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James Bond (Original Series) #8
For Your Eyes Only
A collection of both classic intrigue and intrepid self-examination, For Your Eyes Only packs full, vibrant worlds into five classic tales.
“From a View to a Kill” whisks Bond to the French countryside where he must go undercover to expose a deadly secret-intelligence plot, and in “For Your Eyes Only,” 007 is absorbed into a private vendetta of M’s, blurring the lines between the personal and professional. In “Quantum of Solace,” Bond attends a dinner party in the Bahamas and learns how passion can soon twist into cruelty, while “Risico” forces the secret agent to fight for the lesser of two evils in a smuggling war set amid the Mediterranean. Finally, “The Hildebrand Rarity” lands 007 in an old-fashioned murder mystery at sea, where even he has a secret to keep.
“From a View to a Kill” whisks Bond to the French countryside where he must go undercover to expose a deadly secret-intelligence plot, and in “For Your Eyes Only,” 007 is absorbed into a private vendetta of M’s, blurring the lines between the personal and professional. In “Quantum of Solace,” Bond attends a dinner party in the Bahamas and learns how passion can soon twist into cruelty, while “Risico” forces the secret agent to fight for the lesser of two evils in a smuggling war set amid the Mediterranean. Finally, “The Hildebrand Rarity” lands 007 in an old-fashioned murder mystery at sea, where even he has a secret to keep.
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 1960
642 people are currently reading
9033 people want to read
About the author
Ian Fleming
746 books3,358 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ian Lancaster Fleming was an English writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his father was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 1910 until his death on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and, briefly, the universities of Munich and Geneva, Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing.
While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units: 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of his James Bond novels.
Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952, at age 44. It was a success, and three print runs were commissioned to meet the demand. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels centre around James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and two works of non-fiction. In 2008, The Times ranked Fleming 14th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Fleming was married to Ann Fleming. She had divorced her husband, the 2nd Viscount Rothermere, because of her affair with the author. Fleming and Ann had a son, Caspar. Fleming was a heavy smoker and drinker for most of his life and succumbed to heart disease in 1964 at the age of 56. Two of his James Bond books were published posthumously; other writers have since produced Bond novels. Fleming's creation has appeared in film twenty-seven times, portrayed by six actors in the official film series.
Ian Lancaster Fleming was an English writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his father was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 1910 until his death on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and, briefly, the universities of Munich and Geneva, Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing.
While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units: 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of his James Bond novels.
Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952, at age 44. It was a success, and three print runs were commissioned to meet the demand. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels centre around James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and two works of non-fiction. In 2008, The Times ranked Fleming 14th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Fleming was married to Ann Fleming. She had divorced her husband, the 2nd Viscount Rothermere, because of her affair with the author. Fleming and Ann had a son, Caspar. Fleming was a heavy smoker and drinker for most of his life and succumbed to heart disease in 1964 at the age of 56. Two of his James Bond books were published posthumously; other writers have since produced Bond novels. Fleming's creation has appeared in film twenty-seven times, portrayed by six actors in the official film series.
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June 29, 2022
(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: James Bond meets willful women who defy men, hunt men, shame men, lure men and kill men to varying outcomes.
Notes: James Bond meets willful women who defy men, hunt men, shame men, lure men and kill men to varying outcomes.
April 2, 2018
"Life is a devious business."
- Ian Fleming, "Quantum of Solace"
After having read about 7 of his novels, this was the first set of Fleming short stories I ran into, as I moved up the Bond collection. For Your Eyes Only contains the following stories:
1. From A View to a Kill
2. For Your Eyes Only
3. Quantum of Solace
4. Risico
5. The Hildebrand Rarity
The first three titles would probably be familiar to anyone who has watched more than a couple James Bond films over the last 20 years. The only issue is, they are only BARELY (if at all) recognizable. They share the title with the films, but that is about it. And that isn't a bad thing. I rather enjoyed the three movies, but the stories here are (for me) more nuanced than most of his books and all of his movies. Fleming is experimenting a bit. He is upping the literary and dialing down a bit the adventure. Not so it isn't recognizable. They are still all Fleming novels and ALL James Bond stories. But they each, in different ways, bring a bit of humanity into the Bond collection.
- Ian Fleming, "Quantum of Solace"
After having read about 7 of his novels, this was the first set of Fleming short stories I ran into, as I moved up the Bond collection. For Your Eyes Only contains the following stories:
1. From A View to a Kill
2. For Your Eyes Only
3. Quantum of Solace
4. Risico
5. The Hildebrand Rarity
The first three titles would probably be familiar to anyone who has watched more than a couple James Bond films over the last 20 years. The only issue is, they are only BARELY (if at all) recognizable. They share the title with the films, but that is about it. And that isn't a bad thing. I rather enjoyed the three movies, but the stories here are (for me) more nuanced than most of his books and all of his movies. Fleming is experimenting a bit. He is upping the literary and dialing down a bit the adventure. Not so it isn't recognizable. They are still all Fleming novels and ALL James Bond stories. But they each, in different ways, bring a bit of humanity into the Bond collection.
April 18, 2023
For Your Eyes Only is the 8th book of the James Bond series written by Ian Fleming. Whereas all the previous books were novels, this one is a compilation of five novella-length stories. The first story is From a View to a Kill which involves a plot that occurs in the forest to replace a courier with an alternate plan, but Bond figures out the plot and shows mercy. He tries not to kill the villains. In For Your Eyes Only, M asks Bond to investigate the assassination of personal friends and take revenge on the killer. In Quantum of Solace there is more of an ambassadorial feel to Bond’s responsibilities, and he listens to a story about love. In Risico, Bond is really involved in a drug smuggling operation where he is supposed to assassinate one of the ringleaders. The Hildebrand Rarity is just that because, Bond is not on assignment. He is asked to help find a rare fish off the Seychelles coast. This is more of an adventure type story, but not really a good secret agent story. The collection as a whole is pretty unique because the stories seek to demonstrate and highlight distinct aspects of Bond’s character that readers rarely get to see.
June 13, 2021
Five short stories from the pen of Ian Fleming take James Bond across the world, using his licence to kill against new enemies.
Fleming's characters are as interesting as ever & the action is plentiful. There's not as much time for characterisation in these short stories, but they still read well.
For me the stand out story is Quantum of Solace, which is surprisingly different to the usual 007 adventures & very different to the lacklustre film of the same name. The story has James Bond & the Governor of Nassau left alone after a dull dinner party, trying hard to make conversation. Bond simply listens to the Governor as he tells the story of a tragic marriage. It's a sublime piece of writing, & although a long way from the world of Bond it's one of the best things that Ian Fleming (or indeed anyone) has ever written.
Fleming's characters are as interesting as ever & the action is plentiful. There's not as much time for characterisation in these short stories, but they still read well.
For me the stand out story is Quantum of Solace, which is surprisingly different to the usual 007 adventures & very different to the lacklustre film of the same name. The story has James Bond & the Governor of Nassau left alone after a dull dinner party, trying hard to make conversation. Bond simply listens to the Governor as he tells the story of a tragic marriage. It's a sublime piece of writing, & although a long way from the world of Bond it's one of the best things that Ian Fleming (or indeed anyone) has ever written.
November 5, 2020
STORY 1: From a View to a Kill
4 stars
My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
STORY 2: For Your Eyes Only
4 stars
The bread stuck in Bond's throat. Tension was building up in him. In his imagination he could already hear the deep bark of the Savage. He could see the black bullet lazily, like a slow flying bee, homing down into the valley towards a square of pink skin. There was a light smack as it hit. The skin dented, broke, and then closed up again, leaving a small hole with bruised edges. The bullet ploughed on, unhurriedly, towards the pulsing heart – the tissues, the blood-vessels, parting obediently to let it through.
In this short story, Bond is called into M's office. He knows something is wrong, because M is addressing him as “James” instead of “007.” It turns out that M's friends, a couple living in Jamaica, have been viciously murdered. M is very hesitant to send Bond out on the case, because M doesn't want to be seeking revenge. He wants to seek justice. But he's unsure if he is being objective. He asks Bond's opinion. Bond says:
Bond said, "These people can't be hung, sir. But they ought to be killed."
Again, I adore the sweet relationship between M and Bond. They respect each other. Bond obeys M without question and M values Bond's opinion. Bond doesn't obey M or like M because he has to – because M is his boss – but instead because he respects M and thinks M is a strong, reasonable man who works hard to defend Britain.
This is another book where Bond must overcome his reluctance to murder people. Even though he knows that Von Hammerstein is a bad man who has had many people killed and is ex-Gestapo, Bond has no dog in this fight. It's easier (although still not easy) for Bond to kill people he has seen do evil things, or who have hurt him personally: for example, Goldfinger. This story focuses on how Bond has to psych himself up to kill these evil men. He knows they are evil, but has never met them and has never personally seen them do anything evil.
Bond did not like what he was going to do, and all the way from England he had to keep on reminding himself what sort of men these were.
That's why it's a good thing the woman showed up.
Even though Bond complains to no end about how she's ruining his concentration, how she's a burden, how he has to focus on the mission, blah blah blah, she's actually a great impetus for him to kill everyone he's supposed to kill. There's nothing that motivates Bond more than having someone to protect and defend. Especially if it's an attractive young lady.
