8 replies to this topic

[Predator007]

Just curious, but why was there a gap in the novelizations of the films? I have the two by Christopher Wood(TSWLM and MR) and the 1 by Gardner(LTK) and of course they continued for all the Brosnan Bonds. Why no novelizations for FYEO through TLD? Most everyone's opinion of Wood's work is positive so i assume they did well. Why did they stop for that period?

[Wade]

Because they already HAD books for those movies -- Fleming's books. They had Wood write a novelization of his story because, under their agreement with Fleming, they could use the story from TSWLM. Now, you may ask, WHY did they have him write a novelization of "Moonraker" when there already WAS a novel called "Moonraker"? One with essentially the same plot?

Greater minds than mine, my friend ....

[Icephoenix]

Don't forget Gardner's GoldenEye.

[Predator007]

Originally posted by Wade
Because they already HAD books for those movies -- Fleming's books.  

Yes, but for FYEO,OP,and AVTAK , only a very minor part of the plot involved ideas from Flemings short stories. Certainly no more than in MR, and there was the novelization for it.

[DLibrasnow]

I don't think one can argue that they had Wood write the novelization for The Spy Who Loved Me because of the agreement with Fleming. More I think it merely rests with the fact that Wood wanted put together a novelization of the movie.

In the case of the Moonraker novelization perhaps he wanted to show us how good the movie could have been if they had stuck with his screenplay.

Then John Gardner took over writing the Bond books in 1981 and I expect it simply came down to EON (or MGM) simply asking him to write the novelization of Licence to Kill.

Shame, because I would have loved to have read a novelization of A View to a Kill. But at least we have one for my all-time favorite 007 movie in Wood's The Spy Who Loved Me

[Tanger]

Just out of curosity (in fact it just occurred to me whilst reading) why does the Bond reference book "The Bond Files" have little or no reference to (all) the novelisations?

[Qwerty]

Originally posted by DLibrasnow


Then John Gardner took over writing the Bond books in 1981 and I expect it simply came down to EON (or MGM) simply asking him to write the novelization of Licence to Kill.

Shame, because I would have loved to have read a novelization of A View to a Kill. But at least we have one for my all-time favorite 007 movie in Wood's The Spy Who Loved Me

Yeah, and I think after Gardner started with LTK and GE, it just became traditon with Benson and I hope it continues!

Ah yes, DLibrasnow, also my favorite movie, but I think the novelization could have been better. I do like the longer and more in depth openin, but certain scenes just don't work, and 'Sigmund Stromberg?' Don't like it too much at all.

[Triton]

Originally posted by DLibrasnow
I don't think one can argue that they had Wood write the novelization for The Spy Who Loved Me because of the agreement with Fleming. More I think it merely rests with the fact that Wood wanted put together a novelization of the movie.  

In the case of the Moonraker novelization perhaps he wanted to show us how good the movie could have been if they had stuck with his screenplay.

Then John Gardner took over writing the Bond books in 1981 and I expect it simply came down to EON (or MGM) simply asking him to write the novelization of Licence to Kill.

Shame, because I would have loved to have read a novelization of A View to a Kill. But at least we have one for my all-time favorite 007 movie in Wood's The Spy Who Loved Me

I think the publishing companies involved just wanted a piece of a James Bond film's success. In the United States, "The Spy Who Loved Me" by Christopher Wood was published by Warner Books in 1977. From the piece of cover art on the "Art of James Bond" web site it looks like James Bond and Moonraker by Christopher Wood was published by Jove Books. I don't know who had the printing rights to the Ian Fleming novels during this period, was it still Signet? But I have never heard or seen a Warner Books edition of the original Ian Fleming novels. I also presume that the novelization printing rights were sold before Wood started work on his novelizaton.

I also wonder if the main reason why there wasn't a novelization of the script of For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, or The Living Daylights was because the publishing companies didn't want to buy a license from Eon Productions to create a movie tie-in. Perhaps Eon Productions was asking for too much money? Perhaps they felt they could make just as much money just reprinting the original Fleming novel with the cover art of the current novel series?

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by Qwerty


Yeah, and I think after Gardner started with LTK and GE, it just became traditon with Benson and I hope it continues!  

Ah yes, DLibrasnow, also my favorite movie, but I think the novelization could have been better. I do like the longer and more in depth openin, but certain scenes just don't work, and 'Sigmund Stromberg?' Don't like it too much at all.

It's been awhile since I have read the novelization but I remember really liking it as a 10 or 11 year old.