Ian Fleming - From Russia With Love: A James Bond Novel

Pros: It's one of the more entertaining books in the Bond series

Cons: The cliffhanger ending

The Bottom Line: From Russia, with Love is one of the more entertaining novels in the James Bond series.

Review: The Soviet Union is intent on taking the British Secret Service down a peg or two…actually, the brain trust behind the Iron Curtain will be satisfied with no less than a full-blown embarrassing scandal for the Brits, and they’ve concocted a ...

Pros: Good, complex revenge-driven plot; great, menacing villains; exotic locations; action-packed

Cons: See review for views on the retro feel of the novel - otherwise, none!

The Bottom Line: Sure, it's somewhat dated and retro, but as far as Bond novels are concerned, nobody did them better than Fleming.

Review: "All art, no matter what the medium," acclaimed writer/filmmaker Nicholas Meyer is fond of saying, "is a reflection of the time in which it's created." What Meyer means by this is that if you read a novel - or watch a film, or listen to a song - there ...

Pros: Insights on Cold War intelligence and Soviet culture, James Bond stars in sex film

Cons: Utilizes overused and abused plot gimmicks, offensive sexism

The Bottom Line: If the reader can overlook this novel's offensive sexism and hackneyed story climax, the insight it gives on the worlds of Cold War intelligence and Russian society are worth it.

Review: Sales for From Russia with Love, the fifth title in the James Bond literary series, skyrocketed in the United States during March 1961 when President John F. Kennedy announced it was one of his top ten favorite novels. Since Author Ian Fleming's ...