Customer Reviews

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (James Bond Novels)

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James Bond has come to a crossroads in this book. He's seriously thinking of quitting and goes as far as composing a bitter resignation from the Secret Service. He's restless, unhappy and is looking for ...something. And then he meets a girl. In the middle of a romance that surprises and even scares him a little Bond gets handed an asignment that turns out to be far more complicated than even he could've dreamed. Blofeld is back and this time their encounter becomes personal.

If you saw the excellent movie then you know what happens.

Ian Fleming did a fantastic job with the sublte foreshadowing. Bond meets Tracy in the same town where he met Vesper Lynde in Casino Royale. We learn that he's been visiting Vesper's grave once a year for years. It reminds the reader that Bond does have a heart and it can be moved. Later, Bond, to his chagrin realizes that he wants to wrap this Blofeld business up mainly so he can get back to Tracy.

In addition to this, the usual Bond trademarks are here. You have a horrifying villain, revolting flunkies, glorious scenary, a desperate chase that almost gets Bond killed and an unforgetable ending.

This is probably Ian Fleming's most interesting and personal James Bond novel. This book precedes "You Only Live Twice" as it sends James Bond on a mission to track down the head of SPECTRE. This is a very well written novel and is very interesting trying to fathom what Fleming had been contemplating for his hero at that time in his life. I found this absorbing novel very difficult to put down once I started reading it as I did with its follow-up. If you do decide to read it I recommend that you read it before "You Only Live Twice." I will go one step further, if you read both of these novels then read "The Man with the Golden Gun" after you finish "You Only Live Twice." These three novels make up a sort of trilogy. One hint: "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is very close to the movie version. "You Only Live Twice" and "The Man with the Golden Gun" movies have very little at all to do with the Fleming novels in any direct sense of plot and conflict. So don't be discouraged. I have read these three novels several times over. In this novel the relationship between Bond and M becomes clearer while Bond's own convictions come under self-scrutiny. Is there a line between duty and honor?

Don't just see the movie, READ THE BOOK! This book brings James Bond alive in ways the movie can't. Listen to 007's thoughts as he acts out this alpine drama. This character is much fuller and more dynamic than the movie Bond.

I always loved the Sean Connery movies better than the other actors. One of the reasons was he had more of a '60s' high-society flare. More Mission Impossible than Charlies Angels. One of the benefits of these books is they benefit from being written in the 60s. The characters, the situations, the bad guys, the women are all laced with everything I liked about Sean Connery Bond, but even more so.

These books are a refreshing relief from the Action/Espionage thrillers of today. Don't just stand there... order it!

Among the titles of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, I'd have to say that On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my least favorite, with neither the brevity of a Dr. No or Goldfinger nor the plot descriptive nature of The Man with the Golden Gun or From Russia with Love. Even if I dislike the title, however, this is one of Fleming's best Bond books.

The story opens around a year after the events of Thunderball (the intervening book, The Spy Who Loved Me, is not even mentioned). The villain in that book, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the mastermind behind SPECTRE, has been in hiding and James Bond is trying to seek him out. It is a more-or-less futile assignment and Bond is disillusioned enough to consider quitting. Before submitting his resignation letter, however, he takes a break at a casino. During this mini-vacation, he performs a chivalrous act to save a beautiful countess from embarrassment; she in turns, rewards him in her own special way.

This countess, familiarly named Tracy, is also the daughter of a genial but ruthless mob boss who Bond winds up (pardon the pun) bonding with. The boss, Marc-Ange, realizes that his daughter is troubled (in fact, suicidal), but that Bond may be able to help her by marrying her. Bond is not willing to do that, but is willing to see her again after she gets treatment. In the meanwhile, Marc-Ange gives Bond a lead on Blofeld.

Blofeld has holed himself up in the Swiss Alps, where extradition is nearly impossible. Bond goes undercover, hoping to lure Blofeld into Germany where he can be arrested. While there, he stumbles upon a strange plot that seems to involve young women seeking treatment for allergies. What Blofeld's scheme is goes beyond Bond's expertise, but the superspy will have more immediate problems as his cover is threatened.

