While
the first James Bond film, Dr. No,
was being filmed in Jamaica, Ian Fleming was nearby in his house Goldeneye
writing the 10th Bond novel, On
Her Majesty's Secret Service.
In
spite of — or because of — Fleming’s popular success, some condescending
critics took shots at him. Although he laughed the remarks off, they must have
smarted, and Fleming continually tried to develop his protagonist and refine
his writing. In OHMSS, for the first time, Bond reflects on childhood memories and
not only finds a woman he can love, but marries her.
Preceded
by Thunderball and followed by You Only Live Twice, this middle novel
in the Blofeld trilogy would establish Ernst Stavro Blofeld, SPECTRE’s founder,
as Bond’s archenemy.
Published
in April 1963, the book sold more than 60,000 copies in the first month. The
1969 film version stayed relatively true to the novel, featured one of John Barry’s best scores, and has subsequently acquired a reputation as one of the
best Bond movies.
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