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The Gardner Novels

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  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,267
    bondbat007 wrote: »
    I read the majority of the Gardner books when I was fairly young. A big mistake as the writing was not kind to me. I've since re-read a lot of them.

    Many are good, but still very complex. For Special Services and No Deals, Mr. Bond are probably my favorites.

    That being said, Brokenclaw and Cold Fall (I think it's just COLD in the UK) are pretty terrible.

    Benson gets a lot of slack (I personally really enjoy his books. I also have met him several times so maybe I'm biased) but his worst doesn't come close to the level of bad that Gardner's does. But Gardner's best is terrific. I also enjoyed the LTK novel, although Felix once again being eaten by a shark was just kind of funny. I have to get my hands on the Goldeneye novel one of these days.

    What of Never Send Flowers? :)
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    MajorDSmythe wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    License to Kill is good. But I hate how Gardener has 007 driving a Saab in his original novels. Awful.

    That never bothered me, much the opposite actually. I liked the Saab 900 Turbo (AKA 'The Silver Beast'). Bond in a BMW, now that was awful.

    Bond in a BMW yes, it was wrong, agreed. However, at least the BMW was an exec car with some 'snob value'. The Saab hasn't the prestige for a Bond car, it belongs outside a factory workers house. Not a secret agent known to have a penchant for the finer things in life and a government MI6 who supply British brands for use.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Silver beast? More like 'Grey shed on wheels.'
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited March 2015 Posts: 13,978
    suavejmf wrote: »
    MajorDSmythe wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    License to Kill is good. But I hate how Gardener has 007 driving a Saab in his original novels. Awful.

    That never bothered me, much the opposite actually. I liked the Saab 900 Turbo (AKA 'The Silver Beast'). Bond in a BMW, now that was awful.

    Bond in a BMW yes, it was wrong, agreed. However, at least the BMW was an exec car with some 'snob value'. The Saab hasn't the prestige for a Bond car, it belongs outside a factory workers house. Not a secret agent known to have a penchant for the finer things in life and a government MI6 who supply British brands for use.

    Being German, that would rule out the BMWs too. ;) True, Saab isn't exactly a prestige marque, but at the same time, it's not a car to attract attention.

    And I wouldn't call BMW exotic. The Z3 & Z8 looked more like a hair dressers car, and the 750 looked like an estate agents car.

  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    I had forgotten how many novels Gardener wrote.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,267
    RogueAgent wrote: »
    I had forgotten how many novels Gardener wrote.

    Yes, Gardner was very prolific when it came to Bond - fourteen original Bond novels and two film novelisations under his belt overt a fifteen year period between 1981 and 1996.
  • jammy_bjammy_b UK
    Posts: 6
    I've read Gardners novels twice over but not for a few years now. Found them to be quite enjoyable, certainly want to dust them off and give them another read! I never compare them too hard with the originals as it's a different voice and I look at them in their own light.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I'm rereading all the Bond books, done the Flemings and now I'm going through the Gardner novels, just finishing Icebreaker at the moment.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    MajorDSmythe wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    MajorDSmythe wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    License to Kill is good. But I hate how Gardener has 007 driving a Saab in his original novels. Awful.

    That never bothered me, much the opposite actually. I liked the Saab 900 Turbo (AKA 'The Silver Beast'). Bond in a BMW, now that was awful.

    Bond in a BMW yes, it was wrong, agreed. However, at least the BMW was an exec car with some 'snob value'. The Saab hasn't the prestige for a Bond car, it belongs outside a factory workers house. Not a secret agent known to have a penchant for the finer things in life and a government MI6 who supply British brands for use.

    Being German, that would rule out the BMWs too. ;) True, Saab isn't exactly a prestige marque, but at the same time, it's not a car to attract attention.

    And I wouldn't call BMW exotic. The Z3 & Z8 looked more like a hair dressers car, and the 750 looked like an estate agents car.

