From Russia With Love

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, 268 pages

From Russia with Love is easily my favorite Bond novel so far. Not only does it have some of the best characters, but it also is the first novel that depicts more of the theatrical James Bond people have come to know.

The basic story line is SMERH, Russia’s anti spy division, has setup a trap for Bond involving a beautiful Russian agent named Tatiana Romanova. She is to pretend to be obsessed with Bond and when he comes to escort her to Britain she will bring along a brand new Russian decoding device.

In Bonds travels to extract her he meets Drako Kerim, head of Britain’s Turkey division. Drako is a man that is so full of life you can’t help but cheer for him and enjoy his company. He brings back the classic spying motif. From sliding bookcases, to secret tunnels and even a gun disguised as a cane.  But Bond is also being hunted by a man named Red Grant. Grant is a psychopathic killer who loses control over himself and feels the need to kill people when the moon is full. He is also SMERH’s head executioner. All of this comes to a thrilling finish on a four day ride on the Orient Express.

From Russia with Love is also unique in the fact it ends with a cliff hanger. At this point Fleming was losing interest in the Bond series and was trying to decide what to do. The ending allows him to either wrap up the series and finish the Bond story or pick up and continue. As there are like 35 more books after this one I wonder which option he chooses.

 The novel like all of the ones before it has also been made into a move. Unlike some other Bond movies this one follows the book.