The James Bond Bedside Companion

by Benson, Raymond

  I think I know why I gave myself so completely to this man, how I was capable of it with someone I had met only six hours before. Apart from the excitement of his looks, his authority, his maleness, he had come from nowhere, like the prince in the fairy tales, and he had saved me from the dragon. But for him, I would now be dead, after suffering God knows what before. He could have changed the wheel on his car and gone off, or, when danger came, he could have saved his own skin. But he had fought for my life as if it had been his own. And then, when the dragon was dead, he had taken me as his reward. In a few hours, I knew, he would be gone—without protestations of love, without apologies or excuses. And that would be the end of that—gone, finished.

  (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, Chapter 14)

  The other two characters in the story, Horror and Sluggsy, are sickening villains, but do not attain to the stature of a major Bond villain. They are merely second-rate professional killers, which in a way, makes them all the more believable in this sort of story. They are frightening, however, and Fleming has succeeded in creating a true sense of terror from their evil actions.

  HIGHLIGHTS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

  Fleming has managed to keep THE SPY WHO LOVED ME a continuation of the series, despite the first-person female perspective. There is even a mention of SPECTRE, and of the fact that all the allied nations are still looking for Ernst Stavro Blofeld since the completion of Operation Thunderball—a reminder to the reader that this novel is part of the Bond saga, and the search for Blofeld will continue in the next book, which is the second part of the Blofeld Trilogy.

  The most impressive scene in the book is the entrance of Bond. The story, by this time, has reached a peak of excitement: Horror and Sluggsy are just about to get down to the nitty gritty with Vivienne. Things look grim for the girl when the door buzzer suddenly rings. Vivienne answers it and sees a dark stranger outside. There is a sinister, dangerous quality about the stranger until he smiles and says he has had a "puncture." Vivienne is so relieved that the man is English and not a gangster, she almost embraces him immediately. But she retains her cool and, using discreet signals, lets Bond know what is happening. If this situation were in a film, the audience would surely applaud and cheer at this wonderful entrance of the hero. It is utterly romantic and works beautifully.

  As mentioned before, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME isn't for everyone. On the negative side are a few problems with the believability of the female perspective, as well as the soap opera story in the first half of the book. The positive aspects include its fast pace, the excitement and thrills of the final third (which contains the same ingredients of sex and violence found in the rest of the series), and the objective view of Bond, which is different and revealing. If the reader has any sort of romantic inclination, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME can be enjoyed as the most escapist fantasy of the series.

  ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1963)

  The second novel in what could be called the Blofeld Trilogy, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, is a James Bond story of epic proportions. It is one of the longest of the Bond novels, and contains two seemingly unrelated tales which finally converge at the book's end. One of these plotlines concerns Bond's pursuit of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE, since the organization's demise at the end of Operation Thunderball. The subplot is a love story involving the marriage of James Bond. How these two stories come together at the conclusion of the novel is tragic, and the otherwise fairly upbeat book ends on a sad, wistful note. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is immediately one of Ian Fleming's best novels, despite a couple of slow patches. As one reviewer at the time of publication put it, the book is "solid Fleming."

  The novel opens with a series of events chronicling the beginning of a romance between James Bond and Tracy di Vicenzo, a countess who is the daughter of Marc-Ange Draco. Draco is head of the Union Corse, a French equivalent of the Mafia. Marc-Ange offers Bond a sum of money if he will marry Tracy. Bond refuses, but agrees to continue seeing Tracy as "therapy" if Draco will tell him where Blofeld can be found. A useful lead comes from the College of Arms. Blofeld is attempting to prove that he is the Count de Bleuville, and has asked the college to authenticate his claim. Bond arranges to impersonate Sir Hilary Bray, a college emissary, and travels to Piz Gloria, Blofeld's headquarters in Switzerland, to be met by the count's personal secretary, Fraulein Irma Bunt. The count is doing research on allergies, and Bond meets the current patients: ten beautiful girls from different areas of England. As the days go by, Bond is mystified by Blofeld's intentions at Piz Gloria. After the count becomes suspicious of "Sir Hilary," 007 creates some makeshift ski clothes, steals a pair of skis, and makes a downhill escape from Piz Gloria. In the village below, he runs into none other than Tracy. Together, they escape in her car. In a moment of inspiration, Bond proposes to Tracy, and she happily accepts. Later, in London, it is surmised that Blofeld is attempting biological warfare against England. Apparently, the allergy patients are being brainwashed, then sent home to their families (who are all in the crop and/or livestock business), where they will unwittingly contaminate England's food supply with deadly chemicals. Bond then persuades Marc-Ange Draco to help him destroy Piz Gloria. Accompanied by a Union Corse helicopter team, they infiltrate Blofeld's headquarters and wire explosives. During the battle with the SPECTRE team, Bond locates Blofeld and chases him in a furious bobsled race down a dangerous chute. But Blofeld escapes by tossing a hand grenade in front of Bond's sleigh; but 007 is not hurt badly. Later, on New Year's Day, Tracy di Vicenzo becomes Mrs. James Bond. But the honeymoon is shattered by an explosion of gunfire. Bond glimpses Blofeld's face in the ambush car before he blacks out. He awakes in a highway patrolman's arms, turns, and sees that Tracy is dead.

