The Man With The Golden Gun by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

At the end of You Only Live Twice James Bond had killed his nemesis Blofeld. In the process he also received a head injury that left him with amnesia. He stayed for some time with the young diver who saved him. On the last page of the book he is headed to Russia because he believes that there is something there that will remind him of who he is. The Man With The Golden Gun picks up a few months later. It seems that Bond made his way to the Soviet Union and was captured, interrogated, brain washed, and sent back to kill M.

M doesn’t trust the situation and is able to thwart the attack. Bond is fixed up and now M has to decide what to do with him. He decides to send him after a hired killer known as Saramanga. This assassin has come across M’s desk It is believed that it will be nearly impossible to succeed with this task. In his rather callous manner M decides that Bond will either succeed and redeem himself, or die in the attempt and redeem himself. Bond is anxious to strike back at the machine that turned him against M. He tracks his prey to Jamaica and sets about his task.

This is the last of the James Bond novels. It was still in manuscript form when Ian Fleming died. It is not the best of the Bond books. Scaramanga is not the twisted fiend or evil genius that we usually see Bond going after. He is simply a thug who is good with a gun. While the villain may be a bit flat at times there are some interesting scenes with Bond as he tries to get over what happened to him. While the James Bond novels might not be high literature they are great spy stories from the Cold War and they can still entertain 50 years after their initial publication.

You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

In his last adventure James Bond met with the greatest tragedy of his life. He was able to destroy the base of his enemy Blofeld, but his foe escaped. Then within only a few hours of getting married, Blofeld struck back and Bond’s new bride was killed. Back in London Bond has let himself go. He is drinking too much and his mind is not on the game. He was nearly killed when he botched a mission. M believes that he may have to let James go. He is advised to give Bond a task that is impossible, but not dangerous. M decides to promote Bond to the diplomatic mission and send his to Japan. His job is to meet with M’s counterpart in Tokyo and try to get access to the Russian signals that the Japanese are decoding. The Japanese have a special relationship with the Americans and they are reluctant to share with others. Bond now has to learn the ins and outs of the Japanese culture in order to win over this reluctant ally. That turns out to be the least of his problems. The Japanese have their own trouble in the form of a foreigner who has created a bizarre landscape full of creatures and plants that kill. The suicide culture of Japan has embraced this new place and it is causing embarrassment to the government. There is nothing legal that can be done, but someone with Bond’s particular skills may be able to deal with this in his own way. Bond accepts the trade and is soon involved with an enemy that he knows all too well. He has to pull himself together if he is to survive this mission. The ending is quite a surprise. More great Cold War spy pulp from the great Ian Fleming.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming (James Bond)

Bond is tired. For a year he has hunted for the elusive Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE. He is fed up with a job that he feels is beneath his skill level. He wants to resign from the Secret Service. As he composes his resignation letter his car is passed by a beautiful woman. He treats this as a challenge and chases her down the mountain. Later that night, in the Casino Royale, location of the first novel, he meets her. The next day he follows her and his life is changed. By chance he learns of Blofeld's hideout. He goes to investigate and is caught up in a new intrigue.

As Bond begins to unravel Blofeld's new scheme he will face harrowing dangers, seductive women, and be forced to put himself in danger to save England once again. What about his new love Tracy? Will he go through with his resignation? All of these questions are answered in the book.

As always, Bond is suave and daring. Trying to appear as hard as nails we see the romantic Bond break through as never before. This novel has a certain resonance in our own time. The fear of a terrorist attack that could damage the food chain is something that has not gone away with the end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union may have fallen, but the fears and dangers still exist. The James Bond novels might have come from another time, but they are for all ages.

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The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

This interesting book in the James Bond series is narrated in the first person by a young woman from Canada. The first third of the book is simply her telling about her life, loves, and woes. The next part sets up the story as she is accosted by two gangsters. Who should come on the scene by accident? Why none other than British Secret Agent James Bond. Of course Bond saves the day and beds the girl. What else could he do?

This is not the best of the Bond novels. Bond only makes an appearance in the last part of the book. Most of it was a bit tedious. The misfortunate loves of a spoiled girl from Quebec isn't really what I was looking for when picking up a spy novel. It is a short book, well under 200 pages, so it was a quick read.

Thunderball by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

James Bond has been abusing his body for a long time. The doctor is worried about him. Bond doesn’t care about all of these concerns. That is until M, who is on a health kick, decides to send him off to a health resort to get himself back in shape. While there Bond’s curious nature gets him in trouble with another patient. When the patient fails in an attempt to kill Bond, Bond feels bound to extract some revenge and the man ends up in the hospital. Bond is unaware of it, but he just changed the timetable in a series of events. A new organization called SPECTRE has stolen two nuclear bombs. The US and Britain have to pay up, or the bombs will be detonated. Bond finds himself in the Caribbean once again and teamed up with his old buddy Felix Leiter. Can they stop the mysterious Blofeld before he detonates a bomb? The fate of the free world depends on Bond. At least he is in better shape for this misson.

The Bond novels are great classic spy novels from the 50's and 60's. Unlike the films Bond is not constantly using gadgets. Instead he uses his skills and intuition. In this novel  As always Bond stories are a lot of fun. The good guys win and the bad guys get their due.

For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming (James Bond Short Story Collection)

This book contains five James Bond short stories. All of them are quite good. Fleming had a real knack with short stories. 

