Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
1974.
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: In his Alpine base, Blofeld is developing biological weapons that will devastate Britain. Unaware of the danger, James Bond is about to marry Teresa di Vicenzo, the daughter of a Corsican Mafioso. But then he is sent to Switzerland. Bond's marriage and Blofeld's schemes disintegrate in a blizzard of gunfire and high-explosives from which neither man emerges the victor. This audiobook includes an exclusive bonus interview with David Tennant..
Media reviews
It’s one of the best Fleming-penned Bond adventures
User reviews
LibraryThing member lkernagh
This book has a special place in my heart. One, it is my favorite Bond movie, of all of the Bond movies. Two, my other half gifted me a first edition back in 2012, so this review is more of a comparison of movie to book, given that I knew the movie pretty much by memory. I love the fact that the
Dated by today's standards, but classic Bond.
Show More
movie did keep a fair bit of the original story intact, albeit with some physical characteristics changes to accommodate the actors hired to play the roles. Tennent does a wonderful job reading the story - he even nailed Irma Bunt's voice! - but I found it interesting that the written story is missing some of the high flying action scenes Hollywood chose to employ in the movie adaptation. Yes, the story is decidedly dated in how women are portrayed (but that was also how they were portrayed in the movies, so not a big surprise). What is interesting in the written story is how Fleming likes to flaunt (for lack of a better word) his, dare we say, insider knowledge of the "elite set" - his descriptions of some of the menus and the casinos/ski retreats are rather detailed. Yes, I tend to cry at the ending of the movie and I did again at the ending of the story. I tend to view this story as being the one to peel back Bond's iron clad exterior and give readers a glimpse - yes, a rather brief, guarded glimpse - into his soul. Dated by today's standards, but classic Bond.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DuffDaddy
"What the hell? All cats are grey in the dark."
LibraryThing member cinesnail88
Oh my goshhh. Just when I thought Fleming had hit his lowest low with A Spy Who Loved Me, the guy turns around and delivers this masterpiece. Blofeld was as great as I remembered, and the part about the College of Arms made me laugh for ages.
LibraryThing member bookswamp
Bond no.11, 1963: enter Marc-Ange and his daughter Tracy who is weary of the world, though only 22 or so... this is the most poetic and beautiful, Bond book despite its basicly brutal plot involving Blofeld once more. The Tracy side story, moving along rescue, deception, trusting, love and despair
Show More
leads to the ending of Bonds carreer in a happy marriage. The absolute anti-climax doesn't happen before the last 15 lines of the book's last page.. Show Less
LibraryThing member drneutron
By far, my favorite James Bond book. And my favorite thing is way Fleming builds the sense that things just can't end well for James and Tracy. The ending is bitter and just the right note of tragedy.
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
The least engrossing of Bond books so far read. It moved fast and choppy. But the ending was brutal for an all to human bond.
LibraryThing member jon1lambert
A big green stamp is visible on the half title page announcing that `if in good condition this book can be exchanged at Heygates Easy Library, Bognor Regis'. It is hard to link James Bond with Bognor Regis.
LibraryThing member polarbear123
A return to form after the mildly disappointing Spy who loved me. I always thought this was the best film and maybe that is becasue it sticks so closely to the book. It's all there in this one - great locations, dodgy allies, mysterious girl and Blofeld. What more could you want?
LibraryThing member MashaK99
Another solid Bond entry. This one of course it's famous for having the one and only Bond marriage scene. Shocking as the ending is (and you know it from the movie unless you've been living under a rock for the last few decades), I could not for a moment visualize Bond as a son in law to a mafia
Show More
don. The scenes between Bond and Marc-Ange are actually my favorites, although it's another one of Bond books that would not be published today because of the decidedly anti-feinist message. Everything you loved about the movie is even better in the book and there's much more depth to the material. Not to be missed for a Bond fan. Show Less
LibraryThing member comfypants
An unexpected turn for Bond, which is interesting in itself. It's also a lot more entertaining than the preceding few books.
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
Of all the Bond books, I think I like this one the most. The movie with Sean Connery was great & it blended in my mind perfectly with the book. I guess it's the romantic streak in me that made it so hard hitting.
LibraryThing member antiquary
Bond penetrates the stronghold of Spectre chief Blofeld disguised as a herald. Being a herald, I enjoyed the concept.
LibraryThing member nesum
The Bond novels can be corny, dull, or sometimes very good. Luckily, this is one of those very good ones. The plot is a little far-fetched, and yet it is so well paced and interesting that you don't really care. Fleming here is doing what he does best -- writing a great page-turner that doesn't
Show More
necessarily have any literary value, and yet has value all the same. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
By far, the saddest of the Bond books...
