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[Athena007]

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[center] Looking Back: Licence Renewed [4]John Gardner Back to top #2 Genrewriter Genrewriter Cammander CMG Veterans 4360 posts Location:South Pasadena, CA Posted 16 April 2005 - 07:38 AM Nice article, Devin. Very nicely done. The book isn't my favorite Gardner but it is a very strong, fun re-introduction to the character. Back to top #3 Aussie21 Aussie21 Lieutenant Crew 615 posts Location:Formerly Melbourne, Currently New York Posted 16 April 2005 - 03:59 PM One of these days I'm going to have to find a copy of a few of Gardner's novels and buy them. I feel like I'm missing out on some huge secret because I haven't read them yet. Back to top #4 Loomis Loomis Commander CMG Veterans 21862 posts Posted 16 April 2005 - 04:08 PM Looking back, I think I was much too kind to "Licence Renewed" in that review of mine. I now feel it's a desperately dull and really rather feeble piece of work, Benson's "Zero Minus Ten" being, to paraphrase Genrewriter, a much stronger and much more fun reintroduction of the literary Bond. I've tried, but I guess I just don't dig Gardner. Back to top #5 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 16 April 2005 - 05:29 PM Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future. Back to top #6 zencat zencat Commander GCMG Commanding Officers 25814 posts Location:Studio City, CA Posted 16 April 2005 - 06:37 PM Nice work, Qwerty. I'm always up for a second look at the Gardner books. Bring on the rest. Back to top #7 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 16 April 2005 - 08:50 PM Glad you liked. Thanks. Back to top #8 James Boldman James Boldman Sub-Lieutenant Crew 454 posts Location:Melbourne, Australia Posted 18 April 2005 - 05:17 AM Great article, Devin. Looking forward to "For Special Services" Back to top #9 Mr. Somerset Mr. Somerset Lt. Commander Veterans 1760 posts Location:USA Posted 18 April 2005 - 05:36 AM Cool article. Makes me want to go back and re-read the book as it's been about 17 years since I first read it. Back to top #10 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 18 April 2005 - 05:58 AM Thank you both. For Special Services will indeed be next. Back to top #11 DLibrasnow DLibrasnow Commander Enlisting 16568 posts Location:Washington D.C.. USA Posted 18 April 2005 - 12:32 PM It isn't my favorite Gardner, but it certainly was great back in the early 1980s to see the literary Bond return. Though at the time (and still today) I think Christopher Wood was the better choice for a continuation author after his two fantastic efforts in the late 1970s. Having said that I think Gardner did a great job and I have nothing but total respect for him as a writer (not something I can say for all the continuation authors, not naming names). Back to top #12 David Schofield David Schofield Commander Discharged 3026 posts Posted 18 April 2005 - 01:10 PM It isn't my favorite Gardner, but it certainly was great back in the early 1980s to see the literary Bond return. Though at the time (and still today) I think Christopher Wood was the better choice for a continuation author after his two fantastic efforts in the late 1970s. Having said that I think Gardner did a great job and I have nothing but total respect for him as a writer (not something I can say for all the continuation authors, not naming names). Agree 100%. Back to top #13 hrabb04 hrabb04 Lt. Commander Veterans 1706 posts Posted 18 April 2005 - 01:17 PM I always had a soft spot for this book. I almost married a girl named Andrea Peacock, so to have a Bond girl named Lavender Peacock was pretty cool. Back to top #14 Tanger Tanger Commander Veterans 5671 posts Location:Mars Posted 18 April 2005 - 03:24 PM Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future. Excellent article Qwerty - as always. Your output is really astounding and of a consistently high quality. Good job. Back to top #15 Nelson David George Nelson David George Cadet Crew 13 posts Location:United Kingdom Posted 18 April 2005 - 07:21 PM I've only read a few of Gardner's Bond's - started well, but tailed off a bit, and having picked up a load on eBay I decided to go through from the start. I will be finishing Licence Renewed tonight! Great article and great timing. Looking forward to more of the same. Back to top #16 Bond_Bishop Bond_Bishop Lt. Commander Veterans 1885 posts Location:Secret position compromised: Karlstad, Sweden Posted 18 April 2005 - 07:46 PM Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on! Back to top #17 DLibrasnow DLibrasnow Commander Enlisting 16568 posts Location:Washington D.C.. USA Posted 18 April 2005 - 08:27 PM Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on! LOL...I love the way you phrased that. Back to top #18 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 18 April 2005 - 10:05 PM Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future. Excellent article Qwerty - as always. Your output is really astounding and of a consistently high quality. Good job. Very kind of you. I've only read a few of Gardner's Bond's - started well, but tailed off a bit, and having picked up a load on eBay I decided to go through from the start. I will be finishing Licence Renewed tonight! Great article and great timing. Looking forward to more of the same. Excellent timing indeed! Be sure to post your thoughts on it. Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on! For Special Services is nearly ready. Back to top #19 DLibrasnow DLibrasnow Commander Enlisting 16568 posts Location:Washington D.C.. USA Posted 18 April 2005 - 10:51 PM Fantastic news Devin. Back to top #20 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 19 April 2005 - 12:54 AM One of these days I'm going to have to find a copy of a few of Gardner's novels and buy them.  