9 replies to this topic

[zencat]

I think this is one of Gardner's most UNDERRATED books. Great locations, great villain, and a Flemingesque sweep. It's doesn't bog down -- like so many of Gardners books do -- with endless scenes of people talking in hotel rooms. Does anyone share my madness?

[General Orlov]

Well, I wouldn't say Brokenclaw was Gardner's best, but I enjoyed reading it. You have a good point there about all these people talking endlessly in hotel rooms in some of his other novels. That's something that annoys me, too.

[Blue Eyes]

This is one of the novels I haven't been able to lay my hands on. I can't even find a library with it

[zencat]

Blue Eyes (06 Jun, 2001 06:43 a.m.):
This is one of the novels I haven't been able to lay my hands on. I can't even find a library with it

I'm sure you can find a used copy. Try Bookfinder.com, or just cruise eBay. The U.S. Amazon site now has a "buy it used" feature and I'm pretty sure I saw a Brokenclaw there for cheap.

[Blue Eyes]

I can't find any on Ebay Australia. I'll try the US one, thanks

[RossMan]

When I read Brokenclaw I kept thinking of the Spy Who Loved Me, as well becuase of the submarine tracking system.

[Jim]

Anyone else think that the LORDS/ LORDS DAY thingy sounds a bit like the submarine tracking system in The Spy who Loved Me? On the whole, I think the book is the waste of a good villain and the plot really wasn't all that engaging. Not even when EON used bits of it for GoldenEye a few years later.

[RossMan]

with endless scenes of people talking in hotel rooms. Does anyone share my madness?[/quote]

Though I haven't read all of Gardner's works, I have found it a bit frusturating that Bond always seems to have time to sit around hotels talking about the assignment with people and making many phone calls. To make it worse, these scenes are both frequent and long and dull.

[RossMan]

Blue Eyes,
You can also try half.com
Its a site for books, videos, etc. and where I was able to find all of the Gardners and even Amis' Bond book. Its usual at pretty cheap prices too.

[General Koskov]

I thought he'd keep Bond in Canada (I too thought this High Tea was a bit much at the Empress) but he just goes and sticks him in Fransisco, which is never 'used'. He could be in Winnipeg, for crying out loud!

I too thought that Lee was underused. And so was LORDS/LORDS DAY. Lee ought to have been planning something with the tracking system to intensify the plot. As it is, Brokenclaw is 'unfinished' like TMWTGG--but TMWTGG had a really good start, so it's ahead of Brokenclaw.