Dr No (James Bond, #6)

by Ian Fleming

[clq]

If I had to sum up this book in one sentence it would probably be: "Wait... what...?"
Not only does the plot seem to be made up of scraps of paper picked from the Big Hat Of Ideas Too Fantastical To Be Permissible In Non-Fantasy Literature, but the way they are tied together seems so incredibly contrived that I find it hard to believe it's unintentional.
I know that this is a Bond book, and my expectations of these books are... well, what anyone would expect. Still... this seems like a parody of the series rather than a part of it.
This could all be fine though! Give me an exciting, fast-paced, thriller with gadgets and excitement and suspense and drama, and I'll forgive just about anything. This book doesn't even have that. The first chapter is good, there's a few good pages featuring a scorpion, and there is a chapter towards the end which is at least somewhat exciting. Otherwise Doctor No manages to be formulaic and boring while also being unbelievably far-fetched.

I will, of course, be reading the rest of the Bond-books in spite of this one. I did really enjoy Casino Royale, and I'm still holding out hope of finding at least one more Bond book I enjoy as much.