From Russia With Love

A James Bond Novel

De: Ian Fleming

Narrado por: Mark Gatiss

Narrated by accomplished actor, Mark Gatiss! JAMES BOND GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH SMERSH IN A BID TO SECURE A KEY PIECE OF SOVIET INTELLIGENCE

SMERSH, the Russian intelligence unit whose acronym stands for “Death to Spies,” is hell-bent on destroying Special Agent James Bond.

His death would deal a catastrophic hammer blow to the heart of the British Secret Service.

The lure? A beautiful woman who needs 007’s help. Tatiana Romanova is a Russian spy who promises to hand over the prized Spektor decoding machine if Bond aids her defection. Bond suspects a trap but can’t resist the opportunity to give the British the upper hand in a chilling new front of the Cold War.

So begins a deadly game of bluff and double bluff, with Bond a marked man as he enters the murky world of Balkan espionage.

Good set up, boring in the middle, fun ending!

A decent Bond novel, but not my favorite. It starts out strong, setting up the villains in an interesting way. It slogs a bit on the middle and Bond tours around with his weird friend, then it picks up and delivers a decent ending. It ends on a cliffhanger, which is, as always, both fun and annoying. Overall, worth a read.

Decent but enjoyed the film more

Fleming spends most of the novel detailing the background of the main antagonist Red Grant & SMERSH’s plan to eliminate Bond & ruin his & MI6’s reputation. I thought it was an interesting but found myself bored. I much prefer when Bond is at the center of the plot/story.

I found the chemistry between Bond & Tanya to be unconvincing. It wasn’t earned at all, it just sort happens?

The highlight was the fight on the train between Red Grant & Bond though I found it unrealistic how Bond escapes getting shot.

3/5, not awful but I enjoyed the film way more.

Gattis is a Supreme Reader

Forgive the weak pun (or is it a palindrome?) but one can only smile, limp with admiration, at the brilliance of Mark Gattis. This is how performers - from ancient bards and minstrels to audiobook narrators - can bring texts to life. The book of course needs no praise. It’s Fleming’s best, and he’s so much better than even the best movies can convey.

Not Fleming's best Bond, but not terrible

Not Fleming's best Bond, but not terrible

It has been years since I saw the movie but this book is not Bond at his best. Dangerous men and beautiful women are at the core of all Bond novels but this one feels like Bond is oblivious to the obvious trap set up by the Soviets and SMERSH.

Despite the beautiful Bond Girl and the SMERSH baddies, the real starring characters of this story are Istanbul and the Orient Express. Fleming's descriptions of both immediately prompted those pang of regret for never having partaken of either. For that, From Russia With Love gets four stars.

Fabulous

This is a great story ! It is well read . A true, well detailed thriller ! Thanks