Mi6 Cafe Book Club - Casino Royale (Chp 1 - 13 Discussion)

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Welcome back to the MI6 Book Club!! Get your drinks, snacks and any notes you have and gather round for its Book Club time!

If you want any resources for the Casino Royale book, please find the link to the resources in the sidebar on the right! Please check the schedule to find out what we're discussing this week!

Book Club is designed to be a place where you can go beyond the Bond movies and delve into another medium with our favourite secret agent. There is no set discussions, if you have anything interesting you want to discuss about your reading experience, comments on the text, or even how reading the book might have changed your view on the characters in the movies then do share!

Some Questions to get us started!

1) What was your favourite scene? Why is this?
2) What have you found interesting about the book so far?

Don't limit yourself to just these questions - this is just to get your started! Post your views, thoughts and opinions on the book so far!

Please note - We will be discussing chapter 1-13 this week, so please keep your points to those chapters! We will be discussing the remainder of the book at the next Book Club!

Happy discussing!

Comments

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

I'll post some of my own notes & questions later, but for now:

1) What was your favourite scene? Why is this?
Oh my god this is as bad as those tumblr things that ask you what your favourite band is. I think the first one with Mathis? it's really hard to decide, but it made me laugh, so thee's that.

2) What have you found interesting about the book so far?
I think this is the first time I've read it and really noticed the way Fleming writes, the way he ends his chapters, the way he describes people and movements and things and, well, everything. I like it.

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

1) Favorite scene: That moment when Bond says "Suivi" or "Banco" and it comes out all right? Bond's dinner with Vesper? Maybe even Head of S's humorous interactions with M, Tanner, and Moneypenny; those made me grin! I like the touches of humor, the insight into Bond's character, and the fact that, like Carol pointed out on Tumblr, Fleming is able to make me feel so much tension about a card game I know nothing about.

2) I love the cool background knowledge we get! We see the Jamaican intermediary, the way the mission gets planned, the background of the town and casino...all these fun little details that couldn't make their way into a movie but are wonderful to read about.

Questions!

3) Bond is constantly imagining others' reactions, like his imagined casino meeting and planning for the game with Le Chiffre, and shows a pretty keen understanding of human nature (in this half of the story, at any rate. And, as Carol noted on Tumblr, occasionally his observations seem a bit beyond belief in their Sherlockian exactness). Anyway, question: How much empathy on Bond's part is necessary for this understanding?

4) Is Bond's superpower the ability to basically trustfall off a cliff with the reader knowing that Fleming will somehow save him (but still fearing that he won't)? I mean...Bond makes a big deal of how methodical he is with checking his room (and then misses the scratches in the fireplace, lol), and thinking out his plans, but then we don't generally see him saved by his own methodical countermeasures; instead he's sheltered by a handy tree during the explosion and his big win in the first half of the book comes down to authorial intention and being the good guy. In this half of the book he seemed to have the most agency re: his own self-preservation when he thwarted the cane gunman by falling over like a beetle. I guess we'll see where the second half takes us!

5) So like. Le Chiffre's origin is that he's a Holocaust survivor from Dachau. Why that of all origin stories, Fleming? (Because Fleming was also anti-Semitic? Just great.)

6) OMG, how hypocritical is Bond? On a job, women "fogged things up with sex." It's YOUR libido, Bond! Own it. (Though he has that moment of acknowledging his own hypocrisy, I suppose.)

7) Who is THIS character? “Clements, the head of Bond’s department”--who the hell do you have to be to head the 00 department??? A cat herder? Is he the same guy as “The Broker,” because I think Fleming was a little unclear the way he wrote it.

8) Not a question, but I loved this quote: "In the background there thudded always the hidden metronome of the Casino, ticking up its little treasure of one-per-cents with each spin of a wheel and each turn of a card - a pulsing fat-cat with a zero for a heart."

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

(my comment is far too long for lj to cope with, I'll spilt it up)

I forgot to make this comment I am a bad fan

ANYWAY - snippets from my Casino Royale liveblog plus questions for everyone - want to read more of my ramblings, with bonus reaction gifs? click here (http://isthisrubble.tumblr.com/post/126173200663/casino-royale-part-one-the-game-is-baccarat).

WARNING: this comment is long and may contain vague spoilers for the second half of the book! if you're only interested in the questions I thought up for each chapter, they're at the end of each section! There are also some at the very end for the whole first half of the book.