So who is she? Judy She has a bow and arrow. Bond nicknames her “Robina” because she reminds him of Robin Hood. She has blonde hair and grey eyes. She is fierce and I really like her. She gets the drop on James Bond not once... but twice. TWICE. She's good. Very kick-ass. First, she sneaks up on him without him realizing and has a weapon pointed right at him before he can do anything about it. The second time, he's reaching for his gun (in what he believes is a subtle manner), but she's on to him and has her weapon trained on him before he has time to draw.
How does Bond repay her? Well, he calls her “bitch” a lot – three times in a 44-page story.
Here we need to explore yet another one of James Bond's problems. This is what I call:
JAMES BOND CONUNDRUM #2
This is a disparity between what James Bond says he wants in a female, and indeed, actually believes that he wants, and what type of female James Bond actually is interested in romantically. Not sexually, because let's be honest – he'll sleep with almost any woman he meets between the ages of 18 and 35.
This is what James Bond believes he wants in a woman: servile, obedient, docile...
This is what James Bond actually responds best to: wild, fierce, capable of defending herself, familiar with and comfortable in the wilderness which Bond loves so much, or familiar with the brutal reality of crime, intelligent, and willing to fight to protect what's her's and avenge herself and others.
I've seen it time and time again. When James Bond is presented with a woman who meets his alleged criteria – he is bored. And although he'll have sex with this woman, and be in a relationship with her for anywhere from two weeks to two months, he will quickly tire of her and the relationship will come to an end. But the women who Bond ends up loving, caring about, wanting to marry, respecting (as much as Bond can respect a woman) and consequently, the ones who seem to also excite him the most sexually are the ones who are worldly in some way.
So, to sum up, even though Bond calls Judy “bitch” a few times in this book, and curses her overwhelming need and determination to , he actually is quite impressed and enchanted by her. He loves the fact that she is armed and deadly. He loves that she knows so much about the wilderness that she can move through it undetected. He loves that she is comfortable with being in nature and 'roughing it.' This woman, or I should say, this type of woman is the type of woman that makes James Bond's heart beat faster. From the minute he sees her in her tattered, ragged shirt and trousers, with blood and sweat on her face and arms, and her quiver of shining arrows – he's smitten.
One of the positive things I can say about James Bond's views on women – and trust me, there's not a long list – is that he absolutely has no concept of “slut” in his mind. He could learn anything about a woman's past and it would be fine with him. The only women he considers “whores” are women who actually physically take money in exchange for sex. Over the years, we have seen him develop relationships with women who run the gamut in regards to previous sexual partners. In this story, while talking to Bond in the forest, Judy confesses that . Bond has absolutely no reaction. He doesn't judge her or condemn her or even say anything in the way of comforting her. I didn't expect him to. He knows how the world works, and (as I mentioned in my previous paragraph, he appreciates a woman who does, too. Not to mention the fact that I think he finds it very admirable that she's obviously gone through great lengths to .
Cubans are the ones who are reviled and slurred against in this story.
MOVIE: “I adore grateful men.” So do I, Countess! :) LOL The movie does not have much in common with the story. Only that Melina In both there is a henchman named Gonzales. Both the book and the film quote the same Chinese proverb. However, they borrow the climatic finale of the book Live and Let Die for this film. It's in LALD when Bond is stripped and bound to a naked female and they are dragged through the reefs to make shark food. It's interesting that they stuck that in here. I like that Moore always plays Bond as a gentleman.
STORY #3
2 stars
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
A story in which Bond listens to a story about love and marriage told by a Governor.
James Bond said: “I've always thought that if I ever married I would marry and air hostess.”...
“Indeed,” said the Governor in the polite, controlled voice that Bond prayed might relax and become human. “Why?”
“Oh, I don't know. I would be fine to have a pretty girl always tucking you up and bringing your drinks and hot meals and asking if you had everything you wanted. And they're always smiling and wanting to please. If I don't marry an air hostess, there'll be nothing to it but marry a Japanese. They seem to have the right ideas, too.” Bond had no intention of marrying anyone. If he did, it would certainly not be an insipid slave.
Emphasis mine.
The excellent Craig movie has absolutely no relation to the story.
STORY 4:
RISICO
1 star
See my review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
STORY 5:
THE HILDEBRAND RARITY
2 stars
This (and Quantum of Solace) is a rare deviation from Fleming's normal routine. Bond is not on assignment. He does not face any danger. I file James Bond books under mystery - but they are really more adventure-type books, are they not? This one strayed a bit more into "mystery" territory.
Bond is asked by a millionaire to come help him search for fish. Bond is in Africa. Well, islands off the coast of Africa.
Bond loves nature and he loves the outdoors. In this story, out swimming among the fish and getting sunburned and looking at the stars - Bond is in his element. Of course, he's bored - as he always is when Her Majesty is not using him as a weapon against her enemies. But he is in the environment he loves most - the great outdoors.
The millionaire, Krest, is a real beast. He beats his wife with a whip made from stingray tail and he aggressively berates both Bond and Bond's friend Fidele, who is a Seychellois Creole. Bond is very angry with the man, and simmers in silent fury during their trip together. He does not enjoy seeing the beautiful Liz Krest cower and cringe before her husband. And he hates hearing her screaming in the night as she is brutally beaten. But Bond does nothing. Much like a cop, he knows better than to get involved in domestic affairs.
I was really hoping Bond would murder Krest. But I knew that would never happen. They best I could hope for was for Bond to punch Krest in the face.
In the end,
One of the most disturbing things about this book, though, was the way it portrays domestic violence. While Bond hates Krest and thinks he is the lowest scum, he also blames Liz for what is happening in her marriage.
She probably likes it - masochist.
Or
How could a girl have so little guts? Or was it that women could take almost anything from a man? Anything except indifference?
Ugh. Excuse me while I go vomit in the corner.
...
Overall, a fun book of short stories about James Bond. I enjoyed For Your Eyes Only the most out of the collection. I think Bond is better and more enjoyable in full-length novels because you get a better plot, a better relationship between Bond and the woman of the book, and you get an actual villain who is fun and off his rocker. But I liked seeing little vignettes about Bond's life. Ian Fleming is a good author.
...
Extra Bonus:
This is James Bond's First Conundrum, written after I had read Goldfinger
JAMES BOND CONUNDRUM #1
An interesting psychological aspect to this novel is James Bond's dichotomy between his rich tastes, and his need for simplicity and hard work. James Bond loves rich food, alcohol, smoking, and he has very expensive tastes in everything. However, there is another side of him: the side that loves the outdoors, loves 'roughing it' in the wilderness, hates 5-star hotels, hates mansions, and really in fact dislikes rich people. It's fascinating to see how these two seemingly irreconcilable parts of Bond come together to make a whole. He is (at least partially) aware of this and it gets discussed in this book a little bit.
...
We see it again here, too, most notably in For Your Eyes Only and The Hildebrand Rarity.
4 stars
My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
STORY 2: For Your Eyes Only
4 stars
The bread stuck in Bond's throat. Tension was building up in him. In his imagination he could already hear the deep bark of the Savage. He could see the black bullet lazily, like a slow flying bee, homing down into the valley towards a square of pink skin. There was a light smack as it hit. The skin dented, broke, and then closed up again, leaving a small hole with bruised edges. The bullet ploughed on, unhurriedly, towards the pulsing heart – the tissues, the blood-vessels, parting obediently to let it through.
In this short story, Bond is called into M's office. He knows something is wrong, because M is addressing him as “James” instead of “007.” It turns out that M's friends, a couple living in Jamaica, have been viciously murdered. M is very hesitant to send Bond out on the case, because M doesn't want to be seeking revenge. He wants to seek justice. But he's unsure if he is being objective. He asks Bond's opinion. Bond says:
Bond said, "These people can't be hung, sir. But they ought to be killed."
Again, I adore the sweet relationship between M and Bond. They respect each other. Bond obeys M without question and M values Bond's opinion. Bond doesn't obey M or like M because he has to – because M is his boss – but instead because he respects M and thinks M is a strong, reasonable man who works hard to defend Britain.
This is another book where Bond must overcome his reluctance to murder people. Even though he knows that Von Hammerstein is a bad man who has had many people killed and is ex-Gestapo, Bond has no dog in this fight. It's easier (although still not easy) for Bond to kill people he has seen do evil things, or who have hurt him personally: for example, Goldfinger. This story focuses on how Bond has to psych himself up to kill these evil men. He knows they are evil, but has never met them and has never personally seen them do anything evil.
Bond did not like what he was going to do, and all the way from England he had to keep on reminding himself what sort of men these were.
That's why it's a good thing the woman showed up.
Even though Bond complains to no end about how she's ruining his concentration, how she's a burden, how he has to focus on the mission, blah blah blah, she's actually a great impetus for him to kill everyone he's supposed to kill. There's nothing that motivates Bond more than having someone to protect and defend. Especially if it's an attractive young lady.
So who is she? Judy She has a bow and arrow. Bond nicknames her “Robina” because she reminds him of Robin Hood. She has blonde hair and grey eyes. She is fierce and I really like her. She gets the drop on James Bond not once... but twice. TWICE. She's good. Very kick-ass. First, she sneaks up on him without him realizing and has a weapon pointed right at him before he can do anything about it. The second time, he's reaching for his gun (in what he believes is a subtle manner), but she's on to him and has her weapon trained on him before he has time to draw.
