Shaken, Not Stirred

Reading Challenge 2017: an espionage thriller.  I had originally chosen to read Casino Royale by Ian Fleming for this category.  Two chapters into reading the book, I realized I would not be able to finish it.  James Bond is in my mind as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Daniel Craig.  What I could not get into my mind was the writing style.  Having made it through Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I realized that my brain could not handle the written version and put Casino Royale down.  I would not force myself to read something that was not enjoyable, just to check a topic on my list.  I went to the internet to look for a suitable replacement.  Interestingly, Andrew Horowitz's Alex Rider: Stormbreaker came up as listened under espionage thriller.  I had seen the movie, which I enjoyed, and thought a quick jaunt through a YA novel would satisfy the requirement and not force me to invest myself in an uninteresting novel.  Maybe I am just not interested in the topic of want to read about it.

Alex Rider, after finding out his uncle Ian Rider has died, cannot believe this meticulous man would drive a car without a seat belt, the purposed reason of his death.  With a little investigation, Alex would discover his uncle had not been a bank, but a spy working for MI6.  Quite unbelievably, this British organization would ask Alex to be a spy in his place, fitting their needs, and realizing his uncle had trained him to be a spy after taking over guardianship when his parents had died.  I say unbelievable, because I could not suspend my disbelief that a top intelligence organization would use a 16-year-old boy to accomplish what a well-trained spy should have done.  I laughed to myself and realized it was a hook to pull in young adult readers into the world of espionage - a gateway drug for reading books about Jason Bourne or James Bond.  I do not see how that transition would occur, as Horowitz is a good YA writer in that the story pulls the reader through, but not enough to entire someone to upgrade to Fleming or Ludlum.  I could settle for watching the action packed movies, but not the overly detailed less than action novels.

Roger Moore was my first James Bond.  The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, and For Your Eyes Only stand out in my mind as the real James Bond.  My parents would refer to Sean Connery as the real James Bond, prompting me to watch Goldfinger and Thunderball, movies made when I was born.  Many years later I would enjoy Daniel Craig's James Bond in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, making me consider reading the novel I had originally selected for this category.  However, after two chapters, I realized I will be left with the visual version and not the written version as being my favorite.