Chapter One: The Secret Agent
• “The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning” thanks, Fleming, that’s something I didn’t realise I needed to know. Also, is this a grabby first line or what?

• “the top table in the salle privée” The most irritating thing about this book is the gratuitous French. I always have to read it with google translate open, and that doesn’t always help. For example: google translate tells me that “salle privée” means “private bathroom,” when it actually just means “private room” (looking for French translations? There's a link in the resources page thing over there -->)

• “Le Chiffre was still playing and still, apparently, winning.” I love how we see Le Chiffre and know that Bond’s paying attention to him before we know if he’s friend or foe. Fleming is feeding us information slowly, nice

• “Then the Englishman, Mister Bond… He has luck. His nerves are good.” this paragraph is about 4 people, and the sentences about Bond take up half of it. I feel like Bond has a habit of talking himself up a bit

• “you probably couldn’t find ten non-squeal killers in France” is this one of those oooooh the French are all cowards English people things or something

• “as he gave a thousand francs to the vestiaire” Maths time! Every time I read this I do it, because otherwise it sounds crazy (and I hope I got this right): 1000 francs was about USD$3 at the time, which is about USD$25 now…

• “this man on the Gleaner…” one of my favourite things about this book is all the background information Fleming throws in. Sure, we don’tneed to know about this guy Fawcett, but he’s thought it out and it’s interesting, in a way, so he tells us. Bond doesn’t even know everything Fleming tells us…

• “could bribe a copy out of the local post office” I love how he’s just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about it

• “he stood on the threshold with the door full open, the light on and a gun in his hand” what if someone had been in the corridor and had seen him waving the gun around? Not subtle, Bond, not subtle at all…

• “he lit his seventieth cigarette of the day” for some reason people seem to quote this line as the first line of the book? I think they even did it on QI, which just goes to show: don’t trust Stephen Fry. Also, that is a lotof cigarettes.

• “His last action was to slip his right hand under the pillow until it rested under the butt of the .38 Colt Police Positive with the sawn barrel. Then he slept, and with the warmth and humour of his eyes extinguished, his features relapsed into a taciturn mask, ironical, brutal, and cold.” I really love this paragraph? I suppose it captures the essence of the character

Question:
What's your first impression of Bond?

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

Chapter Two: Dossier for M
• I can’t tell you off the top of my head if Fleming does this in all of his books, but I know he does it a few times: the first chapter is a bit like the pre-title sequences in the movies – you know more or less what’s going on, but you don’t know any of the context yet. Then chapter two arrives, and you get all the context. I’m glad they do that in the movies, it’s a nice subtle nod.

• I love the spy-speak of this bit: “redland” “the opposition” etc

• “one of his mistresses is a Eurasian (No 1860) controlled by Station F, who has recently been able to obtain insight into his private affairs.” Is… is that our first bit of foreshadowing???

• “‘Better still, write in English.’” Thank you, M for saying what everyone was thinking. Pity Fleming didn’t take his own advice

• “No race-tracks would carry the sort of stakes he will have to play and, if he wins, he would more likely be killed than paid off.” Wow, French horse-racing is intense.


Question:
What do you think of this plan? Who you have approved it?

Chapter Three: Number OO7
• Interesting to note that, in my edition at least, Bond is designated OO7, not 007, even though it’s called a number. Make of it what you will.

• “M’s Chief of Staff, a young sapper who had earned his spurs as one of the secretariat to the Chiefs of Staff committee after being wounded during a sabotage operation in 1944, and had kept his sense of humour in spite of both experiences.” TANNER MY SON

• “‘He must be pretty good with the cards or he wouldn’t have sat in the Casino in Monte Carlo five months before the war watching that Romanian team work their stuff with the invisible ink and the dark glasses.’” One of the things eagle-eyed readers will notice as we work through the books is that Bond’s DOB keeps changing, to keep him around 37 for the entirety of the series (1960s Bond joined MI6 after WWII)

• “That was his job – knowing the odds at everything” is this where the ‘Evil Queen of Numbers’ thing from GoldenEye came from?


Question:
How do you think Fleming's version of MI6 works/is run etc?

