The Gardnerisation of James Bond 1981-1996

What 'winds of change' do you think that John Gardner introduced to the literary James Bond universe between 1981 and 1996. Here are my thoughts on the matter, which I have termed 'The Gardnerisation of James Bond':

1. The disbandment of the Double-O Section in 1979
2. The cut-backs on James Bond's smoking and drinking habits in the 1970s
3. James Bond is in his 50s - hair greying at the temples etc.
4. James Bond Junior element - daughters of Felix Leiter and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in For Special Services. The Special Section with 007 as the sole member - piossibly illegal organisation?
6. The promotion of Commander James Bond RNVR to Captain James Bond in Win, Lose or Die (1989)
7. Drinks tea (Brokenclaw) and beer, both of which Fleming's Bond abhorred!
8. More real-life intelligence world across the board - reaching its peak in The Man From Barbarossa (1991)
9. James Bond cast more in the role of a police detective - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
10. More experimental a la TSWLM and QoS in Fleming's time - see Brokenclaw, The Man From Barbarossa, Scorpius, WLOD, Never Send Flowers and COLD/Cold Fall
11. Replacement of Special Section with the Two Zeros Section and government overseer MicroGlobe One - replacement of old M with female M.
12. Bond's new pasttimes - watching videos, jazz music, visiting Disney World, Orlando
13. Euro Disney used as a location in Never Send Flowers - pisstake or for real?
14. Less of exercise regims/new fads and favouites
15. Different 'knowing' relationship with M.
16. Bigger, more action-oriented role for Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner
17. Love interest near to marriage - Fredericka "Flicka" von Grusse
18. James Bond defending real-life people - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
19. MI5 and MI6 cast at loggerheads - more HUMINT role than in the Fleming books
20. More real-life scenarios - presient plots - see Licence Renewed, For Special Services, Scorpius, WLOD, The Man From Barbarossa, Never Send Flowers, COLD
21. More low-key Euro-villains/criminals wanting to benefit out of the Cold War - some Flemingesque exceptions in Vladimir Scorpius/Father Valentine, Brokenclaw Lee, David Dragonpol and Sir Max Tarn.
22. More of a Special Forces Bondian background for James Bond and Bill Tanner - SAS training etc.

These are some of my thoughts on this - anyone got any more examples of the Gardnerisation of James Bond?

SILHOUETTE MAN wrote:

What 'winds of change' do you think that John Gardner introduced to the literary James Bond universe between 1981 and 1996. Here are my thoughts on the matter, which I have termed 'The Gardnerisation of James Bond':

