You Only Live Twice (James Bond Novels)

You Only Live Twice (James Bond Novels)
by Ian Fleming

You Only Live Twice (James Bond Novels)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Ian Fleming
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-09-02
ISBN: 0142003271
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Book Reviews of You Only Live Twice (James Bond Novels)

Book Review: This time, it's personal
Summary: 5 Stars

If you watched most James Bond movies, you'd hardly know that the British secret agent had ever been married to a woman named Tracy. He was, however, in both the book and the movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, though wedded bliss would be short indeed, thanks to Bond's greatest foe, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In the movies, Tracy is hardly referred to ever again (to my knowledge, only briefly in the prologue of "For Your Eyes Only". In the books, however, the death of Bond's true love is far more devastating.

In You Only Live Twice, Bond is not coping well with Tracy's death. Nine months later, he is still depressed and his work has declined considerably. Bond's boss, M, is on the brink of firing 007, but is convinced to take one last shot at redeeming his best employee. He sends Bond to Japan to try and convince Tiger Tanaka, the head of Japanese Intelligence, to share a valuable information source called Magic 44. Tanaka and Bond get along well enough, leading to a deal: Tanaka will share Magic 44 if Bond kills a nasty character named Shatterhand (who is beyond the reach of Japanese law).

Shatterhand has his own Garden of Death, an estate filled with lethal flora and fauna. Although he makes a show of trying to stop trespassers, in fact he is perfectly willing to let people in. In a culture which is very stressful and values honor above all (even life), Shatterhand's garden attracts the suicidal and even subtly encourages them. Tanaka wants Shatterhand stopped and believes a foreign agent is the best way to go. Bond, thinking primarily of Queen and Country, is willing to go along with the assassination, but he does have misgivings. Then he discovers Shatterhand's true identity is none other than Blofeld and all reluctance is gone.

You Only Live Twice is the final book in what I think of as the Blofeld trilogy, preceded by Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Although I think OHMSS is the strongest of the three, this is not far behind (if it suffers from anything, it's that Blofeld's scheme this time is less rational; then again, the master criminal may be going insane through syphilis). Compared to some volumes in the Bond series, this one has relatively limited action - at least before the conclusion - instead focusing more on Bond the person. We even get substantial biographical information on him. The penultimate Bond novel (by Ian Fleming) is best enjoyed when reading the other trilogy books first; for those who have read these earlier works, You Only Live Twice is a satisfying conclusion.

Summary of You Only Live Twice (James Bond Novels)

Bond, a shattered man after the death of his wife at the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has gone to pieces as an agent, endangering himself and his fellow operatives. M, unwilling to accept the loss of one of his best men, sends 007 to Japan for one last, near-impossible mission. But Japan proves to be Bond's downfall, leading him to a mysterious residence known as the 'Castle of Death' where he encounters an old enemy revitalized. All the omens suggest that this is the end for the British agent and, for once, even Bond himself seems unable to disagree...

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