How does Bond repay her? Well, he calls her “bitch” a lot – three times in a 44-page story.
Here we need to explore yet another one of James Bond's problems. This is what I call:
JAMES BOND CONUNDRUM #2
This is a disparity between what James Bond says he wants in a female, and indeed, actually believes that he wants, and what type of female James Bond actually is interested in romantically. Not sexually, because let's be honest – he'll sleep with almost any woman he meets between the ages of 18 and 35.
This is what James Bond believes he wants in a woman: servile, obedient, docile...
This is what James Bond actually responds best to: wild, fierce, capable of defending herself, familiar with and comfortable in the wilderness which Bond loves so much, or familiar with the brutal reality of crime, intelligent, and willing to fight to protect what's her's and avenge herself and others.
I've seen it time and time again. When James Bond is presented with a woman who meets his alleged criteria – he is bored. And although he'll have sex with this woman, and be in a relationship with her for anywhere from two weeks to two months, he will quickly tire of her and the relationship will come to an end. But the women who Bond ends up loving, caring about, wanting to marry, respecting (as much as Bond can respect a woman) and consequently, the ones who seem to also excite him the most sexually are the ones who are worldly in some way.
So, to sum up, even though Bond calls Judy “bitch” a few times in this book, and curses her overwhelming need and determination to , he actually is quite impressed and enchanted by her. He loves the fact that she is armed and deadly. He loves that she knows so much about the wilderness that she can move through it undetected. He loves that she is comfortable with being in nature and 'roughing it.' This woman, or I should say, this type of woman is the type of woman that makes James Bond's heart beat faster. From the minute he sees her in her tattered, ragged shirt and trousers, with blood and sweat on her face and arms, and her quiver of shining arrows – he's smitten.
One of the positive things I can say about James Bond's views on women – and trust me, there's not a long list – is that he absolutely has no concept of “slut” in his mind. He could learn anything about a woman's past and it would be fine with him. The only women he considers “whores” are women who actually physically take money in exchange for sex. Over the years, we have seen him develop relationships with women who run the gamut in regards to previous sexual partners. In this story, while talking to Bond in the forest, Judy confesses that . Bond has absolutely no reaction. He doesn't judge her or condemn her or even say anything in the way of comforting her. I didn't expect him to. He knows how the world works, and (as I mentioned in my previous paragraph, he appreciates a woman who does, too. Not to mention the fact that I think he finds it very admirable that she's obviously gone through great lengths to .
Cubans are the ones who are reviled and slurred against in this story.
MOVIE: “I adore grateful men.” So do I, Countess! :) LOL The movie does not have much in common with the story. Only that Melina In both there is a henchman named Gonzales. Both the book and the film quote the same Chinese proverb. However, they borrow the climatic finale of the book Live and Let Die for this film. It's in LALD when Bond is stripped and bound to a naked female and they are dragged through the reefs to make shark food. It's interesting that they stuck that in here. I like that Moore always plays Bond as a gentleman.
STORY #3
2 stars
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
A story in which Bond listens to a story about love and marriage told by a Governor.
James Bond said: “I've always thought that if I ever married I would marry and air hostess.”...
“Indeed,” said the Governor in the polite, controlled voice that Bond prayed might relax and become human. “Why?”
“Oh, I don't know. I would be fine to have a pretty girl always tucking you up and bringing your drinks and hot meals and asking if you had everything you wanted. And they're always smiling and wanting to please. If I don't marry an air hostess, there'll be nothing to it but marry a Japanese. They seem to have the right ideas, too.” Bond had no intention of marrying anyone. If he did, it would certainly not be an insipid slave.
Emphasis mine.
The excellent Craig movie has absolutely no relation to the story.
STORY 4:
RISICO
1 star
See my review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
STORY 5:
THE HILDEBRAND RARITY
2 stars
This (and Quantum of Solace) is a rare deviation from Fleming's normal routine. Bond is not on assignment. He does not face any danger. I file James Bond books under mystery - but they are really more adventure-type books, are they not? This one strayed a bit more into "mystery" territory.
Bond is asked by a millionaire to come help him search for fish. Bond is in Africa. Well, islands off the coast of Africa.
Bond loves nature and he loves the outdoors. In this story, out swimming among the fish and getting sunburned and looking at the stars - Bond is in his element. Of course, he's bored - as he always is when Her Majesty is not using him as a weapon against her enemies. But he is in the environment he loves most - the great outdoors.
The millionaire, Krest, is a real beast. He beats his wife with a whip made from stingray tail and he aggressively berates both Bond and Bond's friend Fidele, who is a Seychellois Creole. Bond is very angry with the man, and simmers in silent fury during their trip together. He does not enjoy seeing the beautiful Liz Krest cower and cringe before her husband. And he hates hearing her screaming in the night as she is brutally beaten. But Bond does nothing. Much like a cop, he knows better than to get involved in domestic affairs.
I was really hoping Bond would murder Krest. But I knew that would never happen. They best I could hope for was for Bond to punch Krest in the face.
In the end,
One of the most disturbing things about this book, though, was the way it portrays domestic violence. While Bond hates Krest and thinks he is the lowest scum, he also blames Liz for what is happening in her marriage.
She probably likes it - masochist.
Or
How could a girl have so little guts? Or was it that women could take almost anything from a man? Anything except indifference?
Ugh. Excuse me while I go vomit in the corner.
...
Overall, a fun book of short stories about James Bond. I enjoyed For Your Eyes Only the most out of the collection. I think Bond is better and more enjoyable in full-length novels because you get a better plot, a better relationship between Bond and the woman of the book, and you get an actual villain who is fun and off his rocker. But I liked seeing little vignettes about Bond's life. Ian Fleming is a good author.
...
Extra Bonus:
This is James Bond's First Conundrum, written after I had read Goldfinger
JAMES BOND CONUNDRUM #1
An interesting psychological aspect to this novel is James Bond's dichotomy between his rich tastes, and his need for simplicity and hard work. James Bond loves rich food, alcohol, smoking, and he has very expensive tastes in everything. However, there is another side of him: the side that loves the outdoors, loves 'roughing it' in the wilderness, hates 5-star hotels, hates mansions, and really in fact dislikes rich people. It's fascinating to see how these two seemingly irreconcilable parts of Bond come together to make a whole. He is (at least partially) aware of this and it gets discussed in this book a little bit.
...
We see it again here, too, most notably in For Your Eyes Only and The Hildebrand Rarity.
June 25, 2025
For Your Eyes Only is probably my favorite old school James Bond movie. He and his girl at a certain point go snorkeling with dolphins off of Greece, and the girl comes on to Bond by saying “for your eyes only, baby.” Cue the credits. As I impatiently await the next Bond film, I have periodically been reading through Ian Fleming’s original novels featuring 007. Sadly, I’m almost done with them which will then necessitate some rereads. In the midst of a summer heat wave, I wish I could go snorkeling with dolphins anywhere in the world. This book is nothing like the movie; it is five short stories featuring 007 as he goes doing James Bond stuff all over the world, showcasing various levels to his persona that perhaps we do not see on the silver screen. Although I wish I could be watching Bond on screen, this book sufficed for a day of fun.
My husband took one look at this book and asked how a full length movie came out of a book that short. Actually, I told him, it’s five short stories, and you are welcome to read them when I finish. Truth be told, my husband is not much of a reader at this stage of his life, but he is also a huge Bond fan. We both prefer Daniel Craig. That aside, only two of these stories are titles of full length films and neither story resembles the film at all, just name usage. For Your Eyes Only actually has Bond taking part in a revenge killing on M’s behalf. M had to recuse himself from the case because the murder victim was a close friend of his. I can’t picture M shooting anyone; perhaps in his earlier days in the service. He sent Bond in his stead to do the job and he travels to Montreal and then drives to Vermont to chase the crooks who are on the run from Jamaica. I do not remember this plot line from the film; I remember that taking place in Europe and Bond eventually sabotaged the world take over and got his girl at the end. There is a girl in this story and Bond does offer her a hotel room but if they hook up is left to our imaginations. This story is more about revenge and making the world safer by disposing of ruthless killers. Sounds about right.
The other story whose title becomes a movie is Quantum of Solace. I don’t remember that one too well but my husband does. Here, Bond is once again acting as M’s representative at a function in Jamaica. There is no crime or espionage involved and Bond is bored. The governor general takes Bond aside and regales him in the tale of a civil servant who married a flight attendant, and the marriage ended up being doomed from day one. The story came about because Bond was making small talk and noted that if he ever married it would be to a flight attendant. He actually has no intention to ever marry because his life isn’t conducive to it. Besides which, then he would be stuck with one woman, which also would not work for him. Bond actually was captivated by the story perhaps because his life is in perpetual motion and he rarely got a chance to be with people long enough to get to know them. Bond loves expensive creature comforts but he would rather be on a beach in Jamaica than in a luxury hotel in Paris. The lifestyles of the rich and famous do not call his attention. He simply plays the part while on official business. This story, only twenty five pages, had the most depth and I could see why the movie people would use the title for a feature film even if it has nothing to do with this story.
