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andtheangelswouldnthelpyou's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Boring, forgettable, and slow. The antithesis of a spy thriller
tackling_the_tbrs's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
4.0
This is the 12th James Bond novel as written by Ian Fleming. I am reading them in order, and I had read some of them before this one, but this is my first time reading “You Only Live Twice.”
The book bears only a tiny resemblance to the movie, and once again this is a much better story. It follows on directly from the book of “OHMSS” (which is very similar to film). That book ends with a specific event (like the film) but this book addresses the personal consequences of the end of the previous one. We have a Bond in pain, messing up his work and about to be dismissed from the service.
“M” gives him one last chance to redeem himself (not that he is told this) and the ensuing trip to Japan is interesting, but initially serves as a slightly unsatisfying continuation of Bond’s tale. All of that is turned on its head when the identity of a certain protagonist is revealed. Suddenly this is personal for Bond, and the book becomes a direct sequel to “OHMSS” in a way none of the movies seem to be allowed to do.
The end is exciting and climactic but once again Bond is given a chance for happiness which, the final sentence reveals, is just not going to happen. I hope that this leads directly into the next book which is the final full novel of the series, although there was a short story collection published after that.
Genuinely touching and moving; I now medically need to read the next one!
The book bears only a tiny resemblance to the movie, and once again this is a much better story. It follows on directly from the book of “OHMSS” (which is very similar to film). That book ends with a specific event (like the film) but this book addresses the personal consequences of the end of the previous one. We have a Bond in pain, messing up his work and about to be dismissed from the service.
“M” gives him one last chance to redeem himself (not that he is told this) and the ensuing trip to Japan is interesting, but initially serves as a slightly unsatisfying continuation of Bond’s tale. All of that is turned on its head when the identity of a certain protagonist is revealed. Suddenly this is personal for Bond, and the book becomes a direct sequel to “OHMSS” in a way none of the movies seem to be allowed to do.
The end is exciting and climactic but once again Bond is given a chance for happiness which, the final sentence reveals, is just not going to happen. I hope that this leads directly into the next book which is the final full novel of the series, although there was a short story collection published after that.
Genuinely touching and moving; I now medically need to read the next one!
arielthealien's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
angela_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
stuporfly's review against another edition
3.0
You Only Live Twice, Ian Fleming's penultimate James Bond novel, is one of the most improbable in the series; 007 is hellbent on revenge, masquerading as a Japanese fisherman, and finally succumbing to amnesia and letting the disguise become permanent. It's an absurd notion, but it's still a heck of a lot of fun.
The novel, published in 1964 less than five months before Fleming's death, is a cultural travelogue of Japan, at least through the eyes of the west. Tiger Tanaka, head of Japan's secret service, eventually tires of Bond's unfavorably comparing their disparate cultures.
James Bond novels are full of unlikely scenarios, with the hero often tortured to the edge of death only to survive. The villains tend to have little standing in the way of their lofty goals save a certain secret agent, a man who few women are able to resist. Perhaps the wildest twist of fantasy happens in You Only Live Twice, where James Bond, a British spy with Scottish and Swiss blood, is physically transformed into a humble Japanese man. Though I prefer the film to the novel, the transformation is even more absurd, as actor Sean Connery clearly refused to shave his hairy honky chest, and since filmmakers did little to obscure frequent peeks at that honky chest hair it's difficult to imagine the disguise fooling anyone. It's not a racist caricature on par with Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but it ain't far off.
Filmmakers didn't wholly follow the plot of Fleming's book, perhaps correctly assuming that the Garden of Death might be too much of a downer for cinema-goers. The end, which sees Bond's amnesia clear only enough that he foolishly heads off to SMERSH country, is also markedly different.
This isn't Fleming at his best, though there's quite a bit here to enjoy nonetheless. The author was clearly running out of steam with the character of James Bond, reportedly by his own admission. It's interesting to wonder whether he'd have carried on writing about the spy had he not died prior to the publication of what became his final Bond novel, The Man With the Golden Gun.
The novel, published in 1964 less than five months before Fleming's death, is a cultural travelogue of Japan, at least through the eyes of the west. Tiger Tanaka, head of Japan's secret service, eventually tires of Bond's unfavorably comparing their disparate cultures.
James Bond novels are full of unlikely scenarios, with the hero often tortured to the edge of death only to survive. The villains tend to have little standing in the way of their lofty goals save a certain secret agent, a man who few women are able to resist. Perhaps the wildest twist of fantasy happens in You Only Live Twice, where James Bond, a British spy with Scottish and Swiss blood, is physically transformed into a humble Japanese man. Though I prefer the film to the novel, the transformation is even more absurd, as actor Sean Connery clearly refused to shave his hairy honky chest, and since filmmakers did little to obscure frequent peeks at that honky chest hair it's difficult to imagine the disguise fooling anyone. It's not a racist caricature on par with Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but it ain't far off.
Filmmakers didn't wholly follow the plot of Fleming's book, perhaps correctly assuming that the Garden of Death might be too much of a downer for cinema-goers. The end, which sees Bond's amnesia clear only enough that he foolishly heads off to SMERSH country, is also markedly different.
This isn't Fleming at his best, though there's quite a bit here to enjoy nonetheless. The author was clearly running out of steam with the character of James Bond, reportedly by his own admission. It's interesting to wonder whether he'd have carried on writing about the spy had he not died prior to the publication of what became his final Bond novel, The Man With the Golden Gun.