I feel like I'm missing out on some huge secret because I haven't read them yet.  http://cgi.ebay.com/...ssPageName=WDVW $1.99 Back to top #21 Gri007 Gri007 Lt. Commander Veterans 1719 posts Location:United Kingdom Posted 26 April 2005 - 07:49 PM When I first read Licence Renewed, i juct couldn't help but picture Roger Moore as 007. it could be the fact that he was playing bond at the time the book was published. To me Gardner writes the books like Benson wrote the books, very easy to understand. Where has Fleming seems to write diffrent. Does anybody think the same, or is it just me. Back to top #22 Tanger Tanger Commander Veterans 5671 posts Location:Mars Posted 26 April 2005 - 11:36 PM Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future. Excellent article Qwerty - as always. Your output is really astounding and of a consistently high quality. Good job. Very kind of you. I've only read a few of Gardner's Bond's - started well, but tailed off a bit, and having picked up a load on eBay I decided to go through from the start. I will be finishing Licence Renewed tonight! Great article and great timing. Looking forward to more of the same. Excellent timing indeed! Be sure to post your thoughts on it. Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on! For Special Services is nearly ready. My favourite Gardner novel. Hopefully you've picked out some nice positive comments for this one to let people know how great it is. Back to top #23 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 27 April 2005 - 01:19 AM Ah, Tanger, you haven't seen it yet? http://debrief.comma...showtopic=22636 Back to top #24 Tanger Tanger Commander Veterans 5671 posts Location:Mars Posted 27 April 2005 - 01:23 AM I had actually. I found the thread for it about 2 minutes after I posted here. I had seen the link on the main page but it didn't click with me what it was. Good article Qwerty. FSS deserves a lot of praise as it's Gardner's best. Back to top #25 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 27 April 2005 - 01:27 AM Thanks, and I certainly agree with you about the praise. One of my (and practically everyone's judging by the quotes) faves as well. Back to top #26 Lazenby880 Lazenby880 Lieutenant Crew 937 posts Location:London Posted 27 May 2005 - 01:44 PM Licence Renewed was the first Gardner novel I read and found it an excellent introduction to his works and re-introduction of the character. It was a taut thriller, suspenseful and with riveting action sequences. As technically proficient as the novel undoubtedly is, above all Licence Renewed is an enjoyable and satisfying read. I even liked Q'ute. One issue: Lavender Peacock? Mr Gardner's chosen names for his Bond girls often left much to be desired. Again, the way Qwerty has wriiten these articles is very good and are useful as reference points. In particular, the cover to what I assume is the German edition of Licence Renewed is interesting with a very Roger Moore looking Bond. Edited by Lazenby880, 27 May 2005 - 01:45 PM. Back to top #27 Trident Trident Commander Veterans 2658 posts Location:Germany Posted 27 May 2005 - 03:41 PM Again, the way Qwerty has wriiten these articles is very good and are useful as reference points. In particular, the cover to what I assume is the German edition of Licence Renewed is interesting with a very Roger Moore looking Bond.  I believe the cover in the article is the Swedish paperback. Funny is, the German edition did indeed have a photo of Roger Moore on the cover. Back to top #28 Qwerty Qwerty Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 85605 posts Location:New York / Pennsylvania Posted 27 May 2005 - 06:46 PM [quote name='Lazenby880' date='27 May 2005 - 09:44']Licence Renewed was the first Gardner novel I read and found it an excellent introduction to his works and re-introduction of the character. It was a taut thriller, suspenseful and with riveting action sequences. As technically proficient as the novel undoubtedly is, above all Licence Renewed is an enjoyable and satisfying read. I even liked Q'ute. One issue: Lavender Peacock? Mr Gardner's chosen names for his Bond girls often left much to be desired. Again, the way Qwerty has wriiten these articles is very good and are useful as reference points. In particular, the cover to what I assume is the German edition of Licence Renewed is interesting with a very Roger Moore looking Bond. Back to top #29 Jaws0178 Jaws0178 Lt. Commander Veterans 1612 posts Location:Sioux Falls, Station SD Posted 03 June 2005 - 05:19 AM I have come along way since I received "Moonraker". I have recently bought "License Renewed" and found it to be a very good book. When I read, I actually saw our man Pierce as 007. Don't ask. Todd Back to top #30 K1Bond007 K1Bond007 Commander RNVR Commanding Officers 4932 posts Location:Illinois Posted 11 August 2005 - 08:43 PM Semi-review - I figure here's the best place. First off, I liked the book. It's not great, but it's not bad either. My biggest turn off was the Saab 900 Turbo aka The Silver Beast and only because it was stocked full with gadgets that I thought were a little over doing it. One feature being the CO2 and oxygen masks under the seat. I'm of the opinion that Bond shouldn't rely on gadgets in the books; what he does in the films is a completely different story, but for books, I like the idea of keeping Bond realistic. Making him use his knowledge, intuition, and balls to the walls fighting tactics rather than taking Bond from point A to point C by using a <insert random gadget here> to get by point B. Ultimately the Saab is a threat to that ideal, although admittingly Gardner doesn't use it to it's fullest in this novel. The good thing about Licence Renewed is Gardner's writing style and his way of working a "thriller" to keep you reading. Truly, the scheme by Murik is more or less a retread of previous schemes from other books such as Thunderball and not really all that more alluring, but it doesn't really matter because Gardner is able to make it more thrilling than it really is. I should also note that I just came off reading Casino Royale through (with the exception of Pearson) Wood's Moonraker in order of publication. So I basically went from "Great" to "Poor" to Gardner. I didn't care for Wood's writing style at all, more so for "James Bond, and The Spy Who Loved Me", but that's another review. Point is, reading it like that, Gardner is a breath of fresh air. Edited by K1Bond007, 15 August 2005 - 03:57 AM. Back to top Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next Back to John Gardner (1981-1996) Reply to quoted posts     Clear