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

Chapter Four: L’Ennemi Écoute
• “he had signed the register ‘James Bond’ YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET AGENT FOR FUCK’S SAKE

• As soon as the gambling talk starts my eyes metaphorically glaze over, sorry

• “Bond liked to make a good breakfast.” Another of Fleming’s writing habits – describing everything Bond eats with great gusto

• “Mathis was delighted, ‘you are blown, blown, blown.’” I love how cheerful Mathis is about the whole situation – and I’m laughing at the Muntz’s expense, too

• “He and his job would have been stripped naked.” uM

• “‘occasionally at night,’ he added with an exaggerated wink.” Mathis, for fuck’s sake (this is the kind of sexist BS you’re going to find in all the books, sorry. That’s why we included the warnings, and that’s why people who argue about sexism the Bond franchise need to understand that it’s impossible to remove, because it’s part of the source material, and, unfortunately, part of the appeal for some fans. Ok rant over)



Question:
What did you think was likely to go wrong after reading this chapter?

Chapter Five: The Girl From Headquarters
• “Royale-les-Eaux” this place doesn’t even exist and he’s written this long history I love it

• “Bond stood in the sunshine and felt his mission to be incongruous and remote and his dark profession and affront to his fellow actors.” I just???? I really like that these things affect him like fuck off people who think James Bond is just a thug. Don’t worry bby you can have plenty of introspection in the second half of the book

• “Her hair was very black and she wore it cut square and low on the nape of the neck, framing her face to below the clear and beautiful line of her jaw. Although it was heavy and moved with the movements of her head, she did not constantly pat it back into place, but let it alone. Her eyes were wide apart and deep blue and they gazed candidly back at Bond with a touch of ironical disinterest” I’m quite fond of this description of her for some reason?

• “At the same time he felt a vague disquiet. On impulse he touched wood.” If only Bond followed his instincts more… but then we wouldn’t have the book, would we?

• “He was quite honest to himself about the hypocrisy of his attitude towards her. As a woman, he wanted to sleep with her but only when the job had been done.” Oh, well at least he’s honest. Also, does anyone else automatically thing Bond is the woman in the second sentence? I think it must be something about the way it’s structured, but I swear it reads like Bond is saying he’s a woman

• “shivered into confetti” I love this description?????


Question:
What do you think of the glimpses we get into how Bond's mind works, and how Fleming writes him?

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

Chapter Six: Two Men in Straw Hats
• “a ghastly rain of pieces of flesh and shreds of blood-soaked clothing fell on him and around him” oh god, yuck
• “‘Merde, but you were lucky’” I think this is the strongest swear word in the entire book
• “Mathis bit his nails. He was excited and his eyes glittered. This was becoming a formidable and dramatic affair, in many aspects of which he was now involved personally. Certainly it was no longer just a case of holding Bond’s coat while he had his private battle with Le Chiffre in the Casino. Mathis jumped up.” Is it just me, or is this a teeny tiny pov switch? And I feel like Mathis is enjoying this a little too much

Question:
Before reading the tale later, what did you think had happened?

Chapter Seven: Rouge et Noir
• “he was honest enough to admit that he had never yet been made to suffer by cards or by women. One day, and he accepted the fact he would be brought to his knees by love or by luck.” Steady on there, author, you’ll give the game away

• “‘I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.’” I didn’t think you could even patent drinks

• “‘Bond reflected that good Americans were fine people and that most of them seemed to come from Texas.’” Rereading this meeting, I understand why some people ship the book versions of these two. Stay tuned for more developments later on in the series…

Question:
What do you think of Bond's attitude towards gambling and luck? Do you think it's a sensible one?

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

Chapter Eight: Pink Lights and Champagne
• “His grey-blue eyes looked calmly back with a hint of ironical inquiry and the short lock of black hair which would never stay in place slowly subsided to form a thick comma above his right eyebrow. With the thin vertical scar down his right cheek the general effect was faintly piratical.” There we are, a comprehensive description. I wonder how he got the scar…

• “It was the girl.” People with more qualifications than me have already written extensively about the sexism in Bond, but I think this sums it up nicely: even after acknowledging that a) she’s cool, calm and professional, and that they will work together well, and b) that she’s beautiful and he wants to have sex with her, he still calls her “the girl”

• “‘if you hear me scream tonight, I shall have sat on a cane chair.’” *spits out drink* wHAT
• “‘We’ll have one together when all this is finished’” *muffles a sob* oh babies, you had such high hopes (I’m going to start getting super emotional in these now)

• “‘and now, here’s luck for tonight, Vesper.’
‘Yes,’ said the girl quietly, as she held up her small glass and looked at him with a curious directness straight in the eyes. ‘I hope all will go well tonight.’

