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Description edit
In the first of Ian Fleming's tales of 007, Bond finds himself on a mission to neutralize lethal, high-rolling Russian operative called "le Chiffre."
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- James Bond: Agent 007 of the British Secret Service.
- Mathis: Add a description of this character.
- Vesper Lynd: The "Bond-girl" in this book.
- Le Chiffre: One of the Opposition's chief agents in France and undercover Paymaster of the 'Syndicat des Ouvriers d'Alsace,' the Communist-controlled trade union.
- Felix Leiter: A CIA agent sent to help Bond.
- M: Admiral Sir Miles Messervy KCMG, head of MI6 and superior of James Bond. Member of Blades gentleman's club in London. Resident of his private home "Quarterdeck" in Surrey. Prefers cheap red Algerian wine he refers to as "Infuriator".Crusty, cold, brutal and tough.
Quotes edit
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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‘Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?’
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‘Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.’
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Women were for recreation. On a job, they got in the way and fogged things up with sex and hurt feelings and all the emotional baggage they carried around.
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Bond reflected that good Americans were fine people and that most of them seemed to come from Texas.
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Above all, he liked it that everything was one’s own fault. There was only oneself to praise or blame. Luck was a servant and not a master. Luck had to be accepted with a shrug or taken advantage of up to the hilt. But it had to be understood and recognized for what it was and not confused with a faulty appreciation of the odds, for, at gambling, the deadly sin is to mistake bad play for bad luck.
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Bond saw luck as a woman, to be softly wooed or brutally ravaged, never pandered to or pursued. But he was honest enough to admit that he had never yet been made to suffer by cards or by women. One day, and he accepted the fact, he would be brought to his knees by love or by luck. When that happened he knew that he too would be branded with the deadly question-mark he recognized so often in others, the promise to pay before you have lost: the acceptance of fallibility.
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‘People are islands,’ she said. ‘They don’t really touch. However close they are, they’re really quite separate. Even if they’ve been married for fifty years.’
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These blithering women who thought they could do a man’s work. Why the hell couldn’t they stay at home and mind their pots and pans and stick to their frocks and gossip and leave men’s work to the men.
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‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’
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‘Yes, dammit, I said “was”. The bitch is dead now.’
Highlighted by 47 Kindle customers
First Sentence edit
The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning.
Table of Contents edit
1. The Secret Agent
2. Dossier for M
3. Number 007
4. L'Ennemi Écoute
5. The Girl from Headquarters
6. Two Men in Straw Hats
7. Rouge et Noir
8. Pink Lights and Champagne
9. The Game is Baccarat
10. The High Table
11. Moment of Truth
12. The Deadly Tube
13. "A Whisper of Love, a Whisper of Hate"
14. "La Vie en Rose?"
15. Black Hare and Grey Hound
16. The Crawling of the Skin
17. "My Dear Boy"
18. A Crag-like Face
19. The White Tent
20. The Nature of Evil
21. Vesper
22. The Hastening Saloon
23. Tide of Passion
24. Fruit Défendu
25. "Black-Patch"
26. "Sleep Well, My Darling"
27. The Bleeding Heart
Glossary edit
- baccarat: A high stakes card game where the highest hand wins, with two cards dealt to the player and the banker, each betting the same amount, and then they each are allowed an extra card. Scoring is the total of the hand, with 10s and face cards worth zero, aces worth one, and others worth face value with the tens value dropped.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 66 in James Bond. (standard series)
Followed by Live and Let Die.
This book is in Penguin Modern Classics. (edition-based publisher list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 66 of 99 in NPR's Top 100 Killer Thriller. (community list)
Preceded by Intensity, and followed by Metzger's Dog.
This is book 518 of 1272 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Go Tell It on the Mountain, and followed by The Judge and His Hangman.
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Country: England
Publication Date: April 13, 1953
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 213
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Country: England
Publication Date: April 13, 1953
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 213
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 823.914
Subjects edit
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Women's Fiction › Single Women
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Action & Adventure
- Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Comic
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Movie Connections edit
- Casino Royale (IMDb): 2006, directed by Martin Campbell, starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Judy Dench
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