“From Russia with Love” by Ian Fleming – Bond’s Take on the Cold War

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming (Book cover)
If there is one James Bond novel that I would have to qualify as being the most well-known, at least based on the title, I would say that it’s From Russia with Love. 

Not only does the title sound very catchy and refers to what was at the time a superpower in the world, but the book itself is actually one of Ian Fleming’s best works, and even JFK himself said it to be one of his favorite books. For most people, me included, the subject of the cold war is a very fascinating one, and in this book, that’s what it’s all about.

James Bond becomes the target of SMERSH, the Soviet counterintelligence agency, who seeks to disgrace and/or kill Bond. The operation is commandeered by a small, post-menopausal lady by the name of Rosa Klebb, and her trump card is SMERSH’s deadliest assassin, Red Grant. In order to lure Bond into their web of deceit, they use a ravishing Russian spy by the name of Tatiana Romanova, whose mission is to seduce Bond.

This novel has pretty much everything you would expect from a cold war novel, especially one involving James Bond. There is the traditionally beautiful femme fatale, two very distinct and eye-cathing villains for Bond to pit his brains and brawn against, and a politically-charged plot with plenty of twists, turns, and of course, betrayal.

As you can guess, this is one of my favorite, if not my favorite James Bond book, and that is in big part because of James Bond’s propensity to make mistakes. Even though it may appear as a surprise to some, James Bond misses numerous vital clues in this book and is pretty much taken for a ride by the SMERSH. 

Despite that, he still manages to emerge victorious and foils everyone’s plans. For once, this shows how Bond would handle another spy agency launching a full-scale operation against him, and the result is what you would expect: a very hard-fought victory coming from some big sacrifices.

Also, I feel like I should add that contrary to the previous novels, this one moves at a much faster pace and has fewer moments that people would consider dull. In addition, all of that action leads up to an ending which even by today’s standards should be considered original and full of impact. 

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming (Book cover)
All in all, if you are a fan of Bond or want to get into his stories, I definitely recommend that you have a look at From Russia with Love. I suggest you read this book on its own, without comparing it to the other works in the series or looking for some kind of continuity… 007’s stories are best enjoyed this way.

Ian Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964)

Ian Fleming
(May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964)



Ian Fleming is best known for gifting the world with the great agent 007, known as James Bond. His more popular novels include Casino Royale and From Russia with Love, and what’s more, the inspiration from the character came from none other than the author himself who has had a life just as, if not more exciting, than his most revered creation.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

“The Locked Door” by Freida McFadden – Roots of a Lost Innocence

Image
  Freida McFadden has been quietly writing some exciting and original thrillers in her spare time from being a practicing physician, and The Locked Door is one of her latest offering in the genre.  It tells the story of Nora, a surgeon and daughter of a serial killer now in jail, who sees her life assaulted from the dark as someone begins to recreate her father's work with the exact same signature.
Read more

“The Lost Colony” by A.G. Riddle – A New Home Among the Stars

Image
A.G. Riddle's Long Winter Trilogy Series is one many of us will remember for the amazing story it brings of humanity's last stand against an overwhelming enemy in times of hopelessness. In The Lost Colony , the third book in the series, we follow James and Emma on their own respective struggles as humanity tries to settle itself on a new planet with an unseen danger none could have foreseen.
Read more

“Winter World” by A.G. Riddle – Ice Age from the Void

Image
A.G. Riddle is a true literary explorer seeking to push humanity to its limits and beyond, setting them on a desperate collision course with something beyond its understanding in Winter World . With a sudden ice age dawning on humanity entire swathes of land become uninhabitable and people begin dropping like flies, with anarchy reigning supreme. Looking to the stars for a miraculous solution, the remnants of humanity find a massive mysterious object floating near Mars ...whatever it is, our civilization's hopes of survival rest entirely in its hands.
Read more

“The Girl on the Stairs” by Barry Ernest – The Small Thorn you Can’t Ignore

Image
Girl on the Stairs , by Barry Ernest and with a foreword written by David Lifton, is an exploration of one specific aspect of the JFK assassination. More precisely, it looks into what a little girl by the name of Victoria Adams saw on that day while standing in the staircase of the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald was supposedly making his escape.  Actually, it is more about what she didn’t see than what she did see. Victoria was on the staircase Oswald supposedly used, at the exact same time he supposedly used it. If he were to be there, even the little girl she was, Victoria would have noticed a nervous man quickly running down the stairs. However, she says that on that day, she was alone there, with nobody to be found, especially Oswald.
Read more

“Three Comrades” by Erich Maria Remarque – The Other Side of the Barricade

Image
The two World Wars have been documented, discussed and depicted from virtually every perspective imaginable, ranging from small children caught in a crossfire all the way the leaders of each country. However, it seems that here is a startlingly small amount of attention dedicated to the small hiatus period between the two wars, a time during which many changes came to pass in Germany in a very short amount of time.
Read more