Moonraker
by Ian Fleming · first published 1955
5mentions
1recommended by
5HN commenters
2016–2025first – last mentioned
20% recommend80% neutral
Flamboyant red cropped hair, florid skin, eyes blazing with hate— This Is the Face of Hugo Drax, The Mystery Man Behind Moonraker. A stranger, he came out of nowhere to build England the deadliest weapon ever devised by a human brain. A maniacal genius, he now holds the life of secret agent JAMES BOND in his fiendishly clever hands!!
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…dozen Bond books. Casino Royale is definitely a bit of a strange book - I found it really hard to get into until the bombing scene. I have to say though, the following books are a blast, particularly Moonraker. I think in part it's Fleming hitting his stride as a writer, and part getting used to his writing.
on “Becoming James Bond” ↗…Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen - Darkest Hour by Anthony McCarten - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown - Casino Royale by Ian Fleming - Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming - Moonraker by Ian Fleming - Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming - From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming - Dr No by Ian Fleming - Goldfinger by Ian Fleming - For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming - Thunderball by…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗This reminds me of the Fleming Bond novel Moonraker, in which a whole chapter is devoted to the idiosyncrasies of the villain who is being challenged by Bond via bridge.
on “A cheating scandal in the world of professional bridge” ↗Sadly, the reader probably figures out "Moonraker" within a few chapters. In Fleming's "Goldfinger", Goldfinger is actually trying to steal the gold from Fort Knox. It was much more realistic to have him instead trying to destroy the gold to increase…
on “Ian Fleming Explains How to Write a Thriller” ↗…to wonder what would be the maximal amount of damage to humanity an extremely wealthy person could do entirely legally. Ian Fleming explored that idea rather effectively with Hugo Drax in the original Moonraker novel (which doesn't have much besides the name in common with the movie.) The way things are playing out, Drax must have been Musk's childhood hero.
on “Musk-led group makes $97B bid for control of OpenAI” ↗