  STYLE AND THEMES

  After the experimental THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, about which critics and fans were not overly enthusiastic, Fleming decided to return to his reliable, successful Bond formula. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is a straight thriller on the one hand, complete with all of the identifiable Fleming elements (the Fleming Sweep, the rich detail, a super villain, etc.); but on the other hand it is a special chapter in the James Bond saga. In ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, James Bond falls in love and marries. But, as in FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, the author pulls the rug from under his hero at the novel's end, and Bond's new bride is tragically killed.

  Most of the novel is taken up with Bond finally locating the hideout of Blofeld and infiltrating it by means of a peculiar cover: as an emissary from the College of Arms, to whom Blofeld grants permission to come to the hideout and prove that Blofeld is a count in the direct line of the de Bleuville clan. The Fleming Sweep in this part of the story moves with confidence and readability—the suspense builds gradually until the climactic ski escape, which stands as one of Fleming's most exciting passages. After an interlude, the story continues and builds to another climax culminating with the bobsled chase at the novel's end.

  ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is full of rises and falls in the action, which keep this sprawling narrative consistently interesting. There are only two sections that are unnecessarily detailed, interrupting the Fleming Sweep. This happens once when Bond visits the College of Arms and is forced to listen to the eccentric Griffon Or attempt to link Bond with Sir Thomas Bond of Bond Street. The second instance is at M's house, called Quarterdeck, where the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries reads a lengthy report concerning biological warfare. The journalistic aspects of both these sections are impressive, as are all Fleming's descriptions of technical data, but here they simply bog down the story.

  Kingsley Amis, as well as other critics, complained that the structure of this work is flawed because the two separate plotlines seem unrelated. Actually, the two plots do come together at the novel's end—Bond's new bride, Tracy, is murdered by Bond's archenemy, Blofeld. The circle is complete. And this is where the main theme of the novel is centered. The title, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, implies that Bond is totally under the jurisdiction
of his government; everything he does is, and always will be, in the line of duty. Does this also mean that his professional calling will affect his personal life, and if so, can he escape this? Apparently not, for Bond's personal and professional lives unfortunately come together at the end of the story, with tragic consequences. Therefore, Bond's marriage and subsequent life as a widower fall sadly under the same "powers that be" which control his professional life. Bond will always be, as long as he lives, "on her majesty's secret service."

  The gambling theme is ever present as well. The main action begins when Bond covers for Tracy at the chemin de fer table at Casino Royale in the opening chapters. Tracy, at this point in the story, is unhappy, foolish, and suicidal. She recklessly gambles and loses a good deal of money at the table; she then admits to not having the money to pay the debt. Bond, ever the gentleman, pays the debt in order to meet her. This is a gamble on Bond's part. This act of nobility is what begins the chain of events which leads Bond down two different paths through the girl Tracy—one path toward Blofeld, and the other toward marriage. Bond makes other risky gambles, especially once he has entered the Swiss Alps headquarters of SPECTRE. There, Bond is impersonating Sir Hilary Bray, and must be extremely careful not to let his cover slip. The entire deceit of masquerading as an emissary from the College of Arms is a tremendous risk; the cover, one must admit, is pretty flimsy. Bond takes additional chances such as stealing a plastic strip of ski binding and using it to deactivate the electronic lock on his door at Piz Gloria, and confiding in Ruby to gain an ally.

