Book 1 of The Ian Fleming Files Series:
by: Damian Stevenson
Narrated by: Wayne Farrell
Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
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| Author Damian Stevenson |
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| Narrator, Wayne Farrell |
Just when you think a narrator surely can't outshine their last narration they surprise you like a lighting bolt with an even more heart stopping narration. Wayne Farrell has superseded himself with one of his greatest narrations to date. Ian Flemming would have been pleased, I know I am. I especially appreciated the slightly mystical tone he sets at the beginning of the book, and then with the slightest breathlessness when the mood changes and says " shattered the cathedral silence" ... then he smoothly picks up the crescendo to build to the faster pace for the arrival of Ian Flemming. Wayne Farrell always delivers exactly the right tone for the emotional content and excitement of the story. Excellent accents, outstanding French and German and his female voices were nice. The narration was so well done that you just hold onto the life raft and follow Farrell as he takes you on the undeniably greatest trip you'll go on in your lifetime. He brings the story to life in unimaginable ways.
Fans of Ian Fleming will really love this book, ripe with action, a generous amount of beautiful women, and enough exploits to keep them rapt for six hours. With the expected amount of lavish eating, drinking, and sexual delights, Ian Flemming manages to survive the the unimaginable and come out on top as a victor. Just when you think he's sure to get killed, like a magician he pulls a rabbit out of the hat and with some amazing maneuver he survives, putting even superman to shame. Women adore him, men admire or envy him and he is a hero in truest sense of the word.
Operation Armanda is a James Bond style story but from the Ian Flemming authors view. You can quickly research the life of Ian Flemming and how he developed the James Bond Series. The bones of the story are Flemming has to reach a French fleet of ships to negotiate an offer to Admiral Darlan. to buy them before France is invaded by Germany. The British do not want Darlan to sell them or have them taken from him by the Nazi's.
The challenge is getting Flemming into France during the German invasion to meet the commander of the fleet. Finally he is parachuted to a drop point in the Pyrenees, along with the radio operator. A storm nearly prevents them from jumping but of course in James Bond fashion, they go ahead and jump knowing it's risky. Flemming is almost sucked into the propellers but he manages to locate his hidden knife and cuts some lines and frees himself letting him land, alas, fifty miles away from the drop point. He locates his directions via a card and a compass and runs, yes, after nearly being killed in the propellers, hit by debris and heat and god knows what, nearly having the strong winds blow him off the edge of a precipice he still can run fifty miles.
Let me just say in order to enjoy it that you must keep in mind this is fiction, a novel. Set aside
your knowledge of WW 2 facts and think of some of it as steampunkish. Otherwise you will be unhappy with the story. It is an action packed adventure of a secret agent. Doing all the things we've come to think secret agents do. It is a mixture of fact and fantasy, Wayne Farrells narration actually is so wonderful that he makes you suspend disbelief so just follow along for the ride and enjoy it. Not being a spy enthusiast I do enjoy WW 2 history very much, I still enjoyed the book for what it is. I am not sure reading the story would have been as much fun or as interesting as listening to Mr. Farrell.
