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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
A later Ian Fleming Bond story, based evidently on some unproduced screenplay written earlier by Fleming and others. It is excellent at showing Bond’s personality and vulnerabilities and humanity. The newer, unabridged audio with Jason Isaacs reading is fantastic, as are his comments about the book and Bond at the end of the audio.
James Bond seems to be a series that follows a pretty darn easy format, there's a plot that endangers either the whole world, or at least a part of it. That plot is being put into motion by a villain that fills the part of an evil mastermind, and then there's always a girl. Under normal circumstances that simple layout can often make a book series drab or less exciting because the readers feels as though they are reading the same book that they've read several times before. But Ian Fleming is skilled enough at his craft that he breaks the mold and is able to make every book feel new, fresh, and exciting; rather than the same recycled formula from so many editions before.
I think that what separates Mr. Fleming from other espionage novelists is simply his experience, for those of you who do not know Mr. Fleming himself had some experiences in the military during post WWII London. I think that it's this reason that makes him seem so seamless as he describes the in depth operations of what Bond is doing on his missions, and I also think it's this reason why no other predecessor to Mr. Fleming has come near being able to write as good of a Bond novel.
For those of you who do not know, the plot of Thunderball revolves around a terrorist group called Spectre. This group has just come into the possession of two nuclear warheads and is threatening to use them on two major cities if they are not paid a very large sum of money in gold bullion. M then sends Bond to a location where he feels the leader of this plot may be set up and the plot takes off there, there's a plot, there's a villain, and there's a girl; all the makings of a great Bond adventure.
I certainly love Bond and love the way that Mr. Fleming writes the character but in my reading so far none of the novels have come close to Casino Royale. Royale just had something to it that none of the others have seemed to capture in my eyes, but I do hope that I find one of the originals that does come close or even surpasses the book for while it is my favorite, I wouldn't mind company in the category.
I think that my biggest issue with the novel was simply the pacing, now I do understand that Bond cant just shoot up every single area that he thinks may be evil but there was a distinct lack of action in this particular novel. I did love the investigation and the ways in which Bond and Leiter attempted to figure out if they had the right man, but nothing really happens until the last twenty or thirty pages in the book and that was what left wanting more when I was finished. The novel wasn't boring at any point, the entire thing was enjoyable and fun to read as always but this final battle had been hyped for over a hundred pages and when it finally happens it fails to fill just over ten pages; I was just disappointed.
The original Bond novels are wonderful and I love to read them but this is one that I didn't so much enjoy as some of the others I have read. It was a good time seeing more of an investigative side of Bond but I was ultimately let down when I finally approached the climax of the story. If your a fan of 007 then check it out, but for casual readers of the series this one is skippable.
I think that what separates Mr. Fleming from other espionage novelists is simply his experience, for those of you who do not know Mr. Fleming himself had some experiences in the military during post WWII London. I think that it's this reason that makes him seem so seamless as he describes the in depth operations of what Bond is doing on his missions, and I also think it's this reason why no other predecessor to Mr. Fleming has come near being able to write as good of a Bond novel.
For those of you who do not know, the plot of Thunderball revolves around a terrorist group called Spectre. This group has just come into the possession of two nuclear warheads and is threatening to use them on two major cities if they are not paid a very large sum of money in gold bullion. M then sends Bond to a location where he feels the leader of this plot may be set up and the plot takes off there, there's a plot, there's a villain, and there's a girl; all the makings of a great Bond adventure.
I certainly love Bond and love the way that Mr. Fleming writes the character but in my reading so far none of the novels have come close to Casino Royale. Royale just had something to it that none of the others have seemed to capture in my eyes, but I do hope that I find one of the originals that does come close or even surpasses the book for while it is my favorite, I wouldn't mind company in the category.
I think that my biggest issue with the novel was simply the pacing, now I do understand that Bond cant just shoot up every single area that he thinks may be evil but there was a distinct lack of action in this particular novel. I did love the investigation and the ways in which Bond and Leiter attempted to figure out if they had the right man, but nothing really happens until the last twenty or thirty pages in the book and that was what left wanting more when I was finished. The novel wasn't boring at any point, the entire thing was enjoyable and fun to read as always but this final battle had been hyped for over a hundred pages and when it finally happens it fails to fill just over ten pages; I was just disappointed.
The original Bond novels are wonderful and I love to read them but this is one that I didn't so much enjoy as some of the others I have read. It was a good time seeing more of an investigative side of Bond but I was ultimately let down when I finally approached the climax of the story. If your a fan of 007 then check it out, but for casual readers of the series this one is skippable.
For people reading through the series in order of publishing date, do not read The Spy Who Loved Me after this book. Skip it and continue with On Her Majesty's ... and You Only Live Twice. These three are a trilogy and tightly woven together. For more information about the chronological order of events in the original series check out the Wikipedia article about the James Bond original series books.
With the usual machismo and misogyny that one can expect from a 007 novel, Thunderball is hardly the most entertaining of the series, despite setting a new direction and introducing some staple Bond elements.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such like the film version of this story, I do not understand how this takes a very interesting premise and completely squanders it. The only thing that could be stupider than SMERSH is SPECTRE. It’s a shame the movie version cut out the part where Bond becomes an insufferable vegan.
Well I have now reached book nine of the James Bond books as by the original author, and this one introduces the arch enemy group Spectre (which like many names in the Bond Universe is quite a ridiculous series of words to make the word Spectre.)
Anyway this is a fair entry not the best one but still entertaining enough as I now head towards the latter entries in the original series as Goodreads calls it.
Anyway this is a fair entry not the best one but still entertaining enough as I now head towards the latter entries in the original series as Goodreads calls it.
An excellent installment in the James Bond series. The villains and their plot had me gripped from the start. I always love Fleming’s accounts of Bond under water. The way it is written makes me feel like I’m there, swimming through the reefs. I completely loose myself. I also loved the relationship between Bond and Domino. Some of the ‘Bond girls’ seem a bit flimsy, like a sideline to the real action. But Domino has a fierce independence that I loved.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No