1. The disbandment of the Double-O Section in 1979
2. The cut-backs on James Bond's smoking and drinking habits in the 1970s
Which was the result of modern medical insight which made a chainsmoking superagent simply a scifi concept.
3. James Bond is in his 50s - hair greying at the temples etc.
fair enough
4. James Bond Junior element - daughters of Felix Leiter and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in For Special Services. The Special Section with 007 as the sole member - piossibly illegal organisation?
With an older 007 I do not mind the daughters of friends and foes, to be honest I found Blofeld daughter a rather interesting concept. Mr Gardner made her very sexy.
6. The promotion of Commander James Bond RNVR to Captain James Bond in Win, Lose or Die (1989)
He earned a promotion after all of his hard work, wouldn't you say.
7. Drinks tea (Brokenclaw) and beer, both of which Fleming's Bond abhorred!
Did Bond not drink beer with Quarle?- When you are undercover one might do things differently?
8. More real-life intelligence world across the board - reaching its peak in The Man From Barbarossa (1991)
This is a problem why??
9. James Bond cast more in the role of a police detective - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
He worked for the goverment and one of his jobs is policing for the SS, so I do not see anything new happening.
10. More experimental a la TSWLM and QoS in Fleming's time - see Brokenclaw, The Man From Barbarossa, Scorpius, WLOD, Never Send Flowers and COLD/Cold Fall
Fine by me, changing the formula once in a while.
11. Replacement of Special Section with the Two Zeros Section and government overseer MicroGlobe One - replacement of old M with female M.
Updating the 00 concept is good, and Ms Rimmington became a female boss of the SS in real life what is your point.
12. Bond's new pasttimes - watching videos, jazz music, visiting Disney World, Orlando
Jazz Music I find fitting with Bonds taste, Disney world a bit strange, makes you wonder what gives him the thrills in those parks?
13. Euro Disney used as a location in Never Send Flowers - pisstake or for real?
As a location it is fine with me, hope Gradner got some great freebies for the advertisement.
14. Less of exercise regims/new fads and favouites
15. Different 'knowing' relationship with M.
16. Bigger, more action-oriented role for Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner
17. Love interest near to marriage - Fredericka "Flicka" von Grusse
Why would Bond not fall in love again??
18. James Bond defending real-life people - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
19. MI5 and MI6 cast at loggerheads - more HUMINT role than in the Fleming books
Times a changing
20. More real-life scenarios - presient plots - see Licence Renewed, For Special Services, Scorpius, WLOD, The Man From Barbarossa, Never Send Flowers, COLD
What do you mean with presient plots??
21. More low-key Euro-villains/criminals wanting to benefit out of the Cold War - some Flemingesque exceptions in Vladimir Scorpius/Father Valentine, Brokenclaw Lee, David Dragonpol and Sir Max Tarn.
I do not mind the various villains if they were all as grand as Goldfinger they would be come boring as well.
22. More of a Special Forces Bondian background for James Bond and Bill Tanner - SAS training etc.
No problem with that.

Gardner took Flemings Bond 20 years into the future and tried to put him more in the then present day, imho he did a fairly decent job. I remember looking out for each new released 007 book. Getting the same looks from people as if I were collecting comicbooks (was doing that too).
A lot of your complaints are that Flemings 007 changed with the times which is allright in that the secret service has to adapt to a modern world as well. Even if I was not that surprised with those modern elements in the Deaver book. Spies or agent provacateurs like 007 need to have an edge.

I found Gardners run with 007 highly entertaining and he did a far better job than most recent writers. With the exception of Christoper Wood there has been no better writer imho after Fleming than mr Gardner.

Some of this stuff sounds terrible. Just reinforces my bias against any Bond novel not penned by the incomparable Ian.

saint mark wrote:

SILHOUETTE MAN wrote:

What 'winds of change' do you think that John Gardner introduced to the literary James Bond universe between 1981 and 1996. Here are my thoughts on the matter, which I have termed 'The Gardnerisation of James Bond':

