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Definitely the best of the Bond novels so far. Although it's fairly obvious to the reader from the get-go who the bad guy is (the novel is quite different from the movie), it's still quite fun to watch Bond try to figure it all out. And although the main female character does end up needing some saving towards the end, she has the most agency and power out of the main females in these first three novels.
I think the main thing which turns so many people off the Bond novels is how coldly they're written. They don't the sparkle and thrill of what we know of Bond from the movies, or from what most thrillers of our time are like. However, it must be understood that the plain narration and cold calculation of the writing match that of the main character himself. James Bond is, in many ways, divorced from reality, and living in a rational, calculating, and emotion-deprived world. One of the brilliant aspects of these novels is Fleming's portrayal of that character and world via the writing itself. And while it may not have necessarily been purposeful--hell, it was probably a bit of how Fleming himself understood and interacted with the world--it is an essential part of the Bond storytelling.
The storyline itself, while fantastical, is also telling of the mindset of many people at the time, including the ongoing fear of Nazi sleeper cells even well after the surrender of Hitler and Germany in the spring of 1945.
So while certainly not a piece of fantastic historical fiction, Moonraker is a fun and interesting thriller which is reflective of the world it was created in and for.
I think the main thing which turns so many people off the Bond novels is how coldly they're written. They don't the sparkle and thrill of what we know of Bond from the movies, or from what most thrillers of our time are like. However, it must be understood that the plain narration and cold calculation of the writing match that of the main character himself. James Bond is, in many ways, divorced from reality, and living in a rational, calculating, and emotion-deprived world. One of the brilliant aspects of these novels is Fleming's portrayal of that character and world via the writing itself. And while it may not have necessarily been purposeful--hell, it was probably a bit of how Fleming himself understood and interacted with the world--it is an essential part of the Bond storytelling.
The storyline itself, while fantastical, is also telling of the mindset of many people at the time, including the ongoing fear of Nazi sleeper cells even well after the surrender of Hitler and Germany in the spring of 1945.
So while certainly not a piece of fantastic historical fiction, Moonraker is a fun and interesting thriller which is reflective of the world it was created in and for.