  CHARACTERS

  ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE contains major revelations about James Bond. At the beginning of the novel, Bond is unhappy. He has drafted a letter of resignation to M, which he plans to rewrite and dictate to his secretary in a couple of days. Bond is fed up with boredom, a malady Ian Fleming himself always hated. M has kept Bond in pursuit of Blofeld since the close of Operation Thunderball two years before. His adventure in Canada the previous year in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME apparently was related to the search for Blofeld as well. But once Blofeld's scent is finally uncovered, Bond regains his old energy and drive. Even then, it is quite apparent that Bond is ready for a change in his life. And that change comes about in the form of Tracy.

  ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE presents a James Bond in love. Ever since the death of Vesper Lynd in CASINO ROYALE, Bond has visited the resort in northern France, Royale-les-Eaux, annually:

  He had come a long way since then, dodged many bullets and much death and loved many girls, but there had been a drama and a poignancy about that particular adventure that every year drew him back to Royale and its casino and to the small granite cross in the little churchyard that simply said "Vesper Lynd. RAP."

  (OHMSS, Chapter 2)

  (It is interesting to note that ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE marks the ten-year anniversary of the James Bond novels—it is only fitting that Fleming should bring up memories of that first book.) It is apparent in the above passage that Bond is longing for an addition to his life, or he wouldn't return to the little gravestone every year. And it is no accident that Bond meets the woman he will marry in the same location as he met Vesper Lynd. Royale will always hold a special place in the life of James Bond.

  Bond is attracted to Tracy first by the way she drives her car—she passes him on the highway toward Royale. Bond loves fast cars, especially if they're driven by beautiful women. Next, Bond is intrigued by her looks, and by what the concierge at the hotel tells him. The woman driving the Lancia, it seems, is a "lady who lives life to the full." Finally, at the gambling table, Bond is impressed by the sheer guts of the woman. She gambles for big stakes and loses with no money to back her up. It is then, in speaking with Tracy, that Bond discovers she is a "bird with a wing, perhaps two wings, down." She tells him that she would always be able to pass Bond in a fast car because he wants to live. Apparently, she doesn't. To pay her debt to Bond, Tracy promptly takes him to her bedroom and the affair begins. Tracy's neurotic, suicidal tendencies only urge Bond to discover more about her. He spies on her the next day, following her to the beach. There, the couple is abducted by two men from the Union Corse, which happens to be run by Tracy's father, Marc-Ange Draco. Draco "kidnapped" Bond in order to bribe the Englishman into marrying Tracy because he believes it would make Tracy happy.

  Here, the love story is interrupted and the Blofeld story takes over until almost two-thirds into the book, when Bond miraculously runs into Tracy after his harrowing escape from Piz Gloria. Tracy is a new woman now; it is two months since Bond has seen her. Psychiatric treatment has been a success, and she is now happy and full of energy. Tracy helps Bond flee to safety and one thing leads to another. Over breakfast the next day, Bond comes to some surprising realizations:

  Bond suddenly thought, Hell! I'll never find another girl like this one. She's got everything I've ever looked for in a woman. She's beautiful, in bed and out. She's adventurous, brave, resourceful. She's exciting always. She seems to love me. She'd let me goon with my life. She's a lone girl, not cluttered up with friends, relations, belongings. Above all, she needs me. It'll be someone for me to look after. I'm fed up with all these untidy, casual affairs that leave me with a bad conscience. I wouldn't mind having children. I've got no social background into which she would or wouldn't fit. We're two of a pair, really. Why not make it for always?

  Bond found his voice saying those words that he had never said in his life before, never expected to say.

  "Tracy. I love you. Will you marry me?"

  She turned very pale. She looked at him wonderingly. Her lips trembled. "You mean that?"

  "Yes, I mean it. With all my heart."

  (OHMSS, Chapter 19)

  This is quite a burst of emotion from the cold and ruthless individual who appeared ten years previously in CASINO ROYALE!

