37 replies to this topic

[Napoleon Solo]

On top of eerything else mentioned here, it probably wasn't enjoyable for Gardner to see Michael G. Wilson publicly dissing his books. MGW did so at least twice, once in an interview during production of A View to a Kill (I remember reading it in, I think, the Chicago Sun-Times, circa 1984) and once at the November 1995 fan convention in New York the Sunday before GoldenEye's premier. In both cases, he knocked the quality of the books as the reason why Eon wouldn't use them as movies. That probably wasn't a big deal for Gardner, but Eon's principals while complimenting Faulks also said they weren't going to use his book either.

This probably didn't bother Gardner a huge amount. But Eon's motivations probably have as much to do with money (it already pays plenty for use of the Bonde charactrer without paying more for a new novel) as they do with the quality of the books.

[0077]

While the Gardner novels are good, I think they've dated somewhat well. Picking up a Gardner novel, you can spot the eighties cold war influences within. It's not much of a stretch to say that Bond was alittle bit close to the times back then. But, some of his books would have made good movies in their own right.

[jaguar007]

once at the November 1995 fan convention in New York the Sunday before GoldenEye's premier.

Were you there too? I wonder if we met (I met quite a few people that weekend)

[DavidJones]

With Michael G Wilson saying he didn't like Gardner's books, I think that was a little harsh of him. For one thing, if he really didn't like them, he wouldn't have read more, so it's possible that his comment only referred to License Renewed or For Special Services. Also, I think the one major flaw with any 'continuation' by other authors is that, by definition, they are inauthentic. The original writer didn't write them, so the implication is that the World and His Wife could write one and be equally as (in)valid. He could also have been proprietorial: for years, EON had been the only show in town giving the audience the James Bond character, and then IFP got back in the game.

Edited by DavidJones, 28 May 2014 - 10:45 PM.

[Guy Haines]

I enjoyed most of the John Gardner novels - although some I found a little too complicated, compared to the straightforward narrative "sweep" of the man whose birthday we remember today. But they were enjoyable and I dare say re-introduced readers to the literary Bond in the 1980s. And he put Bond into some intriguing situations - up against a serial killer in Never Send Flowers, for example.

 

I find it irritating that in these days when the media go into a flurry about a well known author such as Sebastian Faulks, Jeffrey Deaver or most recently William Boyd being commissioned to write a Bond novel, they forget that John Gardner was himself a well respected author and spent years writing these novels. Although they've been (rightly) re-issued along with the original Ian Fleming books,  for the media it's as if the continuation of Bond in print paused with Kingsley Amis in the late 1960s and only re-started with Sebastian Faulks a few years ago. The contributions of John Gardner, and Raymond Benson after him, should not be overlooked, imho.

[DavidJones]

I find it irritating that in these days when the media go into a flurry about a well known author such as Sebastian Faulks, Jeffrey Deaver or most recently William Boyd being commissioned to write a Bond novel, they forget that John Gardner was himself a well respected author and spent years writing these novels. Although they've been (rightly) re-issued along with the original Ian Fleming books,  for the media it's as if the continuation of Bond in print paused with Kingsley Amis in the late 1960s and only re-started with Sebastian Faulks a few years ago. The contributions of John Gardner, and Raymond Benson after him, should not be overlooked, imho.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with that, Guy, and it bothered me too when Devil May Care was released. Without exception, they all stated that it was the first novel since Colonel Sun or even TMWTGG. Either it was just plain bad journalism or they thought the 'first since Fleming' idea made better copy.

[DavidJones]

With Michael G Wilson saying he didn't like Gardner's books, I think that was a little harsh of him. For one thing, if he really didn't like them, he wouldn't have read more, so it's possible that his comment only referred to License Renewed or For Special Services. Also, I think the one major flaw with any 'continuation' by other authors is that, by definition, they are inauthentic. The original writer didn't write them, so the implication is that the World and His Wife could write one and be equally as (in)valid. He could also have been proprietorial: for years, EON had been the only show in town giving the audience the James Bond character, and then IFP got back in the game.

 

I think MGW, though seemingly a rather gentle guy, may have been slightly put out that he and EON were not the only ones writing for Bond at the time. Just a thought, mind.

 

(Just realised I've agreed with myself - thought that quote was from someone else!)

Edited by DavidJones, 29 April 2015 - 03:20 PM.

[Willowhugger]

Hell, A View To A Kill pulls from License Renewed in several places, IMHO, and I don't believe them if they say otherwise.

Edited by Willowhugger, 15 May 2016 - 06:52 PM.