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Ian Fleming
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From Russia with Love: James Bond 007 Kindle Edition

by Ian Fleming (Author), Tom Rob Smith (Introduction) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,358 ratings
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There's no better time to rediscover James Bond.

SMERSH, the Russian intelligence unit, is hell-bent on destroying Special Agent James Bond.

His death would deal a hammer blow to the heart of The British Secret Service.

The lure? The chance for 007 to bring the Spektor decoding machine from Istanbul to London, and for the British to take the upper hand in a chilling new front of the Cold War.

So begins a deadly game of bluff and double bluff, with Bond a marked man as he enters the murky world of Balkan espionage.

'Bond is a hero for all time' Jeffrey Deaver

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  1. Book 5 of 14
    James Bond (Original Series)
  2. Print length
    222 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Vintage Digital
  5. Publication date
    1 July 2012
  6. File size
    5.7 MB
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From the brand

From the Publisher

Ian Flemings James Bond Novels 007
Casino Royale
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
Diamonds are Forever
From Russia with Love
Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars 11,586
4.3 out of 5 stars 6,221
4.4 out of 5 stars 5,632
4.3 out of 5 stars 3,897
4.4 out of 5 stars 4,358
Price £3.57 £3.64 £3.84 £3.81 £3.57
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Dr No
Goldfinger
For Your Eyes Only
Thunderball
The Spy Who Loved Me
Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars 4,028
4.4 out of 5 stars 3,312
4.2 out of 5 stars 2,594
4.5 out of 5 stars 2,618
4.0 out of 5 stars 2,140
Price £4.29 £3.75 £5.80 £0.70 £4.22
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Ebook ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
You Only Live Twice
The Man with the Golden Gun
Octopussy & The Living Daylights
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars 2,499
4.4 out of 5 stars 2,158
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,269
4.0 out of 5 stars 1,996
Price £4.99 £2.96 £5.74 £3.15
Paperback ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Ebook ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Product description

Review

Mr Fleming is in a class by himself…immense detail, eleaborate settings and continuallymounting tension, flavoured with sex, brutality and sudden death -- Anthony Price

Mr Fleming’s tautest, most exciting and most brilliant tale ― Times Literary Supplement

Adds the pleasures of a credible plot to the excitement of extreme violence. Highly polished…irresistible ― Sunday Times

From the Back Cover

A beautiful Soviet spy. A brand-new Spektor cipher machine. SMERSH has set an irresistible trap that threatens the entire Secret Service. In Fleming’s fifth 007 novel Bond finds himself enmeshed in a deadly game of cross and double cross.

Product details

  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,358 ratings

About the author

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Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming

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Ian Fleming was a British author and journalist. His first novel, Casino Royale (1953), introduced spy hero, James Bond, agent 007, to the world. It was the first of fourteen James Bond books which have gone on to sell over 60 million copies worldwide and be translated into 20 languages. Beginning with the movie adaptation of Dr No in 1961, the series also sparked the longest-running film franchise in history. Both Fleming and his fictional counterpart have become synonymous with style, glamour and thrilling adventures, as well as universally recognised phrases such as “My name’s Bond, James Bond” and “shaken and not stirred”.

Fleming was born in London in 1908. In the 1930s he worked at Reuters news agency before joining Naval Intelligence as an officer during the Second World War. His talent for writing fast and engaging prose, along with his knowledge of espionage and his fertile imagination led to the creation of James Bond, arguably one of the most-famous fictional characters of all time. He also wrote children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Fleming was married to Ann Rothermere with whom he had a son, Caspar. He died in 1964.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4,358 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They praise the compelling plot, great characters, and fast pacing. The style is described as beautiful and brilliance. However, opinions differ on the era - some consider it classic literature, while others feel it's dated.

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ReadabilityPlotCharacter developmentPaceStyleFunctionalityEraPacing
57 customers mention ‘Readability’54 positive3 negative

Customers find the book engaging from start to finish. They say it's a great read and worth reading. The opening chapters are described as the best, with an unforgettable scene. Readers find the writing more interesting today than when they first read it. Overall, they consider it a classic thriller that every thriller writer should read.

