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For Your Eyes Only : Favourite Short Story Poll


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Poll: Favourite 'For Your Eyes Only' Short Story

Favourite 'For Your Eyes Only' Short Story

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#1 Byron

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Posted 19 May 2005 - 10:42 AM

For some reason the system will not allow me a start a poll so i was hoping a fellow club member could start a poll so that we can vote for our favourite short story within For Your Eyes Only.

#2 Qwerty

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Posted 19 May 2005 - 11:21 AM

Only CBn Team members can start polls. I'll create one...

#3 PrinceKamalKhan

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Posted 19 May 2005 - 11:55 AM

"From A View To A Kill". The was the first Ian Fleming short story I read. I was disappointed that so little, if any, of the actual story was used in either A View To A Kill or For Your Eyes Only. Hopefully, EON will place characters and events from the story in a future Bond film.

#4 Qwerty

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Posted 20 May 2005 - 01:25 AM

Mine is “The Hildebrand Rarity” I'd say.

#5 K1Bond007

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Posted 20 May 2005 - 01:31 AM

Quantum of Solace. It's different. It's what makes short stories worth reading. Not some quick adventure for whatever reasoning Fleming might have had (ex. making a television script, appeasing citizens of a city). It broadened the character. It made him human.

I can't really explain beyond that.

#6 Qwerty

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Posted 20 May 2005 - 01:44 AM

It's a great (far too unknown) story IMO.

#7 Byron

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Posted 23 May 2005 - 11:43 AM

For me this is a really tough choice between "Quantum of Solace" and the "Hildebrand Rarity".

I really enjoyed the "story within a story" concept of Quantum but also seriously enjoyed the Rarity for its Bond relaxing in the tropics, not your usual spy mission, more of a mystery feel.

I really cannot decide on this one. For the sake of voting i went with "Quantum".

#8 Qwerty

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 02:21 AM

Kind of surprised “Quantum Of Solace” is doing this well so far into the poll. Never knew it was favored by alot of the fans.

#9 Byron

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 11:01 AM

Kind of surprised “Quantum Of Solace” is doing this well so far into the poll. Never knew it was favored by alot of the fans.

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I find these polls fascinating. Like you said Qwerty its an insight into Bond fandom.

Haven't read the other group of short stories maybe when we finish reading Octopussy and the LD we should set up a poll of favourite Fleming short story. Or maybe do it sooner!

For now though i am getting ready to start on Thunderball. When will the Club officially start on TB?

#10 Qwerty

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 11:20 AM

Kind of surprised “Quantum Of Solace” is doing this well so far into the poll. Never knew it was favored by alot of the fans.

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I find these polls fascinating. Like you said Qwerty its an insight into Bond fandom.

Haven't read the other group of short stories maybe when we finish reading Octopussy and the LD we should set up a poll of favourite Fleming short story. Or maybe do it sooner!

For now though i am getting ready to start on Thunderball. When will the Club officially start on TB?

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We officially start at the beginning of June. Feel free to get a head start. :)

#11 Hitch

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 02:02 PM

I voted for Quantum of Solace, though For Your Eyes Only had me wavering. QoS turns the tables on Bond and exposes the emotional cruelty lying just below the surface of civilised man (and woman). In many ways it is a far more "adult" story than most of Fleming's oeuvre. It's not fantastical; it doesn't feature a far-fetched villain; there isn't an imminent threat to world peace; all we get is Bond enduring a fairly mundane evening until - please excuse the bathos - life bites him on the bum.

For Your Eyes Only has a lot going for it: two vivid set-pieces; Bond and M getting their hands dirty; Fleming relishing his command of technical details, and the great line, "Never send a man where you can send a bullet." I think QoS edges it over FYEO because the reader probably expects QoS to be a gritty tale about a secret agent fighting evil. We expect to read about martinis, girls and guns - it's the convention after all - which means the seemingly staid story is the most unconventional of all Bond tales.

The Hildebrand Rarity? Fantastic descriptions of marine life in all its forms: an extra point for a superbly macabre death.

From a View To a Kill - chiefly notable for Bond's musings on Paris, but still great fun.

Risico - I must read this again but, if memory serves, it felt like a by-the-numbers tale. I think it suffers from coming immediately after QoS in the collection and, as 007 himself says: "The prospect, which had previously interested, even excited him, was now edged with boredom and futility."

Fleming's two collections of short stories contain some of his best work. If you haven't read FYEO and Octopussy yet, give them a go.

#12 DLibrasnow

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 05:23 PM

I voted for [i]For Your Eyes Only[/]

#13 K1Bond007

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 06:30 PM

Kind of surprised “Quantum Of Solace” is doing this well so far into the poll. Never knew it was favored by alot of the fans.

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Heh.. and by alot of fans you mean 5 people out of 14 :)

#14 Qwerty

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Posted 24 May 2005 - 07:09 PM

Kind of surprised “Quantum Of Solace” is doing this well so far into the poll. Never knew it was favored by alot of the fans.

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Heh.. and by alot of fans you mean 5 people out of 14 :)

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I believe it had more of a lead earlier.