1. The disbandment of the Double-O Section in 1979
2. The cut-backs on James Bond's smoking and drinking habits in the 1970s
Which was the result of modern medical insight which made a chainsmoking superagent simply a scifi concept.
3. James Bond is in his 50s - hair greying at the temples etc.
fair enough
4. James Bond Junior element - daughters of Felix Leiter and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in For Special Services. The Special Section with 007 as the sole member - piossibly illegal organisation?
With an older 007 I do not mind the daughters of friends and foes, to be honest I found Blofeld daughter a rather interesting concept. Mr Gardner made her very sexy.
6. The promotion of Commander James Bond RNVR to Captain James Bond in Win, Lose or Die (1989)
He earned a promotion after all of his hard work, wouldn't you say.
7. Drinks tea (Brokenclaw) and beer, both of which Fleming's Bond abhorred!
Did Bond not drink beer with Quarle?- When you are undercover one might do things differently?
8. More real-life intelligence world across the board - reaching its peak in The Man From Barbarossa (1991)
This is a problem why??
9. James Bond cast more in the role of a police detective - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
He worked for the goverment and one of his jobs is policing for the SS, so I do not see anything new happening.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for John Gardner - I'm a big fan and defender of him in print online - see my The Bondologist Blog for further proof of this. I just like to note the changes that Gardner introduced to the character!
10. More experimental a la TSWLM and QoS in Fleming's time - see Brokenclaw, The Man From Barbarossa, Scorpius, WLOD, Never Send Flowers and COLD/Cold Fall
Fine by me, changing the formula once in a while.
11. Replacement of Special Section with the Two Zeros Section and government overseer MicroGlobe One - replacement of old M with female M.
Updating the 00 concept is good, and Ms Rimmington became a female boss of the SS in real life what is your point.
12. Bond's new pasttimes - watching videos, jazz music, visiting Disney World, Orlando
Jazz Music I find fitting with Bonds taste, Disney world a bit strange, makes you wonder what gives him the thrills in those parks?
13. Euro Disney used as a location in Never Send Flowers - pisstake or for real?
As a location it is fine with me, hope Gradner got some great freebies for the advertisement.
14. Less of exercise regims/new fads and favouites
15. Different 'knowing' relationship with M.
16. Bigger, more action-oriented role for Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner
17. Love interest near to marriage - Fredericka "Flicka" von Grusse
Why would Bond not fall in love again??
18. James Bond defending real-life people - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
19. MI5 and MI6 cast at loggerheads - more HUMINT role than in the Fleming books
Times a changing
20. More real-life scenarios - presient plots - see Licence Renewed, For Special Services, Scorpius, WLOD, The Man From Barbarossa, Never Send Flowers, COLD
What do you mean with presient plots??
21. More low-key Euro-villains/criminals wanting to benefit out of the Cold War - some Flemingesque exceptions in Vladimir Scorpius/Father Valentine, Brokenclaw Lee, David Dragonpol and Sir Max Tarn.
I do not mind the various villains if they were all as grand as Goldfinger they would be come boring as well.
22. More of a Special Forces Bondian background for James Bond and Bill Tanner - SAS training etc.
No problem with that.

Gardner took Flemings Bond 20 years into the future and tried to put him more in the then present day, imho he did a fairly decent job. I remember looking out for each new released 007 book. Getting the same looks from people as if I were collecting comicbooks (was doing that too).
A lot of your complaints are that Flemings 007 changed with the times which is allright in that the secret service has to adapt to a modern world as well. Even if I was not that surprised with those modern elements in the Deaver book. Spies or agent provacateurs like 007 need to have an edge.

I found Gardners run with 007 highly entertaining and he did a far better job than most recent writers. With the exception of Christoper Wood there has been no better writer imho after Fleming than mr Gardner.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a Gardner fan and defender - it's just that I really like to look at the controversial aspects of ther James Bond continuation novels on my The Bondologist Blog here: http://www.thebondologistblog.blogspot.co.uk

I see that a fellow over at ABJB has discussed the topic of Bond and beer. Let me focus on your #16, the increased role for Bill Tanner. This may or may not have been influenced by the treatment of the headquarters staff in the British newspaper comics that ran in the Daily Express in the 70's. These daily strips featured a much increased role for Bill Tanner. I don't know if Gardner was aware of them, but the use of the Tanner character to brief Bond was striking.

Major Tallon wrote:

I see that a fellow over at ABJB has discussed the topic of Bond and beer. Let me focus on your #16, the increased role for Bill Tanner. This may or may not have been influenced by the treatment of the headquarters staff in the British newspaper comics that ran in the Daily Express in the 70's. These daily strips featured a much increased role for Bill Tanner. I don't know if Gardner was aware of them, but the use of the Tanner character to brief Bond was striking.

Thank you, Major. I didn't know that!

Throughout Gardner's run Bond was better read, more cultured and judgmental than Ian's original. Gardner's observance for proper grammar became a bee in 007's bonnet, especially in conversation with American characters.

"I love it when you get all correctional" (Flicka von Grusse) Now there's a keeper!

After Bond declared all California wines "undrinkable" in NLF, Gardner must have received a shitstorm of complaints from Napa Valley, for he soon had Bond "fully converted" to California wines ("after [they] began stealing medals away from the French"). Can't blame Mr. Gardner for that - he was being old school, and as he wasn't about to experiment with the products himself, he could only take the California vintners word for it.

