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You Only Live Twice (James Bond (Original Series)) Paperback – October 16, 2012

by Ian Fleming (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,108 ratings
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The tragic end to James Bond’s last mission―courtesy of Ernst Stavro Blofeld―has left 007 a broken man and of little use to the British Secret Service. At his wit’s end, M decides that the only way to snap his best agent out of his torpor is to send him on an impossible diplomatic mission to Japan. Bond’s contact there is the formidable Japanese spymaster Tiger Tanaka, who agrees to do business with the West if Bond will assassinate one of his enemies: a mysterious Swiss botanist named Dr. Guntram Shatterhand.

Shatterhand is not who he seems, however, and his impregnable fortress―known to the locals as the “Castle of Death”―is a gauntlet of traps no gaijin has ever penetrated. But through rigorous ninja training, and with some help from the beautiful and able Kissy Suzuki, Bond manages to gain access to Shatterhand’s lair. Inside lurks certain doom at the hands of 007’s bitterest foe―or a final chance to exact ultimate vengeance.

The text in this edition has been restored by the Fleming family company Ian Fleming Publications, to reflect the work as it was originally published.

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Previous page
  1. Book 12 of 14
    James Bond (Original Series)
  2. Print length
    233 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    October 16, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1612185568
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1612185569
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rich, wonderful stuff, Fleming at his flaming best.” ―New York Times

“Escapism in the grand manner.” ―Boston Globe

“Without further question, Bond now joins the knightly company of the storybook heroes.” ―New Republic

“England’s best export, a spice of adventure, a dash of patriotism, laced with sex, sadism, and expense account know-how.” ―Sunday Times

“Instructive and entertaining.” ―Cyril Connolly

“Bond is what every man would like to be, and what every woman would like to have between her sheets.” ―Raymond Chandler, Sunday Times

“Must rank among the best of the Bonds.” ―Bookman

“As damnably readable as ever.” ―Daily Herald

About the Author

Ian Fleming was born in London on May 28, 1908. He was educated at Eton College and later spent a formative period studying languages in Europe. His first job was with Reuters News Agency where a Moscow posting gave him firsthand experience with what would become his literary bête noire―the Soviet Union. During World War II he served as Assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence and played a key role in Allied espionage operations.

After the war he worked as foreign manager of the Sunday Times, a job that allowed him to spend two months each year in Jamaica. Here, in 1952, at his home “Goldeneye,” he wrote a book called Casino Royale―and James Bond was born. The first print run sold out within a month. For the next twelve years Fleming produced a novel a year featuring Special Agent 007, the most famous spy of the century. His travels, interests, and wartime experience lent authority to everything he wrote. Raymond Chandler described him as “the most forceful and driving writer of thrillers in England.” Sales soared when President Kennedy named the fifth title, From Russia With Love, one of his favorite books. The Bond novels have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide, boosted by the hugely successful film franchise that began in 1962 with the release of Dr. No.

He married Anne Rothermere in 1952. His story about a magical car, written in 1961 for their only son Caspar, went on to become the well-loved novel and film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Fleming died of heart failure on August 12, 1964, at the age of fifty-six.

Learn more about Ian Fleming at www.ianfleming.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer; Reprint edition (October 16, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 233 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1612185568
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1612185569
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,108 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.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,108 global ratings
Avoid The Photoplay You Only Live Twice. Read The Novel Instead.
5 Stars
Avoid The Photoplay You Only Live Twice. Read The Novel Instead.
This novel is the true sequel to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The latter was supposed to begin production after Thunderball. However, on account of problems securing the locations for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice was selected as the next instalment in the franchise.Roald Dahl discarded the plot of You Only Live Twice, inexplicably claiming it to be unfilmable as written, and only used a few minor elements from the booke. That illogical decision would cause several continuity errors with On Her Majesty's Secret Service.You Only Live Twice should have been filmed as written by Ian Fleming, since the shocking event at the conclusion of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is satisfactorily given a proper resolution within the boke. Diamonds Are Forever and For Your Eyes Only barely give lip service to the earth-shattering development, which is a bloody shame.I recommend this booke, and evade the photoplay made from it since the plot of said motion picture has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BOOK.'You Only Live Twice; once when you are born, and once when you look death in the face.'
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Top reviews from the United States

