On Her Majesty's Secret Service - A Book Review

-

 Here's to the only Bond novel that made me cry. Let's talk about On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Blofeld's personal attack against James Bond. 



This was a five star read. Yes, Fleming fantasized some dialogue from Tracy, but otherwise it was one of the best Ian Fleming Bond novels. I expect some sexist moments from him because every book has proved to have one or two. He wrote this in 1963 and grew up in the 1950s, a sexist era if I ever had to name one. 

The plot of this one is James Bond meeting a woman named Tracy at a familiar casino (the one from Casino Royale). He then makes a deal with her father (after a surprise meeting) for information on Blofeld. After finding out that Blofeld sought a high title, he pretends to investigate such things as someone from that office, meeting Blofeld at a ski resort of Blofeld's making. He finds out Blofeld's researching allergies in some rural young women and escapes the place (after someone accidentally blew his cover). The information leads the secret service to conclusions about an economic bio attack (against the farm animals). Bond goes back with Tracy's father (Corsican mob boss) to get Blofeld, who then gets away from Bond. Bond marries Tracy days later. All is well, until an hour later Blofeld and his crew ambush the pair on the road. It ends with Bond holding his bloody wife while someone calls for medical help. I know from previous knowledge of other books that she is dead. 

Overall Thoughts

I didn't think crying over Bond's wife was on my bingo card, but the scene is so sad. Bond finds a woman as forward and car-loving as he is - only for her to be taken from him in a personal attack by Blofeld himself. It's as if the universe said Bond can never be happy (which actually reminds me of Philip Marlowe's life). It's a low blow. What's worse is that he said "we have all the time in the world" moments before her death. He ends the book by telling her dead body the same thing, while the man who checked the wreck scene urgently calls for help. It's heartbreaking. 

The book action scenes are always great. I have no problem with Bond's action scenes and how Bond logics out what to do next. I love that aspect of his writing. It's what compels me to collect these, despite the sexism present. I can get past that for the good plot writing and excellent action points. Five stars, easily. 

**********************************************************************************


 
Morrow is released! This novella is the story of two women writing a family history for the Morrow family. They find a nasty secret while researching. Will they survive their internship? 

Sign up for my newsletter at this link to get a free first chapter when it comes out, or if you want an email the day it releases. All you need to plug in is your email. You'll also get a free first chapter of Wrenville, my first novel. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Character Study: Brave

-
Image
The characters in the movie Brave  are well written and change throughout the movie. While it is easy to say Merida was all in the wrong or Queen Elinor was all in the wrong that is not what the actual movie was about, to begin with. Here is a character study that will give you a deeper understanding of Merida and Queen Elinor. Our starting point is explaining the plot. If you've watched this movie you know the plot, but I'm banking on the fact some of you haven't. Put simply and in a few words, Merida and Queen Elinor have a disagreement over Merida getting married to the winner of the archery contest (which Merida secretly entered herself and won her own hand). There are some hurtful words on both ends, Merida runs into a witch, and it all leads to Queen Elinor turning into a bear unless they "mend the bond torn by pride", which takes both mother and daughter to do. There is more detail, but I'm not here to analyze the whole plot, just two characters. Merida...
Read more

Nancy Drew's Love Interests

-
Image
Nancy Drew has several TV shows, book series, and games under her belt. Did you know that different series have different love interests? Some promote the "Francy" relationship, while others only show Ned. There is even one book series where she dates multiple men. Let's dive in! For those of you who don't know your Nancy Drew basics, here's a basic overview. Ned Nickerson and Nancy Drew have been together in the books since the beginning. Frank Hardy has had a crush on Nancy throughout the Supermysteries, and this idea is known as "Francy". These two ideas have come up over and over again throughout Nancy's history. Ned Nickerson Ted Nickerson and Nancy  Starting from the original books, we have Ned Nickerson, or as the Bonita Granville Nancy Drew movies call him, Ted Nickerson. He is established as only a close, consistent friend in the original books, but later in the series becomes jealous of the young men around her. With the...
Read more

Laurel and Hardy - a brief history

-
Image
 Laurel and Hardy are a pair of comedians I grew up watching, despite the fact they were popular in the 1930s. My dad loves their work and that era of film. Today let's look at their history. You might learn something new. I know I did. Courtesy of Fanpop Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy didn't start out working together. Stan was more of a writer than an actor and Oliver was working as primarily an actor.  Stan Laurel (Stan Jefferson) was the understudy to Charlie Chaplin in 1910. While working in Vaudeville he changed his last name to Laurel. He found success in 1920 while doing comedy, then went more into writing and directing. Hal Roach Studios signed him in 1925 and he was supposed to be more behind the camera than in front.  Oliver Hardy (Norvell Hardy) took the name Oliver in tribute to his late father. He managed a movie theatre in 1913 and said "why not" to acting. He was in 200 short films for various studios. Hal Roach signed him in 1926.  They began working t...
Read more