FOUR TALES OF INTRIGUE THAT PUSH 007 TO THE LIMIT
In “Octopussy,” a former operative in the Second World War must face the consequences of past sins when James Bond knocks on the door of his Caribbean fortress, and in “The Property of a Lady” Bond deciphers the elaborate codes of a Sotheby’s bidding war in order to catch a KGB agent. “007 in New York” takes Bond to the titular city to warn an ex-agent of her boyfriend’s secret KGB affiliation. And “The Living Daylights” sends Bond to Berlin to protect a British agent before an assassin strikes.
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"Whether it is tracking down a wayward major who has taken a deadly secret with him to the Caribbean or identifying a top Russian agent secretly bidding for a Fabergé egg in a Sotheby's auction room, Bond always closes the case—with extreme prejudice. Oh, how hooked I was! "
— Bill (5 out of 5 stars)
“Bond is a hero for all time.”
— Jefferey Deaver, award–winning, New York Times bestselling author" Not bad: The Living Daylights is short and taut. Octopussy might amuse people who are really really interested in scuba diving. "
— Nathanielk, 2/18/2014" And the Fleming Bond novels come to an end for me. A bit of a low key affair, this final collection of short stories. Still damned good, with both Octopussy and The Living Daylights being just about as good of a short story as you could want and damned fine in their own rights. the other two stories appear to have commisioned and read like work for hire and are a bit clumsey and lazy, hence the lower star rating on the whole. "
— Russell, 2/10/2014" You probably won't believe me on this one, but Octopussy: The Darling is actually a fairly literary short story. Maude Adams summed the story up in a two-minute scene in the movie, which otherwise had nothing to do with Flemings best attempt at depth. "
— Steven, 2/8/2014" Genuine James Bond story, with old-fashioned hand to hand combats and witty comebacks. "
— Marcela, 2/8/2014" Fleming's not a great writer and the three stories in the book were pretty bland. "
— Quinn, 1/29/2014" Very short and very different from the movies, but if you love bond, you'll love the book. "
— Dan, 1/25/2014" This have to be the least interesting bond novel I read I thought Doctor No. was bad but this one was worse. "
— Shaun, 1/14/2014" Not much to either of these stories... clearly, Ian Fleming knew this, which is why they weren't published until after his death. "
— Melissa, 1/14/2014" Octopussy, meh. The Living Daylights? Awesome. Kind of like the movies. "
— Kevin, 1/9/2014" Hmmm, how did they get a Lotus that can go under water, a tiger hunt and a mini submarine disguised as a crocodile from this mini mini story about Bond turning up to put the fear on a retired spy? "
— russell, 12/26/2013" 1st Bond book I've read and was truely surprized that it was so well written. Having been influenced by the films I was expecting something more cheesey. A very pleasant find. "
— Dean, 12/16/2013" Haha James Bond is totally not a cool character by modern standards. It's hilarious. This book gets a third star purely for The Living Daylights which was by far the most enjoyable of the short stories in this book. "
— Matthew, 12/14/2013" I have completed the entire Iam Fleming James Bond Series. I enjoyed these 4 short stories They were classic Bond! "
— Cottero, 11/15/2013" Didn't really find any of the short stories in this collection particularly good. A damp squib of and end to the books. "
— Liv, 11/1/2013" These short stories give Bond a dimension you cannot see in the main novels. "
— Chris, 8/16/2013" While I enjoyed this collection, I think most fans will find Octopussy a little disappointing. IT has very little to do with Bond. The Living Daylights, on the other hand, is great. "
— Noah, 4/10/2013" Don't be afraid of the title. This is a compilation of three different James Bond stories and only one of them gets slightly raunchy about a girl and a cello. For me I can only complain that these stories were short. It makes me want to read more James Bond. Audio book "
— Hykel, 2/13/2013" Sixth-grade book report. Creative book report--we had to choose a scene from the book and re-enact it, and the teacher would snap one Polaroid photograph. I chose a scene from "Octopussy", of James Bond relaxing with a drink in one hand and a gun in the other. Yep: pretty lazy. "
— R., 9/27/2012" All are pleasant reads. Better than for your eyes only. "
— Xoán, 6/28/2012" Good to know the stories about Bond are totally diferent from the movies. The books are more realistic. "
— Paulo, 5/31/2012" Collection of short stories by Ian Flemming starring James Bond. Fun. Short stories so no real action or drama, but a good read nonetheless. "
— TJ, 5/26/2012" These Bond stories definitely read far more like sketches for novels than fully fleshed tales in their own right, which detracts somewhat, but there's something oddly appealing about the tragic tale of a man and his octopus. "
— Jessica, 5/18/2012" Fun little snippets of 007 life. Short stories that you'll like if you don't need closure in a story. "
— Emma, 12/24/2011" My edition had pictures for some reason. "
— Tiffany, 5/30/2011" Fleming's not a great writer and the three stories in the book were pretty bland. "
— Quinn, 1/24/2011" 1st Bond book I've read and was truely surprized that it was so well written. Having been influenced by the films I was expecting something more cheesey. A very pleasant find. "
— Dean, 7/8/2010" Short and sweet. A lot of the content has already been incorporated into the movies, but there's a lot to like here. The short story format is a breath of fresh air to close an enjoyable but formulaic series. "
— Ben, 2/23/2010" Octopussy, meh. The Living Daylights? Awesome. Kind of like the movies. "
— Kevin, 12/15/2009" A collection of some of Fleming's later stories, not as interesting as the Bond novels, but good stories just as well. "
— Velimir, 11/19/2009" I felt that all of the stories ended a little too abruptly. I unexpectedly enjoyed the excitement of the auction scene. "
— Bradley, 10/29/2009" This short story was pleasantly surprising. I thought that Flemming's books would feature a lot more outdated language and ignorance, but except for the common use of the word "Ticketty-boo" it was a story that was fun to read and had only a few lines about Bond, James Bond. "
— Krista, 9/16/2009" You probably won't believe me on this one, but <em>Octopussy: The Darling</em> is actually a fairly literary short story. Maude Adams summed the story up in a two-minute scene in the movie, which otherwise had nothing to do with Flemings best attempt at depth. "
— Steven, 7/5/2009" Re-read Sept 2009 to recall how much different the book was to the movie. "
— Rhod, 4/17/2009Ian Fleming was born in London in 1908. He was educated at Eton and worked as a journalist in Moscow and a banker and stockbroker in London before becoming personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during the Second World War. He wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, at Goldeneye, his home in Jamaica, in 1952. Since then James Bond has gone on to become a global phenomenon.