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John Gardner Reprints Coming 2011

MooreMoore
edited March 2011 in Literary 007 Posts: 114
Pegasus books, the same company that released Raymond Benson's works are reissuing the John Gardner Bond novels in late 2011! Exciting news for us Gardner fans. Raymond Benson is writing introduction for Licence Renewed, with intros also from Gardner's son and Otto Penzler.

http://www.amazon.com/James-Bond-License-Renewed-Novel/dp/1605981931
http://www.amazon.com/James-Bond-Special-Services-Novel/dp/160598194X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300838275&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/James-Bond-Icebreaker-Novel-007/dp/1605981958/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300838275&sr=1-2
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Comments

  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    not a fan of the cover art - but that is the artist in me.. a cover is only a cover after all...

    but this is a long time coming... i have most of the Fleming reprints, and I have a handful of the Gardner books (original releases that i have randomly found over the years).. and i would love to put these reissues right next to my Fleming reissues - should look nice having them all together..
  • ChuckChuck
    Posts: 212
    Not a fan of the cover art either, although the art for License Renewed isn't too bad, but it's great to see the novels getting a re-release.
  • Mr_SterlingMr_Sterling
    Posts: 99
    Are these books any good? I've always veered away from non-fleming bonds, especially after that awful Devil May Care or Cry or whatever is was lol.

    I notice this is the american market also, i wonder if they'll get a reprint over here in blighty
  • Agent005Agent005
    Posts: 562
    I quite like the cover art. It's got that classic pulp thriller look. I'm excited to see these on shelves. It'll certainly beat searching for beat-up copies in secondhand book shops.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    Hope they do publish them in the UK, I bought all the paperbacks first time round and they are beginning to get a little worn now. As far as the quality of Gardner's writing goes I would say they vary greatly, his first books from Licence Renewed to No Deals Mr Bond tend to be better reads than his later work but certinally none of them come close to Fleming's originals. Even so they are well worth reading if your any sort of Bond fan (and I'm guessing we all are).
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    @agent005

    The cover art isn't awful... but IMO, it pales to the cover art from these Fleming reissues..

    Photobucket

    the art on the cover of the Gardner ones are almost cartoon like - which again, isn't bad.... well, except for Icebreaker - i nearly wet myself when i first saw it.. lol... something simple and classy would work just fine...
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Although I find it tempting sometimes, I have to boldly admit that I may never want to read any of the non-Fleming titles. I have read some of the novelisations - GE being one of those - but I didn't particularly like them. Hate to say this but reading a non-Fleming title when you're used to Fleming's writings feels like drinking a glass of sour milk when you're used to the best wine in the world.
  • The_Man_From_UNIVEXThe_Man_From_UNIVEX
    edited March 2011 Posts: 22
    That is great news! I am a big fan of the Gardner books (at least the few ones I have managed to find and read) and I will definitely be buying these!
    I hope the cover art isn't final though.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I do like the Gardner books, especially Licence Renewed, For Special Services & Icebreaker. While i'm not keen on the cover art, it's nice to see them reprinted and i'll pick them up, if they're published here.
  • Gaz1961Gaz1961
    Posts: 117
    The covers are just revolting.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    The John Gardner books are brilliant (although i'm not too keen on Brokenclaw) and would make very good adaptions into films.
    It's a nice tribute to him that they are reprinting his books - RIP Mr Gardner ..and thanks.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    I have these in hardcover first editions already so I take a pass. Hopefully it gets some new readers. In my view readers are always welcome, since there can never be enough folks that actually take the time and effort to read a book.
  • lalala2004lalala2004
    Posts: 162
    We should really have a poll as to whether or not some of Non-Fleming books are worth reading for a die-hard Fleming fan....I'd like to see the general consensus on that.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    I'm not that interested due to it not being Fleming though these reissues may not get published in the UK anyway.

    The cover art is not to my taste either...I get the feeling I'm coming off as hard to please.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited March 2011 Posts: 4,399
    @Samuel..

    I am the same way... again, my post with Fleming reissue art - that art is leaps and bounds better than what is being used here... i understand that they are following a template, so it fits in a series of books when you put them side by side... but even those Fleming ones followed some sort of template, but each cover felt unique, and really jumped out at you...

    hell, even the hard cover art of the Fleming reissues are better than what's above..
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    Posts: 987
    I don't mind the look of the Gardner ones, yes admittedly they aren't anywhere near as good as those Fleming covers but then Gardner's work isn't anywhere near as good as Flemings, so maybe the artwork is just being representative of the books quality. Following this train of thought maybe they'll next reissue the Raymond Benson (spit!) books with covers covered in childish crayon scribbles. ;-)
  • QuarterdeckQuarterdeck
    Posts: 136
    Good news although I'm a little confused....

    I've read all the JGs and have a set of paperbacks but only about half of my set are the original UK p/b covers I want. It's damn hard finding decent 2nd hand copies!

    These reprints, if I've got this right suggest the first 5 in HB followed by the rest in PB? Is this how they were originally released? Were the later ones PB only?

