For Your Eyes Only and Other Stories

I mostly read this to get it out of my house: it has now been recycled into tourism pamphlets or tabloid newspapers or Lord-knows-what. As for the book itself, there isn't much to "For Your Eyes Only" , though it does offer its small pleasures. I rather enjoyed Bond's (illegal) jaunt to northern Vermont where he meets a female markswoman straight out of "Robin Hood". "Risico" allows us to spend some time in the company of some comely Italian ladies. It must be said that Bond himself seems more emotionally mature in this one that in the other Bond novel that I've read, "Dr. No". At least he seems to have a better handle on his alcohol consumption, and that's something.

The most notable of these stories, perhaps, is "Quantum of Solace," show more which doesn't have a thing to do with spycraft — or, should you remember the movie of the same name — Bolivia. It's a fairly straightforward short story in which Bond, relaxing after an assignment in Barbados, listens do an embassy employee tell the story of tumultuous, unhappy marriage. It's not the best short story you've ever read, but watching Fleming play it straight is rather fascinatingly stange: like watching a kangaroo trying to ride a bicycle. I can't say that I recommend this one, necessarily, but people who like the Bond series will likely enjoy what they find in this one. show less

This isn't the eighth James Bond novel, but rather the first James Bond short story collection. There are five in total, varying from typical Bond spycraft in short story form to more literary, domestic tales.

"From a View to a Kill" and "Risico" are the more typical Bond tales here; the first has Bond defeating a Soviet plot to intercept NATO intelligence despatches, while "Risico" sends Bond undercover to defeat a drug-smuggling operation. I enjoyed the former, imbued as it is with Fleming's usual attention to detail, and also a captivating female character that I wish we saw more of. On the other hand, "Risico" didn't seem to offer anything new.

"For Your Eyes Only" and "The Hildebrand Rarity" are a little more personal than normal. In show more the former, M sends Bond on a personal mission of vengeance, while in the latter, a vacationing Bond discovers an abusive marriage, a problem beyond the powers of Britain's top spy to do anything about. I liked both of these. "For Your Eyes" has another captivating woman for Bond to interact with, while "Hildebrand Rarity" is surprisingly interesting and complicated and violent.

The least Bondian story here is "Quantum of Solace," which is mostly a story a civil servant is telling Bond about a bad marriage. I really enjoyed it, and it's pretty clever what Fleming does with Bond here. The story would work on its own regardless as a horrific but all too plausible story of human cruelty, but having it framed with James Bond coming off an exciting adventure gives it a little extra oomph: "Suddenly the violent dramatics of his own life seemed very hollow." It leads to a nice moment of self-reflection for a man not terribly prone to it.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book. Fleming's spare style is suited to the short story, and some of his novels struggle to fill up a novel's worth of space, I think (e.g., Moonraker and Goldfinger), so giving him less space to work with fits his strengths as a writer. show less

"For Your Eyes Only" is a book of a few short James Bond stories, some of which have titles recognizable from the movies but aren't related otherwise.

Several take place at the waning days of the British Empire with Bond investigating things in remote parts of the empire with regional governors telling him about "the natives" even as their own power is diminishing.

In "A View to a Kill" he investigates a spy ring intercepting the allies' motorcycle couriers, turning himself into the bait for them once he figures out how they're probably operating.

"For Your Eyes Only" is probably the best one, with Bond sent by M to investigate, and unstated, avenge, the murders of one of M's oldest friends (M was the best man at their wedding) who was a show more property owner in a Caribbean island, which was desired by a Cuban gangster ready to kill for it. Of course, M isn't the only one out for vengeance, and Bond soon runs into the old couple's daughter, well armed herself.

In "Quantum of Solace" Bond is stuck in a discussion after a formal dinner with the governor of Jamaica because it's too earlier to be polite to leave. Neither of them particularly likes the other, but formalities must be observed. By the end, though, they have a good storytelling session and understand one another a bit better.

"Risico" has a plot that forms some of the basis of the movie "For Your Eyes Only" with Bond getting involved with a Greek smuggler cooperating with British Intelligence in order to investigate another one. But who is who, and who is using whom?

In "The Hildebrand Rarity" Bond is stuck after a job in Seychelles with little to do except dive, so a rude, obnoxious, drunken, American millionaire, Krest, hires him, not knowing he's really a top-notch spy, to hunt down a very rare fish for him to take home so a science foundation will pay for his expensive yacht. Throughout the hunting Bond stays on Krest's yacht and is treated like a servant, abused and yelled at by Krest, but not as badly as Krest's very young wife. By the end Krest is found dead with the fish shoved into his throat, and no one knows who did it. show less

Il miglior Fleming

Cinque racconti veloci ma intensi. Strutturati, complessi, in cui una temperie di emozioni e psicologie traccia la via dell'avventura del nostro agente segreto. Un uomo tutt'altro che "super" e che vive spesso missioni dove l'azione è più psicologica che fattiva, spettatore della comédie humaine, di omicidi tutt'altro che semplici azioni di morte, di cospirazioni dove la simpatia è dalla parte della causa ribelle piuttosto che da quella del Governo cui appartiene. Il più bello: sicuramente "Un quantum di sicurezza". E... dimenticatevi che ha lo stesso nome dell'ultimo adattamento cinematografico. Nulla a che vedere.

Didn't realise at first that it's 5 short stories. Easy to read, quite entertaining. Very dated in the attitude towards women but I was expecting that and it's not uncommon in older books. Couple of the stories could have been about anyone, the James Bond character simply a convenient and well-known one to use, so they're not all spy stories, which was actually a nice surprise. Next I will have to try one of the novels. I've never been a huge fan of the movies, which is probably why I never read any of the books, but I enjoyed this one.

This consisted of 5 short stories, the titles of 3 of which were familiar as being film titles. The contents of the tales, however, were not necessarily familiar from what I remembered of the films. In each they are firmly rooted in a post war world, and there is a lot of descriptve detail, such that the period is clearly evoked The stories are also quite different from the films in terms of tone and attitude to women. In a few stories Bond admires a woman, but it does not end up in bed, or even there being any indication that that could happen.
Narrated by Samuel West, it's very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

While I've watched some of the James Bond movies and generally enjoyed them, until Skyfall that is, I've never read any of the books. Based on this one I can't say I'm impressed. Of all the stories the first two are maybe 3* stories, the rest are 1*-2*.

The stories do give a little insight into the mindset of Bond not shown in the films but how full length action movies were made from some of the titles eludes me, especially Quantum of Solace which is just Bond being told a story of a failed romance and between a man and an airhostess and the subsequent fallout. The Hildebrand Rarity again has little action and is a story of spousal abuse more than anything.

I'm neither shaken nor stirred, Mr. Bond. Unimpressed.