    Personally, I think the Saab 900 Turbo was an excellent choice for 1981.
    It was a fabulous driver's car and in turbo format was more than a match for our Baverian brethren.
    Furthermore it was discreet and sophisticated and signaled refined class.
    I should know because in 1981 I was promoted to be Sales Director for a major multi national and after reading 'Licence Renewed' I took the Saab 900 Turbo - in silver of course - as my company car.
    I drove it for 3 years and loved every minute of it - my sons still refer to it as the Bond car. Unfortunately, as we all know, General Motors took over the fine Swedish marque and drove it into the ground!
  • MrcogginsMrcoggins Following in the footsteps of Quentin Quigley.
    Posts: 3,144
    In the Coggins fleet there is aSaab aero convertible which is usually Mrs Coggins mode of transport but I do find myself sneaking of for a spin quite often it's a great car and goes like the proverbial off a greased stick.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Mrcoggins wrote: »
    In the Coggins fleet there is aSaab aero convertible which is usually Mrs Coggins mode of transport but I do find myself sneaking of for a spin quite often it's a great car and goes like the proverbial off a greased stick.

    Mrcoggins, your good lady and yourself are clearly a couple with impeccable taste.
    How I wish I'd bought the 900 Turbo off the company at the end of the lease. I thought about it at the time but it had over100,000 on the clock and I thought the milage was too high.
    For what it's worth, I think your wife's ride is a great car too. By far and away the most glamorous four door convertible.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Villiers53 wrote: »
    Mrcoggins wrote: »
    In the Coggins fleet there is aSaab aero convertible which is usually Mrs Coggins mode of transport but I do find myself sneaking of for a spin quite often it's a great car and goes like the proverbial off a greased stick.

    Mrcoggins, your good lady and yourself are clearly a couple with impeccable taste.
    How I wish I'd bought the 900 Turbo off the company at the end of the lease. I thought about it at the time but it had over100,000 on the clock and I thought the milage was too high.
    For what it's worth, I think your wife's ride is a great car too. By far and away the most glamorous four door convertible.
    Sorry I meant to say four seat!

  • MrcogginsMrcoggins Following in the footsteps of Quentin Quigley.
    Posts: 3,144
    Funny that I almost went to the garage to see where those other two doors went :D
  • ThomasCrown76ThomasCrown76 Augusta, ks
    Posts: 757
    Have a lot of the gardners in hardback. Finished icebreaker. Very minty
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    For what it's worth, my family own a 2001 Saab 9-5.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Gardner's first five are very worth while albeit I thought Bond Never fitted comfortably into the '80s.
    I communicated with John latter in his life, he was a lovely guy and always gracious to his fans. We never discussed Bond which I regret. I was too busy grilling him over his Herbie Kruger books and the 'Generations' trilogy - the things that I consider to be his best works.
    He did once tell me that he found the relationship with what was then 'Gildrose', "stifling" but didn't elaborate. His son doubtless knows everything and it would be great if he would post the full story.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    edited April 2015 Posts: 893
    There is an interview I have somewhere with Gardner talking about having to rewrite LR. Perhaps it's even on Simon Gardner's website. That would explain some of the tension with Glidrose.

    Anyone know what PJS made of it?
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Just finished "Nobody lives forever" and am almost finished
    "No deals Mr Bond". Two great stories, really enjoying rereading
    These books.
  • SharkySharky
    Posts: 266
    I'm not sure if this has been asked before, I did have a quick search through the threads but does anyone know if and where you can buy the complete John Gardner Bond Novels? Thanks.
  • KronsteenKronsteen Stockholm
    Posts: 783
    I don't think you can buy them as a set, at least I've not heard about that. You have to buy them separately, one by one, from a bookstore. I think Amazon still got them all.
  • SharkySharky
    Posts: 266
    @Kronsteen thank you for the reply, yeah I couldn't find a box set anywhere but Amazon do have them separately I will have to purchase them. I have the Fleming ones in a box set so I thought if I could get the Gardner ones in a box set too it would look quite cool. Thanks again.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,267
    I've been searching for this thread for a while and have just now found it by accident searching for something else. As a Gardner enthusiast I think it needs reviving! :)
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