A strangely structured book. We spent the first third with the Russians...one contemptuous moment after the next. And that ending. Meh....all that buildup in the first third of the book, I expected the confrontation with the characters to have much more depth or resonance or something. But it all kind of fell flat, even the cliffhanger at the very end. I'm sure the people reading the serial were not so pleased.

A page turner. But I hate it when that kind of book doesn't stick the landing. Look, if your main purpose is to have a good plot...you better have a good ending!

The best of the Bond books I've read so far. SMERSH decides to take out the agent that's taken out so many of their key operatives in previous outings, and hatches a plan to get Bond. The first part does a great job of expanding the readers' understanding of SMERSH by heading behind the Iron Curtain. It's not for nothing that it was among President Kennedy's top ten favorite books. The movie version is pretty wonderful, too. The adaptation is faithful, and it accelerates the introduction of SPECTRE and Blofeld by a few volumes in the Bond saga, pleasantly upping the ante (and the action) from the novel.

The movie followed the novel very closely, and with good reason. It was a great read. The introduction, all from the Russians point of view, was great. Wish the whole book would've been like that, to be honest.

Reading in the introduction that one Charlie Higson rated this as the best of the Bond books certainly made me sit up a smidge more.
Better than Casino Royale? Better than Moonraker?
Lead on Mr Fleming, lead on...
Written at a time when Fleming genuinely believed the Bond books were never going to sell, From Russia With Love is the one that took off and cemented James in the world of popular modern fiction.
Which is no mean feat given he doesn't turn up until a third of the way through the book.
Which is both, at once, a master stroke and a problem.
It's a master stroke because it allows the plot to be laid out in fine detail - giving the reader total access to the trap Mr B is ambling in to. Rather than spoiling the reveal, it adds a different dimension, as you will our hero not to do the very thing he goes on to do.
The problem lies in the scenes set in Russia at the start of the book. While Fleming clearly knew Istanbul and The Orient Express, life behind the Iron Curtain comes across as slightly more cliched. As does his portrayal of beautiful women.
The positives just about outweigh the negatives, and as with all his previous books the final third is a gripping page turner.
Still prefer Moonraker though.

probably my favorite bond novel so far, despite the unhinged stereotyping! formally interesting, i ended the novel feeling like i wanted to know more about the various russian characters within the MGB/SMERSH. ending on a cliffhanger is A Choice, considering nothing consequential could ever happen to bond.

ahhh this is a good one. The story is a thoroughly enjoyable cold war spy thriller, that covers Russia's scheme to get James Bond. It's almost a 5-star book except for a few minor niggles about pacing and the amount of time we spend with the main antagonists. I wanted more of them interacting with Bond, but as I said, a small quibble. Feels like Fleming hit his stride with this one.

My favorite of the Bond books so far. Probably has something to do with loving the movie so much as well. I'm always surprised at how light on plot these books are, which is often a good thing. Some great action and a surprise open ending. Guess I'll have to read the next one to see if Bond survives!