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

Author: Ian Flemming
Pages: 240
Year Published: 1956

James Bond takes on the mob.

In Flemming’s fourth Bond novel, 007 is tasked with interrupting a diamond smuggling operation. He duly replaces a courier bound for the United States and proceeds to work his way up the ranks, all the while enjoying fine meals in New York, Saratoga and Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, unlike Casino Royale, or Moonraker, Bond seems to spend a lot of his time eating meals and not a lot of time actually doing much spying. Much of the novel is devoted to either eating or gambling (which isn’t bad in and of itself), however, this time around the actual action of the novel seems to be tacked on as an afterthought. The combined effect is a novel that feels extraordinarily slow, despite being only a little over 200 pages.

The novel differs substantially from the movie adaptation, which shouldn’t come as any surprise. The novel is much more straightforward than the movie and omits many of the more silly additions that made it among the least of the Connery films.

Given this was his fourth outing, I suppose the main disappointment was the strict adherence to formula, while maintaining almost none of the spirit which made the first three novels entertaining. More than once I was reminded of Hemingway’s Across the River and Into the Trees, itself almost a pastiche of its author. Like that novel, I would only recommend Diamonds Are Forever if you’re determined to read every Bond novel. Otherwise, you’re better off just skipping past it.

Other participants in the “52 in 52″ meme who reviewed books recently include:

• Jeremy reviews Orson Scott Card’s A War of Gifts.
• Jamie reviews Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 Featuring Scott Kelby by Scott Kelby.
• Heliologue reviews Christine Kenneally’s The First Word.
• Jason reviews Monster Island, Monster Nation and Monster Planet by David Wellington.

-K