"...It's a thrilling read from start to finish. Populated by well drawn characters of varying degrees of charm or monstrosity...." Read more

"...in their attitude, there were also elements where I felt the writing was quite crisp and more profound than I had expected...." Read more

"...While this introduction isn't that bad, it is (in my opinion) best enjoyed afterwards, like two friends travelling home together discussing the..." Read more

"...Even if they are escapist, there is an element of reality that keeps the reader on the ground and helps suspend disbelief when facing the improbable..." Read more

32 customers mention ‘Plot’26 positive6 negative

Customers find the plot compelling and exciting. They describe it as an excellent story by an excellent writer, their favorite Bond story, and thrilling. The ending is superb and the style briskly moves you through the plot. Readers say it's a classic and every thriller writer should take a look.

"...The plot is one of his best, and the book well constructed so that even though the reader knows that there is a plot, the exact extent and nature..." Read more

"...To me this is a classic James Bond adventure which along with the escapism brings the reader into the world of real espionage." Read more

"...Just sit back and enjoy the ride. This is him at his best." Read more

"...any of the books that came before FRWL have such a highly tuned, compelling plot to them...." Read more

11 customers mention ‘Character development’8 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the vivid descriptions and well-developed characters in the book. They also appreciate the decent supporting cast.

"...It's a thrilling read from start to finish. Populated by well drawn characters of varying degrees of charm or monstrosity...." Read more

"...would also have to say that the grotesque Rosa Klebb is an extremely memorable character and perhaps is more menancing than the hit-man Donovan..." Read more

"...this a great piece of fiction is the plot and the characters that the reader gets to know...." Read more

"Great story spoilt by an unlikely heroine and the worst ending that could be imagined. The movie was better." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Pace’4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pace. They say it's well-paced and like a train journey.

"...is a bit implausible but, as the reader gets carried along at a rattling good pace - like the train journey that dominates the final chapters - ,you..." Read more

"...Filled with vivid descriptions and great characters, this is a slower paced novel than the previous ones, but sets the scene for the rest of the..." Read more

"...The rest Is Bond getting back to England. Great pace and very enjoyable." Read more

"Another - should be classic from Fleming. Very well paced and beautiful description. The last few chapters are tense and brilliant!" Read more

4 customers mention ‘Style’4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's style. They find it well-paced with beautiful descriptions and praise the brilliance of the writing.

"...Russia with Love' by Ian Fleming, paperback 2009 edition with beautiful cover artwork by Michael Gillette...." Read more

"...The language used, the era that the books were published in, the style!!" Read more

"Another - should be classic from Fleming. Very well paced and beautiful description. The last few chapters are tense and brilliant!" Read more

"Brill!" Read more

3 customers mention ‘Functionality’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book functional. It does what it needs to do.

"...The prose is lean and economic and does all that it needs to...." Read more

"...There isn't a loose thread or plot hole to be seen. Everything works just like clockwork, maintaining tension from the get go right up to the very..." Read more

"It's a book and it works. Can't say much more really." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Era’4 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the era of the book. Some find it a classic and appreciate the language and style of the era. Others feel the concept and style are dated, with simple plots and characters. The attitude of Bond is also described as old-fashioned.

"...that, whilst swathes of this novel were old-fashioned and rather dated in their attitude, there were also elements where I felt the writing was..." Read more

"...It's a classic, thrilling read, 5 stars...." Read more

"...and setting of the scene is simply way too long, and sometimes seems like a text book rather than a novel designed to entertain...." Read more

"...The language used, the era that the books were published in, the style!!" Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’0 positive3 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book slow. They also describe the characters as uncouth and lacking intelligence.

"...The Russians as depicted by Fleming seemed to be dirty, uncouth and a bit stupid...." Read more

"Enjoyable but nothing like the film. The first Bond book has James as a bit of a twerp rather than a daredevil who is always suave." Read more

"Stupid ending..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Victor
    5.0 out of 5 stars From Russia With Love: Ian Fleming, unabridged reading by Toby Stephens - One of Fleming's best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2013
    Verified Purchase
    From Russia With Love, first published in 1957, is the fifth of Ian Fleming's books to feature the superspy James Bond. And it is one of his best, right up there with Moonraker in the thrilling read stakes.

