Blowing hot and cold? - Your views and reviews of John Gardner's SeaFire (1994)

Dragonpol

I'd really like to hear your collective views here about John Gardner's SeaFire (1994). It features Bond settling down with Flicka von Grusse (from the previous year's Never Send Flowers). The plot is also rather convoluted (Sir Max Tarn wants to become the new Fuhrer of a new Fourth Reich in the newly (1990) reunified Germany (making this plot neo-Nazi plot element rather absurd, even for a Bond novel, IMHO) and create a giant oil spill and clean it up - not sure if I can remember how these two remote plans are related, though, if at all?

SeaFire is controversial for the inclusion of the MicroGlobe One department taking over M's department at SIS (it also features in Cold/Cold Fall) and a lot of readers really disliked this change in the last two books - but change was in the air from the end of Never Send Flowers onwards. It was a plot device to get a mole on the Board (shades of Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal here?) and is used by Gardner as a plot device to smooth over the transition between the old M and the new female M in the film series. The old M from the Fleming novels was rather put out to grass from SeaFire on (he was ill and in old age) and was replaced by the new female M from the film GoldenEye onwards, although he later reappeared in the new works by Faulks, Deaver and (in 2013) William Boyd. He also reappeared in his retirement at Quarterdeck in The Facts of Death (1998) by Raymond Benson.

I've already written one article on the novel which can be found on my The Bondologist Blog:

http://commanderbond...e-in-ww-ii.html

http://thebondologis...defence-of.html


I have ideas for a few other articles on this novel up my sleeve which will appear on my The Bondologist Blog in due course.

In the meantime, I'd really love to hear your views on John Gardner's SeaFire.

I really appreciate all of your views, as always.

Dragonpol

Anyone?

Thunderpussy

On first reading SeaFire, I honestly thought I missed a chapter out. As Life with Flicka von Grusse
Seemed to have been forgotten about. ( Until much later in the Book ). The return of the Nazi's
Is always an easy plot device , Which Gardner had already used in Icebreaker, and is great
Shorthand for a bunch of evil dudes.
To be fair I rather enjoyed SeaFire, loved the trip to the German lawyer's office and the
Rally at Tarn's old family home. The final attack is good but a little hurried, with some characters
Getting a very rushed ending.

PropertyOfALady

I really must read the continuation novels.

Dragonpol

PropertyOfALady wrote: »

I really must read the continuation novels.

Yes, I think you would like them very much.