The James Bond Novels and Stories

Part 2: John Gardner, 1981-1996

Overview by Raymond Benson
Rated on a 5-star system.

Novelists: Ian Fleming | Kingsley Amis | John Gardner | Raymond Benson | Sebastian Faulks | Jeffrey Deaver

[License Renewed book cover]

License Renewed (1981) ***½

Places: Dublin; London; Scotland; Paris; Perpignan
Girl(s): Lavender Peacock; Q'ute
Villain(s): Anton Murik
Villain's Employer: Self-employed
Villain's Project: Blackmailing major powers with threat to cause nuclear meltdown in 6 nuclear power plants around the world
Minor villain(s): Mary Jane Mashkin; Franco; Caber
Bond's Friends: None
Highlights: Fight with Caber; high frequency torture; fashion show sequence; fight on plane
Remarks: More like the films than the novels, but moves quickly and is suspenseful; updating a little disconcerting


[For Special Services book cover]

For Special Services (1982) ****½

Places: London; New York; Washington DC; Amarillo, Texas; Cheyenne Mountain; Louisiana
Girl(s): Cedar Leiter; Nena Bismaquer; Q'ute
Villain(s): Blofeld's Heir (Nena Blofeld)
Villain's Employer: SPECTRE
Villain's Project: Gaining control of the Space Wolf Satellites
Minor villain(s): Markus Bismaquer; Walter Luxor; Mike Mazzard
Bond's Friends: Felix Leiter
Highlights: Plane hijack; elevator incident; Grand Prix; raid on Cheyenne Mountain; encounter with Blofeld
Remarks: New SPECTRE and Blofeld twist interesting and involving; great use of irony


[Icebreaker book cover]

Icebreaker (1983) **½

Places: Libya; Finland; USSR
Girl(s): Paula Vacker; Rivke Ingber
Villain(s): Konrad von Glöda (Aarne Tudeer)
Villain's Employer: National Socialist Action Army (NSAA)
Villain's Project: Bringing about a "Fourth Reich" with a new fascist army
Minor villain(s): Kolya Mosolov
Bond's Friends: Brad Tirpitz
Highlights: Snow plow battle; ice water torture; Fencer attack on Ice Palace
Remarks: Fun but has no real depth; good locations; Nazi plot a little trite


[Role of Honour book cover]

Role of Honour (1984) ****

Places: London; Monte Carlo; Oxfordshire; "Erewhon"; Switzerland
Girl(s): Persephone (Percy) Proud; Cindy Chalmer; Freddie Fortune
Villain(s): Tamil Rahani; Jay Autem Holy
Villain's Employer: SPECTRE
Villain's Project: Knocking out U.S. nuclear power by using a computerized scheme and the "help" of Bond
Minor villain(s): Simon; General "Rolling Joe" Zwingli; Dazzle
Bond's Friends: Peter Amadeus
Highlights: Erewhon training camp sequence; airship climax
Remarks: Better than average; good characterizations and intriguing plot


[Nobody Lives Forever British cover]

Nobody Lives Forever (1986) ****½

Places: France; Switzerland; Austria; Florida Keys
Girl(s): Sukie Tempesta; Nannie Norrich
Villain(s): Tamil Rahani
Villain's Employer: SPECTRE
Villain's Project: Sponsoring a competition to bring James Bond's head to Rahani
Minor villain(s): Der Haken; Steve Quinn
Bond's Friends: None
Highlights: Highway gun battle; assault on Klinik; climax on Shark Island
Remarks: Probably Gardner's best; excellent personal plot for Bond; action scenes well done


[No Deals British cover]

No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) ***½

Places: The Baltic; England; Ireland; Paris; Hong Kong; Cheung Chau Island
Girl(s): Ebbie Heritage; Heather Dare
Villain(s): General Konstantin (Kolya) Chernov
Villain's Employer: Department 8 of Directorate S, KGB (formerly SMERSH)
Villain's Project: Eliminating all participants in a defunct espionage operation
Minor villain(s): Mischa; Norman Murray
Bond's Friends: Maxim Smolin; Swift
Highlights: Shootout at Three Sisters Castle; "hunt" on Cheung Chau Island
Remarks: Complex and involving up until cliched "most dangerous game" finale; plot a little far-fetched; better on detail


