The James Bond Bedside Companion

by Raymond Benson

  It was no waste of time to start picking up the American idiom again: the advertisements, the new car models, and the prices of second-hand ones in the used-car lots; the exotic pungency of the road signs: SOFT SHOULDERS—SHARP CURVES—SQUEEZE AHEAD—SLIPPERY WHEN WET; the standard of driving; the number of women at the wheel, their menfolk docilely beside them; the men's clothes; the way the women were doing their hair; the Civil Defense warnings: IN CASE OF ENEMY ATTACK KEEP MOVING—GET OFF BRIDGE; the thick rash of television serials and the impact of 1'V on billboards and shop windows; the occasional helicopter; the public appeals for cancer and polio funds; THE MARCH OF DIMES—all the small fleeting impressions that were as important to his trade as are broken bark and bent twigs to the trapper in the jungle.

  (LIVE AND LET DIE, Chapter 1)

  Throughout the series of novels, Fleming can't resist the temptation to use his reporter's eye for detail and include a wealth of information about the particular locale in which his hero travels. CASINO ROYALE has a bit of this with its descriptions of the resort in Northeast France; LIVE AND LET DIE introduces the reader to one of Fleming's favorite locations, Jamaica, where all of the Bond novels were written. Because Fleming loved the West Indies and the tropical island world, many Bond adventures take place in similar locales. In visiting such exotic sites, Bond (and the reader) are introducted to local sites and customs via a "tour-guide." For example, through the voice of Quarrel, the Cayman Islander with whom Bond joins forces, we learn that two prevailing winds influence Jamaica's climate—the "Undertaker's Wind," which "blows all the bad air out of the island at night," and the "Doctor's Wind," which "blows all the sweet air in from the sea in the morning."

  This "Undertaker's Wind" (also a working title for the novel) is used as a metaphor for Bond's mission on the island—Quarrel comments that the agent will be "blowing all the bad air from the island" when he finally eliminates Mr. Big. This metaphor leads directly to Fleming's major theme, which fulfills the prediction Mathis made toward the end of CASINO ROYALE: that Bond would surely seek out the bad men of the world and terminate their existence. When the FBI agent, Captain Dexter, tells Bond early in the novel that the official policy with Mr. Big so far (since they have no concrete evidence against him) was "live and let live," Bond replies, "In my job when I come up against a man like this one, I have another motto. It's 'live and let die.'"

  The friendship theme is quite strong in this story, and the male allies are important: Felix Leiter has a strong supporting role, and Quarrel becomes a prominent figure. The friendship between Bond and Leiter comes to fruition here. From the first chapter, in which the American surprises the Englishman by greeting him in a hotel room, to the tragic incident in which Leiter almost loses his life to a shark, the men are inseparable. They barhop through Harlem together, sharing meals, conversation, and clue-gathering. Despite their differences in background, the men hit it off as if they have been friends since childhood. Bond seems to depend on this alliance with a male friend—it means more to him, sometimes, than his relationship with any woman in the novels. Bond even has trouble keeping the emotion from choking his voice when he learns that Leiter, after having lost half an arm and half a leg, will live after all.

  Bond's heart was full. He looked out of the window. "Tell him to get well quickly," he said abruptly. "Tell him I miss him."

  (LIVE AND LET DIE, Chapter 17)

  This kind of emotion reveals itself infrequently; the loyalty Bond feels toward his friends is as strong as his commitment to his job.

  CHARACTERS

  James Bond becomes more human in LIVE AND LET DIE. The strict coldness that enveloped the character in CASINO ROYALE is gone. He is a much warmer, more likeable man from the opening chapter. Fleming takes further care with smaller details of Bond's life: we learn he likes to wear pajamas, even after being told that "Americans sleep in the raw." Bond's face is fully described for the first time (CASINO ROYALE had basically given an impression of his features), emphasizing that there is a hint of the "mixed blood of America" in his hair and cheekbones.

