Darth Pedant

This is Fleming’s second Bond short story collection, published posthumously. I’m sort of sad (but not really) that I’m at the end of my Bond reading journey. It’s been an interesting couple of months.

 

#1 OCTOPUSSY: 2.5* A tale of avarice and treachery told via a flashback within a flashback. Thrilling stuff. (Not really. Bond was hardly in it. He didn’t even have time to say or think something bigoted, racist, or misogynistic.)

 

#2 THE PROPERTY OF A LADY: 2.5* This one involves mild international intrigue at an auction. Also, Bond gets more than enough page time to think misogynistic thoughts about an unattractive, flat-chested Russian double agent.

 

#3 THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS: 2* In which Fleming once again works overtime to prove that Bond is “too good for murder”. Decent twist at the end, but the extra dose of sexism, including but not limited to the crack about how girls should play the cello “sidesaddle”, effectively cancels out any points the twist might’ve garnered.

 

#4 007 IN NEW YORK: 1* A super-short and pointless story about Bond’s polite contempt for New York City. Includes a recipe for scrambled eggs. Make sure you have a good English toast rack on hand. Heaven forbid you serve the eggs with “dank” toast.