    And the US seems to be getting a complete PB run but with new covers?

    Decisions decisions....

    I love the look of the hardbacks but it'd be nice to have a full set in one form or another. If anyone could enlighten I'd be grateful

    As for the books...fairly middling I'm afraid. He seems more enthusiastic with the early releases then the schedule seems to catch up with him and they feel cranked out to order. Recently re-read 'Win,Lose or Die' however and really enjoyed it. They are now very of their time though.

    One thing I really would like to see is graphic novels of these. I think the'd suit really well.....
  • JamesPageJamesPage Administrator, Moderator, Director
    Posts: 1,380
    I think the decision to just put the first five UK books in hardback is due to the stark shift in cover design. Have a look at the series here and you'll see what I mean:
    http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/literary/index_gardner.php3
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    @JamesPage

    On that page, there are no covers for Death Is Forever and Never Send Flowers. Is there any reason why?

    Also when will other Bond novels be covered by MI6? There's quite a few left to do!
  • QuarterdeckQuarterdeck
    edited March 2011 Posts: 136
    Quoting JamesPage:
    I think the decision to just put
    the first five UK books in hardback is due to the stark shift in cover design.
    Have a look at the series here and you'll see what I mean:
    http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/literary/index_gardner.php3
    Thanks for that. You are quite right - the first 5 have a sort of Fleming-style jacket and then it goes a bit...well, 'modern'! It'd be nice if they went for a full set of HBs though - I'd buy.

    @Samuel1001 - good point...I don't know the answer.
  • rightsmartdanrightsmartdan
    edited March 2011 Posts: 38
    The "Fleming-y" feel is the artist, Richard Chopping, who did Licence Renewed (at least) as well as From Russia, With Love through to Octopussy (minus Doctor No, although I think he did a very basic re-release, or it was done with his style). He may not have done the 2nd - 5th Gardners (I can't be sure) but again it was done in his style, a detail of a prop on a wooden background with occasional flies, bones etc. I dream of the day the Fleming Hardback designs get used for a decent set of paperbacks instead of rubbish stock photos.
  • felixbnrjfelixbnrj
    Posts: 16
    they're...................................o.k. :-?
  • BounineBounine
    edited April 2011 Posts: 2,599
    Cool. IFP are pleasing me more and more these days. I asked Lucy Fleming if she had any plans to reprint the Gardner Bond books back in 2008 and she didn't say yes or no but asked me how much of a fan of the Gardner books I was. I wonder if back then she had any definite plans for this. Good to see they are using the original hardback cover designs from the 80's. There are some great entries in his series. For all those with an unfounded, stubborn refusal to pick up a non Fleming Bond book, :) out of Gardner's first 5 books that are being reprinted first in hardback, License Renewed, For Special Services and Nobody Lives Forever are highly enjoyable and certainly worth reading. FSS is my favourite. Cracking read.
  • FideleBarbeyFideleBarbey
    edited April 2011 Posts: 18
    Swell news. I wish it had have happened around 15 years ago though! I think I drove a couple of the librarians a little crazy getting them to track down some of Gardner's older Bond novels for me. There are some very enjoyable books in his 007 series.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    This is good news for those who havent read them. A big fan of the early ones when I was in my teens although the last few were extremely poor. LR has some great suspense in the final reel and NLF with Bond locked in a cell and to be guillotined in the morning by SPECTRE is a cracking yarn. Not sure how much of that is nostalgia though as I havent read one in about 15 years. They are probably awful now. Mind you still way better than Bensons efforts and the less said about Faulkes mercenary scribblings the better.

    Oh and yes the covers are abysmal. As derivative a Bond cover as you'll ever see.
  • BounineBounine
    Posts: 2,599
    Yeah, there are some poor entries in his series. Pretty dull. You ge t the impression he got bored halfway through. Overall, far superior to Bensons's fan fiction style Bond books and Faulks's parody. Certainly half of them are definitely worth reading though. A number of them are better than Colonel Sun too I think.
  • MrSpyMrSpy
    Posts: 116
    Long overdue! These books were a big part of my adolescence & teen years in the 1980's. The new covers are pretty terrible but oh well, I'll just be glad to have nice new copies of them :) I never read the ones from the 1990's, so I'll finally get to read them.

    A banner year for Bond fans: Carte Blanche, Gardner reprints + Bond 23 in production!
  • BounineBounine
    Posts: 2,599
    Yeah they were a big part of my life between the age of 19 and 20/21.
  • CraterGunsCraterGuns
    Posts: 618
    Yep, the U.S. covers are indeed dreadful... Still might pick up ICEBREAKER and ROLE OF HONOR, though -- the only Gardner books that I halfway enjoyed.

    I always thought a cool concept for ICEBREAKER cover art would be a Nazi Iron Cross medal frozen in cracked, bloodstained ice...
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Why has the quality of Bond covers gone down so much in recent times? I am glad I got most of my Fleming's in the Fleming centenary reprints, with covers that are fairly nice and actually have something to do with what is in the text.
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