Spies

After I saw Casino Royale, I saw that Chapters had brought in the James Bond book series. All of them. I've never read an Ian Flemming book but I enjoy a good espionage novel. Always a sucker for comparing movies to books, I bought Casino Royale, an especially good place to start since it's the beginning.

For those who have a soft spot for James Bond, the books are quite different from the movies (as I read more, I'll keep you posted on some of the differences). Mainly, I was curious as to cultural influences on the book and the movies. Since Casino Royale was written in the 1960s and the movie in 2006, I was curious to see the difference in how women are percieved, use of technology, and how much cold war politics played in the book, if any. In the book, there's hardly a mention of the cold war. There are KGB and politics between east and west but the level of espionage is beyond that of the cold war. It's almost personal between agents and agencies. James Bond is a different sort of character. He isn't being formed in the book form of Casino Royale; he is already James Bond. Cool, calculating, viewing women as objects to be wooed or brutally ravaged but never pursued. And Vesper has a figure which Bond appreciates.

Ian Flemming, as I learned from the book cover, was an intelligence agent. It shows in the books. Strategy and planning down to the details are major components of the Casino Royale novel.

If you are a Bond fan or a fan of high espionage tales, I recommend Casino Royale. If you like comparing the movie to the book, again, I recommend Casino Royale. Both are good in their own unique way. I look forward to reading more of the series to see if Bond evolves or changes. However, if you don't like details, don't like strategies, if you don't like shauvanism, I don't recommend Casino Royale. Instead, try Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, also by Ian Flemming.

Another great book becomes a movie...

I don't remember if I've ever blogged about Libba Bray. She is the author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels. These books are awesome. I picked up the first book one afternoon, desperately searching for a great new read, and it fit the bill perfectly. Set in Victorian England, it's a fantasy story about a girl named Gemma Doyle and her three friends at boarding school. Gemma has the ability to enter a magical alternate universe called "The Realms". I won't say anything else about the plot, but if you haven't checked her out yet, you should. She is currently working on a third novel for the trilogy: The Sweet Far Thing which, as far as I know, should be out next summer. And for those of you who like The Spiderwick Chronicles and Tithe, she's good friends with Holly Black. And, as the title of this post indicates, there will be a movie version of A Great and Terrible Beauty. No news on casting yet, but it's slated to be released sometime in 2008. Also check out her live journal - she's got a great sense of humour.