DR. NO (NOVEL)

'''Dr. No''' (sometimes published as '''Dr No''' or '''Doctor No'''^[1]) is the sixth James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, originally published on 31 March 1958.^[1] It was largely inspired by Sax Rohmer's stories of Fu Manchu that Ian had read as a boy while at Eton College.^[3]
Like many of Fleming's stories, ''Dr. No'' was first created as a screenplay. This time for producer Henry Morgenthau III in 1956 for what would have become a half-hour television show that was tentatively titled "Commander Jamaica."^[3] When plans for the series fell through, Fleming adapted the screenplay and originally titled it "The Wound Man."^[5] In 1962, ''Dr. No'', the novel, was adapted as the first official Bond film in the EON Productions James Bond series by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkeley Mather. Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, it starred Sean Connery in the first of six official appearances (and one unofficial) playing the role of British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond. Its success led to a popular, lucrative, and still continuing series of films.
The plot of the novel and the film are very similar, mostly differing when elements from the previous novels are referenced, primarily ''From Russia with Love'' and ''Live and Let Die''. For the film, the villain, Dr. Julius No is made a part of SPECTRE while in the novel he is associated with the Soviets. SPECTRE wasn't introduced until 1961's ''Thunderball''.
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''.

Contents

Plot summary

Film adaptation

References

External links

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, while a doctor is urgently summoned (Klebb, we learn, is captured and has died). 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, a simple assignment to investigate the disappearance of Strangways, the head of Station J in Kingston, who had previously appeared in ''Live and Let Die''. He learns that Strangways had been investigating the activities of Doctor Julius No, a reclusive Chinese-German who lives on an island called Crab Key that is said to be the home of a vicious dragon. Bond is aware that his hotel room has been secretly searched, and an attempt is made on his life when a deadly centipede is placed in his bed while he is sleeping.
With help of old friend Quarrel (also previously in ''Live and Let Die''), as well as the beautiful Honeychile Rider, who visits the island to collect valuable shells, Bond discovers that Doctor No, who ostensibly operates a business harvesting and exporting guano, is in fact working with the Russians. Dr. No has lost both hands to amputation by a rival crimimal group intent on leaving his body as a message against stealing. Shot through the chest in a final execution wound, he survived due to having dextrocardia (heart on the right side of the chest), but was left with artificial hands and an even more twisted disposition. The Russians have supplied the claw-handed Doctor with several million dollars' worth of equipment to sabotage nearby American missile tests. Bond and Honey are captured by No, and Quarrel is burned to death by the Doctor's 'dragon' – actually a flamethrower-equipped armoured tractor to keep away trespassers.
Doctor No's speciality is torture, and he tortures Bond at length to discover and record his powers of endurance. 007 is forced to run an obstacle course of air ducts, under regular observation, suffering burns and attacks by spiders at various stages. The ordeal ends in a fight against a captive giant squid, which Bond defeats through his ingenuity at improvised and stolen objects made into weapons, as well as physical toughness. After his escape he rescues Honey from her own "ordeal" – she had been pegged out to be eaten by crabs but found them harmless. Bond finally kills Doctor No in a unique way, by commandeering a loading machine at the docks and diverting the guano flow from it to bury the villain alive in bird dung.

Film adaptation

Main articles: Dr. No (film)

In 1962, ''Dr. No'' became the first James Bond novel to be adapted in the EON Productions series. Sean Connery became the first actor to play James Bond for EON, while Joseph Wiseman portayed Dr. No.
Dr. No's physical appearance changes in the film. In the book, Honey Rider appears nude save her belt with a knife. In the movie, she wears a bikini. In the book she is pegged out to be eaten by beach crabs, which only tickle. In the movie, she is tied down to slowly drown in a filling pool. Bond's fight with the giant squid is excluded from the film, while the characters Sylvia Trench and Miss Taro were added.
Main articles: James Bond comic strips

Dr. No 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''.

References

1. Doctor No at Bondian.com
2. Doctor No at Bondian.com
3. The Life of Ian Fleming, Pearson, John, , , Vintage/Ebury, 1966, ISBN 0-224-61136-4
4. The Life of Ian Fleming, Pearson, John, , , Vintage/Ebury, 1966, ISBN 0-224-61136-4
5. James Bond: The Man and His World, Chancellor, Henry, , , John Murray, 2005, ISBN 0-7195-6815-3

External links

★ Illustrated bibliography of first editions