You Only Live Twice
by Ian Fleming · first published 1965
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Bond, a shattered man after the death of his wife at the hands of SPECTRE founder Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has gone to pieces as an agent, endangering himself and 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 with the hopes of bolstering his spirits. 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 revitalized. All the omens suggest that this is the end for the British agent and, for once, Bond himself seems unable
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…that the Cold War might end soon, and so wanted a nonpolitical opponent for Bond. In the films, the USSR is Bond's opponent only in For Your Eyes Only. Red China is the silent backer in Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice, but Auric Goldfinger and SPECTRE are the real enemies, and Thunderball establishes that SPECTRE is willing to work for anyone (including Western powers). Max Zorin in A View to a Kill, General Orlov…
on “What the Russians thought of James Bond in the 1960s” ↗…Ian Fleming - Goldfinger by Ian Fleming - For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming - Thunderball by Ian Fleming - The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming - On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming - You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming - The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Great Gatsby by F.…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