Moonraker

The plot of Moonraker involves Ian Fleming's James Bond investigating the site of Britain's latest weapon, a nuclear missile called "Moonraker." The man behind the Moonraker is Sir Hugo Drax, a mysterious character that is beloved by the entire country for his achievement. Throughout his stay at the site, Bond begins to suspect that the Moonraker isn't exactly what it's been promised to be. With the help of Drax's personal assistant (Gala Brand), he begins to unravel the truth behind Hugo Drax and his Moonraker missile.

If you're going into this book with the expectation that it's just like the 1979 Roger Moore film of the same name, then you're going to be sadly disappointed. There's no space travel, silly one liners, or henchmen with metal teeth. In all honesty, the novel version of Moonraker is quite a slow burn. The action really doesn't pick up until the final chapters. What keeps you engaged throughout is the mystery and lingering questions. Who exactly is Hugo Drax? Why are all the crew working on Moonraker bald and sporting mustaches? Are there unknown enemies plotting against the Moonraker? Everything is eventually answered in the end, but it's quite the journey to get there.

Like many of his other Bond novels, Moonraker has many Fleming tropes. For example, the beginning of the book is mainly centered around a card game. Fleming meticulously describes every aspect of it, much like in Casino Royale before. There are also a few instances where Fleming goes in-depth describing vehicles. If you're not the type of person who knows much about gambling, cars, or really anything Ian Fleming was passionate about, then these sections / descriptions can be a bit much and hard to get through.

Despite a few flaws, Moonraker is a fun and classic Bond adventure that's worth checking out if you haven't already. There's a reason it typically tops the list of Greatest Bond Novels for many people.