Moonraker - A Review

Moonraker is the ultimate post-WWII novel, capitalizing on the paranoia remaining between enemy nations so soon after the war’s end and showcasing the beginning of the Cold War era. M’s role in this book was expanded and his relationship with Bond was much more fatherly on some levels and provided an interesting glimpse into Bond’s role in the service. I've always loved Moonraker, but this reading, like all other previous ones, just got more enjoyable. I find the main location of this novel, and the only location, England to perfectly suit the dark and nasty story that lurks in this book, the pure mind of the villain, Drax, is clearly shown in Chapter 22, Pandora's Box, and it is shown off to a good extent. Bond is asked, as a personal favour to M, to expose a member of the exclusive gentlemen's club, Blades, who is suspected of cheating at cards. The man is Hugo Drax, head of Britain's Moonraker rocket program. The stakes are increased as a security officer looking into Drax's work is murdered, and Bond takes his place in an effort to discover the truth behind Drax's motives and his past. This story works with just one location, because it allows everything else to take first place in the story with great emphasis, namely the characters and the plot, which are key in Moonraker. The card scene is pure magnificence, and is quite gripping to the the reader, seeing the tension building up throughout the entire game, especially as Drax realizes that perhaps Bond does indeed have an interesting hand. True villainy as Drax spats orders and insults at his partner, and gets his comment cut short as he loses. A very fine scene. Overall, I think I enjoy the first two-thirds of Moonraker slightly more than the final third because I think it reads a bit more exciting for me, but the final third is still quite fantastic, such as the waiting for the pressure hose to finally reach Bond and Gala, and the countdown to the launch, all well written.

**** / *****