[Scorpius book cover]

Scorpius (1987) ****

Places: London and environs; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Washington DC
Girl(s): Harriett Horner
Villain(s): Father Valentine, aka Vladimir Scorpius
Villain's Employer: Self-employed
Villain's Project: Assassinating major political figurs, using "brainwashed" religious followers to do his bidding
Minor villain(s): Hathaway; Bailey
Bond's Friends: "Pearly" Pearlman; David Wolkovsky
Highlights: Fight at Avant Carte HQ; massacre at Puttenham clinic; climactic assault on Ten Pines Plantation
Remarks: Gripping and violent; strong plot with a well-structured chain of events


[Win Lose or Die British cover]

Win, Lose or Die (1989) ****½

Places: Gulf of Oman; England; Italy (Ischia); Spain; The Atlantic; Gibraltar
Girl(s): Beatrice Maria da Ricci; Nikola (Nikki) Ratnikov
Villain(s): Bassam Baradj, aka Robert Besavitsky
Villain's Employer: BAST (Brotherhood of Anarchy and Secret Terror)
Villain's Project: Holding U.S., Britain, and Russia for ransom by kidnapping the President, PM, and Soviet Head of State during an international summit meeting
Minor villain(s): Abou Hamarik (The Man); Ali Al Adwan (The Snake); Saphii Boudai (The Cat) (Clover Pennington); Felipe Pantano; Sarah Deeley; Donald Speaker
Bond's Friends: None
Highlights: Villa Capricciani sequence; investigative work aboard Invincible; Bond's meeting with Bush, Thatcher and Gorbachev; Sea Harrier battle; assault on Invincible
Remarks: Good plot; Bond's return to Naval duty interesting; most engaging love affair yet in Gardner books; one of the better ones

Licence to Kill (1989) ****

Novelization of the film screenplay.


[Brokenclaw book cover]

Brokenclaw (1990) **

Places: British Columbia; San Francisco and environs; New York; Washington State
Girl(s): Sue Chi-Ho (Chi-Chi)
Villain(s): Brokenclaw Lee Fu-Chu
Villain's Employer: Self-employed, but is agent of CELD and CCI (Red China's CIA, SIS, and NSA)
Villain's Project: Stealing and selling plans of a submarine tracking device and its "antidote" to Red China; breaking into Wall Street's computer system and wreaking financial havoc
Minor villain(s): Bone Bender Ding; Gory Fox; Fozen Stalk Pu; Wood; Nolan; General Hung Chow H'ang
Bond's Friends: Ed Ruisha; John Grant
Highlights: Assault on Brokenclaw's burrow; O-kee-pa ritual
Remarks: Fun, fast read, but seems too unreal for a Bond story -- some events are too fantastic and belong in another genre; some character inconsistencies; good villain


[Man from Barbarossa book cover]

The Man From Barbarossa (1991) ***

Places: New Jersey; London; Florida; Moscow and environs; Stockholm; Arctic Circle; Baku, Azerbaidzhan
Girl(s): Nina Bibikova; Stéphanie Adoré
Villain(s): General Yevgeny Yuskovich
Villain's Employer: Self-employed/"The Scales of Justice" (Chushi Pravosudia)
Villain's Project: Overthrowing Russia's central government and reinstating communism; aiding the Iraqis in the Gulf War; embarrassing Britain and France; destroying America with nuclear strike
Minor villain(s): General Gleb Berzin
Bond's Friends: Pete Natkowitz; Bory Stepakov; Nigsy Meadows; Michael Brooks; Emerald Lacy; Henri Rampart
Highlights: Camera team's abduction to the "Lost Horizon"; Bond's masquerade as a Russian officer; final skirmish in Baku
Remarks: Complex and more political than most; not much action, more intrigue; a bit slow moving; good scene with M reacting to Bond's "death"


[Death is Forever book cover]