She seemed to Bond to give a quick involuntary shrug of the shoulders as she spoke, but then she leant impulsively towards him.” Oh Vesper, you poor dear

Question:
This isn't even a question just tALK TO ME ABOUT VESPER

Chapter Nine: The Game is Baccarat
• “‘extracted the story – in the usual French fashion, I suppose.’” What the hell does that mean? Did they flirt with him until he told them what they wanted to know?

• “Bond frowned. ‘It’s not difficult to get a Double O number if you’re prepared to kill people,’ he said. ‘That’s all the meaning it has. It’s nothing to be particularly proud of. I’ve got the corpses of a Japanese cipher expert in New York and a Norwegian double agent in Stockholm to thank for being a Double O. Probably quite decent people. They just got caught up in the gale of the world like that Yugoslav that Tito bumped off. It’s a confusing business but if it’s one’s profession, one does what one’s told.’” You’ll notice that Bond doesn’t say anything about being a new Double O at any point. It’s funny, because everyone involved with the 2006 movies spends all their time on the DVD special features talking about how in the book Bond is fresh to the job, even though it’s not supported by the books at all. On the other hand, Bond still remembers his first two kills pretty well, which is depressing

• “‘He thinks of nothing but the job on hand and, while it’s on, he’s absolute hell to work for. But he’s an expert and there aren’t many about, so you won’t be wasting your time. He’s a good-looking chap, but don’t fall for him. I don’t think he’s got much heart.’” Another good description, shows how well regarded Bond is

• I honestly have no idea what any of this baccarat stuff means, although I think viewtokill (http://viewtokill.tumblr.com/) is right: it’s basically a rich man’s version of go fish

Question:
What do you think of Bond's treatment of Vesper?

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

Chapter Ten: The High Table
• “Numbers 4 and 5 were a Mr and Mrs Du Pont, rich-looking and might or might not have some of the real Du Pont money behind them. Bond guessed they would be stayers. They both had a business-like look about them and were talking together easily and cheerfully as if they felt very much at home at the big game. Bond was quite happy to have them next to him” there are a few women playing, which is nice, and remember the Du Ponts, they turn up again in Goldfinger

• “the Greek’s pale hairy hands which lay inert like two watchful pink crabs on the table. The two pink crabs scuttled out together and the Greek gathered the cards into his wide left hand” I really love the way Fleming describes things

• “Then the enigmatic cards would be burnt or defaced, a shroud would be draped over the table and the grass-green baize battlefield would soak up the blood of its victims and refresh itself.” Well that’s not morbid at all. Also, what a waste

• “‘Banco,’ said Bond.” So Fleming’s talent for writing gripping final lines of chapters extends to lines that the reader doesn’t even understand – I mean, I get the significance of it, but still

Question:
What do you think of Fleming's descriptions?

Chapter Eleven: Moment of Truth
• “He slowly removed one thick hand from the table and slipped it into the pocket of his dinner-jacket. The hand came out holding a small metal cylinder with a cap which Le Chiffre unscrewed. He inserted the nozzle of the cylinder, with an obscene deliberation, twice into each black nostril in turn, and luxuriously inhaled the benzedrine vapour.” Why is this so creepy

• “The other players sensed a tension between the two gamblers and there was silence” I really would hate to be one of the other players in this game, just watching them staring at each other and thinking ‘something’s going on here, and I’m not sure I want to be a part of it’

• “The one more or less behind Le Chiffre’s right arm was tall and funereal in his dinner-jacket. His face was wooden and grey, but his eyes flickered and gleamed like a conjurer’s. His whole long body was restless and his hands shifted often on the brass rail. Bond guessed that he would kill without interest or concern for what he killed and that he would prefer strangling. He had something of Lennie in Of Mice and Men, but his inhumanity would not come from infantilism but from drugs. Marihuana, decided Bond.” How the fuck can you tell all this from just looking at the guy, I call bullshit

