"When Ernst Stravro Blofeld blasts into eternity the girl whom Bond had married only hours before, the heart, the zest for life, goes out of Bond. Incredibly, 007, the top agent in the Secret Service, has gone to pieces and is on the verge of being a security risk. " -From the 2002 Penguin Edition
Crushed by the death of his beloved wife at the hands of Ernst Stavro
Blofeld, Bond has begun to deteriorate in both health as well as duty. After
botching his first two assignments after Tracy's murder, M is about to retire
Bond. However, on the advice of 007's doctor, he is sent on an impossible
mission to Japan instead. Bond must obtain a MAGIC 44 decoder device that is
in the property of Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese Secret Service.
Ultimately, Bond comes face to face with Blofeld once again, after Tiger
persuades him to assassinate a mystery man responsible for countless Japanese
suicides.
You Only Live Twice starts off slower than any of the other Fleming
books. It wasn't until the third time I tried reading the book that I actually
got past the first fifty pages. The first two times I just got bored and put it
down. The problem with the book is that the first half of it is just about
Bond's friendship with Tiger. While Fleming makes their relationship more
believable than any other he ever wrote about, it was too long. It wasn't until
the final part of the story that Bond made his attack on Blofeld's "Castle of
Death."
An extremely enjoyable interlude came when Bond spent a few days on a
Japanese island filled with Amas, or diver girls. It is there that he
meets Kissy Suzuki, his wife in the movie version. There are many scenes of
kindness between them, and my personal favorite, a scene where Bond joins her in
diving for shells. It is a nice change for Bond from killing and drinking, to
doing something as unglamorous as that. Still, it is not until Bond begins the
final assault on Blofeld and Irma Bunt the book really picks up. It is classic
Fleming action and suspense with 007 having to rely on ninjutsu instead of his
usual gun of choice.
SPOILER ALERT: The ending of the book is especially gratifying when
we see Bond finally killing Blofeld with his bare hands. Then, making a
miraculous escape from the "Castle Of Death", Bond gets hit in the head and is
presumed dead by M. There is an intriguing obituary written about him by M,
which divulges much of the mysterious past of Bond, including his parents names,
schooling history, and his military history: at least the history that wasn't
classified. However, the final chapter did not sit well with me, as Bond was
actually recovered by Kissy and suffering from complete amnesia. It was just
very 'unbond'. END SPOILERS
Basically the only part of the book that made it to the film version was the
existence of Blofeld, Tanaka, and Dikko Henderson. Other than that there are
absolutely no similarities. This is probably for the best because although
You Only Live Twice is a decent book, it would have made a terribly
boring movie. It wasn't one of Fleming's best, but regardless, I'm dying to
know how Bond gets his life back.
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You Only Live Twice
Published: March 16, 1964
Author: Ian Fleming
Villain: Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Employer: Self-employed
Bond Girl: Kissy Suzuki
Allies: Tiger Tanaka; Dikko Henderson
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Casino Royale
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
Diamonds Are Forever
From Russia With Love
Dr. No
Goldfinger
For Your Eyes Only
Thunderball
The Spy Who Loved Me
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
The Man With The Golden Gun
Octopussy
Ian Fleming Biography

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