On Her Majesty's Secret Service

OHMSS see Bond pitted once again against the formidable Blofeld, who has reappeared atop a Swiss Alp running some kind of allergy research clinic and styling himself as the Comte de Bleuville.

But before tackling Blofeld Fleming gives us what amount to a five chapter prologue wherein Bond saves a girl called Tracy from committing suicide, and also from the clutches of some unscrupulous villains over an unpaid gambling debt. This sets up a meeting between Bond and the girl's father, Marc-Ange, head of the Union Corse crime syndicate, which will prove to be of great use to Bond later in the story. Because Bond becomes human and falls in love! Yes, Fleming gives his automaton killing machine feelings and an interior monologue for once and that is what makes this quite possibly the best of the Bond novels.

So, back to Blofeld. Bond goes undercover as Sir Hilary Bray, of the Royal College of Arms, under the pretence of confirming the claim to the title “Comte de Bleuville”. Ensconced atop the mountain retreat, Bond plays to Blofeld's snobbery and vanity while trying to find out what the hell his old foe is up to. For there are 10 gorgeous girls from England and Ireland all there for some kind of hypnotic therapy to cure their allergies. But the presence of the kind of British thugs SPECTRE used to employ makes Bond more suspicious, and the matronly Irma Bunt keeps the girls under a tight leash. This, of course, doesn't stop our hero from getting his end away, all in the line of duty you understand!

The action gathers pace and the final third of the novel is all about hairy escapes, and an all out assault, with the aid of the Union Corse, on Blofeld's hideaway. It's all quite spectacular and very well done. Fleming even tries to give Bond a happy ending, but tragedy is never far away from Bond and, with Blofeld escaping his clutches once more, 007 can never rest easy.

OHMSS is up there as one of Fleming's best.

Short Review: I enjoyed the Bond movies as a kid (and still do mostly enjoy the new ones). But the cartoonish villians of the old movies bug me. So I was annoyed by this movie when I caught part of it on TV a while back. But as a book the plot seems more reasonable and of the original Bond books I think I rank it highest of those I have read.


My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/majestys-secret-service/

You Have All The Time in The World

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. It was first published in 1963. It is the second book in what is known as the “Blofeld trilogy”. This begins with Thunderball and concludes with You Only Live Twice. Fleming wrote the book in Jamaica whilst the first film in the Eon Productions series of films, Dr. No, was being filmed nearby.

After The Spy Who Loved Me' ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is a return to form. In some ways it is a typical Fleming book. The plot is over the top and the story is exciting. Bond is in danger throughout. We also get the customary large scale battle at the end. This is all interspersed with action and pace, for example Bond's frenetic ski chase. But in other ways Fleming departs from his normal blueprint as he shows an emotional side to Bond. Bond visits the grave of Casino Royale's Vesper Lynd, which he apparently does every year. He also asks the enigmatic Tracy to marry him after becoming emotionally involved. Both Bond and Tracey appear to be isolated people who both want more security in life.

Fleming is also great at the descriptive passages too. The scenes on the beach or in the Alps are well depicted and expressed in a way without breaking up a flow in the narrative. Fleming does insist on protracted explanations of card games and alpine sports.

In summary, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a notable chapter in the saga of James Bond. It pits Bond against his arch nemesis Blofeld's and is one of the better books. The mingling of Bond's personal life into the tale elevates this book higher than most in the series and this keeps the reader gripped until the end.

June 2016 Edit
The BBC Radio audio version it definitely worth listening to. Read by ex-Bond girl Joanna Lumley.