Eventually, Tracy gets back into the mix, which adds another level to the story. Bond versus Blofeld is good, but at long last, Bond meets a woman who he can truly love. Since the first Bond book, Casino Royale, when Bond found himself betrayed by a lover, he has never been willing to truly risk emotional attachment. This time he does, and this adds an extra depth to this particular novel.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the middle part of what I think of as the Blofeld Trilogy, which started with Thunderball and concludes with You Only Live Twice, so it may not be the best Bond book to start with. For Bond fans, however, this book is a treat and one of the very best that Fleming wrote.

The eleventh installment of Ian Fleming's wildly popular James Bond series is considered by many fans as the absolute best. Without doubt, Fleming wrote this early 1960s thriller at the height of his creative powers and it ranks as one of the greatest espionage novels ever made.

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is the second Bond novel in a trilogy focusing on 007's personal war against Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of terrorist group SPECTRE who was first seen in 'Thunderball' and made his last appearance in 'You Only Live Twice.' It was eventually adapted to the big screen in 1969, featuring a single James Bond appearance by George Lazenby.

In OHMSS, one of the darkest Bond novels written, 007 has been tracking SPECTRE operations and finds himself at a dead end. While on the French Riviera, he becomes certain that Blofeld's group has been liquidated and prepares to resign from his duties. Bond catches an unexpected lead, however, after meeting a young woman during one of his favorite visits to Casino Royale.

His encounter with Teresa di Vicenzo (known as 'Tracy' amongst friends) leads to a one-night stand and an abduction by her father, Marc-Ange Draco, a Corsican mercenary who has dealt with several European governments. Bond becomes quasi-friends with Draco, who asks him to keep watch over the clinically depressed Tracy in exchange for locating Blofeld's hideout in the Swiss Alps. Overwhelmed by snowdrifts, pretty women, and menacing ski lodge workers, 007 poses as a heraldry officer and discovers the early stages of a biological terrorist operation aimed at wiping out the British agricultural industry.

While never toeing the borders of high literature, OHMSS is a finely-crafted popular novel that offers rare amounts of emotion besides whirlwind action scenes. The novel's plot is actually slow to develop, building gradually like a percolating coffee pot; but this actually makes room for characters to be explored in unusual depth. The relationship between Bond and Tracy, focused upon in the end chapters, is well-grounded and has a decent amount of chemistry.

Fleming's writing style is very approachable, with the exception of brand names and European vacation spots that he reels off constantly; this will be confusing to readers not in tune with early 1960s pop culture. Knowledge of these items, however, is not required for enjoyment of the story. OHMSS is well-paced overall, with engaging action sets, humorous narration, and dialogue that is never flat. Bond fans and readers of espionage/crime novels should find it a great time-killer.

The current Penguin edition weighs in at 259 pages. It is printed in easily-readable type with attractive cover art.

I recently reread my 50c Fawcett paperback edition of this book; there is no doubt that this is the best of the series. Bond is in a reflective mood in this one; this brings a depth to the story that is lacking in other 007 adventures. Like Raymond Chandler, Ian Fleming developed his craft as he wrote a series of books surrounding one character (for Chandler, it was Philip Marlowe). Chandler's last Marlowe novel, "The Long Goodbye," has the same feel of world-weariness in the main character as this Fleming novel has in Bond's attitude and in his complexity. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is simply a brilliant page-turner, and wonderful entertainment from the same guy who brought us "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang." Hooray for Ian Fleming.

This is definitely one of the better Bonds since, like CASINO ROYALE and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, the more formulaic elements are so well integrated in the story.

What I loved about FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE was that the obligatory romance was the actual scheme of SMERSH to ensnare and kill 007. The characters were well-drawn and Bond doesn't come off as such an indestructible superman. His heart is broken in CASINO ROYALE, confused in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and then shattered in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. (It's also very cool that we learn that Bond annually visits the grave of Vesper Lynd as well as still checks into Casino Royale as well).

We meet Ernst Stavro Blofeld again, not because of some grandiose world-conquering plot, but because he wants the respect and nobility of a title. The College of Arms angle of the story should be the dullest part of the story but Fleming actually makes it interesting by revealing the desire of everyone--except James Bond--to be "somebody."