The last two stories could be movies. Risico takes Bond to Italy where he gets involved in stopping drug trafficking there. Surprise, the Russians are involved, need I say more. In the Hildebrand Variety, Bond has spent a month on the Seychelles islands. He claims that M sent him there, but it seems as though he is enjoying an extended vacation off of the grid. Bond spends his days on the beach either sunning or scuba diving. He hooks up with a local named Fidele Barney, and they enjoy each other’s company both above and under water. Somehow, their adventures lead them to a wealthy man named Milton Krest and they are invited on his yacht as he looks to obtain rare specimens to supposedly donate to the Smithsonian. Krest is only in it for the money and does not care whether or not he harms creatures. He has a young wife, wife number five, and Bond is smitten with her, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Turns out she is British. Krest doesn’t care how he obtains a specimen so long as he gains on the bottom line. Bond, who has a permanent license to kill, is appalled by Krest’s methodology. Is it really necessary to disturb an ecosystem in order to obtain one fish? Bond shows compassion. In the movies he kills all who stand in his way. I never saw him around animals so the fact that he would rather not kill innocent fish speak much to his character. It is a shame that these last two stories were never made into movies because they were the most fun to read. Perhaps with the next Bond.
Bond. James Bond, 007. So there was not much of that here. Yes, Bond killed when necessary but he did not go and eliminate extras just to do it. These five stories were more about quick character and plot development, and, other than Risico, left little time for shootouts. Unlike the full length books that follow a general formula, which is Bond and Felix Leiter foiling Smersh or Spectre’s plans, in these stories, readers get to see Bond in a variety of situations, and they witness his interactions with people on a level that features him outside of his daily routine. They see James Bond as a multilayered person who hides much and is fascinating to be around. In the height of summer, I crave blockbuster movies. So far, I have just watched one, but in the last week I have read books about Star Wars and James Bond. If the studios aren’t going to produce movies at a fast clip, at least I can read about my favorite personas. I just wish that For Your Eyes Only was about Bond snorkeling with a girl and dolphins as he does in the movie, which seems appropriate for the summer heat keeping me indoors in air conditioning. I have a feeling that my summer plans will include more of 007.
4 stars
My husband took one look at this book and asked how a full length movie came out of a book that short. Actually, I told him, it’s five short stories, and you are welcome to read them when I finish. Truth be told, my husband is not much of a reader at this stage of his life, but he is also a huge Bond fan. We both prefer Daniel Craig. That aside, only two of these stories are titles of full length films and neither story resembles the film at all, just name usage. For Your Eyes Only actually has Bond taking part in a revenge killing on M’s behalf. M had to recuse himself from the case because the murder victim was a close friend of his. I can’t picture M shooting anyone; perhaps in his earlier days in the service. He sent Bond in his stead to do the job and he travels to Montreal and then drives to Vermont to chase the crooks who are on the run from Jamaica. I do not remember this plot line from the film; I remember that taking place in Europe and Bond eventually sabotaged the world take over and got his girl at the end. There is a girl in this story and Bond does offer her a hotel room but if they hook up is left to our imaginations. This story is more about revenge and making the world safer by disposing of ruthless killers. Sounds about right.
The other story whose title becomes a movie is Quantum of Solace. I don’t remember that one too well but my husband does. Here, Bond is once again acting as M’s representative at a function in Jamaica. There is no crime or espionage involved and Bond is bored. The governor general takes Bond aside and regales him in the tale of a civil servant who married a flight attendant, and the marriage ended up being doomed from day one. The story came about because Bond was making small talk and noted that if he ever married it would be to a flight attendant. He actually has no intention to ever marry because his life isn’t conducive to it. Besides which, then he would be stuck with one woman, which also would not work for him. Bond actually was captivated by the story perhaps because his life is in perpetual motion and he rarely got a chance to be with people long enough to get to know them. Bond loves expensive creature comforts but he would rather be on a beach in Jamaica than in a luxury hotel in Paris. The lifestyles of the rich and famous do not call his attention. He simply plays the part while on official business. This story, only twenty five pages, had the most depth and I could see why the movie people would use the title for a feature film even if it has nothing to do with this story.
The last two stories could be movies. Risico takes Bond to Italy where he gets involved in stopping drug trafficking there. Surprise, the Russians are involved, need I say more. In the Hildebrand Variety, Bond has spent a month on the Seychelles islands. He claims that M sent him there, but it seems as though he is enjoying an extended vacation off of the grid. Bond spends his days on the beach either sunning or scuba diving. He hooks up with a local named Fidele Barney, and they enjoy each other’s company both above and under water. Somehow, their adventures lead them to a wealthy man named Milton Krest and they are invited on his yacht as he looks to obtain rare specimens to supposedly donate to the Smithsonian. Krest is only in it for the money and does not care whether or not he harms creatures. He has a young wife, wife number five, and Bond is smitten with her, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Turns out she is British. Krest doesn’t care how he obtains a specimen so long as he gains on the bottom line. Bond, who has a permanent license to kill, is appalled by Krest’s methodology. Is it really necessary to disturb an ecosystem in order to obtain one fish? Bond shows compassion. In the movies he kills all who stand in his way. I never saw him around animals so the fact that he would rather not kill innocent fish speak much to his character. It is a shame that these last two stories were never made into movies because they were the most fun to read. Perhaps with the next Bond.
Bond. James Bond, 007. So there was not much of that here. Yes, Bond killed when necessary but he did not go and eliminate extras just to do it. These five stories were more about quick character and plot development, and, other than Risico, left little time for shootouts. Unlike the full length books that follow a general formula, which is Bond and Felix Leiter foiling Smersh or Spectre’s plans, in these stories, readers get to see Bond in a variety of situations, and they witness his interactions with people on a level that features him outside of his daily routine. They see James Bond as a multilayered person who hides much and is fascinating to be around. In the height of summer, I crave blockbuster movies. So far, I have just watched one, but in the last week I have read books about Star Wars and James Bond. If the studios aren’t going to produce movies at a fast clip, at least I can read about my favorite personas. I just wish that For Your Eyes Only was about Bond snorkeling with a girl and dolphins as he does in the movie, which seems appropriate for the summer heat keeping me indoors in air conditioning. I have a feeling that my summer plans will include more of 007.
4 stars
December 16, 2018
For Your Eyes Only is the eighth book in Ian Fleming’s James Bond spy thriller series, a collection of five short stories, "From a View to a Kill," "For Your Eyes Only," "Quantum of Solace," "Risico," and "The Hildebrand Rarity,” all of which had parts to play in various film adaptations. Four of them were originally developed out of plots for a tv series that was never made. I have only somewhat enjoyed aspects of my first time run through each of the Bond books, which haven’t held up for me as well as the (fun) films—some of the plots are over-the-top goofy and the villains are cartoony, he takes time to reveal racism and sexism that are difficult to but I was happily surprised to discover that each of these stories was satisfying, sometimes revealing fictional experimentation. On the while, the prose is lean and punchy as it almost never is in the novels. Yes, there’re expert cold-blooded killings and “unbelievably” beautiful women, but the cartoonish nature of the same in the novels is largely gone. Fleming the writer takes over from Fleming the entertainer.
“Quantum of Solace” is very unusual in what I have read thus far in Fleming; written as an homage to Somerset Maugham, whose story “His Excellency, “ Fleming admired. It is basically a dinnertime story told to Bond of a civil servant, Philip Masters whose life was ruined by his marriage to stewardess. Bond, bored by his dinner party companions, had joked that if he might marry at some point, it would be to a stewardess who might wait on him at his beck and call. His companion, in his cautionary tale, reveals what became problems for another man, whose stewardess wife was unfaithful to him, and surprise (!) had been one of the supposedly boring attendees at the dinner that evening. Pretty charming story.
“For Your Eyes Only" is the story of Bond doing a favor for his boss, M, whose friends, the Havelocks, have been killed by an ex-Gestapo officer, von Hammerstein, who had wanted to buy a Jamaican estate. They are killed by two Cuban hitmen, who hide out with von Hammerstein Vermont until Bond—and the Havelocks' daughter, Judy, who is an expert marksman—show up. Judy, resisting Bond’s suggestion that such killing is “man’s work,” kills von Hammerstein with her bow and arrow, and Bond takes care of the gunmen who subsequently injure Judy, and then, you know, Bond takes care of Judy in the way that only Bond seems to be able to do.
The stories are surprisingly well done and serious literary efforts, and I’ll look forward to reading more of them from Fleming.
“Quantum of Solace” is very unusual in what I have read thus far in Fleming; written as an homage to Somerset Maugham, whose story “His Excellency, “ Fleming admired. It is basically a dinnertime story told to Bond of a civil servant, Philip Masters whose life was ruined by his marriage to stewardess. Bond, bored by his dinner party companions, had joked that if he might marry at some point, it would be to a stewardess who might wait on him at his beck and call. His companion, in his cautionary tale, reveals what became problems for another man, whose stewardess wife was unfaithful to him, and surprise (!) had been one of the supposedly boring attendees at the dinner that evening. Pretty charming story.
“For Your Eyes Only" is the story of Bond doing a favor for his boss, M, whose friends, the Havelocks, have been killed by an ex-Gestapo officer, von Hammerstein, who had wanted to buy a Jamaican estate. They are killed by two Cuban hitmen, who hide out with von Hammerstein Vermont until Bond—and the Havelocks' daughter, Judy, who is an expert marksman—show up. Judy, resisting Bond’s suggestion that such killing is “man’s work,” kills von Hammerstein with her bow and arrow, and Bond takes care of the gunmen who subsequently injure Judy, and then, you know, Bond takes care of Judy in the way that only Bond seems to be able to do.
