Bond, a shattered man after the death of his wife at the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has gone to pieces as an agent, endangering himself and the lives of his fellow operatives. M., unwilling to accept the loss of one of his best men, sends 007 to Japan for one last, near-impossible mission. But Japan proves to be Bond's downfall, leading him to a mysterious residence known as the 'Castle of Death' where he encounters an old enemy revitalised. All the omens suggest that this is the end for the British agent, and for once, even Bond himself seems unable to disagree ...
You Only Live Twice: James Bond 007
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Product Description
From the Publisher
With a new introduction by Mo Hayder.
About the Author
Born in London in 1908, Ian Fleming worked as a banker and journalist before serving in the British Naval Intelligence during World War II. He published his first novel Casino Royale in 1953 and thus started the astoundingly successful James Bond novels and films. Fleming died in 1964. Other titles include: Casino Royale (0141028300), Diamonds Are Forever (0141028246), Dr No (0141028270), For Your Eyes Only (0141028254), From Russia with Love (0141028297), Goldfinger (0141028319), Live and Let Die (0141028327), Moonraker (0141028335), Octopussy & The Living Daylights (0141028343), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (0141028351), The Man with the Golden Gun (0141028238), The Spy Who Loved Me (014102822X), Thunderball (0141028289)
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First Sentence
The geisha called ' Trembling Leaf', on her knees beside James Bond, leant forward from the waist and kissed him chastely on the right cheek. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The geisha called ' Trembling Leaf', on her knees beside James Bond, leant forward from the waist and kissed him chastely on the right cheek. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Nicholas J. R. Dougan
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the second of Ian Fleming's novels that I have re-read before reading "Devil May Care", the latest Bond Novel, by Sebastian Faulks under licence from the Fleming Estate.
It is, I think, my favourite Bond. Bond goes to Japan on a mission to help restore his self confidence after the death of his bride at the end of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and a couple of bungled missions thereafter. He has been stripped of his "double - 0" number but allocated a "diplomatic" one - 7777 - instead. He comes up first against Tiger Tanaka, head of the Japanese secret service and then, in an attempt to prove to Tiger that the British are a race still to be respected, against a mysterious botanist who turns out to be none other than his old enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The scenario - a garden designed to entice hundreds of suicidal Japanese to their deaths - is perhaps the most fantastical of all Flemings' plots.
Tiger provides Fleming with a mouthpiece to express his angst about contemporary British society and its place in the world: "Bondo-san, I will now be blunt with you...it is a sad fact that I, and many of us in positions of authority in Japan, have formed an unsatisfactory opinion about the British people since the war. You have not only lost a great Empire, you have seemed almost anxious to throw it away with both hands...when you apparently sought to arrest this slide into impotence at Suez, you succeeded only in stage-managing one of the most pitiful bungles in history. (Tiger's English is impeccable - he went to Oxford, and spied against Britain, before the war!... Read more ›
It is, I think, my favourite Bond. Bond goes to Japan on a mission to help restore his self confidence after the death of his bride at the end of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and a couple of bungled missions thereafter. He has been stripped of his "double - 0" number but allocated a "diplomatic" one - 7777 - instead. He comes up first against Tiger Tanaka, head of the Japanese secret service and then, in an attempt to prove to Tiger that the British are a race still to be respected, against a mysterious botanist who turns out to be none other than his old enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The scenario - a garden designed to entice hundreds of suicidal Japanese to their deaths - is perhaps the most fantastical of all Flemings' plots.
Tiger provides Fleming with a mouthpiece to express his angst about contemporary British society and its place in the world: "Bondo-san, I will now be blunt with you...it is a sad fact that I, and many of us in positions of authority in Japan, have formed an unsatisfactory opinion about the British people since the war. You have not only lost a great Empire, you have seemed almost anxious to throw it away with both hands...when you apparently sought to arrest this slide into impotence at Suez, you succeeded only in stage-managing one of the most pitiful bungles in history. (Tiger's English is impeccable - he went to Oxford, and spied against Britain, before the war!... Read more ›
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Nicholas J. R. Dougan
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This is the second of Ian Fleming's novels that I have re-read before reading "Devil May Care", the latest Bond Novel, by Sebastian Faulks under licence from the Fleming Estate.
It is, I think, my favourite Bond. Bond goes to Japan on a mission to help restore his self confidence after the death of his bride at the end of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and a couple of bungled missions thereafter. He has been stripped of his "double - 0" number but allocated a "diplomatic" one - 7777 - instead. He comes up first against Tiger Tanaka, head of the Japanese secret service and then, in an attempt to prove to Tiger that the British are a race still to be respected, against a mysterious botanist who turns out to be none other than his old enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The scenario - a garden designed to entice hundreds of suicidal Japanese to their deaths - is perhaps the most fantastical of all Flemings' plots.