Bond is hot on the trail of Blofeld and SPECTRE. He gambles, meets a girl, learns about family trees, and ends up on a Swiss mountain top surrounded by beautiful women who are being treated for allergies! He also makes a new enemy, Irma Bunt! There follows
"you see, we've got all the time in the world."
:-(
Bond is hot on the trail of Blofeld and SPECTRE. He gambles, meets a girl, learns about family trees, and ends up on a Swiss mountain top surrounded by beautiful women who are being treated for allergies! He also makes a new enemy, Irma Bunt! There follows
Show More
skiing, bobsledding, explosions and avalanches. And after it all, Bond marries Tracy. And then... "you see, we've got all the time in the world."
:-(
Show Less
LibraryThing member shaunesay
oh man, I spent the last 15 minutes listening to this just saying no no no no no to myself because I just knew how it would go. I just didn't expect a James Bond story to trample my heart that way!
LibraryThing member PhillipThomas
One of my favourite Bond stories. As always an enjoyable read, especially if you're able to transport yourself back 50-60 years and the way the world was back then.
LibraryThing member JackMassa
One thing that strikes me on rereading the original Bond books is how vulnerable Bond is. Far from the efficient Superman of the films, he invariably gets roughed up by the villians, often ending up in the hospital. True, he is ruthless and recklessly courageous (why we love him!), but when not in
In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, he is at his most emotionally fragile, feeling guilty over his string of empty love affairs, falling for a woman and asking her to marry him. But I won't spoil the ending...
Suspenseful, fast-paced and emiently-readable, like all the Fleming books.
Show More
the thick of battle, he has his self-doubts, his regrets and awkward moments, and in some dialogue comes across as (Dare I say?) a bit of a pansy? Well, maybe that's just his British manners. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, he is at his most emotionally fragile, feeling guilty over his string of empty love affairs, falling for a woman and asking her to marry him. But I won't spoil the ending...
Suspenseful, fast-paced and emiently-readable, like all the Fleming books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Stevil2001
This was really good. After the events of Thunderball (allowing for Bond's American vacation in The Spy Who Loved Me), Bond has been tracking down Blofeld, but to little avail, and he feels like he's being wasted on detective work. Driving back from a mission, he meets Tracy, a damaged woman who
Fleming is firing on all cylinders here. Even though the book's two plots could feel only tenuously connected, they interact much more organically than the way books like Goldfinger or Thunderball open. Tracy is a convincing love interest for Bond; one can imagine that he would settle down with her because they clearly love each other for who they are, damage and all, rather than wanting each other to change.
The parts with Bond infiltrating Blofeld's clinic are good; Fleming's focus on pedantic detail serves him well when writing about heraldry, and when focusing on Bond as an infiltrator. I like how there's a countdown of sorts once the Secret Service agent from Station Z is captured by SPECTRE, and Bond must work quickly and efficiently but unobtrusively to find a way out of the situation. The way Blofeld's plot slowly reveals itself is well-handled, and the action sequences are excellent, some of the most tense in the series, as Bond must make two escapes down a mountain, one via skis, the other via bobsled. Fleming makes you feel the intensity and the struggle of these escapes. As always, things are difficult and grueling for the literary Bond. The only thing I don't like is that Blofeld's plan feels like a reduction of stakes after the previous book, less grand and less interesting, while it should be bigger and bolder.
The very end is famous-- I knew what was coming even though I've never read the book or seen the film-- and it works, even if it's obvious. It really is devastating. Overall, this is probably the best Bond book, except for maybe the first one.
Some other notes: Bond using the phrase "Sucks to you" was not a thing I expected, nor was him being familiar with the St. Trinian's films. There is a nice callback to Casino Royale at the beginning (we are reminded how much Bond cared for Vesper), which sets up the more emotionally vulnerable Bond of this novel. This was the first Bond novel to be written after the film series began, and Fleming explains why Bond has a Scottish accent on screen by explaining that Bond's father was a Scot, something previously not mentioned. He also debuts the (real) motto of the (real) Bond family, "The world is not enough," which would give its name to a Pierce Brosnan film. The weirdest reference to the films, though, is that Bond sees Ursula Andress, who played Honey Ryder in Dr. No, in Blofeld's clinic!