The stories are surprisingly well done and serious literary efforts, and I’ll look forward to reading more of them from Fleming.
September 29, 2018
This is a collection of Bond short stories, set in Ian Fleming’s James Bond world of secret agents, super villains and women with colorful names. First published in 1960, this continues the exploration of the character and world building.
From A View to a Kill – Bad guys are sabotaging a British signal and message run (on motorcycles) and Bond investigates and steps in to take care of business. More examples of how Fleming’s Bond was more human, more vulnerable and ultimately more of a hero than in the films.
For Your Eyes Only – Some friends of M are murdered in Jamaica and Bond is sent over to produce some frontier justice. Fleming mixes things up: on the way Bond meets an attractive and dangerous femme fatale.
Quantum of Solace – The most intriguing entry as this is not really a Bond story. Bond listens to a domestic tale of betrayal and reprisal. Told in the style of W. Somerset Maugham, Fleming stretches his narrative skill.
Risico – Bond tackles a drug crime lord in a setting and style that made me think of the 1989 Bond film License to Kill starring Timothy Dalton as Bond.
The Hildebrand Rarity – An unusual side story: Bond is not on a mission but rather finds trouble while on holiday and gets sideways of a “Hemingway hero” a boorish American tycoon with anger issues and a pretty wife.
More Bond fun from Ian Fleming, for fans.
From A View to a Kill – Bad guys are sabotaging a British signal and message run (on motorcycles) and Bond investigates and steps in to take care of business. More examples of how Fleming’s Bond was more human, more vulnerable and ultimately more of a hero than in the films.
For Your Eyes Only – Some friends of M are murdered in Jamaica and Bond is sent over to produce some frontier justice. Fleming mixes things up: on the way Bond meets an attractive and dangerous femme fatale.
Quantum of Solace – The most intriguing entry as this is not really a Bond story. Bond listens to a domestic tale of betrayal and reprisal. Told in the style of W. Somerset Maugham, Fleming stretches his narrative skill.
Risico – Bond tackles a drug crime lord in a setting and style that made me think of the 1989 Bond film License to Kill starring Timothy Dalton as Bond.
The Hildebrand Rarity – An unusual side story: Bond is not on a mission but rather finds trouble while on holiday and gets sideways of a “Hemingway hero” a boorish American tycoon with anger issues and a pretty wife.
More Bond fun from Ian Fleming, for fans.
June 28, 2014
Rating: 3.25* of five
Wow! What a film. 1981 was quite a year at the movie-house: Arthur, Das Boot, Gallipoli, Chariots of Fire...and this. The movie doesn't follow the book's plot particularly closely, adding stuff from another short story, inventing stuff...but what the hey, why should this one be different?
It's a standard revenge-action-espionage flick. Nothing in space, some stuff underwater that makes some kinda sense, and the best Bondmobile ever: A Citroën 2CV!
from Wikimedia on a Commons license
So yeah, being a little sarcastic there, but this film brings out the snark in me. Simon Templar does his smirking best as Bond. The man's just about as sexy as beans on toast.
But the reason I watched it again, after not liking it in the theater in 1981 (a horrible year in my life, which probably had a lot to do with my response), is the fact that this is Bond as a SPY! An actual espionage agent. It's refreshing to see, after the previous decade's endless progression of villain-fighting. That got tedious. Carole Thingummy, as Melina, was ~meh~ but the story was more involving and less superhero-suspend-all-disbelief-ye-who-enter-here and so a big relief to see.
Sheena Easton sang For Your Eyes Only, another ubiquitous Bond theme. It was wearing after a while, but it was memorable. I suppose modern audiences, desensitized by the horrors of hoop-pup and elektronika and suchlike nonmusic, will feel that way about Adele's blah, forgettable Skyfall.
Bah. She's better than that.
Oh yeah, For Your Eyes Only. Decent, if only just, and worth a rental.
Wow! What a film. 1981 was quite a year at the movie-house: Arthur, Das Boot, Gallipoli, Chariots of Fire...and this. The movie doesn't follow the book's plot particularly closely, adding stuff from another short story, inventing stuff...but what the hey, why should this one be different?
It's a standard revenge-action-espionage flick. Nothing in space, some stuff underwater that makes some kinda sense, and the best Bondmobile ever: A Citroën 2CV!
from Wikimedia on a Commons license
So yeah, being a little sarcastic there, but this film brings out the snark in me. Simon Templar does his smirking best as Bond. The man's just about as sexy as beans on toast.
But the reason I watched it again, after not liking it in the theater in 1981 (a horrible year in my life, which probably had a lot to do with my response), is the fact that this is Bond as a SPY! An actual espionage agent. It's refreshing to see, after the previous decade's endless progression of villain-fighting. That got tedious. Carole Thingummy, as Melina, was ~meh~ but the story was more involving and less superhero-suspend-all-disbelief-ye-who-enter-here and so a big relief to see.
Sheena Easton sang For Your Eyes Only, another ubiquitous Bond theme. It was wearing after a while, but it was memorable. I suppose modern audiences, desensitized by the horrors of hoop-pup and elektronika and suchlike nonmusic, will feel that way about Adele's blah, forgettable Skyfall.
Bah. She's better than that.
Oh yeah, For Your Eyes Only. Decent, if only just, and worth a rental.
March 16, 2019
A short story collection!
Several James Bond adventures, with some stories taking place in the forests of Canada, the seas around the Seychelles, and the cafes of France, which show readers Bond can be more than an agent on assignment, although there is that, too. Everybody likes people-watching, including Bond! - especially in observing rich psychopathic men, often indistinguishable from criminals - and having a license to kill is useful at unexpected times! A variety of strong and kept women also cross Bond's path in these stories - some of whom make his life more interesting.
These stories are surprisingly excellent! Fleming writes above his usual paygrade in 'For Your Eyes Only'. Literary quality, with only a touch of the prejudices he usually includes in his James Bond books.
Several James Bond adventures, with some stories taking place in the forests of Canada, the seas around the Seychelles, and the cafes of France, which show readers Bond can be more than an agent on assignment, although there is that, too. Everybody likes people-watching, including Bond! - especially in observing rich psychopathic men, often indistinguishable from criminals - and having a license to kill is useful at unexpected times! A variety of strong and kept women also cross Bond's path in these stories - some of whom make his life more interesting.
These stories are surprisingly excellent! Fleming writes above his usual paygrade in 'For Your Eyes Only'. Literary quality, with only a touch of the prejudices he usually includes in his James Bond books.
January 19, 2020
Much shorter than expected and nothing like the movie. That's not a bad thing necessarily. The book takes the theme of vengeance seriously and it's nice to see a sh!tbag get his comeuppance at the hands of a woman who has trained herself up in a specific skill set...a kill set if you will...for the sole purpose of getting revenge. Bond is more of a male chauvinist than ever, but the "Bond Girl" is a righteous badass and shows him up properly.
July 22, 2025
4 Stars. This is not the James Bond of the movies. The one we have come to know from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. I enjoyed it, especially Fleming's easy writing style, the locales across the globe sixty or more years ago, its connections with historic events of the day, and a darker Bond. There's far less intrigue. The title seems off centre; how about, "The Life and Times of a British Agent?" What we have is a collection of five short stories first published in 1960. Separate reviews of four of the five stories can be found under their titles - 'From a View to a Kill', 'Quantum of Solace', 'Risico', and 'The Hildebrand Rarity.' For the fifth, "For Your Eyes Only', the title of the collection comes from this story, my review is below. The author describes a different time, slower with fewer gadgets. Yet the menace of Bond, as far as each set of villains is concerned, is always present - one they are often not aware of. With locales as far distant as Ottawa and Montreal, Vermont, Jamaica, Paris and rural France, Nassau, Rome and Venice, and the Seychelles, it's your turn to experience the real Bond.
The five shorts are:
1. "From a View to a Kill." 3 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere.
2. "For Your Eyes Only." 5 Stars. One of Ian Fleming's best short stories. As we know, he spent much of the last two decades of his life in Jamaica, and the description of the fictitious Havelocks and their relaxing life on that beautiful Caribbean island has a personal ring to it. His home, GoldenEye on the north shore of Jamaica in the Blue Mountains is a luxury villa hotel these days. Check out the pictures online! All of his James Bond stories were written at GoldenEye. Back to Fleming's fiction. One day the Havelocks are visited by a Cuban thug with possible Nazi connections who represents a certain Major Gonzales. He wants to buy their home. When they reject his offer, he kills them. Unfortunately for the thug and Gonsalves, James Bond's boss, M, was the best man at the Havelock's wedding and he releases his best man, Bond, to do whatever is necessary to find and deal with the killers. With their daughter Judy, he tracks the men from Canada to the Appalachian region of the US where, am I giving it away?, he does just that. It's the perfect Bond before Sean Connery and the movies. (Jul2025).
3. "Quantum of Solace." 3 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere.
4. "Risico." 4 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere.
5. "The Hildebrand Rarity." 3 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere. (Oc2020/Jul2025)
The five shorts are:
1. "From a View to a Kill." 3 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere.
