MOONRAKER

'''Moonraker''' is the third novel by British author Ian Fleming, based on the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond, first published by Jonathan Cape on April 7, 1955. Set completely in England, it follows Bond's mission to stop an industrialist Hugo Drax from destroying London with a nuclear weapon.^[1]
The novel's name was used in 1979 for the eleventh official film in the EON Productions Bond franchise and the fourth to star Roger Moore as James Bond. However, the story of the film was significantly modified so as to include outer space.

Contents

Plot

Title changes

Characters

Reception

Adaptations

Publication history

References

External links

Plot

MI6 Chief M, asks James Bond to observe Sir Hugo Drax, who is winning a lot of money playing bridge at ''Blades'', M's favourite club; M suspects Drax to be a cheat. Although M claims indifference, he is concerned why a multi-millionaire, and national hero, such as Sir Hugo would cheat at a card game. Later, Bond confirms Drax's deception, and manages to 'cheat the cheater' — aided by a cocktail of powdered Benzedrine mixed with non-vintage champagne — winning £15,000 and infuriating the out-smarted Drax.

As it turns out, Drax is the backer of the 'Moonraker' missile project being built to defend the UK against its Cold War enemies (c.f. the real Blue Streak missile). Essentially, the Moonraker rocket is an upgraded V-2 rocket using liquid hydrogen and fluorine as propellants; it can withstand the ultra-high combustion temperatures in its engine thanks to the use of columbite, on which Drax has a monopoly. Therefore, because the rocket's engine can withstand higher heat, the Moonraker can use more powerful fuels, greatly expanding its effective range. Partly due to the card cheating episode, M orders Bond to infiltrate Drax's missile-building organization on the coast of England. Once inside, Bond uncovers a dreadful, fiendish plot to destroy London — which he foils, assisted by Gala Brand, an attractive, undercover woman agent of the Special Branch.
With the exception of the name "Moonraker" and the character of Sir Hugo Drax, little else from this book made it into the 1979 film, but some concepts that remained included the profession of the Bond girls, both undercover agents inside Drax's organization, and that a launch of a rocket plays a significant role in both the movie and book. The 2002 film ''Die Another Day'', however, used several concepts from this book including the Blades club, and at one point the character of Miranda Frost from the film was to have been named Gala Brand. The villain, Gustav Graves, is also based somewhat on Fleming's original concept of Hugo Drax. Goldeneye also uses some concepts from the novel, such as a half-scarred double agent aiming a nuclear weapon at London-and Drax's warning to Bond to spend the money quickly after being beaten by Bond at gambling was used in Octopussy.

Title changes

The title, ''Moonraker'', was not the first choice by Fleming. In fact Fleming first suggested "The Infernal Machine", and later "The Inhuman Element", or "Wide of the Mark". The publishers, however, favoured "The Moonraker Sense", "The Moonraker Plan", or "Bond & The Moonraker". Other titles that are known to have been suggested include: "Mondays are Hell", "Hell is Here", "The Moonraker", "The Moonraker Plot", "The Moonraker Secret", and "Too Hot to Handle". Ultimately, it was Fleming who settled on ''"Moonraker"''.
For an unknown reason, ''Moonraker's title for the first U.S. paperback publication by Permabooks in 1956 was changed to '''Too Hot to Handle'''. One possible reason might have been to avoid confusion with the then-current stage play ''The Moonraker'' by Arthur Watkin (which was made into a film of the same title in 1958). Similar to ''Casino Royale'', however, the novel was subtitled ''(Moonraker)'' on the cover. ''Too Hot To Handle'' is notable for being the only Fleming Bond novel that was "Americanized", exchanging American idioms for British ones such as "jack of hearts" for "knave of hearts", "elevator" for "lift", etc.. The title was later changed back to ''Moonraker'' in 1960. Discounting magazine publication of some of Fleming's short stories and the novel ''The Spy Who Loved Me'', this was the last time a Bond novel was retitled for American book publication until John Gardner's ''COLD'' in 1996.

Characters

★ 'James Bond'

★ 'Hugo Drax'

★ 'Gala Brand'

★ 'Willy Krebs'

★ 'Dr. Walter'

Reception

The novel was praised to have established Fleming's skill and said to be "mercilessly readable". The New Statesman stated that "Fleming is splendid; he stops at nothing" while a Daily Telegraph reviewer said "I couldn't put this book down." According to The Scotsman "James's companion is as smashing a lovely as any predecessor in the role, the villain as sulphurously infernal, the declaration of war as dramatic".^[1]

Adaptations

Main articles: Moonraker (film), James Bond and Moonraker, James Bond comic strips

In 1956, Bob Holness provided the voice of Bond in a South African radio adaptation of ''Moonraker''. was later adapted as ''Moonraker'', the eleventh film in the official James Bond series of films by EON Productions in 1979 and the fourth to star Roger Moore as James Bond. Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson produced the film and its screenplay was written by Christopher Wood. The film is an entirely new story only using the character Hugo Drax and a space shuttle named Moonraker. The movie was also novelised in 1979 by Christopher Wood as ''James Bond and Moonraker''.
Moonraker was adapted as a daily comic strip which was published in the British ''Daily Express'' newspaper and syndicated worldwide. The adaptation ran from March 30 to August 8, 1959. The adaptation was written by Henry Gammidge and illustrated by John McLusky. Titan Books reprinted the strip in 2005 along with ''Casino Royale'' and ''Live and Let Die'' as a part of the ''Casino Royale'' anthology.

Publication history

The following are the publications of Moonraker.^[1]

★ April 4, 1955 - 1st edition Jonathan Cape hardback (UK) released - Jacket artwork devised by Ian Fleming,

★ September 20, 1955 - 1st edition Macmillan hardback (USA)
2nd edition Jonathan Cape hardback (UK)

★ October 15 1956 - 1st edition Pan paperback (UK)

★ December 1956 - "Too Hot To Handle" Permabooks paperback (USA)

★ 1958 3rd edition Jonathan Cape hardback (UK)

★ 1959 4th edition Jonathan Cape hardback; Pan paperback 2nd and 3rd editions (UK)

★ October, 1960 - 1st edition Signet paperback (USA); 4th edition Pan paperback (UK)

★ 1961 Pan paperback 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th editions (UK); Jonathan Cape hardback 5th edition (UK)

★ 1963 Jonathan Cape hardback 6th edition (UK); Pan paperback 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th editions (UK)

★ 1964 Jonathan Cape hardback 7th edition; Pan paperback 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th editions (UK)

★ 1965 8th edition Jonathan Cape hardback Pan paperback 20th, 21st and 22nd editions (UK)

★ 1966 Pan paperback 23rd edition (UK)

★ 1969 Pan paperback 24th edition (UK)

★ 1971 Pan paperback 25th edition (UK)

★ 1972 9th edition Jonathan Cape hardback; 26th edition Pan paperback (UK)

★ January 1975 - 1st edition F.A. Thorpe/Ulverscroft large print hardback (UK)

★ 1976 27th edition Pan paperback (UK)

★ November 1978 - 1st edition Oxford University Press China children's edition paperback (UK)

★ June 1989 - 1st edition Coronet paperback (UK) - Introduction by Anthony Burgess

★ April 4 2002 - 1st edition Viking/Penguin hardback (UK) Photography by Toby Mcfarlan Pond

References

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External links