May 23, 2008
From Russia With Love
Author: Ian Flemming
Pages: 272
Year Published: 1957
In From Russia With Love, his fifth outing, British Secret Service agent James Bond finds himself the target of a Soviet assassination plot, all the while attempting to courier one of the prized “Spektor” cryptographic machines out of Turkey and back to the United Kingdom.
This fifth novel is a resurgence for Fleming. While elements of the formula still exist, even the structure of the novel diverges wildly from previous installments. Bond doesn’t even appear for the first third of the book, which is used to establish not only the plot, but the motivations and players. It also introduces us to Tatiana Romanova, the “bait” to be used in order to lure Bond along with the cryptographic machine.
What evolves is a much tighter and focused novel than Diamonds Are Forever. As Bond willingly “succumbs” to the bait and allows the trap to unfold, the tension and action begin to escalate. Gone are the multi-page descriptions of meals and scenes in which almost nothing happens. Even minor characters are given some depth, even if they only appear for a scene. Even Bond has become much more complicated than any of his film personae, except for Craig’s portrayal in Casino Royale.
From Russia With Love is a fine book on its own and one of the best Flemming novels I’ve read so far. For any fan of James Bond, it’s highly recommended. As an aside, apparently it was also the only fictional work to appear on a list of “top ten” books that JFK enjoyed. Of course, we all know by now that JFK appreciated quality.
Other participants in the “52 in 52″ meme who reviewed books recently include:
- Jeremy reviews David Gilmour’s The Film Club: A Memoir.
- Jamie reviews Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
- Heliologue reviews Brian Jacques’ Salamandastron.
-K
I’ve been meaning to read some of the original Bond novels for a long time; our Directory of Security at work raves about them.
Is this a good introduction to the series? Or should I try to read them chronologically?
I’m kind of a nut for reading things in chronological order, even if some of the books in the middle might not be up to par. However, you can really read almost any of the Flemming novels independently of each other, so far.
However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Casino Royale is well worth reading.
-K
I read all the Fleming books about 15 or 20 years ago (yes, I am old) and thoroughly enjoyed them. “Russia” is actually one of my favorite Connery Bonds — the villains are excellent and the actress they got to play the Russian girl is nothing short of amazing.