Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
From Russia with Love (with interview)
- Narrated by: Toby Stephens
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
From Russia with Love (with interview)
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
James Bond is targeted for elimination by SMERSH, and the malevolent Colonel Rosa Klebb has set a trap in Istanbul. The bait is the Spektor decoding machine, which is to be delivered by the irresistible Tatiana Romanova. The assassin is Red Grant, a psychopath who has defected from the West. Bond and Tatiana become pawns in a game of cross and double-cross that reaches its deadly finale on the Orient Express.
Includes an exclusive bonus interview with Toby Stephens.
Ian Fleming was born in London in 1908. He was educated at Eton and worked as a journalist in Moscow and a banker and stockbroker in London before becoming personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during the Second World War. He wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1952 at Goldeneye, his home in Jamaica. Since then James Bond has gone on to become a global phenomenon.
Toby Stephens’ expansive list of credits in film, theatre and television have earned him critical acclaim as a stage and screen actor of distinction. He will soon reprise his role as Captain Flint in the second season of Starz’s drama Black Sails, and recently starred in the critically acclaimed Private Lives at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End. Other theatre credits include Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing at London’s Old Vic Theatre and Ibsen’s Doll’s House at the Donmar Warehouse. On film he played Gustav Graves in the James Bond movie Die Another Day.
Critic reviews
"Mr. Fleming is in a class by himself." ( Daily Mail)
"Mr. Fleming…has never concocted a richer brew." ( New Yorker)
"Fleming is intensely observant, acutely literate and can turn a cliché into a silk purse with astute alchemy." ( New York Herald Tribune)
"Fleming’s tautest, most exciting and most brilliant tale." ( Times Literary Supplement)
More from the same
What listeners say about From Russia with Love (with interview)
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roly
- 18-04-17
A Treat
For Bond lovers this and particularly for the uninitiated this is a treat. Swashbuckling tale of "derring do" with great streaks of humanity and adventure., albeit a little dated. Vivid characterization both written and very plausibly narrated; which must have been good fun. Unmitigated recommendation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark Sanders
- 14-02-19
Fantastic!
An extremely well read and, of course, well written book! I love the Bond films and so have enjoyed having more detail and also finding out the original story lines from the books. So far this is my favourite one yet!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 01-06-23
Superb, very enjoyable
It’s a long time since I’ve seen from Russia with love so it was good to hear the story again. The narration is excellent and the book, IMO, has a lot more depth to the story than the film does.
Well worth a listen. Thoroughly enjoyable
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pocket Money Paul
- 31-07-15
A much slower Fleming
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend it because it is a very good story with a extremely gripping finale and the Toby Stephens narration is amazing.
What other book might you compare From Russia with Love (with interview) to, and why?
I would, obviously, compare it to the other Fleming books I've read/listened to so far. It is slower-paced than 'Casino Royale' and 'Moonraker' (it builds towards the finale very slowly) and it is quite similar to 'Diamonds Are Forever' and 'Live And Let Die' pace-wise but the characters are much stronger than DAF and there are a lot more action set pieces in LALD.
What about Toby Stephens’s performance did you like?
Everything. I thought Bill Nighy was unmatchably incredible in 'Moonraker' but Toby Stephens was just as good here. So much passion went into it. Really brought the characters to life, even with all the russian accents etc.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The finale was incredibly moving and action-packed. I can't believe it ended the way it did though!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andy
- 16-11-20
Quite brilliant
Toby Stephens does a fantastic job of bringing this brilliant story to life. The characters are engaging and the plot is tense. Was very low on my list of favourite Bond films, but this is a great listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr V
- 09-07-14
Great back story from Fleming, not in the movie
If you could sum up From Russia with Love (with interview) in three words, what would they be?
Classic bygone age
Who was your favorite character and why?
Bond, naturally. Such a stark contrast to the bad guys and, in particular, Grant. A really affectionate portrayal of Kerim Bey, more so than the movie.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
The Orient Express featuring more substantially than in the movie.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The death of Kerim.
Any additional comments?
What I found amazing was that Bond doesn't feature for the first 11 chapters. The back story of Grant and the Russians was really fascinating and makes a lot more sense than the movie. I watched the movie after I listened to the book and it is still difficult to follow the movie at various points owing to the introduction of SPECTRE for the movie. Read the original. Enjoy the Orient Express featuring more centrally.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Craig
- 11-04-13
Another Excellent Toby Stephens Reading
Toby Stephens is an excellent reader and makes for very enjoyable listening. I chose this title based on previously enjoying another title read by Toby, an excellent voice actor.
This is a classic Bond story and i've seen the film adaptation many times. The ending in the book is considerably stronger than in the film, or in any other Bond books i've read so far.
I've since found out this was due to some considerations on the part of Ian Fleming at the time, but without wishing to spoil anything for potential readers i won't risk revealing any more of an excellent plot!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nathan
- 24-08-20
Brilliant book
I loved this book. So much more gritty than the films. I bought for £3 in the sale, would happily have spent a credit.
James Bond is a little too fallible towards women, in which the Frederick Forsyth books are so much better, with amazing narration.
Great narrator, and a wonderful introduction to the mechanics of espionage.
I will be buying another, once I've listened to a Frederick Forsyth, who I've rated all round 5's.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ASHISH SINHA
- 18-04-22
much Better than the movie
Hearing this book with the current events was surreal. Has the world really changed that much ?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stuart A. McIntosh
- 31-05-21
Reminiscent of the film
This was the first book in the series that had scenes reminiscent of the subsequent film of the same title. It is one of my favourite Bond films because of those scenes, so I was delighted to read the details that Fleming had intended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!