007 Coming Back With 1980s Flavour

JamesPage

James Bond fans were in for a surprise in October 1980, as their favourite literary hero - who had lay dormant for more than 10 years - was about to burst from the pages once again. British author John Gardner was announced to the press as the new continuation author six months ahead of his first 007 adventure hitting bookstores. As "Licence Renewed" is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, MI6 looks back at how the Gardner era of Bond books began...

http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/history_gardner_1980_announcement.php3

<img src="http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/literary/cover_art/licence_renewed/uk_h_3d.jpg">;

saunders

Interesting article, for all his faults (especially in those later novels) I still have a great deal of respect for John Gardner, he was the only source of new Bond material in those dark years between 1989 and 1995 and it is proper and fitting that his books are being reissued on the 30th anniversary of Licence Renewed. Mind you reading the article, I still don't understand why his James Bond had to cut down on cigarettes, vodka martini's and girls in the ultra excessive 80's? I know it mentions women's lib but quite frankly they weren't going to buy a Bond novel regardless of the content!