Death is Forever (1992) ***½

Places: Frankfurt; Berlin; Ost-West Express; Paris; Venice; Calais; London
Girl(s): Elizabeth "Easy" St. John
Villain(s): Wolfgang Weisen ("The Poison Dwarf")
Villain's Employer: Self-employed, but formerly of the HVA (East Germany's old intelligence agency)
Villain's Project: Performing terrorist act in the Eurotunnel, thereby wiping out major EC political figures; seeking revenge against Cabal spy group
Minor villain(s): Monika Haardt; Harry Spraker (Tester); Alex Ritter; Felix & Hexie; Michelle Gris; Claude Gaspard; Dominic & Dorian
Bond's Friends: Praxi Simeon (Sulphur); Bruin (Ariel); August Wimper (Orphan)
Highlights: "Spider sandwich" ploy; dispatch of Felix & Hexie on train; takeover of Weisen's villa; battle inside Eurotunnel
Remarks: Gardner's most violent and action-filled story yet; complex plot's only fault is that there's no fun in it this time; overabundance of characters not being what they seem


[Never Send Flowers book cover]

Never Send Flowers (1993) ****

Places: Rome; London; Paris; Washington DC; Interlaken; Switzerland; the Rhineland; Milan; Athens; EuroDisney
Girl(s): Fredericka (Flicka) von Grüsse
Villain(s): David Dragonpol
Villain's Employer: Self-employed
Villain's Project: Assassinating celebrities
Minor villain(s): Lester; Charles; William; Maeve Horton
Bond's Friends: Carmel Chantry; Gianne-Franco Orsini; Bodo Lempke
Highlights: Chase through Schloss Drache; first capture of Dragonpol; EuroDisney sequence
Remarks: Attempt at "serial killer" scenario surprisingly successful; love affair engaging; fast and suspenseful; one of the better ones. [This novel also has a sequence featuring Princess Diana of Wales and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.]


[Sea Fire cover]

SeaFire (1994) ***

Places: Caribbean; London and environs; Spain; Israel; Germany; Puerto Rico
Girl(s): Fredericka (Flicka) von Grüsse
Villain(s): Sir Max Tarn
Villain's Employer: Self-employed
Villain's Project: Reinitiating Nazi regime as the new Führer; torpedoing an oil tanker off Puerto Rico
Minor villain(s): Maurice Goodwin; "Connie" Spicer; Cathy & Anna (Cuthbert & Archibald); Beth; Kurt Rollen
Bond's Friends: Felix Leiter; Steve Natkowitz
Highlights: Caribbean Prince incident; motorcycle chase through Seville; Nazi rally; lawyer office break-in sequence; foiling SeaFire operation
Remarks: Many new lifestyle changes for Bond, including marriage proposal to near-constant female companion; good villain and engaging, if somewhat sprawling, plot


[GoldenEye British cover]

GoldenEye (1995) ***½

Novelization of the film screenplay.


COLD (1996) [U.S. title, Cold Fall] **½

[Cold Fall cover]

Places: England; Washington DC; Italy; Idaho; sans-serif; Lake Massaciuccoli
Girl(s): Beatrice Maria da Ricci; Toni Nicoletti
Villain: General Brutus Clay
Villain's Employer: COLD (Children of the Last Days)
Villain's Project: Instigating a right-wing, fascist coup on the U.S.
Minor Villains: Luigi Tempesta; Angelo Tempesta; Clay's bride
Bond's Friends: Eddie Rhabb; MacRoberts; Fliss
Highlights: Investigation of airline disaster; jet ski chase; Cobra battle; M's retirement
Remarks: Interesting plot structure -- half in the past, half in the present; good use of returning characters; nice scenes with M

Next Section:

Raymond Benson began writing James Bond stories in 1996

[Bedside Companion]The above information is compiled from my book The James Bond Bedside Companion, first published by Dodd Mead & Co. 1984 and updated in 1988. I have also included information since that publication. The charts are based on one by Kingsley Amis appearing in The James Bond Dossier published by Jonathan Cape Ltd. I have updated it and substituted my own "Highlights" and "Remarks." Any duplication or further use is unauthorized and prohibited without permission of the author. The 5-star rating system applied to each book is my own humble opinion. -- RB
Copyright ©1984, 1988, 1995 by Raymond Benson


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