You Only Live Twice

Rating:
Summary: Hardcover Mythology
Review: This is Ian Fleming's most mysterious and enigmatic James Bond novel. This is a direct follow up to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." It starts out as a direct secret service story but as it progresses becomes almost surrealistic as James Bond tracks down his arch nemesis. This is a very well written and researched novel. The Japanese idioms and depictions of locale are exquisite. When the novel moves to Kuro Island and is on the threshold of Dr. Shaterhand's castle lair, Fleming approaches mythical horizons. I found this absorbing, haunting and prophetic novel very difficult to put down once I started reading it. If you do decide to read it I recommend that you read "Thunderball" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" first. I will go one step further, if you read both of these novels then read "The Man with the Golden Gun" after "You Only Live Twice." These four novels are inexorably connected.