Tiger provides Fleming with a mouthpiece to express his angst about contemporary British society and its place in the world: "Bondo-san, I will now be blunt with you...it is a sad fact that I, and many of us in positions of authority in Japan, have formed an unsatisfactory opinion about the British people since the war. You have not only lost a great Empire, you have seemed almost anxious to throw it away with both hands...when you apparently sought to arrest this slide into impotence at Suez, you succeeded only in stage-managing one of the most pitiful bungles in history. (Tiger's English is impeccable - he went to Oxford, and spied against Britain, before the war!... Read more ›
It is, I think, my favourite Bond. Bond goes to Japan on a mission to help restore his self confidence after the death of his bride at the end of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and a couple of bungled missions thereafter. He has been stripped of his "double - 0" number but allocated a "diplomatic" one - 7777 - instead. He comes up first against Tiger Tanaka, head of the Japanese secret service and then, in an attempt to prove to Tiger that the British are a race still to be respected, against a mysterious botanist who turns out to be none other than his old enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The scenario - a garden designed to entice hundreds of suicidal Japanese to their deaths - is perhaps the most fantastical of all Flemings' plots.
Tiger provides Fleming with a mouthpiece to express his angst about contemporary British society and its place in the world: "Bondo-san, I will now be blunt with you...it is a sad fact that I, and many of us in positions of authority in Japan, have formed an unsatisfactory opinion about the British people since the war. You have not only lost a great Empire, you have seemed almost anxious to throw it away with both hands...when you apparently sought to arrest this slide into impotence at Suez, you succeeded only in stage-managing one of the most pitiful bungles in history. (Tiger's English is impeccable - he went to Oxford, and spied against Britain, before the war!... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic finale to the Bond series (although it isn't actual the finale)
30 April 2012
Format:Paperback
You Only Live Twice has the feeling of a grand finale. It's not, of course, but it feels like one. Bond is suffering depression following the events of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and his work is suffering. M decides to set him an impossible mission to snap him out of it, and off Bond flies to Japan.
The book is neatly split into two halves along Fleming's usual lines. The first is about Japan, and Bond's assimilation of a new culture. This is typical Fleming mix of fact and fantasy that nevertheless convinces the reader that he knows the area, and successfully adds that touch of the exotic that Bond stories are known for.
The second half is the action part of the story - more similar to elements of the films (which of course by this point had begun) and rounds things off nicely.
One of my favourite things about this book is Fleming's sense of humour. The opening chapter is almost entirely taking the mickey out of one of the repeated elements of the series - following the classic card games of Casino Royale and Moonraker. Later he makes reference to Hollywood, and even breaks the fourth wall with a little dig at himself.
It's another excellent adventure for Bond. He has far more depth than the screen portrayals suggest and is one of the richest characters in fiction, despite the time that has passed since the stories were written. I've really enjoyed re-reading the series and look forward to a time in fifteen years when my memories have faded and I can enjoy them once again.
The book is neatly split into two halves along Fleming's usual lines. The first is about Japan, and Bond's assimilation of a new culture. This is typical Fleming mix of fact and fantasy that nevertheless convinces the reader that he knows the area, and successfully adds that touch of the exotic that Bond stories are known for.
The second half is the action part of the story - more similar to elements of the films (which of course by this point had begun) and rounds things off nicely.
One of my favourite things about this book is Fleming's sense of humour. The opening chapter is almost entirely taking the mickey out of one of the repeated elements of the series - following the classic card games of Casino Royale and Moonraker. Later he makes reference to Hollywood, and even breaks the fourth wall with a little dig at himself.
It's another excellent adventure for Bond. He has far more depth than the screen portrayals suggest and is one of the richest characters in fiction, despite the time that has passed since the stories were written. I've really enjoyed re-reading the series and look forward to a time in fifteen years when my memories have faded and I can enjoy them once again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Read
One of my favourite Bond stories, much better than the film of the same name. Very smart binding, good addition to my collection.
Published 3 months ago by M. Wood
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Bond
James Bond before the gadgets and the technology. Yes - it's a bit dated and probably an alien world to the young, no mobile phones or internet - computers the size of a small... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent read
loved the kindle book it was just as it was when I read it all those 30 years ago !
Published 5 months ago by Mr M J Swain
3.0 out of 5 stars
James Bond - not quite the man he used to be
"(Britain has) not only lost a great Empire, you have seemed almost anxious to throw it away with both hands... Read more
Published 9 months ago by F.R. Jameson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slay it with Flowers
You Only Live Twice has a fair claim to being the best of the Bond novels. It has arguably the most deranged villain of all, Ernst Stavro Blofeld posing as, of all things, an... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gregory S. Buzwell
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best in the series
This is where Fleming really got flowing with his character, and for many who come to the books from the films, this will perhaps be the most recognisable Bond. Read more
Published on 24 May 2011 by awj
1.0 out of 5 stars
Cheap shoddy paper cover
Great book, shame about the cheap shoddy paper cover.
Was hoping that the cover would be the same as the preview, but it is just a thin paper cover. Read more
Was hoping that the cover would be the same as the preview, but it is just a thin paper cover. Read more
Published on 4 April 2011 by Sagacity
4.0 out of 5 stars
Travelogue With A Spy Story Attached
If you go into You Only Live Twice (YOLT) expecting hidden volcano bases and 'Little Nellie' then you will be very disappointed. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2011 by C. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bond's last great adventure
You Only Live Twice picks up where On Her Majesty's secret service finishes.
Bond is somewhat broken in a melancholic state after the violent and sudden murder of his wife... Read more
Bond is somewhat broken in a melancholic state after the violent and sudden murder of his wife... Read more
Published on 15 July 2010 by One view
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garden of Death
The penultimate book in the original Ian Fleming James Bond series, You Only Live Twice is a real cracker, featuring Bond's arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in a somewhat surreal... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2009 by Captain Pugwash
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