Win, Lose, or Die is built on the premise that everyone involved will make increasingly stupid decisions and refuse to behave in any way resembling a rational human being.
Category Archives: Read
Kim
Kim is the sort of lean, no-nonsense hardboiled detective formula that, by the 1960s, the pulp paperback industry could produce in its sleep.
Scorpius
Pretty much every spy novel franchise inspired by James Bond had at least one story where the main character went up against some robe-clad Moonie stand-ins, so I guess Gardner figured why the hell not?
No Deals, Mr. Bond
With No Deals, Mr. Bond, John Gardner achieved enough clout, or had at least been around long enough, that he was given a little more leeway to “do his own thing.”
Nobody Lives Forever
Released in 1986, Nobody Lives Forever has a similar feel to the movie For Your Eyes Only, in that both are essentially one chase scene after another.
Role of Honour
Whatever good will was built up with the brisk action of For Special Services and the intriguing locations of Icebreaker is undone with Role of Honor, a dreadful entry in the series.
Icebreaker
In Icebreaker, Bond does almost nothing—which is for the best, because when Bond does do something, it’s usually some of the worst espionage work he’s ever done.
For Special Services
For Special Services, maintains all the ties to Ian Fleming’s original novels, but gets more breathing room since it isn’t saddled with re-introducing Bond.
License Renewed
License Renewed is not the sort of book I would go to war for — if you were bored by it or actively hated it, I would understand.
The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel
The Moneypenny Diaries offers a complex look at Bond, and 1960s politics, casting Moneypenny herself as a spy more in line with Le Carre than Fleming.
Colonel Sun
Kingsley Amis picks up where Ian Fleming left off and sends James Bond to Greece to rescue a pathetic M and battle a sadistic enemy.
Assignment: Beijing to Brazil
Writer and adventurer Peter Fleming makes a name for himself beyond the one he shares with his little brother.
Bond Vivant 