mrliteral
5.0 out of 5 stars This time, it's personal
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2008
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If you watched most James Bond movies, you'd hardly know that the British secret agent had ever been married to a woman named Tracy. He was, however, in both the book and the movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, though wedded bliss would be short indeed, thanks to Bond's greatest foe, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In the movies, Tracy is hardly referred to ever again (to my knowledge, only briefly in the prologue of "For Your Eyes Only". In the books, however, the death of Bond's true love is far more devastating.

In You Only Live Twice, Bond is not coping well with Tracy's death. Nine months later, he is still depressed and his work has declined considerably. Bond's boss, M, is on the brink of firing 007, but is convinced to take one last shot at redeeming his best employee. He sends Bond to Japan to try and convince Tiger Tanaka, the head of Japanese Intelligence, to share a valuable information source called Magic 44. Tanaka and Bond get along well enough, leading to a deal: Tanaka will share Magic 44 if Bond kills a nasty character named Shatterhand (who is beyond the reach of Japanese law).

Shatterhand has his own Garden of Death, an estate filled with lethal flora and fauna. Although he makes a show of trying to stop trespassers, in fact he is perfectly willing to let people in. In a culture which is very stressful and values honor above all (even life), Shatterhand's garden attracts the suicidal and even subtly encourages them. Tanaka wants Shatterhand stopped and believes a foreign agent is the best way to go. Bond, thinking primarily of Queen and Country, is willing to go along with the assassination, but he does have misgivings. Then he discovers Shatterhand's true identity is none other than Blofeld and all reluctance is gone.

You Only Live Twice is the final book in what I think of as the Blofeld trilogy, preceded by Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Although I think OHMSS is the strongest of the three, this is not far behind (if it suffers from anything, it's that Blofeld's scheme this time is less rational; then again, the master criminal may be going insane through syphilis). Compared to some volumes in the Bond series, this one has relatively limited action - at least before the conclusion - instead focusing more on Bond the person. We even get substantial biographical information on him. The penultimate Bond novel (by Ian Fleming) is best enjoyed when reading the other trilogy books first; for those who have read these earlier works, You Only Live Twice is a satisfying conclusion.
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Hendricks Book Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars …an intelligent and engaging Bond book.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023
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Book Review – James Bond, You Only Live Twice – Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming’s James Bond, "You Only Live Twice" is another excellent 007 novel. It opens with a depressed James Bond, mourning the loss of his wife at the end of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." He is given one last chance to prove his worth to M, which leads to him taking a job from the head of the Japanese Secret Service, a job to eliminate a mysterious Swiss scientist. This scientist has created a "Castle of Death," filled with poisons, and geysers in an opening in a volcano in the countryside of Japan. The story is one of revenge, set in a Japanese culture, extremely different from the one Bond comes from. Ian Fleming did an excellent job of describing Japanese culture. As usual, the book was much better than the film, and I loved the film. I'm reading all the Fleming Bond books that starred Sean Connery as James Bond in the films and I’ve enjoyed them all so far. This one is one of the best! As this novel makes up the final book in the ‘Blofeld trilogy,’ M sends Bond on a diplomatic, non-007 mission, without his Walther PPK, to Japan. The purpose, seemingly, is to shake Bond out of his shock after the murder of his wife by the SPECTRE criminal Blofeld, nine months earlier. Bond jumps at the mission, grateful to M, the mission M plays up as impossible. Bond travels to Japan and meets with one of the best Fleming characters, Tiger Tanaka, head of the Japanese Secret Service. Bond is indoctrinated into Japanese culture and given a Japanese identity. What began as a diplomatic mission ends up becoming a revenge quest for Bond. There is quite a bit of informative narrative here, perhaps more than other Fleming Bond novels, about interesting Japanese traditions and behaviors. Yet Fleming turns up the tension throughout the tale and tells a remarkable and thrilling Bond story. You Only Live Twice is an intelligent and engaging thriller that is written with energy and suspense. It is very enjoyable, and very engrossing. I enjoyed this read!
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skyfall
4.0 out of 5 stars Super!
Reviewed in France on April 23, 2022
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One of the best James Bond novel by Ian Fleming👌
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Tom
5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB
Reviewed in India on April 7, 2019
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Excellent plot..James Bond@ best.Nice packing also
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城太郎
5.0 out of 5 stars 陰鬱なストーリーだけに
Reviewed in Japan on February 16, 2018
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井上一夫の訳を思い出しながら本書を読むうちに、物語の世界に浸ってしまいました。
前作「女王陛下の００７」がイアン・フレミング原作の白眉だけに、その続編の本作は当然暗く、映画と異なってアクションの連続とはなりません。ラスト手前で気球につかまって漂流するジェームズ・ボンドの姿が本作、いやジェームズ・ボンドの物語すべてを象徴しているように思えるのです。映画でしか００７を知らない方は、この物悲しさについていけないかもしれません。しかし、このボンドがあったからこそ、挫折し再生する英雄として、ジェームズ・ボンドは今に残っていると言えるでしょう。
なおペーパーバックでは本書の表紙が気に入った方は急がれる方がいいでしょう。一番廉価です。米国アマゾンでは別の表紙のものしかありません。
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Louise Constantin
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good read
Reviewed in Canada on February 6, 2014
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I have always been a fan of James Bond movies but never took the time to read the books. But I must say that I enjoyed it very much. Loved the insights into the Japanese culture.
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Gregory S. Buzwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Slay it with Flowers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2012
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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 insane horticulturalist going by the name of Dr Shatterhand (nobody did names quite so well as Ian Fleming); it has a terrific heroine in the resourceful and fascinating Kissy Suzuki; it has two charasmatic allies in the form of Tiger Tanaka and Dikko Henderson and it has the exotic locations - the islands skirting mainland Japan with their mountains, beautiful flowers and clear blue seas. Unusually for a Bond novel, and for me this is what sets it apart and places it very near the summit of all the Bond books, it has a fascinating and surreal plot and a great deal of emotional depth.