In “A View To A Kill” Bond tracks down the killers of a classified document courier. He comes up against a brutal and clever set of foes. In “For Your Eyes Only” he is on the trail of a brutal Cuban general who is not above using violence to achieve his end. Unfortunately for this general and his friends, Bond’s 00 means that he is licensed to kill. After the general kills an Englishman who is a friend of M’s Bond intends to do just that. That is if he can deal with the young woman who seems to be getting in his way.

“Quantum of Solace” is a strange Bond tale. No real spy stuff here. He listens as the Governor of Jamaica tells a story about an old friend. At the end of the story Bond realizes that sometimes the people with the most interesting stories are right in front of him and that he needs to not write certain people of as uninteresting so quickly. The plot of “Risico” will be familiar to those who remember the film version of “For Your Eyes Only.” It is the story of a smuggler who is dangerous and needs to be eliminated. The only problem is that Bond has to figure out which of the smugglers he is dealing with is the man behind the drug trade. Finally “The Hildebrand Rarity” is a sea adventure complete with the rich, sadistic American millionaire, his beautiful wife, the search for a rare fish, and murder.

All of the stories are well written and quite entertaining.

Goldfinger by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

James Bond is on his way back from an assignment. A simple layover at the Miami Airport starts a strange series of events. He runs into a man who recognizes him from the Casino Royale. The man, a wealthy hotel owner, believes that he is being cheated at cards and asks Bond to help him uncover how it is being done. Bond helps the man and runs crosswise to the strange Goldfinger. Bond fixes the situation and goes back to London. There Goldfinger runs across his desk again. This time Bond is sent out to discover what Goldfinger is up to and stop him. Bond will encounter beautiful women, gangsters, and be forced to work with Goldfinger while all the time trying to stop him. Classic Bond action and adventure.

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Dr. No by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

 James Bond has recovered from the near fatal wound that he received in his last adventure against SMERSH. M has decided to give him a soft job to get him back in the swing of things. The head of the Jamaica station and his secretary have been murdered, although no one knows it. They have simply disappeared. M wants to know what has happened so he sends James. When Bond arrives he is met with a strange mystery. It seems that all of the trouble is coming from a place called Crab Island which is owned by the reclusive Dr. No. Now Bond has to get himself back in shape to hunt down the truth behind this elusive and potentially deadly new foe.

There is everything we expect from a Bond novel, a beautiful, sexy woman, an evil villain, dangerous traps, and determined heroics from 007. As always the Bond books are a lot of fun.

Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

Every year millions of pounds worth of diamonds are being smuggled out of the African diamond mines. M has decided that James Bond must stop this leak. To that end James goes undercover as a diamond smuggler to America. This adventure will lead Bond across the United States, back to England, and finally to Africa. Along the way he will team up again with his old friend Felix Leiter. Together they will track the criminals to a racing track in New England, across the US to Las Vegas and into the desert. Bond will have to escape from several deadly traps in order to survive this mission. When it is all over he will have a new respect for the Mafia. It is a fun spy caper full of gangsters, smuggles, and an alluring woman. What more could you ask for in a James Bond novel?


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Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming (A James Bond Novel)

The second Bond novel finds 007 working in the United States and the Caribbean. Gold coins have been appearing. They appear to be from the treasure of the pirate Captain Morgan's treasure. No one knows how they are getting into the market. Major distribution point seems to be through New York and Jamaica. Bond is sent to New York where he is teamed up with his CIA buddy Felix Leiter. Together they explore Harlem. They are after a man known as Mr. Big. A large African man who seems to be a criminal mastermind who controls black criminal activity in the USA and the Caribbean.

Bond continues to trace Mr. Big's criminal enterprise to Miami and then off to Jamaica. Along the way Bond experiences some personal setbacks and the near loss of a close friend. Will he be able to stop Mr. Big before he is able to get the rest of the treasure and escape? What about the mysterious Solitaire? How does she fit into the scheme? To answer the questions you will have to read the book.


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Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

This is the novel that introduced James Bond to the world. Bond is a hard as nails member of the British Secret Service. He is on the trail of a vicious French union leader who is employed by Moscow. This man has to raise money and quickly. To do this he decides to run a baccarat table at the Casino Royale. Enter James Bond. Bond's job is to break Le Chiffre. Along with the French agent Mathis, the CIA agent Felix Leiter, and the beautiful Vesper Lynd Bond has to defeat his enemy, survive capture and torture, and somehow keep the money from falling back into the hands of the Russians. At the end Bond receives a new mission in life. He now is at work with the Soviet organization SMERSH. This enmity will define many of the future novels.

Ian Fleming's Bond is a very different character from the versions in the films. In some ways Daniel Craig has come the closest to capturing Bond’s character. The hard, keen edge combined with a certain ruthlessness and recklessness define the Bond of Casino Royale. If Craig coul capture some of Connery’s suave nature then he may be able to capture the true nature of Ian Fleming's Bond.

This book is an enjoyable spy novel. There are some moments in this book that are difficult to read. I am never a fan of torture scenes and Fleming seems to enjoy writing them a little to well for my taste. Overall it is a grand journey into the past. A world of sophistication and global war of ideas provide the backdrop. More than once Bond is confronted with how small a player he is in the war of great powers.

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