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45 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the 50s with Love, June 23, 2002
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is generally considered to be the very best James Bond book. In this case, conventional wisdom is right. I recently re-read the book, originally published in 1957, and it was even better than I remember it being. First, the flaws: Like most Flemming novels, much of the plot is implausible. The story revolves around a scheme by the Soviets to embarrass the British Secret Service by killing James Bond in a compromising position. Perhaps it is because we live in a post-Monica Lewinski world, but this doesn't seem to be that much of a big deal. The movie version of FRWL seems to acknowledge the weakness of the reasoning behind the sequence of events that make up the story. The movie makes Bond's planned embarrassing death a secondary consequence of the villains' (this time SPECTER, not the Soviets) plot to steal the Russian decoder, which in the book is merely used as bait. Another common problem with Flemming's Bond, which is again on display, is that he is rather gullible and pretty much goes along for the ride without using his wits to solve mysteries or get out of jams. In FRWL he misses obvious clues, believes a thinly disguised enemy agent enough to hand over his gun without much of a thought, and fails to ever put "two and two together."
Despite all the flaws, FRWL is a great book. If the plot has holes, the collection of words are beautiful in themselves, from Flemming's detailed description of food and drink, to the combat scenes that really come to life in this book. The character of Bond is more interesting here than in previous books - he demonstrates a sense of humor and playfulness, shows emotion and even has moments of reflection. The series of villains, while cartoonish, are fun. The lurking presence of Red Grant is menacing. Bond's interactions with the villains forms the basis for the series of events that make the story flow. Once the silly premise is accepted, the rest of the sequence of events makes a certain amount of sense. This internal coherence (which was missing to some degree in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER) added with a fast pace makes the book hold together and never seem slow or dull. What separates FRWL from the other books, however, is that it contains some genuine surprises, including its truly unexpected ending. The ending is even more unexpected because it is explained away in DR. NO. But the ending should be read for what it is in the context of the book itself, not in the larger context of the series. Finally, one of the things I enjoy about Flemming's Bond books is that because they were written in the 1950's, they have a feel for a different world, with different values, assumptions, and cultural icons. This differentness is on full display in FRWL. While I have no illusions of the world depicted in Bond books having any resemblance to actual history, the transportation into another world is achieved more purely than could be by a contemporary author writing a period piece. I love it!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic 007., July 6, 2006
The Russian counter-espionage organization known as SMERSH concocts an elaborate plot to discredit the British Secret Service. Their immediate target for blackmail and murder: James Bond. This is a classic spy novel by Ian Fleming. It is not a half-baked if well intentioned imitation. It presents Bond in his pristine form before filmmakers evolved him into a cartoon character. Ian Fleming blends the sophistication of the best English mystery writers such as Dorothy Sayers with the hard-boiled edginess of the best American detective fiction. The prose is clean, lean, and literate. Bond is an iron fist in a velvet glove. His taste in food and wine is flawless. He kills with grim determination, as needed. Snobbery is evident in his character. Bond does not tolerate fools gladly. He is fiercely loyal to his friends, of which he has very few. Darko Kerim is a brilliant exception to Bond's rule of keeping people at a distance. Darko lives a life of furious indulgence, even dissipation. Darko dreads only the Iron Crab, Ian Fleming's personal vision of the Grim Reaper. On a lighter note, delectable women are also admitted into Bond's affections. Tatiana Romanova joins the ranks of Bond "girls," although her loyalties are questionable. Rosa Klebb is a change from Fleming's megalomaniac super-villains. She ruthlessly works behind the scenes, and does not aspire to hold the world for ransom. Klebb is also one of Fleming's most repulsive characters. She is of indeterminate sexual inclinations and disgusting personal habits. Grant, a true madman, is as cold-blooded a killer as ever presented in mystery-adventure fiction. The novel ends ambiguously. Much as Conan Doyle, Fleming considered the idea of killing his main character. Ian Fleming's James Bond novels are a mesmerizing read filled with action and suspense. I have read these books multiple times since the 1960s, and still thrill to the experience. The locales are exotic, and the major characters are more finely developed than in most mystery-adventure fiction. The Penguin editions also feature great cover art. Recommended for serious genre fans. ;-)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bond Ruins a Good Thing, February 11, 2009
I'm surprised that so many people mark this novel down for how long it takes for Bond to appear (90 pages or so). I actually thought it went downhill fast the moment Bond showed up. Until then, it was an interesting reversal, reading like a typical Bond novel, but focused on his foes including mission briefings and so forth. Once introduced to the plot, Bond basically blunders through, oblivious to anything resembling tradecraft or even common sense, and comes across as an arrogant amateur. And his admiration of Darko Kerim seems ill-placed given that the man laughingly admits to kidnapping and rape in his misspent youth. Haha, what a rake... The writing is generally lazy. Every character who encounters Tatiana has to compare her to a young Greta Garbo (including herself admiring her reflection in a mirror!). Nash constantly calls Bond "old man" until it's as tiresome to the reader as it is for 007 himself. All said, don't get me wrong. It's not a bad book, not even a bad Bond novel, but it's hardly the best in the series. The Orient Express and Turkey sequences are suitably exotic and the ending is not to be missed, so it's worth a look at least.
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