Show More
captivates him, and he ends up helping her feel wanted for the first time in a long while, and her father-- leader of the Corsican underworld-- tries to get him to settle down with her. Then, following a lead, Bond ends up infiltrating an alpine Swiss resort where it seems Blofeld might be hiding; Blofeld's given himself away by writing to the College of Arms to get himself a title.Fleming is firing on all cylinders here. Even though the book's two plots could feel only tenuously connected, they interact much more organically than the way books like Goldfinger or Thunderball open. Tracy is a convincing love interest for Bond; one can imagine that he would settle down with her because they clearly love each other for who they are, damage and all, rather than wanting each other to change.
The parts with Bond infiltrating Blofeld's clinic are good; Fleming's focus on pedantic detail serves him well when writing about heraldry, and when focusing on Bond as an infiltrator. I like how there's a countdown of sorts once the Secret Service agent from Station Z is captured by SPECTRE, and Bond must work quickly and efficiently but unobtrusively to find a way out of the situation. The way Blofeld's plot slowly reveals itself is well-handled, and the action sequences are excellent, some of the most tense in the series, as Bond must make two escapes down a mountain, one via skis, the other via bobsled. Fleming makes you feel the intensity and the struggle of these escapes. As always, things are difficult and grueling for the literary Bond. The only thing I don't like is that Blofeld's plan feels like a reduction of stakes after the previous book, less grand and less interesting, while it should be bigger and bolder.
The very end is famous-- I knew what was coming even though I've never read the book or seen the film-- and it works, even if it's obvious. It really is devastating. Overall, this is probably the best Bond book, except for maybe the first one.
Some other notes: Bond using the phrase "Sucks to you" was not a thing I expected, nor was him being familiar with the St. Trinian's films. There is a nice callback to Casino Royale at the beginning (we are reminded how much Bond cared for Vesper), which sets up the more emotionally vulnerable Bond of this novel. This was the first Bond novel to be written after the film series began, and Fleming explains why Bond has a Scottish accent on screen by explaining that Bond's father was a Scot, something previously not mentioned. He also debuts the (real) motto of the (real) Bond family, "The world is not enough," which would give its name to a Pierce Brosnan film. The weirdest reference to the films, though, is that Bond sees Ursula Andress, who played Honey Ryder in Dr. No, in Blofeld's clinic!
Show Less
LibraryThing member mikepen
Rounding this rating up, was wavering on 4 or 5 stars, but on a larger scale I'd perhaps rate it 87/100. This book is definitely one of the best in the James Bond series and as Ian Fleming created such a well known iconic character and baddies, he deserves some 5 star ratings I feel.
LibraryThing member savageknight
A wonderful narrative flow that does not get impacted in the 3-panel daily-strip telling. Gammidge and McClusky have definitely made this Fleming story their own and it is expertly brought to life. A poignant and heartbreaking story that finally reaches a conclusion in the second strip collected in
Show More
this book - You Only Live Twice. A great adaptation! Show Less
LibraryThing member lcl999
Arguably the best of the Bond books
LibraryThing member aadyer
Another highly entertaining entry in the James Bond series from Mr Fleming. This clearly plays homage to Flemings German and Swiss upbringing. This is a interesting and complex plot regarding various different technical and professional elements. Returns the great nemesis of bonds to centre stage,
Show More
makes you wonder what will happen next. Show Less
LibraryThing member Birdo82
Certainly one of the best entries in the Bond series, this book is full of surprising turns against the typical formula and some interesting developments for the Bond character.
LibraryThing member m_k_m
It doesn't help that 007
Show More
spends much of the book surrounded by air-headed dolls who give Fleming far too many excuses to indulge his every worst assumptions of women. He also bizarrely seems to confuse allergies and phobias. That said, the action sequences are, as you'd expect from Fleming, superlative – especially Bond's ski-run escape, aped so many times since – and there is a genuine sense of threat throughout.
The other side of the book is 007 and Tracy. True she's a pencil sketch (and early in the book looks dangerously like the caricature of a fallen woman saved by the grace of man's penis) but she's a sketch of exactly the sort of woman I can imagine Bond asking to marry him: capable, exotic-but-basically-British, and most importantly someone who'll protect that lost little boy at the heart of him. Diana Rigg was perfect casting.
The chapter leading up to the wedding is glorious (Bond's stag night with the ex-Luftwaffe pilot turned taxi driver in particular), soppy and heartwarming. It needs to be; you have to want them to be happy. Because when the other foot lands, as it always had to, it is cruel and heartbreaking and first-class writing. Exactly the sort of sledgehammer blow today's TV series are praised for delivery – but Ned Stark had nothing on Tracy Bond.
Show Less
LibraryThing member andyray
Ian Fleming is simply too English prissy for me, I think. The stories translate well into movie scripts, however.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1963-04-01
Physical description
300 p.; 19 cm
ISBN
9512008025 / 9789512008025