From Russia with Love (James Bond (Original Series)) Paperback – October 16, 2012

In "From Russia with Love," the fifth book in Ian Fleming's classic saga of secret agent James Bond, we find 007 on his most exciting mission to date: intercept a Russian decoder from the hands of SMERSH, the organization that has vowed to take down Britain's most well known spy.Fleming actually divides the book into two parts. The first section introduces us to Red Grant, a ruthless mercenary with only one agenda in mind: to kill. His back story serves the novel well, as it leads into his recruitment by the dangerous Rosa Klebb into SMERSH for one purpose: eliminate James Bond at any cost. To that end Klebb brings in the beautiful Tatiana Romanova and convinces her to fall in love with Bond, thereby setting him up for the inevitable kill at Grant's hands.The second half brings Bond into action, nursing a wounded heart after the departure of Tiffany Case (from the previous entry "Diamonds are Forever") and given a new assignment: intercept the Spektor decoder and the agent assigned to deliver it. What Bond doesn't anticipate is falling for Tatiana Romanova, and neither does she. From there it's a one-way trip into excitement, leading to a ride on the Orient Express and a date with danger.It's all here. When I read this novel, of course I was influenced by the popular film version, and I could see all of the excitement that Sean Connery and cast brought to the screen. It becomes very evident that the film stayed right on track with the original novel, right down to Bond's violent confrontation with Red Grant, and Fleming doesn't miss a beat in the sheer brutality of their fight (neither does the film version). Granted, there are some differences between both versions, particularly at the end. And unlike the film, Fleming doesn't wrap things up in a pretty bow.It's no wonder that JFK liked the novel so much because of its realistic portrayal of spy versus spy warfare that dominated the Cold War. And the subsequent film version brought those same qualities to light as well. This is credit to Fleming's training in World War II in Russian intelligence. We're given only a glimpse of it in the novel (and film), which later echoes in Tom Clancy's debut novel "The Hunt for Red October". Now that would have been a great fantasy pairing for a novel or two!"From Russia with Love" is vintage 007 at his most exciting. All you need now is some John Barry music and a trustworthy Walther PPK to go with you on the journey.

Book Review – From Russia with Love – Ian FlemingIan Fleming's “From Russia with Love” novel turns out to be one of the most heralded of the Fleming books and films. This book is not the typical James Bond film where Bond is the swaggering, infallible, womanizing spy. Simply put, the book, brings readers closer to the James Bond-style fans are familiar with. Even though still a few years away from the big screen version, Bond is finally developed with the personality that Sean Connery would later refine and make his own in the movies. Interestingly though, in the book, Bond is overshadowed in the story by Ali Karim Bey – the head of the British Secret Service’s ‘Station T’ in Istanbul, Turkey. Bey is the largest personality in the book, and Fleming had a lot of pleasure developing his character. Furthermore, this is the first-time readers get to spend time with the villains without Bond being in the picture. Bond doesn't really get any character time until chapter 11, leaving room for Fleming to show readers how things are done behind closed doors at the international criminal organization – SMERSH, which introduced characters that would later be translated more accurately for the film. The only major difference is that the film has these characters defecting from SMERSH to operate with SPECTRE, another global criminal organization that doesn't appear later in the books until “Thunderball.” It was once kidded that Bond was the worst secret agent ever because everyone knew everything about him. And this may be the book that inadvertently set that stereotype into motion. This time SMERSH is out for vengeance, seeking to murder 007 and his reputation. The plotline is a bit hard to swallow, but the story is told with such enthusiasm, readers won’t care once things are set into motion. That enthusiasm changed everything, and it could have been because Fleming’s character development of the villains made for a better story. He also spent a lot of time on a complex plot that may be one of the most complex plots of the Bond series. It is certainly a realistic Bond narrative and an exciting espionage tale set in the Cold War period. Fleming’s craft was on full display in this novel because he put together a great narrative, with memorable characters, wonderful dialogue, and mixed great interchanges with actionable movement. He also had strong character descriptions, and excellent scene imageries. Fleming’s writing ramped up the suspense throughout the book and he produced a well-varied and well-paced read. I enjoyed the book and although with some minor differences, absolutely loved the movie with Sean Connery as James Bond, 007.

Perfect packaging, book in excellent condition

another great book to read, then watch the movie......

I enjoyed this book as a pleasant change of pace in Flemming's James Bond saga. The author shows his versatility as an evolving writer who doesn't have to rely on a set formula to create interesting works of fiction.

Addition to my collection

Great scene by ian

L'écriture de I. Fleming est fluide, les peintures des acteurs vous permettent de les "visualiser", et on sent que l'action est racontée par quelqu'un qui connait vraiment le métier.Pas besoin d'aller voir les films débiles de la saga, qui n'ont rien de commun avec le caractère imaginé par l'auteur.IF doit se retourner dans sa tombe....

Eine wunderbare Auflage von "Vintage Books", des 1957 erstmals erschienenen Bond-Klassikers von Ian Fleming.Jeder James-Bond-Fan, besonders Film-Fan, sollte unbedingt das Original von Fleming lesen. Nur so versteht man Flemings Insiderwissen und atmosphärische Beschreibungen über die Welt der Geheimnisse und der Geheimen. Nur so kann man die zahlreichen Unterschiede zwischen der Handlung und den Charaktären im Original-Buch gegenüber der späteren Adaption als Film-Drehbuch erkennen und verstehen. Buch und Film bleiben mitunter getrennte Welten mit einem unterschiedlich nuancierten Bond. Aber nur das Buch bleibt das Original.