  Bond has second thoughts while sleeping on the plane en route to London. He has a nightmare involving an elegant party at some kind of "grand townhouse." He and Tracy are dressed to a T—she loaded with jewels, he in tails. Tracy is chattering gaily and Bond wishes he were playing a game of bridge at Blades. Commander and Mrs. James Bond are announced as they enter the party, and a hush falls over the crowd. Bond awakes, sweating. He asks himself what he has done, but then realizes that he has just been having a nightmare. His marriage wouldn't be like that, he tells himself.

  Bond even begins to enjoy the actual planning of the wedding:

  . . . he was surprised to find that all this nest-building gave him a curious pleasure, a feeling that he had at last come to rest and that life would now be fuller, have more meaning, for having someone to share it with. Togetherness! What a curiously valid cliché it was!

  (OHMSS, Chapter 26)

  There is one moment when Bond realizes that he must come to grips with the fact that someone actually cares about him now; someone who cares if he is hurt, or is entering a dangerous situation. Bond now has someone else in his life to think about. When Tracy first sees Bond after the wrap-up of the Piz Gloria operation, she cries over his cuts and bruises. She chastises him because he "seems to think it doesn't matter to anyone."

  Bond reached out and pressed her hand on the wheel. He hated "scenes." But it was true what she said. He hadn't thought of her, only of the job. It never crossed his mind that anybody really cared about him. A shake of the head from his friends when he went, a few careful lines in the obituary columns of The Times, a momentary pang in a few girls' hearts. But now, in three days' time, he would no longer be alone. He would be a half of two people. There wouldn't only be May and Mary Goodnight who would tut-tut over him when he came back from some job as a hospital case. Now, if he got himself killed, there would be Tracy who would at any rate partially die with him.

  (OHMSS, Chapter 26)

  The wedding is a small affair, but Bond is extremely happy with it. As Tracy drives the Lancia away from the reception, Bond relaxes in the seat next to her as if a tremendous load has been tak
en from him. He tells her that all he wants is "to look after her." And when Tracy asks if she should try and lose the approaching red Maserati on their tail, he replies, "No. Let him go. We have all the time in the world." Unfortunately, these words are the last that Tracy will hear, for their dreams are shattered by the evil Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The bullets, probably meant for Bond, strike the driver of the Lancia, who happens to be Tracy. The Lancia crashes, and Bond comes to in the arms of a policeman. Bond puts up his defensive wall when he realizes what has happened; he refuses to admit she is dead:

  He pressed her against him. He looked up at the young man and smiled his reassurance.

  "It's all right," he said in a clear voice as if explaining something to a child. "It's quite all right. She's having a rest. We'll be going on soon. There's no hurry. You see"—Bond's head sank down against hers and he whispered into her hair—"you see, we've got all the time in the world."

  (OHMSS, Chapter 27)

  All of the cynical and melancholic trappings with which Fleming has endowed his hero have never equalled the power of this sad ending to a chapter in the life of James Bond.

  La Comtesse Teresa di Vicenzo, otherwise known as Tracy, is not one of Fleming's most successful heroines. She is harder to define as a character than Honeychile Rider, Domino Vitali, Tatiana Romanova, or Vivienne Michel. Perhaps it is this enigmatic quality that Bond falls in love with. At the beginning of the story she is quite neurotic. It seems any other woman acting this way would turn James Bond off; but not Tracy. Her dangerous but confident driving impresses him. Tracy has a "beautiful golden face" with blue eyes and "shocking" pink lips. Her golden hair reaches her shoulders. She possesses an "ice-cold will" and knows exactly what she wants. Tracy grew up in wealthy surroundings, since her father, a Corsican, is the head of the French Mafia. Her mother, Marc-Ange tells Bond, was English but extremely wild. Tracy inherited these wild qualities, and a volatile temperament. She has been married once before to Count Guilio di Vicenzo, but he left her with a daughter who died of spinal meningitis soon after. Since her daughter's death, Tracy has been in a deep depression. She is ready to end it all when James Bond suddenly walks into her life. After seeking psychiatric help, Tracy changes and becomes a happier, carefree individual. She is, in Bond's words, "brave and resourceful"—she certainly deserves the credit for helping Bond escape the clutches of Blofeld's men after the ski chase from Piz Gloria. Her skillful driving saves them both more than once in this sequence. Aside from all of this, not much more can be ascertained from what Fleming provides the reader about the woman James Bond marries. Instead, we see only how she affects Bond himself, which is perhaps more important anyway.