Of course Bond had to move with the times and become a computer geek (ROH), albeit over a fortnight in Monte Carlo.

Team operations also became a regular event for the former singleton (IB, NDMB, WLoD, DIF).

I have no problem with any of this. If Bond had remained a character stuck in his 50s ways, he would have become less relevant and less interesting as the 80s passed him by. I've been forced to move with the times - remaining a child of the 70s doesn't make me quaint - so why shouldn't Bond?

Or, to put it another way, if it's good enough for 007 it's good enough for me.

AMC Hornet wrote:

Throughout Gardner's run Bond was better read, more cultured and judgmental than Ian's original. Gardner's observance for proper grammar became a bee in 007's bonnet, especially in conversation with American characters.

"I love it when you get all correctional" (Flicka von Grusse) Now there's a keeper!

After Bond declared all California wines "undrinkable" in NLF, Gardner must have received a shitstorm of complaints from Napa Valley, for he soon had Bond "fully converted" to California wines ("after [they] began stealing medals away from the French"). Can't blame Mr. Gardner for that - he was being old school, and as he wasn't about to experiment with the products himself, he could only take the California vintners word for it.

Of course Bond had to move with the times and become a computer geek (ROH), albeit over a fortnight in Monte Carlo.

Team operations also became a regular event for the former singleton (IB, NDMB, WLoD, DIF).

I have no problem with any of this. If Bond had remained a character stuck in his 50s ways, he would have become less relevant and less interesting as the 80s passed him by. I've been forced to move with the times - remaining a child of the 70s doesn't make me quaint - so why shouldn't Bond?

Or, to put it another way, if it's good enough for 007 it's good enough for me.

Thank you - you've noticed some things that I've missed - Bond was also part of a team in TMFB, under the orders of the KGB, no less!

The introduction of Q'ute, which I think is meant to give Bond license to have sex with someone on the staff that wasn't introduced to us through Fleming. IIRC, Q doesn't show up in Gardner's novels (or just barely), and I'm having trouble remembering much of Moneypenny in the Gardner novels either.

Gardner's novels were hit or miss, but some of the hits were truly great thrillers. I think if he could go back in time he would, or should, have dropped the triple-double crosses that became a staple of the books from Icebreaker onwards, and maybe reduced the overall output. I think he had some good ideas, but they were spread across too thinly, over too many books. I'd rather have seen half as many books from him, but longer, more introspective, behind-the-scenes, politically oriented thrillers. The push the book company gave him to turn them out every year hurt the quality and the branding in the long run.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

. The push the book company gave him to turn them out every year hurt the quality and the branding in the long run.

True. Not to mention he had to deal typically with three editors: one from Glidrose, one from the British publishers, and one from the American publishers. So I imagine he had to make a good number of changes that probably impacted his works.

With that said, I really enjoy Gardner. Sure, he wrote some duds, but overall I think he put in a solid effort. I love that he brought Bond into the 80's and kept him relevant. As he said himself, people would slag him just for the fact he was not Fleming:

Quote :

" Believe me when I say that unless I was going to slavishly reproduce Fleming's Bond I was always going to get knocked simply because I wasn't Fleming. Many people did not take the point that all fictional characters have to grow and strengthen. To allow Bond to have remained static in a changing world as some seem to desire - would, I still believe, have been death."

I'm glad he didn't try to be Fleming or to imitate that style. I'm glad he was one of the few people to have the courage to mix it up, do something completely different and make some changes.


Once I get through my book backlog I'd like to re-read them again at some point. He also has a lot of good non-Bond novels as well, I would recommend them.

Interestingly, John Gardner of espionage fiction and the American fantasy writer of the same name had one other thing in common:

Whereas our Mr. Gardner wrote stories about Sherlock Holmes' nemesis James Moriarty, so did his American counterpart retell the Beowulf story from the POV of Grendel.