Thunderball

The story, without spoilers

The book opens with Bond sent by M to a health clinic to improve his habits. Soon after, SPECTRE announces that it has taken nuclear weapons and will use them unless governments pay. The world's intelligence services have days to find a missing aircraft.

Bond's lead takes him to Nassau, where Felix Leiter joins him. Emilio Largo owns an impressive yacht and an easy social life, and his companion Domino may know more than surveillance can reveal. Much of the investigation happens underwater, where leisure and diving can hide working operations.

Can I start here?

Yes; it makes a good entry point for readers who want a big international plot. It is also the first of three novels featuring Blofeld, so read it before On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

What stands out

It is the first novel in which SPECTRE and Ernst Stavro Blofeld appear. It also grew out of an earlier, contested screenplay project involving Kevin McClory and others.

• It begins the three-book run featuring Blofeld.
• The 2025 Audible recording is read by Robert Glenister.

Content notes

Suggested age 16+. Violence, sexual material and the threat of mass casualties.

Book and film

The 1965 Sean Connery film keeps the book's broad plot. Never Say Never Again (1983), also with Connery, retells the same story outside the main film series.

Where it is set

• The Bahamas: Nassau and surrounding waters
• England

Real and fictional Bond places

Main characters

James Bond, M, Felix Leiter, Emilio Largo, Domino, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.