When I'm Wrong...

...I admit it.

I was wrong about Ian Fleming. When the movie Casino Royale came out and introduced Daniel Craig as the new James Bond, I knew I had to actually read the Ian Fleming novel. So I did. And was very disappointed. Now maybe this was because I watched the movie first and well, couldn't get Daniel Craig's amazing performance out of my head and kept trying to transfer all that action onto the page. Maybe.

But then I decided to give Fleming another try. I went to the library and picked up From Russia with Love, one of my favorite Bond movies. This time, I wasn't disappointed. I was completely drawn into the plot, the characters, and the setting. I saw and tasted Istanbul. I felt the Orient Express moving through the Turkish countryside. I experienced doubt and anger right along with Bond. This time, I had Sean Connery pictured in my mind and it all just clicked.

Here's one thing I found very interesting. Bond is not introduced in the From Russia with Love novel until well into the book. I'm talking five chapters or more. Instead, we're given a lot of information on the Cold War Russians and their plot to throw the British Intelligence realm into chaos. An entire chapter is dedicated to their main assassin and to be honest, I didn't think I needed to know all about this cold-blooded killer. Fleming gave much more information on this guy's background and his upbringing than on Bond. I found that odd.

But I can no longer deny Fleming's talent as a writer. But here's the thing that makes reading Bond novels all the more exciting. Fleming actually worked as a spy for British intelligence during World War II. So he knew what he was talking about. He lived the world of espionage. And that definitely adds a unique flavor to his books.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Bond novels, but I'm going to try and take the actor and the movie versions out of the equation. Since I've seen all the movies, it's going to be a natural leap to put those actors and their mannerisms into Bond's character. But that is doing Fleming a disservice. Instead, I plan to try and think of Bond as Fleming meant him to be - a flesh and blood man, and not as an actor playing a part.

Though that may be hard...