Dr No

Dr No is everything that a novel should be. A fast, free-flowing plot, adventure abound and evil Chinamen. I noticed the difference between this and Diamonds Are Forever as in Dr No, the ending doesn't seem unnaturally short as if the author ran out of space. Not wishing to ruin anything, but the story seemed perfect, at least to me - nothing seemed hurried or glossed over, and each chapter segues well into the next. This is another tale I want to see remade and filmed as close to the book as possible. With the current direction of Bond movies, that's a hope at least. It's incredible to see how far the movies went from the direction of the books before the series was rebooted.

I had a thought whilst reading this that if Dr No were to take after 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, it would most likely keep the same start but as soon as Bond makes it to the island, it would document his explorations in jungles and swamps and rivers in the most minute detail. I'm still bitter over that book! But this is certainly one to read if you get a chance (and are a fan of adventure). It also features an incredible rant by M, to wit:

"See what I mean, 007? Just the sort of mares' nest these old women's societies are always stirring up. People start preserving something - churches, old houses, decaying pictures, birds - and there's a hullabaloo of some sort. The trouble is these sorts of people get really worked up over their damned birds or whatever it is. They get the politicians involved. And somehow they seem to have stacks of money. Other old women, I suppose."