[Genrewriter]

Nice article, Devin. Very nicely done. The book isn't my favorite Gardner but it is a very strong, fun re-introduction to the character.

[Aussie21]

One of these days I'm going to have to find a copy of a few of Gardner's novels and buy them. I feel like I'm missing out on some huge secret because I haven't read them yet.

[Loomis]

Looking back, I think I was much too kind to "Licence Renewed" in that review of mine. I now feel it's a desperately dull and really rather feeble piece of work, Benson's "Zero Minus Ten" being, to paraphrase Genrewriter, a much stronger and much more fun reintroduction of the literary Bond. I've tried, but I guess I just don't dig Gardner.

[Qwerty]

Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future.

[zencat]

Nice work, Qwerty. I'm always up for a second look at the Gardner books. Bring on the rest.

[Qwerty]

Glad you liked. Thanks.

[James Boldman]

Great article, Devin. Looking forward to "For Special Services"

[Mr. Somerset]

Cool article. Makes me want to go back and re-read the book as it's been about 17 years since I first read it.

[Qwerty]

Thank you both. For Special Services will indeed be next.

[DLibrasnow]

It isn't my favorite Gardner, but it certainly was great back in the early 1980s to see the literary Bond return. Though at the time (and still today) I think Christopher Wood was the better choice for a continuation author after his two fantastic efforts in the late 1970s.

Having said that I think Gardner did a great job and I have nothing but total respect for him as a writer (not something I can say for all the continuation authors, not naming names).

[David Schofield]

It isn't my favorite Gardner, but it certainly was great back in the early 1980s to see the literary Bond return. Though at the time (and still today) I think Christopher Wood was the better choice for a continuation author after his two fantastic efforts in the late 1970s.

Having said that I think Gardner did a great job and I have nothing but total respect for him as a writer (not something I can say for all the continuation authors, not naming names).

Agree 100%.

[hrabb04]

I always had a soft spot for this book. I almost married a girl named Andrea Peacock, so to have a Bond girl named Lavender Peacock was pretty cool.

[Tanger]

Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future.

Excellent article Qwerty - as always. Your output is really astounding and of a consistently high quality. Good job.

[Nelson David George]

I've only read a few of Gardner's Bond's - started well, but tailed off a bit, and having picked up a load on eBay I decided to go through from the start. I will be finishing Licence Renewed tonight! Great article and great timing. Looking forward to more of the same.

[Bond_Bishop]

Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on!

[DLibrasnow]

Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on!

LOL...I love the way you phrased that.

[Qwerty]

Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future.

Excellent article Qwerty - as always. Your output is really astounding and of a consistently high quality. Good job.

Very kind of you.

I've only read a few of Gardner's Bond's - started well, but tailed off a bit, and having picked up a load on eBay I decided to go through from the start. I will be finishing Licence Renewed tonight! Great article and great timing. Looking forward to more of the same.

Excellent timing indeed! Be sure to post your thoughts on it.

Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on!

For Special Services is nearly ready.

[DLibrasnow]

Fantastic news Devin.