The biological warfare passages may seem dated but I like revisiting the 007 books while keeping them in context: they must have been fantastic reads in the 1950s and 1960s. These books really anticipated the very modern threat of what Fleming referred to as "the man with the suitcase"...which contains an atomic device. Blofeld's plot in this book to attack England through its livestock with a virus is certainly something to think about in this day of Mad Cow and Bird Flu epidemics.

Although I'm only quibbling, I wished there had been more development between Bond and Tracy, the only woman to ever become Mrs. James Bond. After reading the novel, I felt as if I saw more of her in the movie! (The movie version of OHMSS is also one of the best).

I recently started reading all of the Bond novels and overall have enjoyed them a lot. While Flemings writing style is consistently solid the plots and characters differ greatly. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (number 11 in the series) shares with Casino Royale the title of My Favorite Bond Novel.

The plot is interesting and not *too* far-fetched (for a bond book - some are very cheesy), the characters are very likable and Fleming really nails the mood of "European decadence". This book, like Casino Royale and a few others metes out a healthy serving of bond's classic vices laced with action.

If you like less-than-serious action novels, then I would highly recommend this. Perfect for a long flight or drive

This Thorndike Press version of this novel is a real treat for the seeing impaired. The large print is a joy and easy to read and the hardcover binding and design is very good too.

As for the novel itself, no one will ever mistake Fleming's works for Hemingway or even Agatha Christie although at some points, Fleming's writing comes close to imitating their styles but when it comes to fast moving and great plots, this novel is probably the best Bond adventure ever written.

The writing is rather juvenile and reminded me of one of the Hardy Boy's adventures that I used to read as a child but if you take this as extremely light reading to pass the time (I read this while recovering at hospital and completed it in less than two days although I spent most of the time sleeping)you will not be disappointed.

This quick page-turner has a number of plot twists and colourful characters such as Bond's father-in-law, the crime syndicate head and his wife, Tracy, his arch nemesis, Blofeld and Ms. Bunt among others.

What's really good about this novel though is that we get to see a soft, vulnerable side of James Bond here. Bond seems to be tired and a little fed up of spying and even considers resigning. He starts to reminisce about Vesper, his love interest from his first adventure in Casino Royale and decides to make a pit stop there, ironically finding the real love of his life there as well!

Overall, we get a much more believable character who is a lot more human than in his earlier portrayals in what would be Fleming's 3rd last Bond novel. If you are a fan of James Bond but not necessarily great writing, this is probably the best Bond adventure that you can get which truly gives you an insight into every aspect of the character. You actually feel his sorrow at the end as Bond becomes more human here.

This novel may actually be a response to Fleming's many critics at the time which even included John Le Carre who complained that Bond was simply a thug who apathetically commits crimes against humanity as a normal course of life. The Bond you see here does not fit this description anymore.

Recommended reading.

Of all the Bond novels, On Her Majesty's Secret Service reaches the absolute pinnacle of Fleming's capabilities. Fine though they are, the other Bond novels often suffer from a meandering narrative and an often tedious itemisation of Bond's accessories (supposedly these give off an aura of a sophisticated lifestyle). There is some of that here, sure, but it's kept to a respectable minimum, enhancing rather than distracting from the central story which incidentally is tight as hell and gripped with action from the get-go. Characteristically, Fleming has at least two shining moments of poetic prose - the opener on the beach which is gentle and understated and the moment when Bond is ready to escape from Blofeld's hideway in which the snow slopes take on a greenish hue in the moonlight. These two scenes are expressed in writing easily as strong as the Orient Express ride described in From Russia With Love, my personal favorite of all Fleming's descriptive passages.

And the heartbreaking ending is handled with concision and potency. Actually, if you've only ever seen the films you'd never know that the majority of the Bond novels have killer endings but even taking that into account, this one trumps them all. And the character of Tracy is just great. What a gal - she's just perfect for him! Shame it couldn't work out. Shame for them but not for us though since we at least got one more classic adventure out of our favorite intrepid British spy.