2. "For Your Eyes Only." 5 Stars. One of Ian Fleming's best short stories. As we know, he spent much of the last two decades of his life in Jamaica, and the description of the fictitious Havelocks and their relaxing life on that beautiful Caribbean island has a personal ring to it. His home, GoldenEye on the north shore of Jamaica in the Blue Mountains is a luxury villa hotel these days. Check out the pictures online! All of his James Bond stories were written at GoldenEye. Back to Fleming's fiction. One day the Havelocks are visited by a Cuban thug with possible Nazi connections who represents a certain Major Gonzales. He wants to buy their home. When they reject his offer, he kills them. Unfortunately for the thug and Gonsalves, James Bond's boss, M, was the best man at the Havelock's wedding and he releases his best man, Bond, to do whatever is necessary to find and deal with the killers. With their daughter Judy, he tracks the men from Canada to the Appalachian region of the US where, am I giving it away?, he does just that. It's the perfect Bond before Sean Connery and the movies. (Jul2025).
3. "Quantum of Solace." 3 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere.
4. "Risico." 4 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere.
5. "The Hildebrand Rarity." 3 Stars. See my specific review elsewhere. (Oc2020/Jul2025)
February 14, 2016
Is it possible to write effective short stories about spies? When I started reading Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only, I thought, "Ho, ho! I can't see where this'll work." In fact, none of the five stories are, strictly speaking, spy stories. No SMERSH, no SPECTRE, and only a couple mentions of the big bad Soviets.
In "From a View to a Kill," James Bond patiently finds who murdered a SHAPE courier by becoming one himself and luring the assassin.
The title story is a plain and simple revenge murder at M's behest of a gangster who killed two dear old friends of his in Jamaica.
My favorite story is "Quantum of Solace," in which 007 finds out from the governor of the Bahamas why it is not such a great idea to marry an airline stewardess.
"Risico" finds Bond trying to help the Americans nail a European drug dealer -- except that the enemy turns out to be an ally; and the ally, an enemy.
Finally, "The Hildebrand Rarity" contains an unsolved but utterly deserving murder of a cruel American billionaire.
These five stories are as good as anything Fleming has written.
In "From a View to a Kill," James Bond patiently finds who murdered a SHAPE courier by becoming one himself and luring the assassin.
The title story is a plain and simple revenge murder at M's behest of a gangster who killed two dear old friends of his in Jamaica.
My favorite story is "Quantum of Solace," in which 007 finds out from the governor of the Bahamas why it is not such a great idea to marry an airline stewardess.
"Risico" finds Bond trying to help the Americans nail a European drug dealer -- except that the enemy turns out to be an ally; and the ally, an enemy.
Finally, "The Hildebrand Rarity" contains an unsolved but utterly deserving murder of a cruel American billionaire.
These five stories are as good as anything Fleming has written.
September 15, 2022
A compilation of short stories, this serves as a bit of a palate cleanser after I thought Goldfinger was a bit of a step backwards compared to From Russia With Love and Doctor No. These short stories are pretty creative and get to explore Bond’s character and less than epic missions.
June 2, 2024
How had I never read this before? Was absolutely certain I'd read all the original Bond's as a teen (i.e., a half century ago), but none of these stories sounded even remotely familiar. Which is just as well, as there's no reason to ever reread these tales; there's little enough reason to read them once, other than to scratch that "completist" itch.
Three of the five stories are generally spy/assassin related (one of which takes place in "exotic" Vermont), while the other two are just bad marriage soap opera dramas, one a vaguely Agatha Christie-like mystery ("The Hildebrand Rarity") and the other ("Quantum of Solace") frequently described as "similar to W. Somerset Maugham," so note to self - avoid reading Maugham.
As to Fleming's writing style, the less said the better. Among other sins, he's a glutton for adverbs - his characters shake doubtfully, nod amiably, say sorrowfully, smile prettily, and at one point even chuckle bonhomously. He also misspells the name of then-CIA director Allen Dulles ("Alan"), which seems unforgivable for an espionage writer and former spook himself.
That said, Fleming as always shines in his titles, and so at least provides here names for three future Bond films - none of which had ANYTHING to do with the short tales here. (Same is true for Fleming's only other short story collection, which gave us "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights.")
Three of the five stories are generally spy/assassin related (one of which takes place in "exotic" Vermont), while the other two are just bad marriage soap opera dramas, one a vaguely Agatha Christie-like mystery ("The Hildebrand Rarity") and the other ("Quantum of Solace") frequently described as "similar to W. Somerset Maugham," so note to self - avoid reading Maugham.
As to Fleming's writing style, the less said the better. Among other sins, he's a glutton for adverbs - his characters shake doubtfully, nod amiably, say sorrowfully, smile prettily, and at one point even chuckle bonhomously. He also misspells the name of then-CIA director Allen Dulles ("Alan"), which seems unforgivable for an espionage writer and former spook himself.
That said, Fleming as always shines in his titles, and so at least provides here names for three future Bond films - none of which had ANYTHING to do with the short tales here. (Same is true for Fleming's only other short story collection, which gave us "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights.")
October 11, 2025
…in cafes you have to drink the least offensive of the musical comedy drinks that go with them, and Bond always had the same thing – an Americano – Bitter Campari, Cinzano, a large slice of lemon peel and soda. For the soda he always stipulated Perrier, for in his opinion expensive soda-water was the cheapest way to improve a poor drink.
Like many, I am familiar with the James Bond movies – hard to believe it has taken THIS long for me to pick up one of the books by his creator, Ian Fleming. Fleming was a WWII spy/operative – which lends authority to the tradecraft – who died in 1964, placing his books firmly in the Cold War / Cuban missile crisis era. Forget the gadgets: though there is something of the fast cars and glamorous women. Of the character himself, Daniel Craig nailed it in my humble opinion.
In “For Your Eyes Only” the reader gets 5 James Bond stories – most with familiar titles – “From A View to A Kill”, “A Quantum of Solace” – but for the movie Albert Broccoli switched and matched shamelessly: the Havelocks retained with locations altered, drawing other characters (Colombo, Kristatos, Lisl) from “Risico”.
Confused? Don’t be. The writing is sheer elegance. What it lacks in fire-power and steamy love scenes is more than compensated by Fleming’s descriptions of landscapes as Bond moves under cover of darkness though mountainous terrain towards his “unofficial” kill site – and by his use of sound and colour. Bullets CLANG against metal, WHINE off into the night.
On the second day out, at dawn, they came up with Chagrin Island. It was first picked up by the radar – a small bump in the dead-level line on the scanner – and then a minute blur on the great curved horizon grew with infinite slowness into a half a mile of green fringed with white…
This reader was entranced – if not transported – and will certainly seek out more of his works.
Like many, I am familiar with the James Bond movies – hard to believe it has taken THIS long for me to pick up one of the books by his creator, Ian Fleming. Fleming was a WWII spy/operative – which lends authority to the tradecraft – who died in 1964, placing his books firmly in the Cold War / Cuban missile crisis era. Forget the gadgets: though there is something of the fast cars and glamorous women. Of the character himself, Daniel Craig nailed it in my humble opinion.
In “For Your Eyes Only” the reader gets 5 James Bond stories – most with familiar titles – “From A View to A Kill”, “A Quantum of Solace” – but for the movie Albert Broccoli switched and matched shamelessly: the Havelocks retained with locations altered, drawing other characters (Colombo, Kristatos, Lisl) from “Risico”.
Confused? Don’t be. The writing is sheer elegance. What it lacks in fire-power and steamy love scenes is more than compensated by Fleming’s descriptions of landscapes as Bond moves under cover of darkness though mountainous terrain towards his “unofficial” kill site – and by his use of sound and colour. Bullets CLANG against metal, WHINE off into the night.
On the second day out, at dawn, they came up with Chagrin Island. It was first picked up by the radar – a small bump in the dead-level line on the scanner – and then a minute blur on the great curved horizon grew with infinite slowness into a half a mile of green fringed with white…
This reader was entranced – if not transported – and will certainly seek out more of his works.
October 30, 2024
My first Bond book, finished a heartbeat before midnight of May 4, 2017. Having already read the correspondence of Ian Fleming (The Man With the Golden Typewriter), I purposely chose this for its short stories. And what a gratifying read--it exceeded my assumptions of a spy thriller. To be precise about it, three out of the five stories are of Bond on the job, but the other two may as well have been written by someone else. For my expectations of a spy thriller, the second story, For Your Eyes Only--definitely wins for its visual narrative, so palpable you can almost swear you saw, rather than read it.
But this being a book about spies, it was a delight to chance upon a scenario and storytelling that evoked the style of one of my favorite writers, a critically-established writer of that era, and one whom I know Fleming looked up to and corresponded with as he began to acquire recognition for his books--Somerset Maugham. What serendipitous luck! Like most of Maugham's most delicious short stories, Quantum of Solace and The Hildebrand Rarity explore the delicate dynamics that (seem to) make a marriage work (or survive), and the countless, nuanced ways that can propel it to suddenly implode, disinterestedly narrated by a passive-omniscient friend. And when that disinterested narrator delivers gems like this, you can't blame a girl for falling for Fleming:
"The Governor paused and looked reflectively over at Bond. He said: "You're not married, but I think it's the same with all relationships between a man and a woman. They can survive anything so long as some kind of basic humanity exists between the two people. When all kindness has gone, when one person obviously and sincerely doesn't care if the other is alive or dead, then it's just no good. That particular insult to the ego - worse, to the instinct of self-preservation - can never be forgiven. I've noticed this in hundreds of marriages. I've seen flagrant infidelities patched up, I've seen crimes and even murder forgiven by the other party, let alone bankruptcy and every other form of social crime. Incurable disease, blindness, disaster - all these can be overcome. But never the death of common humanity in one of the partners. I've thought about this and I've invented a rather high-sounding title for this basic factor in human relations. I have called it the Law of the Quantum of Solace."
