You Only Live Twice

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE is a departure from the more familiar James Bond installments; in this one Fleming gives Bond a bit more character development. And no matter how dated the material, with its references to President Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cold War, the plot stands the test of time and never fails to deliver pure entertainment. Robert Whitfield carries the exact measure of British inflection while delivering the famous Bond "off-the-cuff" humor. He deftly transforms the precise narrative and dialogue into the distinctive characters of the Japanese Tiger Tanaka, the Aussie Dikko Henderson, and Bond's nemesis, the German Blofeld. Whitfield IS James Bond. M.F.D. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine


Legions of Ian Fleming fans who debate the comparative merits of different portrayers of James Bond have a new contender. Narrator Martin Jarvis is every bit as suave and forceful as any movie actor--better even than Sean Connery because he can play every character. Here, a depressed 007, emotionally undone by the murder of his wife, is sent to Japan to convince the chief of the Japanese secret service to ally himself with England. Jarvis's acting chops are on full display as Bond's mood gradually lifts and he alternately charms and battles an international cast, all of whom sound precisely as you hoped they would. This is pure entertainment, perfectly done. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine