I enjoy James Bond films, and while awaiting the debut of Quantum of Solace, found From Russia with Love on the shelves of Kelly’s lake cabin I picked it up, curious to see how Ian Fleming’s character compared to those of the films. One look at the book and it is clear that Ian Flemings novels opposite to the political-military thrillers like Hunt For Red October and the book is marketed as a mystery. Yet the book contains no enigma- the Soviet plot to kill Bond is revealed in the exposition. Perhaps I’m expecting too much out of the 180 or so pages, and it may be that Bond without action scenes is an impossible sell for me. But I found the book underwhelming . The characters other than Kerim are nearly one dimensional, and after the exposition few even get the chance to show personality. The plot seems basic and there is little satisfaction in the way that Bond triumphs over his enemies. Worse, the book is full of the worst offenses era, full of Communist stereotypes, mysoginy, Eurocentrism and homophobia. Perhaps the elements that were once exciting, such as the 4 day ride on the Orient Express now seem banal in a world where Istanbul-London can be little more than a day trip. Whatever the reason, I highly doubt I will ever ponder any element in this book, save when I see the next movie and sigh in relief that I didn’t have to read the book.

3.5 stars. An enjoyable, engaging spy thriller with a couple of plot twists. The Russians plan is to discredit the British Secret Service by assassinating James Bond, the British spy. The Soviet counterintelligence agency use as bait, a beautiful Russian woman in her early twenties. Set in Istanbul and on the Oriental Express train. An entertaining read.

I don't know why I keep being surprised that each of these James Bond books gets better than the last. Most authors get better the more they write. It must be because the movies are so stupid, so lacking in what made the books great.

007 collides with SMERSH again (that is the Russian Intelligence branch) when they send a beautiful agent to seduce him and lead him to their assassin. In fact, the first half of the book takes place in the Soviet Union, setting up the lure, Tatiana Romanova, and the assassin, Red Grant, and the caper. All of that reminded me of Red Sparrow.

Even when Bond comes on the scene, he does not do much except meet and bed Tatiana in Turkey, and accompany her on the Orient Express as they travel to London. They pass through many Balkan cities, the very ones I have been reading about in Black Lamb, Grey Falcon.

Then in the last 20 pages the trap is sprung. Of course Bond survives to die another day.

Daring opening with Bond not appearing for the first third of the book, daring ending too.

My chronological journey through the world of the original James Bond novels continues with the fifth novel to be written and published, and widely held as the beginning of the best part of the entire series. In this one, Russia is tired of continually losing the battle in the grand spy game and has decided to assassinate one of the West’s most prestigious spies. After considering several countries’ intelligence programs to target, they settle on Britain’s MI-6 and who better than the famous James Bond.

The first 1/3rd of the novel and perhaps a bit more is all build-up, from the Russian’s point of view, their leadership, their assassins, etc. Mr. Bond himself does not enter the novel until almost half-way through. But it’s a fun ride to watch Bond fall into the trap they have set for him and try to get out.

Historical note: Up to this point, Ian Fleming and his publishers had been disappointed in the sales for the first four Bond books and they had failed to crack the all-important American market. Fleming was reportedly ready to throw in the towel completely (and had even thought to go so far as to kill off his main character) but he would give it one last try. He really put his all into it with much re-writing and re-thinking, resulting in this fifth novel which shows a definite step up in quality. It’s also the longest Bond novel and the resulting best seller status that resulted launched the golden period of Bond novels to come, including the following novel, James Bond: Dr. No.

For fans of spy fiction, these novels are must-reads.

Oh, James...



Probably the best one yet, though Fleming makes the unusual structural choices to both not introduce Our Hero into the action until nearly 40% through the book and also to end on a cliffhanger.. These peculiarities notwithstanding, the intricacies of the tradecraft, the outré (for its time) discussion of sex, power dynamics, and attraction, as well as the unforgettable characterizations of Soviet archvillains Red Grant, Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen, which is probably why they were retained with very little alteration in the film version although the very real dangerous geopolitical tensions of the early 60s saw the screenplay attribute the plot to kill Bond to the international criminal syndicate SPECTRE and not the Soviet state agency SMERSH.


Just a bit of horseplay between trusted colleagues.

Now for the fun part! If you're keeping track the principle problematic elements of the individual books now go as follows:

Casino Royale - Misogyny
Live and Let Die - Racial pandering
Moonraker - Paranoia re: 'Enemies within', particularly post-War Germans and the Soviets
Diamonds are Forever - Homophobia
From Russia With Love - Sexual Harrassment James makes no end of inappropriate comments to his own secretary (not Moneypenny yet in the literary version) but it's bisexual Rosa Klebb's jaw dropping "job interview" of poor Tatiana that really takes the cake.




Onward to Dr. No soon enough though first I need a bit of a break.


Tut, tut, when will these gauche Commies ever learn?

Lotte Lenya as the ‘improbably evil’ Rosa Klebb in the 1963 film adaptation

From Russia with Love is the fifth Bond novel by Ian Fleming. SMERSH, the Soviet counter-intelligence agency, aims to demoralize the British Secret Service and hatches an elaborate plan to assassinate their most famous agent James Bond. But first SMERSH must lure him to Istanbul.

I really enjoyed From Russia with Love. Its structure was wonderfully daring: the first 10 chapters narrate SMERSH’s plan and Bond isn’t introduced until page 129. Then came my favourite part of the novel, the central section set in Istanbul, involving Darko Kerim, the Secret Service’s man in Turkey. He was a fantastic character, who provided many chapters of entertainment. The main plot is not enacted until about two thirds into the novel. Although unusual in the Bond series, this structure was highly effective.

A valid criticism of the novel, pointed out by Umberto Eco in his essay ‘The Narrative Structure in Ian Fleming’, is that Bond’s adversaries, namely Rosa Klebb and Donovan Grant, ‘are so monstrous, so improbably evil that it seems impossible to take them seriously.’

This notwithstanding, From Russia with Love was perfect escapism, and I am looking forward to reading Dr No.

"All women want to be swept off their feet. In their dreams, they long to be slung over a man's shoulder and taken into a cave and raped. "

Book five in the James Bond series, and I'm starting to feel repetitive in my reviews.

These books are a product of their time. They are sexist, racist, ageist, and fat phobic, to name a few, but strangely compelling.

This book felt like the 1950s answer to gaslighting on a dating app.

A Russian spy gets hold of the British secret service to declare their love for 007, but all is not what it seems.

As these books go on, I'm convinced James Bond is a long-lost brother of the Chuckle Brothers. He really is rather dim. You're a spy Bond. You religiously check all your hotel rooms for devices and disturbances yet didn't notice a naked girl hiding under your sheets. Deary me.

The conversation between Tania and Bond where she asked him to beat her if she put on weight was probably the biggest eye roll I've ever done when reading a book.

Three stars for the sheer entertainment factor.

The anticipation, since the appearance of SMERSH in the first book, for a sequel is over. SMERSH (or SPECTRE as you Bond movie enthusiasts may know it) Makes a reappearance in this book. Bond is targeted and, unwittingly at first, goes toe to toe with SMERSH in their effort to corner him and execute him. It was enjoyable to see this play out.

Speaking of  Ian Fleming's writing, his characterization of evil people is somewhat strange. He ties this persons desire to kill with the 'full-moon' and seems to almost follow a deterministic philosophy with the killer's need to kill. Perhaps this is the understanding of a certain school of psychology of the time. Or maybe there is an elusive truth that I'm not aware of. Otherwise, for a book of this genera, Ian was taking a little too much artistic liberties for my tastes.

Clearly the books are dated with the sexists and somewhat racist remarks of the author. Some people are turned off by this and it ruins the whole book for them. It unfair to judge the writings of an individual who is following one of the Zeitgeists of the time. Certainly it would be better if a person is able to overtake the Zeitgeists and independently refute it all and stand on their own. But this is an almost impossible expectation for any person. A person who refutes one aspect of the Zeitgeist is almost certainly guilty of following another for better or worst.

Back to the book: So far this is the best Bond book that I have read as of yet. I have noticed his writing getting progressively better and more artistic. In this book Ian seemed to spend more time setting the scene and on characterization than in his previous ones.

4 stars - English pocket

Schrijvers lijken op hun best in periodes van neerslachtigheid. Dat gold blijkbaar ook voor Fleming, want het boek is een van zijn allerbeste boeken geworden.

In deze vijfde titel duikt Bond pas na een derde van het boek op. De lezer heeft dan al kennis gemaakt met een brute krachtpatser die van SMERSH - een zeer beangstigende Russische moordorganisatie - de opdracht krijgt om Bond van kant te maken. Bond moet hiertoe eerst in een val worden gelokt, bestaande uit een knappe Russin en een door de Britten gewild decodeerapparaat. De Britse geheime dienst vermoedt een valstrik, maar kan de kans op het in handen krijgen van het apparaat niet laten glippen en stuurt zijn beste agent op pad. James Bond begint aan een spannende en indrukwekkende reis over de wereld die uiteindelijk zijn dood lijkt te worden.


De schrijver bewijst voor mij dat de beste boeken goed geschreven moeten zijn, maar vooral een sterk verhaal te vertellen moeten hebben.

Het plan van SMERSH, de locaties en de personages zijn geloofwaardig, levendig en krachtig beschreven. James Bond is menselijker dan hij tot dan toe was, Rosa Klebb van SMERSH is ongetwijfeld de beste lesbische slechterik ooit bedacht en de knappe Russin is het prototype van de welgevallige femme fatale die uiteindelijk valt voor de charmes van Bond.

Veel eigen ervaringen in zijn boeken. Dit maakt de soms wel erg fantasievolle gebeurtenissen toch realistisch.

En Sean Connery in de hoofdrol in de verfilming van het boek. Voor mij de beste 007.

#70 of 2020

And so, Ian Fleming joins Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the following tradition: getting sick of your famous protagonist, killing them off, and then deciding to bring them back in the next book because - well, there could have been any number of reasons. (Money springs to mind.)

So ends the superb novel From Russia With Love, which was beautifully written, almost perfectly paced, and had a gripping final 100 pages that ended on the most unexpected, outrageous cliffhanger in literary history. It’s appalling really. But brilliant.

Book Bond is a far more human, relatable, deeply flawed and hardboiled protagonist than Film Bond, an action hero through and through. Thank Christ it’s that way around - I couldn’t stand reading those action sequences in a novel. Both suit their purposes beautifully.

Bravo! Another Ian Fleming classic. I’m becoming a staunch fan of his.