Status Updates From Octopussy and The Living Da...

The Property of a Lady: 3.5/5

The Living Daylights: 3.5/5

Octopussy: 4/5

The Living Daylights: 3.5/5

A good short story that explores more of Bond as a character; facing some sort of moral dilemma when his target is someone he fancies. I remember this movie well, so this is a good example of how the movie can expand on the source material.

First 3 passages of “The Living Daylights”

The Property of a Lady: 2/5

This one flows pretty good, but it overall is just a slice of Bond/day-in-the-life. Compared to the last one, there is just the right amount of backstory. In the end, Bond is told what will happen, and it certainly happens just like that; the ending is so predictable that a character even spelled it out.

Octopussy: 1.5/5

Much like one of the other short stories from the other collection, this one frames Bond as something of a passerby who interacts with the central character. A good few pages is spent on the backstory leading to where Bond finds this person. Essentially, Bond only serves to move the story along rather than actively participate in it.

The Property of a Lady: not my favorite. Bit of a slog and less flair/drama than a typical story.

Octopussy: short, but sweet. Liked the connection to Bond’s old ski instructor that I believe he mentioned in You Only Live Twice