#15 James Connery

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Posted 27 May 2005 - 04:53 AM

Definently Quantum of Solace. I don't know, ust something there that I liked, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

#16 TortillaFactory

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Posted 13 August 2005 - 09:18 PM

To ressurect an old(ish) thread, even though I didn't read FYEO with the Club, I read it at about the same time.

I went with FAVTAK, which beat the competition by a mile merely because of the line about Bond losing his virginity in Paris. I giggled for hours - delicious stuff. I still maintain that nobody can turn a phrase like Fleming. It's a good story, too: Holmes-ish, shows a bit of Bond's human side, and rather compelling plotwise without being too fantastical.

QoS was interesting, and avant-garde, but it shouldn't be honored merely because of that. I actually found that it dragged a bit, and in the end I wasn't particularly surprised by or interested in the outcome.

THR was actually one of the first Bond stories I ever read, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time 'round. It's a bit odd at the end, though, with Bond almost seeming to be - what, afraid? Of the woman? Surely not. Didn't she deserve her revenge?

Risico was fun, but not particularly memorable - same with FYEO.

#17 dinovelvet

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Posted 13 August 2005 - 11:09 PM

I voted for The Hildebrand Rarity. I didn't know it was going to have anything to do with any of the movies, so I was intrigued when the name Milton Krest appeared. Krest was a good character because he wasn't the typical Bond super villain, he was just an :), basically. You could feel that Bond really wanted to reach out and throttle the bastard, but instead he got a wonderfully ironic death.
Didn't like FAVTAK too much, Risico was also a bit ho-hum. FYEO was decent, and I did find QoS more interesting than the others, but can't say its my favorite.

#18 So Play The Violins

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Posted 18 August 2005 - 06:30 PM

I enjoyed For Your Eyes Only and The Hildebrand Rarity the most. I suppose I'd choose THR because it put Bond in a situation much more different than he is usually part of, like FYEO. It was almost an embarassing moment for Bond.

#19 zencat

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Posted 18 August 2005 - 06:33 PM

The Hildebrand Rarity for me. Love that story.

#20 Michigansoftball#1

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Posted 18 August 2005 - 06:35 PM

From CBN's 'For Your Eyes Only" page:

In Bermuda
James Bond learns a
strange secret of
love and hate at an

Edited by Michigansoftball#1, 18 August 2005 - 06:35 PM.


#21 SHAPE

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Posted 17 October 2005 - 11:29 PM

I voted for 'From A View To A Kill,' and honestly, it has nothing to do with my handle. As a whole, FYEO is an unusually entertaining collection of stories.

'Risico,' is rather weel put together. Quite brief, yet Kristatos and Columbo are well-fleshed out. The cat-and-mouse game is about as subtle as a chainsaw, but well crafted. The quick ending detracts from the story though -- it feels rushed, anti-climatic, almost tacked on.

'Quantum of Solace' has been pretty well covered. The Governor knocks a bit of Bond's (relatively) youthful arrogance out of him. Fleming's description of Bond's reinvigorated, reoriented perspective adds a human layer to an otherwise cold and cruel man. It demystifies him a tad -- Bond is placed in a passive role, listening to a rather pedestrian story of love, betrayal and revenge, and he finds himself transformed to a degree.

FAVTAK got my vote, not because it is the 'best' story in terms of a literary effort, but simply because I find it to be a fun read, full of Bondian touches. The story itself moves at a brisk pace, is very effectively self-contained, yet manages to treat Bond as a full, rounded, character. For example, Bond's boredom, ruminations and memories in Paris. Bond's interest in Mary Ann Russel is very human and mundane -- "there were bits of her in the glove compartment...Suchard milk chocolates, a twist of paper containing bobby pins..."

The plot to snatch intelligence papers is well conceived and developed in a short bit of time. Finally comes a great moment where Bond laments he is about to die for showing mercy! A fun, quickly paced, well developed little story.

#22 Gobi-1

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Posted 08 May 2006 - 03:09 AM

Voted for Quantum of Solace which I feel is the best short story I've ever read. I really like that it's a story about human nature and how even a nice guy can become cruel if he's treated badly or betrayed. I would love to see the QoS appear as the backstory for a Bond villain in a future film.

In my own life I enjoy hearing stories told by older relatives or the old men in the barber shop. I like listening so QoS appeals to me.

#23 MarcAngeDraco

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Posted 08 May 2006 - 03:32 PM

It's been quite a while since I read the FYEO collection, and all of the positive reviews for QoS are making me think it's to read these stories again...

#24 Genrewriter

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Posted 08 May 2006 - 03:53 PM

The Hildebrand Rarity for me. Love that story.


Same here, it's quite brilliant.

#25 manfromjapan

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Posted 06 June 2006 - 12:50 PM

Quantum of Solace for me too. Extraordinarily written, one sees Bond in a different light and a unique entry in the canon. For Your Eyes Only was exciting and has great action and that awesome scene with M. Risico and The Hildebrand Rarity were fun too, but the latter ends up rather trivial for me, despite great writing and the excellent Krest character. From a View to a Kill was a good read, but pretty unmemorable.

