When I read this back in May, I thought this was my second James Bond – Ian Flemming novel, but it was actually my fourth. If I count the Sebastian Faulkner Bond novel, this was actually my fifth Bond novel. I read the first three Fleming Bond backs in March 2009. All three of them bled into each other I guess.

It makes sense because these books are formulaic. James Bond goes on an adventure, meets a girl, and there is some action.

What is really quite funny and discomforting about Dr. No is that there is a lot of casual racism in the book. The racism surrounds the mixed villain who is Chinese. I read this novel while in China and it was the only Bond novel on my Kindle for some reason. The racism was not so bad, but it was a bit ignorant. Kimonos aren’t Chinese style. There was sexism as well which is classic Bond.

Having said that, I still found myself reading the novel quickly. I think I’ll keep reading them even though they are incredibly outdated. I think Fleming does good pacing and there were a couple of sensual moments in this book. I can’t really take these books seriously, and knowing that helps me enjoy them.

Read May 29, 2014 on Kindle.