• “Suddenly Bond felt the sweat on his palms. Like snow in sunshine his capital had melted. With the covetous deliberation of the winning gambler, Le Chiffre was tapping a light tattoo on the table with his right hand. Bond looked across into the eyes of murky basalt. They held an ironical question. ‘Do you want the full treatment?’ they seemed to ask.” Me @ first time readers: prepare your ‘oh fuck noes’

• “a green baize which was no longer smooth, but thick now, and furry and almost choking, its colour as livid as the grass on a fresh tomb.” Words, I love them

• “Bond was beaten and cleaned out.” All together now: oh fuck no

Question:
WERE YOU FREAKING OUT ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AFTER THE END OF THIS CHAPTER (pretending you haven't watched the movie and therefore don't know)?

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

Chapter Twelve: The Deadly Tube
• “Leiter had vanished, not wishing to look Bond in the eye after the knock-out, he supposed. Yet Vesper looked curiously unmoved, she gave him a smile of encouragement. But then, Bond reflected, she knew nothing of the game. Had no notion, probably, of the bitterness of his defeat.” You should have more faith, sweetheart


• “At the same time a thick voice speaking southern French said softly, urgently, just behind his right ear: ‘This is a gun, monsieur. It is absolutely silent. It can blow the base of your spine off without a sound. You will appear to have fainted. I shall be gone. Withdraw your bet before I count ten. If you call for help I shall fire.’” I still can’t believe no one noticed this happening

• “Bond went head-over-heels on to the ground amongst the spectators’ feet, his legs in the air.” Like a beetle on his back. Imagine Sean Connery or Daniel Craig like that. Laugh forever.


Question:
What would you have done if someone put a walking stick gun against your back?

Chapter Thirteen: ‘A Whisper of Love, A Whisper of Hate’
• “Le Chiffre suddenly grinned wolfishly.” Yes, I can see Mad’s face when reading that line

• “On a small table beside him half a bottle of Clicquot and a glass had materialized. Without asking who the benefactor was, Bond filled the glass to the brim and drank it down in two long draughts.” You! Are! Literally! Surrounded! By! People! Who! Might! Want! To! Kill! You! Why! Would! You! Just! Drink! It!

• “‘They won’t be interested in me without the money and I’ve got an idea for looking after that.’” Famous last words…

• “He gazed for a moment into the mirror and wondered about Vesper’s morals. He wanted her cold and arrogant body. He wanted to see tears and desire in her remote blue eyes and to take the ropes of her black hair in his hands and bend her long body back under his. Bond’s eyes narrowed and his face in the mirror looked back at him with hunger.” ok, Mr Bond, you are also a certified creep, I think.

Question:
What do you think Bond did with the check?

Overall Questions
1) what's your favourite quote?
2) who's your favourite character?
3) is there anything in this half of the book that jumped out at you, that made you think oh gosh, I have to tell my best friend/mum/bus driver/the internet about that! ?

Re: Castillon

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

2) this is one of my favourite things about the books!

3) (in case anyone else is wondering, I'm the Carol mentioned above) I would say a fair amount of empathy? I think this is addressed a little in some of the later chapters, Bond thinking about stuff from other points of view, so look out for that

4) I think it sort of shows that despite all of Bond's preparations, there's not much he can do in some situations. I honestly can't remember where i posted this (tumblr? here?) but there's a thing about how MI6 is like the plucky agency, hanging on in there despite lacking all the resources of the CIA and the KGB... and words have failed me, and I can't work out how to express what I'm thinking anymore. Whoops.

5) oooooooh no I missed that implication. idk, tbh, I think Le Chiffre is more of a villain as a communist than anything else - on the other hand he's a banker, and, well, jewish stereotypes... but then the villain in [SPOILERS] Moonraker is a Nazi [END SPOILERS]

6) *flips Bond off and throws him off a balcony*

7) I thought Clements was the head of the field agents, not just Double Os, but idk. I think the broker is in charge of money

8) yeessss

Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[(Anonymous)]

I love getting to see your thoughts as you read, isthisrubble, and you came up with some great questions! Everyone else, feel free to answer any or all of these as you like!