#26 Matt_13

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Posted 23 June 2006 - 12:52 AM

All of the stories (imo) are terrific but I still have my favorites. For me, From a View to a Kill is the best piece in there. It's a very interesting affair in France and for some reason it captured my imagination more than the other three stories. The story really shows Bond's extraordinary detective skills and his ability to pick out "the invisible factor" very well.
FYEO is interesting too, especially the exciting finale, but I don't particularly care for Bond in Canada, bores me. FAVTAK gets my vote.

Matt

Edited by Matt_13, 23 June 2006 - 12:59 AM.


#27 Double-O Eleven

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Posted 20 September 2006 - 05:22 AM

"For Your Eyes Only" is my favorite story in the collection, but "The Hildebrand Rarity" comes in a close second. "For Your Eyes Only" is not only a superb action-adventure story, it also tells a great deal about how Bond views his his role as Her Majesty's assassin--or, in this case, M's personal assassin:

There were no doubts in Bond's mind. He didn't know the Havelocks or care who they were. Hammerstein had operated the law of the jungle on two defenseless old people. Since no other law was available, the law of the jungle should be visited upon Hammerstein. In no other way could justice be done. If it was revenge, it was the revenge of the community.

Bond then delivers one of the best lines ever to come from his mouth:

"These people can't be hung, sir. But they ought to be killed."

Terrific stuff. We learn a lot about M in the story as well, and Judy Havelock is a fiery character who would have been wonderful in a full-length novel. In general, the pacing and story are perfect for the novelette size, and show Fleming working with the format structure perfectly.

"The Hildebrand Rarity" lets Fleming show off two of his greatest writing skills: the underwater world, and the portraiture of a digusting villain. Perhaps we don't think of Milton Krest immediately as a "villain"; he isn't an Auric Goldfinger or a Hugo Drax...or even a lesser adversary like Seraffimo Spang. But he's absolutely grotesque and despicable in Fleming's hands and seen through Bond's eyes. Many of us can remember meeting someone like him in real life, something we can't say about Doctor No! (At least, I hope not.) The "massacre" Krest commits on the sea life in order to get the fish of the title is described with all the emotion of watching humans get mowed down in cold blood. It seems strange that Fleming would cast any suspicion on Fidele concerning Krest's death, since it is clearly Liz who is guilty. Fidele just hasn't been given much reason up until the very end to do Krest in, so Fleming's late addition of this seems artificial. That's my only complaint about this excellent story that puts Bond up against a human drama that plays out to its violent end before his eyes and against the backdrop of the tropical world the author loved so much.

"Quantum of Solace" comes across as the parlor room version of "The Hildebrand Rarity," as Bond learns about another marriage that changed into deep loathing and eventual recrimination. It's an intersting piece, although one I do not enjoy as much as other people have; I think the shadow cast by the "The Hildebrand Rarity" is a hard one for "Quantum of Solace" to escape. The most intriguing aspect of the story for me is seeing Bond confront the 'normal' world, and realize that sometimes it is more intersting than the supposedly thrilling world of the spy. Fleming tells Bond, and us, that everyone has deep within them some incredible tale--and the surface will rarely indicate it. Don't judge a book by its cover, or a dinner guest by their dull patter.

I can never muster much enthusiasm for either "Risico" or "From a View to a Kill." They provide action and a bit of intrigue, but neither is very memorable or contains any gripping scene that stays with me afterwards. I can see these tales as examples of the more basic assignments that Bond goes on when not getting launched into a novel-worthy adventure. "Risico" is just too dense, and should have been expanded into a novella, since the Kristatos-Colombo conflict could have been worked into something quite operatic. "From a View to a Kill" does tell us how Bond lost his virginity, but other than that I find it only passable.

Edited by Double-O Eleven, 20 September 2006 - 04:17 PM.


#28 Qwerty

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 03:59 AM

"Risico" is just too dense, and should have been expanded into a novella, since the Kristatos-Colombo conflict could have been worked into something quite operatic.


A great point. I would have liked to see what would have resulted had Fleming pursued this battle between Kristatos and Columbo even further.

#29 bond_girl_double07

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 05:11 PM

Does anybody else feel like all of the short stories start to run together after a while? I'm sure I'll remember plots when I get back into them, but I can't remember which is which by the title alone.. time to do a little rereading I think..

#30 Double-O Eleven

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Posted 21 September 2006 - 10:57 PM

Does anybody else feel like all of the short stories start to run together after a while?

I've never had much trouble differentiating them (of course, I did just re-read them :) )

For me, the stories break into two groups, make them easier to separate in my mind:

Secret Service Adventures
"From a View to a Kill"
"For Your Eyes Only"
"Risico"

All three were originally ideas for a TV series and appeared in the collection for the first time.

Experimental Stories: Bond's POV on Two Hurtful Marriages
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Hildebrand Rarity"

Both were published first in magazine form shortly before the collection was published.

Edited by Double-O Eleven, 21 September 2006 - 10:58 PM.