For Your Eyes Only

Rating:
Summary: Sampler of Bonded Fleming.
Review: This collection of five James Bond stories is a slight effort. For fans of Ian Fleming, this is an interlude in the major novels. For the uninitiated, this is an opportunity to sample Fleming's fiction in its pristine state, before tampering by over-the-top filmmakers. The typical traits of the Bond/Fleming cycle are present. The James Bond created by Ian Fleming is an iron fist in a velvet glove. A no-nonsense guy who is good to have on your side. Fleming blends the hard-boiled edginess of Dashiell Hammett with the sophistication of Dorothy Sayers. Snobbery is evident. Bond is a lone wolf, and prefers it that way. The writing assumes a working knowledge of French and Italian. This can confuse some readers, especially Americans, in descriptions of food, liquor, etc. Three of the five stories are straightforward Cold War era espionage stories of murder, revenge, and betrayal. This includes "A View to a Kill," "For Your Eyes Only," and "Risico." The irascible M is present, most especially in the title tale. Bonds comes off best in these three stories. "Quantum of Solace" is an odd piece that could have been written by John O'Hara. It shows Ian Fleming flexing his literary muscles. "The Hildebrand Rarity" is a story of vengeance and murder, but it has nothing to do with Cold War spies. These stories originally appeared in such varied publications as "Playboy" and "Cosmopolitan." Read and enjoy. Good down time reading. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Extremely good Bond
Review: This is a hidden gem, hard to find. Five separate, complete Bond short stories. The impact of a novel crammed into the terse short story form is wonderful.