At the beginning of the novel James Bond is suffering from depression, experiencing a nine-month stretch in which his world crumbles and the colour bleeds from his life. He is not sleeping, he is drinking too much and his work for M has gone to hell. M, sensing that something must be done, sends him to Japan on what is regarded as an impossible mission - not because he believes Bond has any chance of succeding, but merely to present him with a challenge so insurmountable that he is forced to face reality and thus hopefully emerge from his moribund, drink-addled stupor. In Japan Bond meets Tiger Tanaka, finds himself getting an insider view of the Japanese secret service, and becomes immersed in Japanese culture (Tiger sees Britain as old, crumbling and decadent - a fading power - while for Bond Japan is a land of cloying ritual and rigid - too rigid - discipline); in a discussion on information-sharing between the two powers a side-issue emerges, a tale of a mysterious 'Castle of Death' in a remote coastal region of Japan where suicides flock in vast numbers to do away with themselves. Bond takes up the challenge to investigate and put an end to the macabre castle, and its mysterious owner, Dr Shatterhand.

The idea of a 'garden of death', a region cultivated with toxic plants that weep poisonous sap, yield lethal seeds and exude a miasma of decay comes - I suspect - from Nathanial Hawthorne's short story 'Rappaccini's Daughter', in which Dr Rappaccini cultivates flowers that positively exhale a toxic scent. In Fleming's hands the garden becomes a surreal devil's playground in which Blofeld - who patrols the garden in a suit of Japanese medieval armour in order to protect himself from the plants - provides what he sees as a noble service (a means by which suicides can easily do away with themselves without inconveniencing others). The accounts of Bond making his way through the garden to reach Blofeld's castle, and the sinister games of cat and mouse that follow, are amongst the finest things Fleming ever put down on paper.

In conclusion You Only Live Twice is one of the finest Bond novels. You can keep your straight-forward megalomaniac plans for world domination - a personal battle between Bond and an insane genius inhabiting a noxious landscape of beautiful poisonous plants is way more fascinating. Superb, surreal, baffling, dazzling stuff! Recommended.
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