But this being a book about spies, it was a delight to chance upon a scenario and storytelling that evoked the style of one of my favorite writers, a critically-established writer of that era, and one whom I know Fleming looked up to and corresponded with as he began to acquire recognition for his books--Somerset Maugham. What serendipitous luck! Like most of Maugham's most delicious short stories, Quantum of Solace and The Hildebrand Rarity explore the delicate dynamics that (seem to) make a marriage work (or survive), and the countless, nuanced ways that can propel it to suddenly implode, disinterestedly narrated by a passive-omniscient friend. And when that disinterested narrator delivers gems like this, you can't blame a girl for falling for Fleming:
"The Governor paused and looked reflectively over at Bond. He said: "You're not married, but I think it's the same with all relationships between a man and a woman. They can survive anything so long as some kind of basic humanity exists between the two people. When all kindness has gone, when one person obviously and sincerely doesn't care if the other is alive or dead, then it's just no good. That particular insult to the ego - worse, to the instinct of self-preservation - can never be forgiven. I've noticed this in hundreds of marriages. I've seen flagrant infidelities patched up, I've seen crimes and even murder forgiven by the other party, let alone bankruptcy and every other form of social crime. Incurable disease, blindness, disaster - all these can be overcome. But never the death of common humanity in one of the partners. I've thought about this and I've invented a rather high-sounding title for this basic factor in human relations. I have called it the Law of the Quantum of Solace."
June 17, 2020
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this installment in the James Bond series. I think this is because it was 5 short stories, so there wasn’t enough to develop the side characters and plot lines that I love so much in the novels.
That being said, my favourite 2 stories from the collection were:
1. Quantam of Solice (because of how unusual this was, it didn’t feel much like a bond story and delved more into the social life of others)
2. The Hildebrand rarity (because I always love how Fleming describes life under the sea, it makes me feel like I am actually there). No
That being said, my favourite 2 stories from the collection were:
1. Quantam of Solice (because of how unusual this was, it didn’t feel much like a bond story and delved more into the social life of others)
2. The Hildebrand rarity (because I always love how Fleming describes life under the sea, it makes me feel like I am actually there). No
December 5, 2023
A mixed-bag anthology of short stories that I guess weren't deemed worthy of the full Bond novel treatment. That certainly didn't save them from being strip-mined for scenes and story elements for several of the films, however!
Remember Milton Krest from License to Kill? An 'Ugly American' version of him shows up in the last story and his end, though not as gruesome, is every bit as satisfying.
As many have commented perhaps the oddest of an odd bunch of stories is the superbly titled "Quantum of Solace" which has a grand total of zero espionage, assassination or casual violence but is long on the troubled history of a failed marriage in colonial Bermuda and the extravagant emotional violence of the principles. Truly a sign of the societal attitudes of the time: the icily angry cuckolded husband literally divvies the house up like squabbling siblings painting a line down the middle of a shared bedroom and, what's more bonkers, presents his wife with a list of demands including that she prepare his dinner for him to eat alone every evening at 8! Apparently in the early '50s not even the fear of poisoning is enough to motivate an English husband to turn on the stove.
A very spray-tanned Olga Kurylenko was great in the film Quantum of Solace which bears, so far as I could ascertain, absolutely no relation to the short story by the same title.
Of the others I probably enjoyed "A View to a Kill" the most, here's James at his most reckless in an effort to (what else) tweak the nose of an uptight American security officer at NATO by solving the matter of missing dispatches all by himself. On the whole I noted a sizeable shift in Fleming's portrayal of Americans in general in these stories- whereas in the early novels the depiction is mostly favourable, including the introduction of Bond's earliest chum and collaborator Felix Leiter, in these stories they are mostly shown as artless, boorish, and overbearing. To be fair, though, the author has plenty of contempt to share about the French, Italians, Albanians and Germans throughout, as well, so maybe he (and by extension, Bond) is just a miserable snob in any company? =)
Unsurprisingly there is no Grace Jones-style character in the French countryside for the events of the story A View to A Kill. Mores the pity.
I'll skip the "problematic elements" rundown this time as the stories were so scattershot, but I will comment that Bond's total contempt for the sadistic wife-beating Milton Krest was nice to witness. This vengeance was transferred to the odious Franz Sanchez memorably played by Robert Davi in License to Kill, though it would have been nice if, as in the story,
Remember Milton Krest from License to Kill? An 'Ugly American' version of him shows up in the last story and his end, though not as gruesome, is every bit as satisfying.
As many have commented perhaps the oddest of an odd bunch of stories is the superbly titled "Quantum of Solace" which has a grand total of zero espionage, assassination or casual violence but is long on the troubled history of a failed marriage in colonial Bermuda and the extravagant emotional violence of the principles. Truly a sign of the societal attitudes of the time: the icily angry cuckolded husband literally divvies the house up like squabbling siblings painting a line down the middle of a shared bedroom and, what's more bonkers, presents his wife with a list of demands including that she prepare his dinner for him to eat alone every evening at 8! Apparently in the early '50s not even the fear of poisoning is enough to motivate an English husband to turn on the stove.
A very spray-tanned Olga Kurylenko was great in the film Quantum of Solace which bears, so far as I could ascertain, absolutely no relation to the short story by the same title.
Of the others I probably enjoyed "A View to a Kill" the most, here's James at his most reckless in an effort to (what else) tweak the nose of an uptight American security officer at NATO by solving the matter of missing dispatches all by himself. On the whole I noted a sizeable shift in Fleming's portrayal of Americans in general in these stories- whereas in the early novels the depiction is mostly favourable, including the introduction of Bond's earliest chum and collaborator Felix Leiter, in these stories they are mostly shown as artless, boorish, and overbearing. To be fair, though, the author has plenty of contempt to share about the French, Italians, Albanians and Germans throughout, as well, so maybe he (and by extension, Bond) is just a miserable snob in any company? =)
Unsurprisingly there is no Grace Jones-style character in the French countryside for the events of the story A View to A Kill. Mores the pity.
I'll skip the "problematic elements" rundown this time as the stories were so scattershot, but I will comment that Bond's total contempt for the sadistic wife-beating Milton Krest was nice to witness. This vengeance was transferred to the odious Franz Sanchez memorably played by Robert Davi in License to Kill, though it would have been nice if, as in the story,
June 1, 2020
A collection of five short stories involving James Bond.
For me, one story stands head and shoulders above all the rest and ironically it’s the least typical. In Quantum Of Solace Bond is merely a bit player; he listens as someone tells him a story of a relationship between two people which ends sourly. It’s clearly Fleming’s shot at a Somerset Maugham character story and he makes more than a fine stab at it.
I’d place The Hildebrand Rarity second. It’s a good claustrophobic character story in which Bond finds himself on board a boat with a man who mistreats his wife.
For Your Eyes Only would come next. The opening scene, where a killer murders an old couple is particularly strong. Bond’s job is a straightforward assassination.
Frankly, I found the other two stories - From A View To A Kill (Bond hunts an assassin) and Risico (a drugs story) - to be pretty dull affairs, displaying none of Fleming’s usual creation of characters and sense of place.
NB. Though I don’t suppose they’ll be using The Hildebrand Rarity for the title of a film any time soon, Risico and The Property Of A Lady (from the Octopussy collection) sound ok to me! Not that I care much for the modern films…
For me, one story stands head and shoulders above all the rest and ironically it’s the least typical. In Quantum Of Solace Bond is merely a bit player; he listens as someone tells him a story of a relationship between two people which ends sourly. It’s clearly Fleming’s shot at a Somerset Maugham character story and he makes more than a fine stab at it.
I’d place The Hildebrand Rarity second. It’s a good claustrophobic character story in which Bond finds himself on board a boat with a man who mistreats his wife.
For Your Eyes Only would come next. The opening scene, where a killer murders an old couple is particularly strong. Bond’s job is a straightforward assassination.
Frankly, I found the other two stories - From A View To A Kill (Bond hunts an assassin) and Risico (a drugs story) - to be pretty dull affairs, displaying none of Fleming’s usual creation of characters and sense of place.
NB. Though I don’t suppose they’ll be using The Hildebrand Rarity for the title of a film any time soon, Risico and The Property Of A Lady (from the Octopussy collection) sound ok to me! Not that I care much for the modern films…
October 21, 2009
Taken in isolation, the tales in this collection would probably look like shaggy dog stories. There’s some exciting action and amusing observations, but they don’t really add up too much. However looked at together, they do show some interesting things about Fleming’s conception of his lead character. For example: ‘Quantum of Solace’ – which is certainly the most passive Bond tale I’ve come across so far, in that all he does is sit there and listen to a story – sees Bond at the end gripped with ennui. He has the realisation that, for all the glamour and danger, his job is inconsequential when compared to normal people’s everyday lives. When you read that tale – placed right in the middle – you remember that sense of weariness in ‘From a View to a Kill’, before encountering the strange rumination on murder and revenge that is ‘The Hildebrand Rarity’.