    The book opens with a long detailed description of the history of Red Grant, a psychopath used by SMERSH as their top assassin. There then follows a long and tense section in which the inner workings of SMERSH and the Russian intelligence apparatus are explored as a committee meeting is held, the ultimate conclusion of which is a death warrant for a certain James Bond and the start of detailed plan to kill him and bring the British intelligence service into disrepute. It is only a quarter of the way through that we meet our hero, as he is sent out to Istanbul to deal with an offer from a Russian agent that looks very inviting form many respects. In Istanbul Bond meets one of Fleming's best characters, Darko Kerim. A larger than life Turk working for British Intelligence, he fills the role usually taken by Felix Leiter in earlier books, and provides Bond with staunch support and firm friendship. After a series of adventures in Turkey, Bond decides to take the Russian bait and a flight across Europe on the Orient Express is soon in motion, and builds to a final crashing conclusion as Bond finally meets with Red Grant, and the full depth of the Russian trap is revealed to him. There then follows an interesting post script to the adventure which ends on a thrilling cliffhanger that readers in 1957 had to wait until the publication of Dr No to see resolved.

    It's a thrilling read from start to finish. Populated by well drawn characters of varying degrees of charm or monstrosity. I especially enjoyed the Bond-less opening quarter of the book in which the opposition is studied and the seeds of the plot sown. Fleming, as usual draws a series of grotesque figures to pit against Bond, but balances these with characters such as Kerim who are complex, morally dubious and firmly on Bond's side. Fleming also writes superb action scenes and sets scene with a prose style that drips with imagination and atmosphere. No other author I have ever read can describe a scene with the clarity and intensity of Fleming, and he uses that skill to his usual good effect here. The plot is one of his best, and the book well constructed so that even though the reader knows that there is a plot, the exact extent and nature of it is kept hidden up until it is revealed to Bond as well. It's a classic, thrilling read, 5 stars.

    The unabridged audio reading from Toby Stephens is pretty good. Stephens really has a feel for the pace of the book, and his reading reaches fever pitch in the climactic scenes. He really helped the story flow along, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book comes on 8 discs in a pevex spindle case, and clocks in at 8 hours 55 minutes. I assure you that those nearly 9 hours will fly by. There is a short and totally disposable interview with Stephens at the end of the eighth disc. All in all 5 stars for an excellent reading of an excellent book.
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  • Ian Thumwood
    4.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to put down
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2013
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    In many respects it's incredible that the books from 1950's have endured and I suspsect that much of this is attributable to the fact that the films have become so iconic. This is the first James Bond book that I've read and I would have to admit that that, whilst swathes of this novel were old-fashioned and rather dated in their attitude, there were also elements where I felt the writing was quite crisp and more profound than I had expected. Certainly, I would have to argue that any notion that Ian Fleming was incapable of writing need to be quickly shot down. The prose is lean and economic and does all that it needs to. The first third of the book deals with the creation of the Russian Secret Service plan to ensnare Bond and there were moments where the element of mistrust between the various psrties to this operation recalled George Orwell's "1984." I would also have to say that the grotesque Rosa Klebb is an extremely memorable character and perhaps is more menancing than the hit-man Donovan Grant.

    The appreance of Bond some 130-odd pages in to the book marks the point at which the tone of the novel becomes much lighter. It is fair to say that many elements will be familiar if you have seen the film and like it's cinematic equivalent, the story then becomes something of a period piece. Bond himself is almost character-less and certainly not as infallible as he appears on screen. Some of the other characters such as his Turkish contact "Darko" illiminate the story from this point and once Bond is involved it is fair to say that the book becomes impossible to put down even if the story and it's conclusion are familiar.

    In conclusion, this book was far better than I had expected. Whilst the screen-play of the recent "Skyfall" suggested that Bond as a cinematic character had been served with a better quality of writing than he has every previously enjoyed in all other mediums and thought Fleming's character is perhaps slightly more colourless than Sean Connery's portryal would lead you to suspect, the quality of the writing in "From Russia with love" is surprisingly good. If you recognise that these books were actually set in the 1950's and not in the following decade as the iconic films, it is possible to appreciate their appeal. I think successive writers like Le Carre and Len Deighton were capable to writing books which may have been more realistic, however Fleming captures the feel of the time when Britain's political influence overseas was clearly on the vain. There are elements of the book which don't appeal (the attitude towards women must have been lamentable even at the time of it's writing and the descriptions of foreigners is patronising a best and racist at worst) and you half feel that Fleming should have been writng for the Mail and not The Times. I think I can just about forgive Fleming these failings as in the best passages of writing he is very good indeed. Like many pieces of fictional writing that are over 60 years old, some elements of this novel are a bit creaky yet Fleming could write a cracking yarn that moves at pace.