  Bond's attitude toward women has lightened as well. In CASINO ROYALE, Bond curses Vesper for allowing herself to be abducted by Le Chiffre. In LIVE AND LET DIE, Bond trusts Solitaire immediately when she calls him at the hotel with a plea to help her escape from Mr. Big. But then, Solitaire is "one of the most beautiful women Bond has ever seen." From the beginning he is friendlier with Solitaire than he ever was with Vesper Lynd, as the following indicates:

  For better or worse he had decided to accept Solitaire, or rather, in his cold way, to make the most of her . . . he reflected it was going to be fun teasing her and being teased back, and he was glad that they had already crossed the frontiers into comradeship and even intimacy.

  (LIVE AND LET DIE, Chapter 10)

  Felix Leiter becomes a more complete character in this story as well. His jovial, boyish qualities are an excellent complement to Bond's seriousness. It is like a breath of fresh air when the Texan appears in any of the novels. Leiter acts as Bond's guide to America, as Quarrel does for Jamaica. Much of Fleming's sense of humor is revealed in the Texan's speeches:

  "You can get through any American conversation," advised Leiter, "with 'Yeah,' 'Nope,' and 'Sure.' The English word to be avoided at all costs," added Leiter, "was 'Ectually,'" Bond had said that this word was not part of his vocabulary.

  (LIVE AND LET DIE, Chapter 4)

  At one point in the story, Leiter escapes a beating from one of Mr. Big's hoods by "arguing the finer points of jazz" with him. After making a crack about the clarinet—"an ill woodwind that nobody blows good"—Leiter is suddenly friends with his captor. The hood, who had been ordered to "hurt Leiter considerably," worries about what he should do with the American agent. Finally, he simply knocks Leiter out with a blackjack.

  Solitaire, whose real name is Simone Latrelle, is a mysterious, appealing heroine, and one of Fleming's better female characters. Her connection with the occult adds an enigmatic dimension to her personality that Vesper Lynd lacked. Solitaire had been raised in Haiti, is experienced in the world of voodoo rituals, and is telepathic. Mr. Big especially believes in her powers; he trusts the girl enough to let her make decisions for him. During Bond's first encounter with the villain, Mr. Big brings Solitaire to determine whether Bond is lying or telling the truth. Mr. Big asks Bond who he is and the agent replies with a cover story. Solitaire looks at Bond, and he suspects there is some kind of message for him behind her eyes. And, as he hoped, Solitaire informs Mr. Big that Bond "speaks the truth."

  The heroine's immediate attraction to Bond is a little contrived, but it certainly serves the plot's purposes. She sees in Bond her only chance to escape from Mr. Big, who has kept her a prisoner for a year. Her desperate phone call to Bond is highly suspicious, too—yet Bond instinctively trusts her. Solitaire, who has long blue-black hair, and, like Bond, has a "sensual mouth which holds a hint of cruelty," is a woman with an "iron will." One of Bond's first impressions of her is that her face is "one born to command." She literally casts a spell on Bond, and it is strong enough to nab the world's most elusive secret agent

  Mr. Big is only an adequate villain. He tells Bond that he is the "first of the great Negro criminals." In choosing a black man for his villain, Fleming wasn't necessarily making a statement about blacks, as some critics complained. Granted, Fleming's portrait of the black hoods is none too favorable. Their speech is overwritten, with exaggerated colloquialisms, and none of the minor villains seems very bright But Mr. Big himself is quite brilliant (SMERSH would never pick a man with no brains to run such an important operation for them, whether he was black or white.) Mr. Big is meticulous in manner, speaks slowly and distinctly, and knows exactly what he wants. He states that there have already been great black writers, doctors, athletes, etc., but never a "great Negro criminal." Mr. Big explains that he takes "subtle pains" to outwit his opponents, and that he is, by nature, a wolf. The obligatory lecture scene is terrific: t
he villain ties Bond up and proceeds to expound philosophy. Though it seems unrealistic for a villain to do this, it usually gives Bond a chance to free himself. But the sequence also allows the villain to have his big moment He has Bond in the palm of his hand, and like a cat, can't resist the temptation to play with the prey before devouring it.

  Another Bond ally, Quarrel, is introduced in LIVE AND LET DIE. A native of the Cayman Islands, Quarrel immediately brings the novel some local color. Few characters in the series are more likeable than he. Quarrel's relationship with Bond is explored only briefly in this novel, but it flowers later in DOCTOR NO.

