"Thunderball" 1961 Fleming, Ian

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FLEMING, Ian

[248] pp.

The Viking Press

1961

Book Club Edition

8 3/4" x 5 3/4"

Thunderball is the ninth … Read more FLEMING, Ian

[248] pp.

The Viking Press

1961

Book Club Edition

8 3/4" x 5 3/4"

Thunderball is the ninth James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, published in 1961, but its story originated from a screenplay co-written with Jack Whittingham and producer Kevin McClory, leading to a major lawsuit. The plot involves SPECTRE stealing two nuclear bombs and blackmailing the West, with Bond tracking them to the Bahamas to work with Felix Leiter, confronting villain Emilio Largo and his mistress Domino. The legal battle resulted in McClory and Whittingham receiving writing credits and McClory gaining film rights, leading to the famous 1965 film adaptation and a 1983 remake, Never Say Never Again.

Key aspects of the book

Origin: It was the first Bond novel based on an original screenplay, not a previous Fleming story.

Collaboration: The story was developed by Fleming, McClory, and Whittingham, with input from Ivar Bryce and Ernest Cuneo.

Legal dispute: A lawsuit by McClory and Whittingham over lack of credit led to an out-of-court settlement, with McClory getting film rights and the novel being published with their names credited.

Plot: Bond investigates the theft of two nuclear weapons by SPECTRE, leading him to the Bahamas to stop villain Emilio Largo and his associate Domino Vitali.

Significance: It introduces the criminal organization SPECTRE and its leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, to the series. See less