[Qwerty]

One of these days I'm going to have to find a copy of a few of Gardner's novels and buy them.  I feel like I'm missing out on some huge secret because I haven't read them yet. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/...ssPageName=WDVW

$1.99

[Gri007]

When I first read Licence Renewed, i juct couldn't help but picture Roger Moore as 007. it could be the fact that he was playing bond at the time the book was published. To me Gardner writes the books like Benson wrote the books, very easy to understand. Where has Fleming seems to write diffrent. Does anybody think the same, or is it just me.

[Tanger]

Hope you all like this. There will be more in the future.

Excellent article Qwerty - as always. Your output is really astounding and of a consistently high quality. Good job.

Very kind of you.

I've only read a few of Gardner's Bond's - started well, but tailed off a bit, and having picked up a load on eBay I decided to go through from the start. I will be finishing Licence Renewed tonight! Great article and great timing. Looking forward to more of the same.

Excellent timing indeed! Be sure to post your thoughts on it.

Great article. Keep this Looking back thingy on!

For Special Services is nearly ready.

My favourite Gardner novel. Hopefully you've picked out some nice positive comments for this one to let people know how great it is.

[Qwerty]

Ah, Tanger, you haven't seen it yet?

http://debrief.comma...showtopic=22636

[Tanger]

I had actually. I found the thread for it about 2 minutes after I posted here. I had seen the link on the main page but it didn't click with me what it was.

Good article Qwerty. FSS deserves a lot of praise as it's Gardner's best.

[Qwerty]

Thanks, and I certainly agree with you about the praise. One of my (and practically everyone's judging by the quotes) faves as well.

[Lazenby880]

Licence Renewed was the first Gardner novel I read and found it an excellent introduction to his works and re-introduction of the character. It was a taut thriller, suspenseful and with riveting action sequences. As technically proficient as the novel undoubtedly is, above all Licence Renewed is an enjoyable and satisfying read. I even liked Q'ute.

One issue: Lavender Peacock? Mr Gardner's chosen names for his Bond girls often left much to be desired.

Again, the way Qwerty has wriiten these articles is very good and are useful as reference points. In particular, the cover to what I assume is the German edition of Licence Renewed is interesting with a very Roger Moore looking Bond.

Edited by Lazenby880, 27 May 2005 - 01:45 PM.

[Trident]

Again, the way Qwerty has wriiten these articles is very good and are useful as reference points. In particular, the cover to what I assume is the German edition of Licence Renewed is interesting with a very Roger Moore looking Bond. 

I believe the cover in the article is the Swedish paperback. Funny is, the German edition did indeed have a photo of Roger Moore on the cover.

[Qwerty]

[quote name='Lazenby880' date='27 May 2005 - 09:44']Licence Renewed was the first Gardner novel I read and found it an excellent introduction to his works and re-introduction of the character. It was a taut thriller, suspenseful and with riveting action sequences. As technically proficient as the novel undoubtedly is, above all Licence Renewed is an enjoyable and satisfying read. I even liked Q'ute.

One issue: Lavender Peacock? Mr Gardner's chosen names for his Bond girls often left much to be desired.

Again, the way Qwerty has wriiten these articles is very good and are useful as reference points. In particular, the cover to what I assume is the German edition of Licence Renewed is interesting with a very Roger Moore looking Bond.

[Jaws0178]

I have come along way since I received "Moonraker". I have recently bought "License Renewed" and found it to be a very good book. When I read, I actually saw our man Pierce as 007. Don't ask.

Todd

[K1Bond007]

Semi-review - I figure here's the best place.

First off, I liked the book. It's not great, but it's not bad either. My biggest turn off was the Saab 900 Turbo aka The Silver Beast and only because it was stocked full with gadgets that I thought were a little over doing it. One feature being the CO2 and oxygen masks under the seat. I'm of the opinion that Bond shouldn't rely on gadgets in the books; what he does in the films is a completely different story, but for books, I like the idea of keeping Bond realistic. Making him use his knowledge, intuition, and balls to the walls fighting tactics rather than taking Bond from point A to point C by using a <insert random gadget here> to get by point B. Ultimately the Saab is a threat to that ideal, although admittingly Gardner doesn't use it to it's fullest in this novel.

The good thing about Licence Renewed is Gardner's writing style and his way of working a "thriller" to keep you reading. Truly, the scheme by Murik is more or less a retread of previous schemes from other books such as Thunderball and not really all that more alluring, but it doesn't really matter because Gardner is able to make it more thrilling than it really is. I should also note that I just came off reading Casino Royale through (with the exception of Pearson) Wood's Moonraker in order of publication. So I basically went from "Great" to "Poor" to Gardner. I didn't care for Wood's writing style at all, more so for "James Bond, and The Spy Who Loved Me", but that's another review. Point is, reading it like that, Gardner is a breath of fresh air.

Edited by K1Bond007, 15 August 2005 - 03:57 AM.