  M is still a cardboard figure in this second novel. The Bond/M scene in LIVE AND LET DIE is not quite as brief as that in CASINO ROYALE, but nothing new is revealed about Bond's chief. The scene is "all business," and M doesn't mince words.

  HIGHLIGHTS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

  LIVE AND LET DIE is a touch more violent than most of the novels, except for CASINO ROYALE and COLONEL SUN. The scene in which Tee-Hee breaks Bond's little finger generates a good deal of suspense. One can empathize with Bond here as he watches the finger being pulled back until it snaps.

  Leiter's mishap with the shark is intensely violent, although the actual incident occurs "off screen." The image of Bond finding Leiter wrapped in a bloody bedsheet is nightmarish and seems to haunt the remainder of the novel. The sequence is easily recalled when Leiter reappears in subsequent books.

  The fight in the fish warehouse is exciting. Bond has just discovered Mr. Big's method for smuggling the gold coins and is suddenly interrupted by The Robber, one of Mr. Big's henchmen. Many fish tanks are shattered by bullets as their guns blaze. After a few explosive moments, Bond feigns an injury, tempting The Robber to investigate. Bond hits him and The Robber falls through a trap door over a shark pool. Apparently, the trap had been meant for Bond.

  Finally, the climactic sequences in the lagoon are dramatic and intense. Mr. Big's death, as witnessed by Bond, is revolting and horrific. After the Secatur explodes, the surviving crew members find themselves swimming in shark- and barracuda-infested waters. Mr. Big goes down in the jaws of one of these predators.

  LIVE AND LET DIE, then, stands as one of the best of the early novels. The plot moves excitingly and urgently, and a good deal of suspense is generated. The book's only fault is that characterizations are still incomplete, especially that of James Bond. But this problem is corrected in the next novel.

  MOONRAKER (1955)

  Fleming's third novel is different in tone and atmosphere from the previous two books: MOONRAKER is a much more thoughtful, introspective novel; it has less action; and the characters are further developed and well-rounded. Though there are some weak passages in the book (due to a curious lack of suspense), MOONRAKER stands out among the early novels as the first in which James Bond becomes a three-dimensional human being.

  The story concerns James Bond's investigation of Sir Hugo Drax, a wealthy and respected national hero of sorts. Drax recently announced that he will donate ten million pounds for the defense of Britain. The weapon is the Moonraker, a nuclear rocket built to Drax's specifications at his own plant in Kent. The rocket is now complete and a test flight is scheduled in a few days. The problem bothering M is that Drax cheats at cards. As a favor for M, Bond accompanies his chief to Blades Club, where the men play bridge with Drax and a partner. Sure enough, Bond catches Drax cheating and beats the man at his own game. But the next day, M learns that an RAF security man was murdered the previous evening at Drax's plant; Bond is sent to investigate as the RAF's replacement. 007's suspicions are confirmed when an attempt on his and undercover policewoman Gala Brand's lives is made. Drax becomes wise to Bond and Gala and eventually traps them in a room close to the launching pad. Here, Drax reveals his plan to destroy London as revenge for Germany, and that the USSR is backing him. Using his teeth, Bond manages to light a blowtorch and uses it to free Gala. She cuts Bond loose and together they reset the rocket gyros so that it will splash down in the North Sea rather than London. As they hoped, the Moonraker comes down in the North Sea right on top of the submarine carrying Drax and his companions to Russia.

  STYLE AND THEMES

  The Fleming Sweep is not as prominent here as in CASINO ROYALE and LIVE AND LET DIE, mainly due to the scarcity of action sequences. Much of the novel'splot advancement lies in James Bond's thinking the action through; the reader is invited into Bond's mind as he ponders and reflects on the many mysteries behind Hugo Drax. Also, the story takes place in England—around London and near Kent There is no hopping from country to country, which is a major contributor to the Fleming Sweep. There are but a few passages of real action (the car chase, the blowtorch and steam hose ordeals). This is not to say that MOONRAKER is boring. On the contrary, it is a fascinating book, simply because of what it reveals about the James Bond character.

