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What a shame! "We'll have all the time in the world."
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Sep 11, 2020 01:17
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 10:49 |
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I have to say that compared to the sexist cynicism of Pearson's nonsensical book and the overly serious, schlocky and smarmy Wood novelizations, Garner's writing is a breath of fresh air. While not as good as Fleming at his best, (so far at least) feel like Garner gets many of the elements of Bond. Ann Reilly is more of a proper Bond woman, witty, with hints at her own story, and without constant references to her tits. The preperation for the mission, Bonds lack of Roger Moore-esque quips, and the characters introduced seem to be more interesting than the lazy pulp figures of the recent past. Even the spycraft is improved, with Bonds competence leavened by his gently caress ups, as opposed to the brazenness of Woods depiction, or even Fleming's poor handling in Man with the Golden Gun.
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Sep 15, 2020 23:49
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This book delivers more "Huh?"s per minute... It had a decently promising start, too.
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Mar 19, 2021 06:29
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I really appreciate you doing these Let's Reads, because I doubt I have the patience to read the Gardener books on my own, whereas your inspired me to slowly work through the Fleming ones. I still think that bio of Bond was the worst one of the non-Fleming so far, but this one was the most disappointing. I want to like Gardner, especially since he seems to do his research and updates the character and setting interestingly (although why he bothered with the whole 'the double 0 agents are disbanded' thing is a mystery, it seems to have had no effect on anything,) but he seems to start strong and then just run out of gas by the end. The Gardener books do seem to have some influence from the films, which makes sense as more people are familiar with the film version of Bond and doesn't bother me much, a little silliness is ok and honestly Fleming wasn't immune to that either. Icebreaker was a bummer tho, I wouldn't have minded all the craziness and triple crosses if they were spread out through the book more and didn't all bunch up at the end. There is also the problem that if Bond didn't go on this mission everything would have turned out exactly the same, except maybe Arnë Whatever would have been captured not killed. He doesn't actually do anything except send messages of extremely quotidian info to M, which I'm pretty sure the first guy could do. Bond doesn't figure anything out or do anything of note except shoot a guy. He's stupidly credulous and distrusting for all the wrong reasons. Bond may be an idiot but he's not stupid, the dumb things he usually does are more exciting, like he figures out a double cross but deals with it dumbly but excitingly. I mean, say what you want about him, but he does stuff, the plot being M sends him in for him meander around and send back intel makes Bond act like and the setting recognize him for a plodder, which is not very interesting to read about. As I said, I want to like Gardner but he's making it difficult. If he can become less 'oh poo poo word count got to wrap it up' I think these could be fun reads. Right now it's more like character assassination by a thousand cuts.
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Mar 20, 2021 07:43
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poisonpill posted:“Oh I guess this person is also pulling a double cross” Yeah, like upon reflection, why didn't Brad just tell Bond he was a double agent? The problem wasn't that he didn't have a chance or thought Bond might be compromised, it's just that it created a needless plot twist.
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Mar 20, 2021 19:28
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Sean Connery yells from a police car window, "Hack the planet!"
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Apr 1, 2021 23:00
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Two things I think of reading this last update. The "Go to Horny Jail" image macro and Is Bond supposed to be like pushing 60 at the youngest? I still feel that while Gardner is, next to Amis, probably the best of the post-Fleming Bond writers, he's inconsistent as hell and his books occupy an uncomfortable space between something like the "Men's Adventure" Nick Carter-Killmaster pulp books and Fleming's best Bond fiction. Gardner obviously does a lot of research and puts effort into it, but his plotting goes from interestingly weird to Saturday morning cartoon, sometimes in the same book (or at worst, like the last one, where it was a confusing wet fart). I do have to say, and should have earlier, that I am enjoying the plot hook of wargaming. I think it's kind of fascinating that it is the villains obsession, although I am probably biased as I'm a dabbler in the hobby myself. I have a feeling that the reputation of wargaming in Britian might have been fairly different than it is now in America. In 1978 there was a short lived TV show there called Battleground, (hosted by Edward Woodward, who had also played the wargamer/assassin Callan in TV movies and a series) that featured wargamers fighting some historical battle in each episode. I get the impression that the general reputation of the hobby was a bit eccentric but also intellectual, and not so much about fantasists.
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Jun 13, 2021 05:52
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chitoryu12 posted:Gardner takes a somewhat ambiguous timeline. I believe his basic idea was to time-shift the series so that everyone would be a similar age as the end of The Man with the Golden Gun in 1980 and then make an attempt at aging him each year. I've noticed that before, it's why it surprised me he specified being trained during the second world war, which would put him at maybe 58 at the youngest. And in my mind you have no need to apologize, you are the lifeblood of the thread.
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Jun 14, 2021 02:23
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That, and he read the book or saw the movie Black Sunday and wanted the Goodyear blimp in his book too.
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Jun 25, 2021 01:28
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Imagining James Bond smelling like a head shop now.
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Oct 5, 2021 19:12
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Yeah, I'm glad you're still doing this too, and hope your problems aren't too heavy.
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Jun 28, 2022 17:08
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 10:49 |
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I just want to offer my condolences and sympathies for his family and for you and his other friends. I only really knew him from these threads, but he was a charming and intelligent man and I not only greatly enjoyed these threads, but learned a fair bit too. He will be missed.
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Feb 10, 2023 08:37
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