He hopes to utilize Bond’s natural eye and propensity for high-stakes gambling to confirm, or invalidate his suspicions. Too much, M things, and suspects Drax of cheating, but has no proof. And quite a lucky gambler too, all things considered: Drax has been winning a lot of money playing bridge. Sir Hugo Drax – yes, that Hugo Drax, the self-made millionaire and public hero, responsible for Britain’s Moonraker rocket – is a regular at M’s evening club, Blades. Bond’s first hint is M referring to him as “James.” A distinct rarity. There’s that familiar spike of adrenaline before a big case, but as their conversation begins, it becomes clear this is something very different. Of course, fate has other plans, when M buzzes Bond into his office. As the novel begins, he is the only agent in the Double-O section marooned to headquarters, and is tired of the compulsory reading and paperwork heaped upon his desk relenting the nature of his work, and the reality that ‘big cases’ only land on his desk a few times a year (probably a good thing, or Fleming’s rendition of Britain surely would’ve suffered an apocalyptic demise at the hands of its enemies).

Bond acknowledges his unknowable expiration date – spies are expected to be killed on the job, after all – and explains why he’d rather spend his money than save it for a future that, in all likelihood, will not come to pass. The novel starts slowly, offering rare introspection and analysis of James Bond: his lifestyle and habits, and his monotonous routine (contrary to what readers might’ve expected, given his exploits in Casino Royale and Live and Let Die).

It is a clear demonstration of Fleming fine-tuning his craft, ably mixing the perfect ingredients – high stakes gambling, a thrilling car chase, and a megalomaniac villain – to concoct one of James Bond’s best, and most thrilling, escapades. It’s one of Fleming’s most timely novels, playing on the rampant fears of the 1950s, of rocket attacks from overseas, and seemingly inevitable nuclear warfare. Moonraker is 007’s third adventure, and the stakes have never been higher.

Fleming moonraker