John Gardner Reprints Coming 2011

First three Gardner novels are being reprinted and released October 12, 2011 by Pegasus Books. Can't wait!



License Renewed

Introduction by Raymond Benson




For Special Services

Introduction by Otto Penzler



Icebreaker

Introduction by Simon Gardner

UGH. Terrible covers -- par for the course for modern Bond book and DVD releases. (I haven't like a Bond book cover since 2002).

But at least the Gardners will be easier to find when I eventually get around to re-reading them for my review series.

Are these worth reading? I've only ever read the Fleming Bonds, but I might be able to be persuaded to read some others if they were worthwhile to someone who's wary, like me....

The first few are okay. Not Fleming level, obviously, but enjoyable in their own right.

These covers are absymally awful. I have the original hardback version of Licence Renewed which is the only Gardner I've read and it's good but nowhere near the quality of Fleming.

Per our former Imperial Overlords, all 14 will be reprinted in paperback form in 2012 by Orion in the US and Penguin elsewhere. This includes his novelisations of Licence to Kill and Goldeneye.

I've never read Gardner, is Icebreaker as good as they talk it up at CBn?

I don't think so. It's probably one of his better efforts, but I don't see why people gush over it. I enjoy most of Gardner's other works before Icebreaker, but perhaps that is just me.

Vesper wrote:

I've never read Gardner, is Icebreaker as good as they talk it up at CBn?

Icebreaker is good but there are way better Gardner novels. For Special Services, Nobody Lives Forever and Scorpius are my personal favorites.

New paperback covers for the U.K. reprints:

http://www.thebookbond.com/2011/08/cover-art-for-new-gardner-uk-paperbacks.html

I like them. Certainly better than the uniformity of the 80's silhouette versions in the U.S., and much better than the child-like drawings on the hardback reprints. I especially like the License Renewed cover, though it seems like it would be more appropriate for LIVE AND LET DIE. Can anyone remember why there would be a flying, flaming skull in connection to the LICENSE RENEWED story? The ICEBREAKER cover is nice to; simple, yet effective.