History Literature / FromRussiaWithLove

* CrapsackWorld: Fleming spends ''ten chapters'' outlining how much life in Soviet Russia sucks, and how only the most depraved of sociopaths actually like working in its intelligence community.

* TheDreaded: Various stories surround Rosa Klebb's status as a TortureTechnician in the building she works. People feel much safer when she is in her office.

* DatePeepers: ''Much'' more sinister than the usual version. [[spoiler:Every moment of Bond's bedding of Tatiana is photographed by SMERSH agents who intend to use the photos as part of a murder-suicide framejob.]]

* ShoePhone: Arguably the genesis of all the wacky gadgets that [[Film/JamesBond the movies]] would become famous for. Bond's travel-bag has been gimmicked to the teeth, while Red Grant makes do with a .25 Caliber ''War and Peace''. Oh, and Rosa Klebb has a ''machine gun'' built into her phone.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: MI6's people in Turkey aren't shy about throwing money around to get intel, and SMERSH pretty much operates the same way with people they can't afford to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness liquidate]]. Though it's notably [[BribeBackfire subverted]] when one Soviet official tries to bribe police on the Orient Express.

* BondVillainStupidity: In the crucial moment of Kronsteen's carefully laid plan, [[spoiler:the assassin "Red" Grant - an Irishman who joined the Soviets - makes the fatal mistake of engaging in prolonged crowing, boasting and gloating instead of just going ahead with his assigned task of killing Bond. This allows Bond the chance to improvise a desperate last-moment plan which works, enabling him to kill Donovan and use the information which Grant carelessly revealed in order to catch the senior Soviet operative Rosa Klebb]].

* BondVillainStupidity: In the crucial moment of Kronsteen's carefully laid plan, [[spoiler:the assassin "Red" Grant - an Irishman who hates the English - makes the fatal mistake of engaging in prolonged crowing, boasting and gloating instead of just going ahead with his assigned task of killing Bond. This allows Bond the chance to improvise a desperate last-moment plan which works, enabling him to kill Donovan and use the information which Grant carelessly revealed in order to catch the senior Soviet operative Rosa Klebb]].

* BondVillainStupidity: In the crucial moment of Kronsteen's carefully laid plan, [[spoiler:the assassin "Red" Donovan - an Irishman who hates the English - makes the fatal mistake of engaging in prolonged crowing, boasting and gloating instead of just going ahead with his assigned task of killing Bond. This allows Bond the chance to improvise a desperate last-moment plan which works, enabling him to kill Donovan and use the information which Donovan carelessly revealed in order to catch the senior Soviet operative Rosa Klebb]].

The novel got made into the second ''Film/JamesBond'' [[Film/FromRussiaWithLove film]].

!!This novel has the examples of:

* BigBad: Rosa Klebb with General G as the BiggerBad.

** Despite being a MrFanservice, the masseuse has this reaction to Grant and is repulsed rather than attracted to him.
** When Bond meets Grant posing as a British gentleman agent, he can't help noticing there's something off about him, but [[ItsProbablyNothing puts this down]] to Grant being a ShellShockedVeteran from World War 2.

** When Bond meets Grant posing as a British gentleman agent, he can't help noticing there's something off about him, but [[ItsProbablyNothing puts this down]] to Grant being a ShellShockedSenior from WW2.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Justified, as the point isn't just to kill Bond, but to create a scandal that will discredit and demoralise British Intelligence.

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Bond is poisoned before any consummation can occur between him and Tatiana.

%%* PsychoLesbian: Rosa Klebb.
* ReadingTheEnemysMail: Bond must collect a Soviet defector from Turkey, who is bringing a cipher machine with her. He has to start a fire in the embassy to cover up the theft.

%%* BrokenBird: Tatiana.
* CelebrityResemblance: Tatiana's resemblance to Creator/GretaGarbo is commented on by several characters. Incidentally, Bond (likened to Hoagy Carmichael on more than one occasion) has this to say about telling someone he looks like a movie star:

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Fleming claims that SMERSH was a Soviet intelligence operation, derived from the Russian "Smert' Sphionam", or "Death to Spies." To this extent, he's telling the truth. He, however, goes on to state that SMERSH was still a functioning department of the Soviet intelligence apparatus and gives the agency's address. [[labelnote:In reality...]]SMERSH was an ad-hoc formation within the NKVD that was active from around 1943 until 1946 and concerned itself with internal policing, including the arrest or killing of deserters and ferreting out spies inside Soviet-controlled territory. After WorldWarTwo it was quietly disbanded, and at any rate probably operated out of The Lubiyanka as did the rest of the NKVD.[[/labelnote]]

[[quoteright:315:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/from_russia_with_love_book_cover.jpg]]

* ThisIsReality: When he's finally got Bond cornered, Red Grant warns Bond that "no Literature/BulldogDrummond" stuff will save him. A very meta comment, since the Drummond stories were perhaps ''the'' biggest literary influence on Bond.

* ThisIsReality: When he's finally god Bond cornered, Red Grant warns Bond that "no Literature/BulldogDrummond'' stuff will save him. A very meta comment, since the Drummond stories were perhaps ''the'' biggest literary influence on Bond.