The 007 Re-Read Project: James Bond and Moonraker by Christopher Wood

Much like the book we looked at last week, James Bond and Moonraker was written by Christopher Wood based on his screenplay for the film. Unlike The Spy Who Loved Me, however, Moonraker actually has some ties to the original Fleming novel, tenuous though they may be. This results in a rather odd situation, as the book is written as if it is canonical to the previous novels, but features specific characters and concepts Bond has already encountered. It's not a big deal, of course, just a bit of weirdness you have to handwave away. I was particularly interested to read this novelization, as the movie is one of the most derided of all the Bonds. With the alterations Wood made to James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me to make it more in the vein of the literary 007, I was curious about whether or not a similar approach here would make it more serious and grounded than the movie. There are quite a few differences between novelization and film, but as with Wood's previous book, there's no way of knowing which are due to the book being based on an early draft of the screenplay, and which are due to changes made with the intention of making this book mesh better with the others. Whatever the case, it makes for an interesting reading experience. As ever, I do my best not to blow the entire plot, but there are SPOILERS AHEAD! 

Things kick off with the mid-air hijacking of the Moonraker, a space shuttle that can travel into space and back to earth, landing like a normal airplane. It was created for NASA by Hugo Drax, an ultra wealthy businessman who doesn't want to cede control of space to the Russians. As the Moonraker was being loaned to the English government in exchange for sharing some top-secret tech of their own, the secret service is now involved. Bond heads to Drax's estate to begin his investigation, and quickly develops suspicions about Drax himself. Bond's eventual ally in his investigation is the hilariously-named (even by James Bond standards) NASA pilot and CIA agent Holly Goodhead. Once Bond becomes a big enough concern, Drax enlists the aid of none other than the indomitable Jaws to snuff him out. 

Wood again writes Bond far closer to Fleming's version than what audiences were currently seeing onscreen, and that is to the book's advantage. Many of the more controversial aspects of the film-- the gondola hovercraft, the double-taking pigeon, Jaws's girlfriend, to name a few-- are absent, and the overall tone is more serious. There are several sequences that are downright intense, some of which are played for laughs in the movie. A couple of the movie's strongest scenes are absent, such as the fate of poor Corinne (named Trudi in the novel) and the shooting scene with Drax and Bond. Drax himself is virtually identical physically to the character in Fleming's novel, and there's a nice reference to his predilection for playing bridge, which featured heavily in the Fleming novel. Bond wonders to himself what side he fought on back in the war. Surprisingly, we never get any background information on Drax, so we're left to wonder along with him. It could be that Wood's intent was for the character to share the same history as the Fleming version, but his overall demeanor and Ra's al Ghul-esque motivations are incongruous with that. In any case, he's an effective villain, and I find him more interesting than the previous book's Stromberg. Drax's first henchman, Chang, seems an attempt to create an Oddjob sort of villain, but he receives no development, and falls far short of that standard. His battle with Bond in Venice is a highlight, however, and far more violent that anything we'd see in any of Moore's Bond movies. 

Holly fares much better as a heroine than Anya did in Wood's previous book, getting the better of Bond on a couple of occasions, and her skillset proves absolutely vital in the book's final act. Jaws is, if anything, even more formidable than before, and seems to be virtually indestructible. (His survival of the destruction of Atlantis in the previous book, by the way, is not explained. Where he is shown to clearly have survived in the movie, the novelization saw him in a situation seemingly guaranteed to result in his doom. I wondered how Wood would address it, if at all, and it turns out that he didn't. Not a big problem, just worth pointing out.) Without the addition of his girlfriend-- though he does save a female astronaut from Drax's space station during the climax, she's clearly not the same character-- his turn hinges entirely on Bond pointing out how he himself will ultimately be disposed of once Drax no longer has need of him, as he clearly will not fit into his idea of genetic perfection. His scenes following his face turn are far stronger than in the movie, and one gets the sense that his selflessness in saving Bond, Holly, and the unnamed astronaut are an attempt to condone for all the horrible things we've seen him do prior to this. It's a strong (possible) end for "the man with murder in his mouth."

Notable quotes:

There may have been something slightly vulgar about the display of so much wealth, but it was a very genuine vulgarity.

"I want you to look after Mr. Bond, Chang," [Drax] said slowly. "See that some harm comes to him."

The voice was as cold as that of a mid-western Baptist schoolmistress making her first trip east of the Great Lakes.

Poor Q. He produced equipment for every contingency and yet was furious whenever one arose.

"Mr. Bond--" the voice echoed down from above, and conveyed a note of genuine regret "-- you defy all my attempts to plan an amusing death for you."

His smile was like a crack on a gravestone.

"At least I will have the pleasure of putting you out of my misery."

Whatever your feelings about the film version-- personally, while I find all of the common criticisms of it valid, I still like it and enjoy watching it for some damn reason-- James Bond and Moonraker is a damn entertaining book. The plot meanders a bit, as does the movie, but Wood keeps a quick pace, and his wit and clever turns of phrase keep things enjoyable. It's a bold, sprawling adventure, exciting and ridiculous in equal measure, much like the movie itself. I find myself wishing that Wood had written more Bond novels, particularly some not based on the movies. Recommended. 

That's it for today, and I'll be skipping next Monday, but fly back here in two weeks, as we move into the John Gardner era!