Octopussy

As enjoyable as two or three of the movies are, they are not what Fleming wrote about. The stories are set in the Fifties, mostly, and do not involve spaceships or lasergun wristwatches; and Bond himself is not a wisecracking, smirking prettyboy. He is a cold-blooded killer, tough as nails, who has taught himself the hedonistic pleasures of the table because he has no wife to pamper him. He's actually only a minor character in two of the four stories in this book - but his presence anchors the tales in place and time. Why didn't they make real movies out of these books instead of just borrowing the titles? Octopussy is a really good book in the Bond pantheon.

Ian Fleming penned 14 Bond adventures before his death in 1964. He lived to see the first few movies made, was hopelessly smitten with the young Ursula Andress, and fortunately did not live to see the excesses of his sucessors. This book is a compilation of three short stories in Octopussy, The Living Daylights, and Property of a Lady. There is no real resemblance to the similarly titled films, but some of the scenes and characters from the short stories made it to the big screen. These stories show what Bond would do on a slow day, no gadgets or romance involved. Bond does not entertain three women per story, in fact, he meets none. He is smitten at a distance with a cello player, but nothing develops romantically, and the female lead of the third story is described as unattractive. Bond simply closes out a few files, as one might do in a short week before heading out on holiday. Of course, M and Ms. Moneypenny appear here, with M and the unnamed Chief of Staff providing Bond with his orders and accoutrements. Octopussy is the best of the lot here. In fact, Bond barely appears in the story set in Fleming's beloved Jamaica about 15 years after the war. A British army major comes into a treasure in the closing chaotic days of the war in Europe. His techniques included murder and eventually he is tracked down by 007 who had been an acquaintance of the "Good German" victim. The Living Daylights features a challenge between two trained assassins, which will be familiar to viewers of the Timothy Dalton film. Fleming very cleverly sets the scene at Checkpoint Charlie just before the Wall went up. Both sides use innovative cover to muffle their killer's sounds and movements. We get a real sense of the unpleasant side of the business, as Bond's portfolio is murder. He does not relish the assignment, in fact, he speaks of a preference for demotion, drinks whiskey before the event, and fails to complete all parts of the assignment. Property of a Lady is a primer on Faberge with the famous auction scene, brought to the big screen in a Roger Moore film. Rather than lamely stealing the real article, Bond uses the event to better ends. Here Bond shows more initiative and insight than M in flushing out an important Soviet agent while keeping a useful double agent in place.

I guess this is as good a place to start as any when discussing the Bond books prior to Albert Broccoli's cinematic intrusion. The short stories are small glimpses into the life and mind of the original James Bond...his refined taste in food and drink...his appreciation of beautiful women...his knowledge of weapons and cars. If there has to be a wellknown actor to put a face on James, it is definitely the young Sean Connery. I believe the second actor to play Bond was George Lazenby, a male model who couldn't act, followed by Roger Moore, a foppish caricature of the real James Bond. I stopped watching subsequent "Bond" movies after the gadgets took over and the plot was shoved under the rug. That is why I prefer rereading the re-released novels. One can get a true sense of the many sides of James Bond, a Cold War Era hero who is cool under pressure, deadly, suave, and who also has some flaws. I think the best of the stories in OCTOPUSSY is "The Living Daylights." James is ordered to kill a top KGB sniper when he is sent to Berlin before the sniper can eliminate a British spy coming in from the cold. You can almost imagine Ian Fleming as he sat at his typewriter in Jamaica pecking away and smiling as he dreams up yet another dangerous mission for 007. And it all works without a single exploding car. The books are believeable and far more exciting.

Octopussy is an unusual Bond book, because it is only one of two collections of James Bond short stories (the other being For Your Eyes Only). It is also unusual for its depiction of Bond as a kinder, gentler spy.Bond is not actually the protagonist in "Octopussy," the book's namesake. The story is about Dexter Smythe, a retired Major in the British Royal Marines living in Jamaica. One day, his idyllic existence is interrupted by a polite, but mysterious man from the Ministry of Defense--James Bond. Smythe is under investigation for a crime he committed during his time stationed in post-war Germany. Bond is a quiet, but intimidating presence as Smythe tells a story from his past.The plot for "The Living Daylights" will be familiar to anyone who has seen the beginning of the film with the same name. Bond travels to Germany to protect another agent who is trying to escape from East Berlin. Intelligence reports indicate that a highly trained sniper will be sent to kill this agent as he makes a break for the border. Bond's job is simply to kill the assassin before the assassin can kill the agent. For two reasons, this story is the best of the stories and also a great story in general. It is an excellent work of suspense on par with any of the longer works. However, it is elevated above a simple suspense tale by a the exploration of Bond's sensitive side in which we witness him questioning the morality of his license to kill.Probably his most subtle case ever, "The Property of Lady" has Bond attending a Sotheby's auction of a Fabergé Egg to keep an eye on who places bids for the art object. The lady who offers the Egg for auction is a known double agent for Russia working inside Britain. The Egg is suspected of being a covert payment to this lady for her service to Russian intelligence. No killing. No explosions. Just the gentle movements of wealthy bidders.I haven't read the 4th story, as my copy of the book is the original paperback which did not include it.

Octopussy is a very good short story collection, though "For Your Eyes Only" was better, if you ask me. As Fleming proved in "FYEO", he can make a good story with little help from 007. The title story also proves this. In it, Bond makes little more than a cameo appearance. The main character is the power-hungry Dexter Smythe. His is obsessed with his pet octopus, which ends up causing his deliciously ironic demise. "The Living Daylights" is also very good. I like the ending to the story, but you already know what's going to happen if you've seen the first fifteen minutes of the "Living Daylights" movie. The book loses a star for "The Property of a Lady", which is dull. I advise a reader to just skip it. Despite one disappointing story, I enjoyed this book very much.