  Fleming's penchant for detail is stronger than ever in MOONRAKER. For example, the author describes the elegant card club, Blades:

  At the far end, above the cold table, laden with lobsters, pies, joints, and delicacies in aspic, Romneys' unfinished full-length portrait of Mrs. Fitzherbert gazed provocatively across at Fragonard's Jeu de Cartes, the broad conversation-piece which half-filled the opposite wall above the Adam fireplace. Along the lateral walls, in the centre of each gilt-edged panel, was one of the rare engravings of the Hell-Fire Club in which each figure is shown making a minute gesture of scatalogical or magical significance. Above, marrying the walls into the ceiling, ran a frieze in plaster relief of carved urns and swags interrupted at intervals by the capitals of the fluted pilasters which framed the windows and the tall double doors, the latter delicately carved with a design showing the Tudor Rose interwoven with a ribbon effect.

  (MOONRAKER, Chapter 5)

  The novel also brings back the moodiness of CASINO ROYALE, but without the cynicism. The plot involves the solving of a mystery rather than an action-filled, country-hopping pursuit of a super villain. This in itself adds to the sinister atmosphere of the book. There is also a distinct feeling of melancholy in the writing; perhaps this is due to Fleming's own sensitivities to middle age which he has passed on to his leading character.

  The major theme of the novel is, again, gambling. Bond takes a number of chances, hoping that his own resourcefulness and timing will prevail over fate. He literally gambles in a high-stakes game at Blades by attempting to out-cheat Drax at bridge. Bond wagers on Drax's trustworthiness during his first two days at the Moonraker plant, and risks burning his face terribly when he lights a blowtorch with his teeth. Finally, the biggest gamble occurs when Bond resets the gyros to charge the Moonraker's course to aim for the homing device aboard Drax's submarine in the North Sea.

  Fleming seems to be emphasizing the need to take risks in order to receive full satisfaction from life's adventures. These risks may be dangerous, and may ultimately be fatal. But each new day might contain an adventure filled with such a challenge, and one must be a gambler to face it with any hope of survival.

  Early in the novel, Fleming hints at impending doom, not only for Bond and England, but for the entire world. This occurs at the end of Chapter 3, when Bond notices a flashing neon sign and is alarmed by what he believes it says:

  Startled at the great crimson words, Bond pulled in to the curb, got out of the car and crossed to the other side of the street to get a better view of the big skysign.

  Ah! That was it. Some of the letters had been hidden by a neighboring building. It was only one of those Shell advertisements. "SUMMER SHELL IS HERE" was what it said.

  Bond smiled to himself and walked back to his car and drove on.

  When he had first seen the sign, half-hidden by the building, great crimson letters across the evening sky had flashed a different message.

  They had said: "HELL IS HERE. . . HELL IS HERE. . . HELL IS HERE."

  (MOONRAKER, Chapter 3)

  The novel was written in 1954 and published in 1955, in the middle
of the Cold War. Fear of the Bomb was worldwide. Fleming was perhaps a little too critical of the Russians during this period of political paranoia; but at the time, the threat of a nuclear war was felt widely. Today the plot seems somewhat contrived.

  CHARACTERS

  In MOONRAKER, for the first time, James Bond becomes something more than a cardboard figure. Glimpses of a personal life are seen, such as a visit to Bond's flat off King's Road in Chelsea. We meet his secretary at the office, Loelia Ponsonby, and learn what he does at headquarters while not on an assignment. We ride with him in his Bentley. But most important, the author shares with the reader Bond's inner thoughts and feelings. As John Pearson observes in his biography of Fleming:

  MOONRAKER was the most serious novel Fleming had written so far. Here the James Bond books begin to reveal themselves as the undercover autobiography of Ian Fleming. MOONRAKER completed his identification with his hero and gave him the chance of stating what he saw as the central problem of his own life, the malaise of middle age. It showed him attempting to map out some sort of solution in the dream of action, daring, maleness, sex, and high living.

  (John Pearson, The Life of Ian Fleming)

  Bond also reveals the first touch of a sense of humor. When M tells him that Drax's employees number fifty-two, Bond visualizes a "pack of cards and a joker."