James Bond and Moonraker
Novelisation of the Moonraker film by Christopher Wood.
James Bond and Moonraker is a novelisation by Christopher Wood of the James Bond film Moonraker. Its title was changed to avoid confusion with Ian Fleming's novel. The book was released in 1979.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Christopher Wood
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- James Bond
- Genre
- Spy fiction
- Publisher
- Jonathan Cape, Triad Panther
- Released
- 1979
- Format
- Hardback, paperback
Facts from the source article.
Background
The film version of Moonraker strayed so far from Ian Fleming’s novel that Eon Productions asked screenwriter Christopher Wood to turn it into a book, just as he had done for The Spy Who Loved Me. For this second novelization, Wood again worked directly with Jonathan Cape publisher Tom Maschler, without any contact with Glidrose Publications. Unlike his first effort, which was quite different from the movie, James Bond and Moonraker follows the screenplay very closely. The only real changes are that Dolly, Jaws’s girlfriend, is absent, and Jaws remains mute, matching Wood’s earlier portrayal. Also, during the Venice canal chase, Bond’s gondola does not grow a flotation device and rise to St. Mark’s Square as it does on screen.
Reception
Wood's second novelisation received scant review coverage. Syndicated columnist Bob Greene was scathing, calling it dreary, schlocky, and juvenile, and stating it lacked the tension and personality of the original Fleming book. The Los Angeles Times critic claimed Ian Fleming would have cringed at the writing. Despite such criticism, the novel became a bestseller and remained on The Times bestseller list for some time. After its release, Eon Productions did not commission another Bond film novelisation until Licence to Kill ten years later in 1989.
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