precaution, my dear fellow. Try shaving your own head and growing a big black moustache. Even your mother wouldn't recognize you. It's the combination that counts. Just a tiny refinement. Precision, my dear fellow. Precision in every detail. That has been my watchword." He chuckled fatly and puffed away at his cigar.

I shall start the tickle thread later tonight. :)

colly wrote:

Stilicho Bias wrote:

"They have mustaches to distinguish one from another."

"Really? I would have thought it would have been easier to just paint numerals on their uniforms."

"Well I chose mustaches."

Or something to that effect.

It often gets me thinking, that is, if was able to grow a decent 'tache...

Judging by your av you've got a nasty case of 'tache envy.

retrokitty wrote:

Stilicho Bias wrote:

"They have mustaches to distinguish one from another."

"Really? I would have thought it would have been easier to just paint numerals on their uniforms."

"Well I chose mustaches."

Or something to that effect.

If I may:

In Moonraker, Ian Fleming wrote:

"I hear Bartsch saluted and shouted 'Heil Hitler' before he put the gun in his mouth," said Bond.

"So they tell me," said Drax evenly. "What of it?"

"Why do all the men wear moustaches?" asked Bond, ignoring Drax's question. Again he had the impression that his question had nettled the other man.

Drax gave one of his short barking laughs. "My idea," he said. "They're difficult to recognize in thosewhite overalls and with their heads shaved. So I told them all to grow moustaches. The thing's become quite a fetish. Like in the RAF during the war. See anything wrong with it?"

"Of course not," said Bond. "Rather startling at first. I would have thought that large numbers on their suits with a different colour for each shift would have been more effective."

"Well," said Drax, turning away towards the door as if to end the conversation, "I decided on moustaches."

and

Quote :

Drax wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and lay back in his chair gazing up at the ceiling, his eyes full of visions. Suddenly he chuckled and squinted quizzically down his nose at Bond.

"And do you know what we shall do first when we go on board? We shall shave off those famous moustaches you were so interested in. You smelt a mouse, my dear Bond, where you ought to have smelt a rat. Those shaven heads and those moustaches we all cultivated so assiduously. Just a precaution, my dear fellow. Try shaving your own head and growing a big black moustache. Even your mother wouldn't recognize you. It's the combination that counts. Just a tiny refinement. Precision, my dear fellow. Precision in every detail. That has been my watchword." He chuckled fatly and puffed away at his cigar.

I shall start the tickle thread later tonight. :)

"Chuckling fatly"--one of Fleming's greatest recurring descriptors.

Stilicho Bias wrote:

colly wrote:

Stilicho Bias wrote:

"They have mustaches to distinguish one from another."

"Really? I would have thought it would have been easier to just paint numerals on their uniforms."

"Well I chose mustaches."

Or something to that effect.

It often gets me thinking, that is, if was able to grow a decent 'tache...

Judging by your av you've got a nasty case of 'tache envy.

I can match the sideburns, but I'll happily admit to envying the greatest 'tache mankind's ever seen. 8)

As for MR... I gave it a 9 - even ifs my favourite Bond novel, I rarely give 10s and I dont like the description "literary brilliance". I'm just not a "brilliant" kind of guy, I suppose. ;)

ambler wrote:

Funny thing is, Moonraker's car chase and the lorry with the careering paper rolls is very cinematic, but it's never been used. I suppose in a foxy-babe-in-a-machine-gun-armed-helicopter age it wouldn't amount to much.

If done right it would, Moonraker is probably the most cinematic of all Fleming's work. And yet, it's ignored.

It frustrates me really...a straight cinematic adaptation would be every Bond fans wet dream.



Yeah, that's my desktop background. A guy can still dream right?

There was a terrific Moonraker spoof site. Is it still up?

IIRC it assumed the Rank film had been made.