Dr. No (novel)
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- For other uses of Dr. No, see Dr. No.
Dr. No (sometimes published as Doctor No) is the sixth James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, originally published in 1958. The novel was adapted as the first official Bond film in 1962, the success of which would lead to a popular, long, and continuing series of films made by EON Productions.
The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman with Sean Connery in the first of six official appearances (and one unofficial) playing the role of British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond.
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[edit] The novel
The novel marks the first time a number of James Bond signature elements are used. It is the first novel in which Bond uses his signature Walther PPK handgun and also the first time Major Boothroyd (also known as Q, the armourer) appears, although Bond's first gadget was in the previous novel, From Russia with Love.
The plot of the novel and the film are very similar, they do differ when elements from the previous novels are referenced, primarily From Russia with Love and Live and Let Die and in the fact that Dr. No is made a part of SPECTRE in the movie while in the novel he simply works for the Soviets (SPECTRE was introduced into the later novel, Thunderball).
[edit] Plot summary
From Russia with Love ended in a cliffhanger with the status of James Bond unknown. Bond was poisoned by SMERSH agent Rosa Klebb and collapsed at the end of the novel. In Dr. No M learns from the firm's neurologist that the poison was tetrodotoxin, which is obtained from the sex organs of the Japanese fish fugu. Tetrodotoxin paralyses the muscles of the victim while they stay fully conscious until eventually they die from asphyxiation. Bond is given first aid treatment by his friend Rene Mathis, whilst a doctor is summoned. The Doctor had spent time in Africa and had dealt with various poisons. He diagnoses curare poisoning and treats Bond accordingly. Even to date, there is no current antidote and the chances of survival are very slim.
Nonetheless, Bond survives. When he returns to duty, he is sent by M on a "rest cure" to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of Strangways, the head of station in Kingston, who had previously appeared in Live and Let Die. He learns that Strangways had been investigating the activities of Dr. Julius No, a Chinese-German who lives on an island called "Crab Key" that is said to be the home of a vicious dragon.
With help of the returning character, Quarrel (previously in Live and Let Die), as well as the beautiful Honeychile Rider, who visits the island to collect valuable shells, Bond discovers that Dr. No, who ostensibly operates a business harvesting and exporting guano, is in fact working with the Russians. They have supplied him with several million dollars worth of equipment to sabotage nearby American missile tests. Bond and Honeychile are captured by Dr. No, but Quarrel is burned to death by the (mechanical) dragon. Doctor No's speciality is torture and he tortures Bond to discover and record his powers of endurance. But Bond survives, rescues Honey and kills Doctor No.
| Author: | Publisher: | Hardback: | Paperback: | Alternate titles: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Fleming | Glidrose Productions | (UK) 1958 | (U.S.) 1958 | (UK) 1960 | (U.S.) 1959 | Doctor No |
| Preceded by: From Russia with Love | ||||
| Followed by: Goldfinger | ||||
[edit] Comic strip adaptation
Fleming's novel was adapted as a daily comic strip published in the British Daily Express newspaper and syndicated worldwide. The adaptation ran from May 23 to October 1, 1960. The adaptation was written by Peter O'Donnell (later the creator of Modesty Blaise) and illustrated by John McLusky. The James Bond 007 Fan Club published a reprint of the strip in 1981. Dr. No was reprinted in 2005 by Titan Books as part of the Dr. No anthology that also includes Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia with Love.
[edit] Popular culture
- In a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Our Man Bashir", a holographic programme clearly based on James Bond features a villain named "Dr. Noah."
- Politicians Tom Brinkman, Ron Paul, and Ian Paisley have all earned the nickname "Dr. No" for their idiosyncratic views and frequent votes against new legislation.
- In the song "Everybody Hates Flanders," Homer Simpson claims Dr. No is better than Nedward Flanders.
- Crab Key also appears as a mission in the video game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent ; however, the island is much more industrious than its movie counter-part, and the "dragon" is replaced by 4 tanks which the main character has to take out before proceeding to face Dr. Julius No.
[edit] External links
| Works of Ian Fleming | |
|---|---|
| James Bond: | Casino Royale (1953) | Live and Let Die (1954) | Moonraker (1955) | Diamonds Are Forever (1956) | From Russia with Love (1957) | Dr. No (1958) | Goldfinger (1959) | For Your Eyes Only (1960) | Thunderball (1961) | The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) | On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) | You Only Live Twice (1964) | The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) | Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) |
| Other Fiction: | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964) |
| Non-Fiction: | The Diamond Smugglers (1957) | Thrilling Cities (1963) |
Ian Fleming
Casino Royale (1953) • Live and Let Die (1954) • Moonraker (1955) • Diamonds Are Forever (1956) • From Russia with Love (1957) • Dr. No (1958) • Goldfinger (1959) • For Your Eyes Only (1960) • Thunderball (1961) • The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) • On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) • You Only Live Twice (1964) • The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) • Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
Kingsley Amis (writing as Robert Markham)
Colonel Sun (1968)
John Pearson
James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 (1973)
Christopher Wood (novelisations)
James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) • James Bond and Moonraker (1979)
John Gardner
Licence Renewed (1981) • For Special Services (1982) • Icebreaker (1983) • Role of Honour (1984) • Nobody Lives For Ever (1986) • No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) • Scorpius (1988) • Win, Lose or Die (1989) • Licence to Kill (1989) • Brokenclaw (1990) • The Man from Barbarossa (1991) • Death is Forever (1992) • Never Send Flowers (1993) • SeaFire (1994) • GoldenEye (1995) • COLD (a.k.a. Cold Fall) (1996)
Raymond Benson
"Blast From the Past" (1997) • Zero Minus Ten (1997) • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) • The Facts of Death (1998) • "Midsummer Night's Doom" (1999) • High Time to Kill (1999) • The World is Not Enough (1999) • "Live at Five" (1999) • Doubleshot (2000) • Never Dream of Dying (2001) • The Man with the Red Tattoo (2002) • Die Another Day (2002)
Charlie Higson (Young Bond series)
SilverFin (2005) • Blood Fever (2006) • Young Bond Book 3 (2007) • Young Bond Book 4 (2008) • Young Bond Book 5 (2009)
Samantha Weinberg (writing as Kate Westbrook) (The Moneypenny Diaries series)
The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel (2005) • "For Your Eyes Only, James" (2006) • Secret Servant: The Moneypenny Diaries (2006) • "Moneypenny's First Date With Bond" (2006) • The Moneypenny Diaries Book 3 (TBA) (2007)
R.D. Mascott
003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior (1967)
Unofficial/Unpublished
Per Fine Ounce (1966) • The Killing Zone (1985) • "The Heart of Erzulie" (2001-02)
Related works
The James Bond Dossier (1965) The Book of Bond (1965) The James Bond Bedside Companion (1984)