Question: What's your first impression of Bond??
Bond is observant and careful, detail-oriented, with a strong imagination that I don’t think gets credited enough. I loved the image of him systematically searching his flat and being all (rightfully) paranoid, though I suppose it didn’t do him much good with his listeners. (Maybe the toilet thing was in case someone stuck a bomb or something up the toilet? IDK, would that change the water level?) I also liked the way he could tell he was tired, and takes physical care of himself as best as he can by stopping to rest when he needs to, and, later in the book, getting a massage after he’s injured. He’s very aware of his body as a tool that needs to be in its best condition, and he hasn’t been driven to undue self-destruction yet (I mean, aside from the seventy cigarettes, jfc).

Question: What do you think of this plan? Would you have approved it?
I probably would have taken one look at Head of S’s shining, hopeful, puppy-dog-eyed face and been like, “How can I disappoint him by saying no?“ Maybe that’s why M insists on getting the files from Moneypenny instead of Head of S sending it in himself.
I probably would have had Felix and Bond both at that gambling table, working together to chip away at Le Chiffre’s funds, like the movie did.

Question: How do you think Fleming's version of MI6 works/is run etc?
Head of S (S for Soviets, I guess) is probably the second- or third-most important guy in the building, with a large department full of translators, field agents, sources, and useful Jamaica Guy types who act as proxies and cover-builders. There’s a cryptography or code-making/-breaking department of some kind. The Broker takes care of MI6’s financials. Q Branch does travel documents and equipment, of course. (And possibly the morgue?) Clements has the unenviable job of being head of field agents, including MI6’s pack of 00s, so I imagine he’s the one who takes care of less serious discipline issues. It appears that M’s job is largely decision-making (knowing the odds) and coordination with other agencies (like he coordinated with the Deuxieme Bureau to get Mathis on Bond’s job). The Heads present M with information and action proposals and M either runs them, rejects them, or asks for some edits or more information.

Question: What did you think was likely to go wrong after reading this chapter? (chapter four, L’Ennemi Ecoute)
EVERYTHING.

Question: What do you think of the glimpses we get into how Bond's mind works, and how Fleming writes him?
I love seeing Bond’s imagination and how he works as a professional; less excited about the horrific misogyny, though I suppose it’s good to remind oneself about Bond’s origins and the less appealing aspects of Bond’s POV.

(cont. in next comment)

Re: Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[(Anonymous)]

Question: Before reading the tale [of the bombers] later, what did you think had happened?
Honestly, I just went with Mathis’ first guess that they’d fumbled the job.

Question: What do you think of Bond's attitude towards gambling and luck? Do you think it's a sensible one?
“Above all, he liked it that everything was one's own fault. There was only oneself to praise or blame. Luck was a servant and not a master.” I see Bond’s attitude as Bond owning his own play; luck can help or hurt, but only he can control his own decisions in the face of the odds. That internal locus of control (if you’ll excuse my psych-talk) has got to be pretty empowering for someone whose life is constantly endangered due to fairly uncontrollable external forces (assassins, M, villains of the month, etc). So far, Bond has been able to keep that sense of control (of being “a master”), but he’s aware of his precarious his position is--he could fall at any moment, in luck or in love. Sensible enough, I suppose! Risk-aware, anyway.

Question: What do you think of Bond's treatment of Vesper?
Bond has apparently absorbed the lesson that interpersonal emotions are a distraction to his job, and Vesper is probably causing him to have some, so I can see why he might want to compartmentalize when they appear to be getting too friendly. That said: WHY YA GOTTA BE SO RUUUU--UUUDE. DON’T YA KNOW I’M HUMAN TOOOOO [AND NOT A SIMPLE SEX OBJECT FOR YOU TO BE MERELY DISMISSIVE OF AND/OR TITILLATED BY]. (But also I loved the image of the “infinitesimal clink of foils” between them.)

Question: What do you think of Fleming's descriptions?
Love the flair they add to the action. Great cinematography is probably the film equivalent.

Question: WERE YOU FREAKING OUT ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AFTER THE END OF THIS CHAPTER [when Bond is “beaten and cleaned out”] (pretending you haven't watched the movie and therefore don't know)?
YES. Fleming did such a great job writing Bond’s devastation!

Question: What would you have done if someone put a walking stick gun against your back?
LITERALLY ANYTHING THE GUNMAN WANTED TBH. Or possibly panic and then get shot anyway.

Question: What do you think Bond did with the check?
Kept it secret, kept it safe? I expect he found a good hidey-hole for it. He wouldn’t entrust it to another person (...not right now, anyway…).