    All told, "From Russia with love" may have produced the most dated of all the James Bond films (at least those featuring Sean Connery.) However, as writing on the page, I feel that the first third of the story is almost Orwellian in it's description of the State machinery of old Soviet Union and the craftmanship with which the plot is constructed allows the reader to set aside the more fanciful elements of the remainder of the book. I anticipated that this book would have materialised to have been the work of a lazy, hack journalist. The reality is that the writing may be of it's time but , on this basis of this book alone, Fleming's writing deserves as much credit as the oft-lauded films even if the James Bond within these pages is something of a different animal from his screen equivalent. I polished this book off in a matter of days. (Word of warning, the printing in this edition is extremely spacious and this is still a relatively short book.)
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Tigerclaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars From Russia With Love - James Bond's Fifth Adventure - Brilliant - Ian Fleming's Best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2014
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    This book was written around 1956 - 1957 and it's film version was made in 1963. A time when the Cold War was at it's peak. The film sticks close to the book which is the closest James Bond comes to the real work of espionage.

    What makes this a great piece of fiction is the plot and the characters that the reader gets to know. On the side of SMERSH the Soviet organisation that believes in "Death To Spies". There is the evil Colonel Rosa Klebb and the psychopath Donovan 'RED' Grant.

    Bond is helped by the brilliant Kerim and there is brief appearance by Rene Mathis who was in Casino Royale.

    The epicentre of this is the love interest in the shape of the beautiful Corporal Tatiana Romanova. The 24 year old who was selected by Rosa Klebb to make contact with the British with the offer of defection as she has fallen in love with the photograph and the on file data held on a certain James Bond of the British Secret Service. To help with this Tatiana is willing to give the British a Spektor. A Soviet decoding machine which holds Top Secret Information.

    Tatiana who has just been moved to a post at the Soviet Embassy in Istanbul. Is to draw Bond to Turkey with the ultimate aim he will meet with his death for his part in embarrassing the Soviet Union in his earlier exploits that were featured in his first three adventures (Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker).

    There are thrills on the Orient Express and two Gypsy woman fight over the love of a man. To me this is a classic James Bond adventure which along with the escapism brings the reader into the world of real espionage.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • janson mancheski
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a short story collection featuring James Bond. Not a full Bond novel.
    Reviewed in Canada on 20 November 2021
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    I enjoyed this book as a pleasant change of pace in Flemming's James Bond saga. The author shows his versatility as an evolving writer who doesn't have to rely on a set formula to create interesting works of fiction.
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  • Arild G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, that covers several James Bond monies.
    Reviewed in Germany on 25 September 2024
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    This book adds a background to several James Bond movies that I have seen.
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  • Fantasticspidy
    5.0 out of 5 stars The story and the book quality are good
    Reviewed in India on 22 March 2022
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    Great scene by ian
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  • gobirds2
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Fleming's Bond at his Best
    Reviewed in the United States on 16 April 2018
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    FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is one of Ian Fleming's best James Bond novels. It is rich with detail and atmosphere and gives us a lot of information about the Soviet Union's KGB and counter intelligence workings. It is written with Ian Fleming's inimitable unique style and when you combine that style with the plot line, it is a book that is hard to put down once you start reading it. The character of James Bond in this novel is better defined. He is less stoic here compared to earlier novels and is defiantly the dedicated civil servant who gets the job done with such worldliness and conviction and style. I believe JFK pointed out this novel as one of his favorites.
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  • claude
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un bon roman d'espionnage.
    Reviewed in France on 2 November 2019
    Verified Purchase
    L'écriture de I. Fleming est fluide, les peintures des acteurs vous permettent de les "visualiser", et on sent que l'action est racontée par quelqu'un qui connait vraiment le métier.
    Pas besoin d'aller voir les films débiles de la saga, qui n'ont rien de commun avec le caractère imaginé par l'auteur.
    IF doit se retourner dans sa tombe....
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