Of course there are the normal Bond traits, an underground base in ‘From a View to a Kill’, exploding yachts and shoot-outs in ‘For Your Eyes Only’. And so if you just dipped into the collection and read the stories in whatever order over a long period, you might miss the changing sense of character that runs through this book. Fleming didn’t subscribe to the ‘super-hero’ Bond of the movies, but going through this collection it’s clear that he was happy to undermine a lot of that heroism which surrounded even his version of Bond.
(I saw the film of For Your Eyes Only recently, and it does mark the point where Roger Moore starts to look really old. [Anyone not in Britain, put the words “Roger Moore” and “Post Office” into Youtube and see that there are some fates which even being James Bond can’t save you from.:] The main Bond girl looks young enough to be his daughter, while the secondary Bond girl – who positively throws herself at him – looks young enough to be his granddaughter. I look forward to that amount of action when I’m a sexagenarian.)
Of course there are the normal Bond traits, an underground base in ‘From a View to a Kill’, exploding yachts and shoot-outs in ‘For Your Eyes Only’. And so if you just dipped into the collection and read the stories in whatever order over a long period, you might miss the changing sense of character that runs through this book. Fleming didn’t subscribe to the ‘super-hero’ Bond of the movies, but going through this collection it’s clear that he was happy to undermine a lot of that heroism which surrounded even his version of Bond.
(I saw the film of For Your Eyes Only recently, and it does mark the point where Roger Moore starts to look really old. [Anyone not in Britain, put the words “Roger Moore” and “Post Office” into Youtube and see that there are some fates which even being James Bond can’t save you from.:] The main Bond girl looks young enough to be his daughter, while the secondary Bond girl – who positively throws herself at him – looks young enough to be his granddaughter. I look forward to that amount of action when I’m a sexagenarian.)
July 23, 2012
Having grown up engrossed by the James Bond films (with one or two exceptions...you know which Bonds I mean...), I was curious as to how the original novels would rate. I have come away from my second Fleming fascinated, if not thoroughly impressed. The films accurately capture how scattershot Bond's life is--he hops the globe the same way he breathes, seemingly indifferent. However, the novel far surpasses any film in that we see Bond's logic and internal monologues, complete with banal asides and notes of the local atmosphere and environs, something sadly lacking on the silver screen. As well, (go figure) Hollywood ratcheted the sex appeal more than a few notches; at best in the novels Bond glances at a girl and analyzes her. Any reference toward sexual activity is merely hinted and left to the reader's imagination. While the story never captured my attention (Hollywood does a cleaner job of connecting all the dots of and tying them all back to one super-villain), Bond novels may become my summer reading of choice.
July 18, 2014
The stories are good but dated. James Bond is a first class agent but a complete arse with a deplorable attitude to women (although that is mainly a front as he adores strong women with pluck!).
Outrageous shenanigans in the name of saving the Brits! Enjoyable but ludicrous ;)
Outrageous shenanigans in the name of saving the Brits! Enjoyable but ludicrous ;)
March 10, 2017
As with all collections of short stories, the quality varies. Not the strongest collection.
February 27, 2020
Interesting collection of Bond short stories, with femme fatales and action galore in the Cold War.
January 6, 2023
5 short stories. Fleming, and Bond's style on full display, although the plot in a couple of the entries is a little thin. Fun to be had in spotting the bits taken and used by the filmmakers in subsequent years. 5 stars if you get the gorgeous Folio Society edition, which I got for this re-reading.
May 11, 2015
Forget ever James Bond movie you ever saw when you read the books. These are much more a mystery/adventure story. Recommended
December 13, 2022
Paesaggio e morte: 3
Solo per i tuoi occhi: 3.5
Un quantum di sicurezza: 8.25
Rischio: (ambientato a Venezia) 6.25
La rarità Hildebrand: 9
Solo per i tuoi occhi: 3.5
Un quantum di sicurezza: 8.25
Rischio: (ambientato a Venezia) 6.25
La rarità Hildebrand: 9
February 24, 2021
Fleming’s first collection of Bond short stories, several of which apparently began life as treatments for episodes of a James Bond TV show that never happened.
Two show Fleming experimenting with form and plot, something I mentioned when I reviewed Octopussy and The Living Daylights. “Quantum of Solace,” namesake of perhaps the worst Bond movie, is a frame tale in which the unnamed governor of Jamaica tells Bond a story of love, betrayal, cruel revenge, and unexpected outcomes. “The Hildebrand Rarity” is even more curious, a character-driven story in which Bond, bored with the tail end of an assignment in the Seychelles, tags along with a friend on a rich American’s yacht to find a rare tropical fish, which the American intends to donate to the Smithsonian so he can write his yacht off on his taxes. The American winds up dead—classic “asshole victim,” per TV Tropes. Bond finds the body and covers up the killing, but the question is who did it? The American’s beautiful and abused wife? Or Bond’s friend and trusted confidant? This story, even more so than “Quantum of Solace,” explores Bond’s character and finds much greater depths than he usually lets on. The story’s ambiguous ending is perfect, and unique among the Bond stories.
“From a View to a Kill” is part Cold War espionage, part detective story. Bond must find the killer of a military intelligence courier and prevent the same thing from happening again. It’s strongly written but not my favorite of the bunch. “Risico” has an interesting setting—the Adriatic coast of Italy, unusual for Fleming’s Bond—and sees Bond assigned to help cut a deal with a mob boss to help restrict time flow of illegal narcotics into Britain. The morally hazy terrain of organized crime and drug smuggling is an unusual challenge for Bond and he ends up helping someone he had neither expected nor intended to.
My favorite story in the book is the title story, “For Your Eyes Only,” which begins with the murder of an English couple by men trying to extort them out of their Jamaican property. The couple were close friends of M, and M, burdened by personally investigating the murder and worried about abusing his authority, hands the case over the Bond and gives him authority to resolve it at his discretion. Bond tracks the man responsible down to an isolated cabin in Vermont, infiltrates from Canada, and has an unexpected run-in that complicates his mission of revenge. This story is especially suspenseful and well-written and has a strong plot and climactic action.
A solid collection. The stories in this volume are good enough that elements and characters from them were mined for several of the Roger Moore films, with mixed results. Nevertheless, I’d definitely recommend the stories.
Update: Listened to the audiobook performed by actor Samuel West (currently playing Siegfried Farnon on the delightful new All Creatures Great and Small TV series), which was very good. West's reading of "For Your Eyes Only" is particularly good.
Two show Fleming experimenting with form and plot, something I mentioned when I reviewed Octopussy and The Living Daylights. “Quantum of Solace,” namesake of perhaps the worst Bond movie, is a frame tale in which the unnamed governor of Jamaica tells Bond a story of love, betrayal, cruel revenge, and unexpected outcomes. “The Hildebrand Rarity” is even more curious, a character-driven story in which Bond, bored with the tail end of an assignment in the Seychelles, tags along with a friend on a rich American’s yacht to find a rare tropical fish, which the American intends to donate to the Smithsonian so he can write his yacht off on his taxes. The American winds up dead—classic “asshole victim,” per TV Tropes. Bond finds the body and covers up the killing, but the question is who did it? The American’s beautiful and abused wife? Or Bond’s friend and trusted confidant? This story, even more so than “Quantum of Solace,” explores Bond’s character and finds much greater depths than he usually lets on. The story’s ambiguous ending is perfect, and unique among the Bond stories.
“From a View to a Kill” is part Cold War espionage, part detective story. Bond must find the killer of a military intelligence courier and prevent the same thing from happening again. It’s strongly written but not my favorite of the bunch. “Risico” has an interesting setting—the Adriatic coast of Italy, unusual for Fleming’s Bond—and sees Bond assigned to help cut a deal with a mob boss to help restrict time flow of illegal narcotics into Britain. The morally hazy terrain of organized crime and drug smuggling is an unusual challenge for Bond and he ends up helping someone he had neither expected nor intended to.
My favorite story in the book is the title story, “For Your Eyes Only,” which begins with the murder of an English couple by men trying to extort them out of their Jamaican property. The couple were close friends of M, and M, burdened by personally investigating the murder and worried about abusing his authority, hands the case over the Bond and gives him authority to resolve it at his discretion. Bond tracks the man responsible down to an isolated cabin in Vermont, infiltrates from Canada, and has an unexpected run-in that complicates his mission of revenge. This story is especially suspenseful and well-written and has a strong plot and climactic action.
A solid collection. The stories in this volume are good enough that elements and characters from them were mined for several of the Roger Moore films, with mixed results. Nevertheless, I’d definitely recommend the stories.
Update: Listened to the audiobook performed by actor Samuel West (currently playing Siegfried Farnon on the delightful new All Creatures Great and Small TV series), which was very good. West's reading of "For Your Eyes Only" is particularly good.
September 20, 2020
These short Bond stories show a more complex character, and a man who may be near the end of his useful field service. He is also a bit softer about women, and some of the political incorrectness has been toned down. I rather liked For Your Eyes Only, Quantum Of Solace and The Hildebrand Rarity, as they were also a rather different tone than the Bond novels, while still being clearly Bond. From A View To Kill and Risico are both pretty standard, action packed Bond.
Overall, a good collection of stories, and maybe even a good starting point, as there are no spoilers for previous adventures. Also- no gambling for once!
Overall, a good collection of stories, and maybe even a good starting point, as there are no spoilers for previous adventures. Also- no gambling for once!
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