Castillon

[(Anonymous)]

1) Favorite quote: Probably the fat cat quote in my post, but maybe: Every time someone says "the opposition"? Or the word SMERSH? Or perhaps: "'That is not a well-known brand,' Bond explained to his companion, 'but it is probably the finest champagne in the world.' He grinned suddenly at the touch of pretension in his remark." Never over HIPSTER BOND. Bond was a hipster BEFORE it was cool. Or maybe: Felix saying "Thanks for the ride" and inspiring Felix/Bond shippers everywhere?

2) Favorite character: Bond or Vesper? Bond is a brute, but I like seeing his thought patterns in a way you can't in the movie, and he seems decent so long as you've got a Y chromosome; we see Vesper through Bond's eyes, which is vexing, and our picture of her is hardly complete, but I like that she's got some steel to her spine, and she's made it to a pretty high rank despite the gender bias against her, which argues for her competence.

3) Bond's first kills as a 00, and his attitude toward killing and "his dark profession," are things that I keep coming back to in my mind.

Re: Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

I probably would have taken one look at Head of S’s shining, hopeful, puppy-dog-eyed face and been like, “How can I disappoint him by saying no?“ omg

I probably would have had Felix and Bond both at that gambling table, working together to chip away at Le Chiffre’s funds, like the movie did. I have to agree with that one, I mean, Leiter even says that he's put himself under Bond's orders, which I can't ever imagine actually hapening. But then I think Fleming meant for their relationship to reflect the UK/USA relationship except reversed, with Bond the superior instead of Leiter

S is indeed for Soviet, and I spent most of my reread going 'well why is he in London then' before I realised that he must co-ordinate all the people working in the USSR, when before I thought he was like the head of an MI6 field office or something (because it's called a station). cue headdesking

Re: Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

I expect he found a good hidey-hole for it. IT IS THE BEST HIDING PLACE. LITERALLY THE BEST. PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND WALK AROUND FOR A BIT GOING OMG KIND OF HIDING PLACE

Re: Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[(Anonymous)]

:D

Yeah, I suppose Bond was meant to be the expert in the situation--the pro gambler, pro assassin, etc. Actually, as a 00 he might have a higher rank than Leiter, and that does carry a little weight in some situations. Do we ever get more of an idea what Leiter does? Is he some kind of 00 equivalent, or more of a useful field agent type? When I first read the book, I thought Leiter was a little dull (certainly he lacks the French dramedy flair that Mathis has), but I'm now curious about him and his few words, and even more appreciative of fics that include him. Lord knows Bond needs some steady comrades.

It's only as I read Casino Royale that I realize that the station heads would all be in London, yeah--before that I assumed they'd have their boots on the ground, so to speak, coordinating the efforts from the area. But I guess they wouldn't want a station head actually in the vulnerable country. Makes sense, but tbh, that also makes me wonder how much friction there is between the far-off station head and the actual in-country coordinator. There's a lot of opportunity for resentment there if communication isn't good, and these spies of Fleming's naturally aren't known for their A+ open communication skills. (Even Bond talks about those judging--how did he put it-"few cold brains that make the whole show work.") And if the local spymaster is FROM the country being spied on, then there's even more potential for mistrust. Hmmm...all of this paints a picture of how important source reliability and loyalty are.

-Castillon

Re: Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[isthisrubble.livejournal.com]

I think Felix is supposed to be... actually, I'm not sure - he does field agent stuff, but also intelligence gathering stuff? idk, I'm pretty sure he's not a 00 equivalent, but besides that...

anyway, there's a bit of felix leiter backstory in live and let die!

on the subject of stations - of course the head of the ussr station couldn't be in the ussr - I doubt MI6 could even have anyone official in embassies at that time bc cold war. I think modern mI6 (aka craig!bond universe) might operate a little differently, more likely to have the heads of station actually in the country - take M, running the Hong Kong station, for example - she seems to have been in China at the time

Re: Castillon (response to isthisrubble's questions)

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I was wondering about M in Hong Kong--that's a good point. *reminds self* WE HAVE INDEED FAST-FORWARDED DECADES AND OVER TWO DOZEN MOVIES INTO THE FUTURE FROM WHEN CASINO ROYALE WAS FIRST WRITTEN.

Looking forward to the Felix backstory!

-Castillon