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jon288's review
3.0
(Re-read). Three short stories published posthumously. Not as good as those in For Your Eyes Only, but still classic Fleming. Less Bond focused; the living daylights & the sniper head to head across the Berlin Wall was the highlight
kay_bee_reads's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars for the short stories.
5 stars for Tom Hiddleston's narrations.
The short stories were good. Here we have Octopussy, The Property of a Lady, and The Living Daylights. All three have very different tones to them and all have a different version of Bond.
Octopussy was probably my favorite. Bond is actually only a minor character and the story really centers around Major Dexter Smythe, a retired WWII hero who is implicated in a murder that involved a stash of Nazi gold. Smythe is a very interesting character and the story is mostly told via his flashbacks of his involvement in the murder. And, of course, there is Smythe's famous Octopussy, his pet name for the giant Octopus living in the coral reef off of his bungalow who ends up having a surprising role to play in the story.
The Portrait of a Lady was only worthy of note for me because here Bond is a much more laid back character. He was very amusing in this piece and the stakes are not really that high as he mainly attends an auction in order to identify his target, who is then simply deported from London. Bond's inner thoughts during the whole auction proceedings gave me quite a few laughs.
The Living Daylights has a much more serious tone throughout and I actually loved Bond in this piece more than the other short stories and even the previous two books that I read in the series. There is a lot of depth and complexity to him here that I was surprised to find.
5 stars for Tom Hiddleston's narrations.
The short stories were good. Here we have Octopussy, The Property of a Lady, and The Living Daylights. All three have very different tones to them and all have a different version of Bond.
Octopussy was probably my favorite. Bond is actually only a minor character and the story really centers around Major Dexter Smythe, a retired WWII hero who is implicated in a murder that involved a stash of Nazi gold. Smythe is a very interesting character and the story is mostly told via his flashbacks of his involvement in the murder. And, of course, there is Smythe's famous Octopussy, his pet name for the giant Octopus living in the coral reef off of his bungalow who ends up having a surprising role to play in the story.
The Portrait of a Lady was only worthy of note for me because here Bond is a much more laid back character. He was very amusing in this piece and the stakes are not really that high as he mainly attends an auction in order to identify his target, who is then simply deported from London. Bond's inner thoughts during the whole auction proceedings gave me quite a few laughs.
The Living Daylights has a much more serious tone throughout and I actually loved Bond in this piece more than the other short stories and even the previous two books that I read in the series. There is a lot of depth and complexity to him here that I was surprised to find.
latterature's review
3.0
While lacking the grand scale of the Bond novels, Fleming's short stories provide a degree of insight into the life of the world's most famous secret-agent. Of the three stories included in this edition (the humorous, faux-travelogue '007 in New York' would be added to later editions), 'The Living Daylights' is best, owing to its thoughtful exploring of Bond's personal dislike of killing, an element of the character ignored in the wholesale slaughter committed by his film counterparts.
asma_aj's review
3.0
So, I didn't know that I picked up the last volume of the James Bond series (I found it quite hilarious, actually), and I didn't know what to expect when I started it. To read the rest of my review, please visit A Reading Kabocha @ http://areadingkabocha.blogspot.com
brinastewart's review
3.0
I listened to the audiobook. The stories were good, but not what I was expecting of a James Bond story. What made this the best for me was listening to Tom Hiddleston read.
spryder's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly tight and well-written short story in which James Bond himself plays only a very minor role. (The plot has absolutely nothing to do with the early 1980s film.) Definitely some of the best writing I've yet seen from Fleming.
lizabethstucker's review
4.0
James Bond
Crimes from the end of World War II have come back to demand justice from retired Major Dexter Smythe, courtesy of James Bond. Smythe has just one more task to complete before he must decide whether to take the “gentleman’s exit”.
Very little Bond in this one. Definitely no sexy women or super villains, just one sad and lonely man already facing death due to a bad heart. 4 out of 5.
Crimes from the end of World War II have come back to demand justice from retired Major Dexter Smythe, courtesy of James Bond. Smythe has just one more task to complete before he must decide whether to take the “gentleman’s exit”.
Very little Bond in this one. Definitely no sexy women or super villains, just one sad and lonely man already facing death due to a bad heart. 4 out of 5.
motherbooker's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full review on my blog
Ian Fleming was always much better when writing novels and this short story collection is further proof that Bond didn't really work in short form. There are some interesting ideas at play and a couple of good moments. The titular story is the standout but also the one with the least Bond. Overall, it's a pretty forgettable collection.
Ian Fleming was always much better when writing novels and this short story collection is further proof that Bond didn't really work in short form. There are some interesting ideas at play and a couple of good moments. The titular story is the standout but also the one with the least Bond. Overall, it's a pretty forgettable collection.
libbysjoutnal's review against another edition
4.0
For years I have wanted to read all of the James Bond novels. So I started, with this one by fluke actually. you know, that TickTock. show me a book, that was written by a man. yeah this one. You can just tell.
Holy racism, homophobia, sexism, and, many other things Batman. However, despite that it is extremely. well written shockingly well written actually. Even with like every fourth line, me wanting to throw the book across the room. still I want to read the rest of the books
With the racism homophobia sexism. Which I cannot under emphasize how frequently those things happen
To give you a view into how sexist these books are. James Bond, makes Kirk, from the original series look like a gentleman. maybe even a Duggar, in how he treats women. there’s a lot of racism and a decent amount of homophobia
Holy racism, homophobia, sexism, and, many other things Batman. However, despite that it is extremely. well written shockingly well written actually. Even with like every fourth line, me wanting to throw the book across the room. still I want to read the rest of the books
With the racism homophobia sexism. Which I cannot under emphasize how frequently those things happen
To give you a view into how sexist these books are. James Bond, makes Kirk, from the original series look like a gentleman. maybe even a Duggar, in how he treats women. there’s a lot of racism and a decent amount of homophobia