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A review by catherine_t
Thunderball by Ian Fleming
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
"The name is Bond, James Bond." In this, the ninth Bond title, Bond's infamous high living has taken its toll on him, and M sends him to the Shrublands health clinic to recover. In true 007 style, however, it isn't long before Bond is tangling with a fellow patient, unwittingly making himself a target.
When mysterious entity SPECTRE steals two nuclear bombs and holds the world to hostage, it's Bond who must unravel their plot. Sent to the Bahamas, he and his CIA counterpart and friend Felix Leiter set their sights on one Emilio Largo, owner of the state-of-the-art yacht Disco Volante. Largo claims to be a treasure hunter, but Bond's instincts tell him this is merely a ruse. Bond and Leiter are running against the clock, because if they don't find the bombs in time, there is going to be a very big boom.
I read Thunderball many years ago--actually, I believe I originally read my grandfather's copy. I think it still stands up as a decent spy thriller, especially if you read it more as historical fiction. Though published in 1961, it's clearly set in 1959, when the Cold War between East and West was really beginning to ramp up. Bond is at the height of his powers, but his author is not above casting a sardonic eye at his own creation.
When mysterious entity SPECTRE steals two nuclear bombs and holds the world to hostage, it's Bond who must unravel their plot. Sent to the Bahamas, he and his CIA counterpart and friend Felix Leiter set their sights on one Emilio Largo, owner of the state-of-the-art yacht Disco Volante. Largo claims to be a treasure hunter, but Bond's instincts tell him this is merely a ruse. Bond and Leiter are running against the clock, because if they don't find the bombs in time, there is going to be a very big boom.
I read Thunderball many years ago--actually, I believe I originally read my grandfather's copy. I think it still stands up as a decent spy thriller, especially if you read it more as historical fiction. Though published in 1961, it's clearly set in 1959, when the Cold War between East and West was really beginning to ramp up. Bond is at the height of his powers, but his author is not above casting a sardonic eye at his own creation.