[Bond] admitted to himself that this adventure excited him. It had all the right ingredients—physical exertions, mystery, and a ruthless enemy. He had a good companion [and] his cause was just. (64)

As much as I’d love to read all of the James Bond books—and then watch all the films!—in chronological order, that’s just not happening. I’ve been reading Ian Fleming’s 007 novels as they come to me through thrift stores and garage sales, and so I’m far past reading them in order.

This 6th book in the Bond series is a whopper of a tale. It’s way more sci-fi that I would have predicted, and yet I was enthralled with the storyline throughout. Perhaps it was the birding, the ties to China, or the dragon—yes! a dragon! Whatever the bait was, I was hooked.

Rough Plot Summary

In this story, Bond is lightly reprimanded by M for a previous case and sent on a simple mission to check out a missing-persons report in Jamaica. He soon discovers that the missing people were in fact murdered, most likely for their dealings with the secretive owner of a bird island knows as Crab Key.

Although Dr. No pretends himself to be a trader in guano (bird dung), he’s most certainly hiding more than he shows, and it’s up to Bond and his Jamaican sidekick to figure out what. Along the way, Bond also meets a 20-year-old orphan girl who knows more about animals than she does the ways of the world. Bond eventually takes it upon himself to show her what she’s missing.

The sci-fi elements of this story include a dragon, a kraken, and an enemy who’s almost more machine than human. It requires a few leaps in logic, but this is Ian Fleming we’re reading, not John le Carre. I wasn’t fazed by the occasional ludicrous moment and really enjoyed the tale.

Some Points of Discussion

For starters, the term “Chigroes” was completely new to me, though these Chinese-Jamaicans are key players in this account. Fleming was a product of his time, so modern sensitivities might not appreciate his description of the races—or for that matter his take on the role of women!

Perhaps my favorite scene of all was where Bond notices the underwater aquarium glass in Dr. No’s lair and is absolutely flabbergasted by the genius behind such an engineering feat. Internally, he begs to know what the monstrosity must have cost, and then from behind him, the voice of Doctor Evil—er, sorry, Doctor No—says plainly: “One million dollars.” (128) I can just see the evil sneer and the pinky at the corner of his mouth. A classic scene!

Finally (and more seriously), Bond faces an existential crisis at one point that’s worth mentioning. After succeeding in his raid against the island (I trust that’s not a spoiler), he muses:

And where had Doctor No’s soul gone to? Had it been a bad soul or just a mad one? Bond thought of [his friend Quarrel]… Surely he hadn’t gone to the same place as Doctor No. Whatever happened to dead people, there was surely one place for the warm and another for the cold. And which, when the time came, would he, Bond, go to? (186)

This internal battle was striking to me, because call him what you want—fatalistic, pragmatic, hedonistic—Bond doesn’t seem the type of character that would ponder either morality and mortality. He also never settles on an answer to the quandary, and I assume that Ian Fleming never resolved the issue himself either, which is incredibly sad.

Yes, different things do happen to dead people—one of two ends, in fact!—and a person can know which side he’s on (the warm or the cold). Check out this link to learn more.

Bond’s Drink Menu

Although I’m not a drinker myself, I decided to start tracking 007’s drinking habits in this book. If I remember to do it in other books, I’ll try. But this first simple list is an impressive description of James’ strong attraction to hard liquor. Throughout the book, he tasted:

• A double gin with a full green lime squeezed and dropped into the tall glass with ice added till it was nearly full, and then the tonic poured in. Bond drank 2 of these before going to a restaurant and having two more single G&Ts with lime for dinner. (35-37)
• A pint of Canadian Club Blended Rye with some ice and soda water. He drank a quarter of it, plus one more generous slug, before laying off. (65)
• A stiff bourbon and soda (127)
• A medium Vodka (Russian or Polish) dry Martini—with a slice of lemon peel. “Shaken and not stirred, please.”
• Three glasses of Bourbon-on-the-rocks (189)

Conclusion

Although I won’t be hitting any more thrift stores in the foreseeable future, I still have The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) on my shelf here in Asia. I’ll take a break for a while, but it’s nice to know there’ still more of Fleming’s 007 adventures out there to enjoy. This one was odd yet great.

©2025 E.T.

Read More from Ian Fleming:

• Casino Royale (1953)
• Moonraker (1955)
• Diamonds are Forever (1956)
• From Russia with Love (1957)
• Doctor No (1958)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1962)