225 replies to this topic

[dlb007]

This is great news! While I own paperbacks of all the Gardner's I definitely wouldn't mind getting my hands on the hardbacks. True, why the covers of the paperbacks look rather awful, at least we're getting reprints. Better reprints with terrible covers than no reprints at all.

[zencat]

The Bookseller has now picked up the news.

[DouglasJ]

I really hope we get an e-book annoucement soon. Whilst I'll probably pick up these reprints in paperback, E-books is a must for me.

[[dark]]

Wow, gotta say I'm surprised by this announcement, but very pleased. Will this be the first time all of the Gardners have ever been issued as a set with matching cover art? If so, that's pretty awesome. And props to them for committing to release all 14! Didn't think I'd bother upgrading my tatty old paperbacks, but this announcement might just have convinced me otherwise.

[Double-Oh Agent]

Wow, gotta say I'm surprised by this announcement, but very pleased....And props to them for committing to release all 14!

Totally agree with you dark. This is great news.

As for the U.S. covers, I can't say that I'm all that impressed, unfortunately. The typography and layout are okay but the artwork of the women just doesn't work for me. The License Renewed one is far and away the best one as the picture of the woman is decently done, but the other two are not, I'm afraid, which only makes them look cheap. If only they could have gotten Richie Fahey to do the artwork. That would have been fantastic.

[David Schofield]

The first two novels, so far, seem to be influenced by the movies and tailor-made for quick adaptation (something that, unfortunately, has not happened and appears will never be the case).

Quite feasibly, Grav. Both are relative straightforward thrillers, not beset by Gardner's double-becomes triple-become quadruple crosses of the later books.

Perhaps Glidrose/Cape genuinely thought they could produce something that would appeal to EON. Remember, only recently Gildrose and Cape had worked WITH EON to publish the Chris Wood books. And Glidrose/Cape would have been aware that when Gardner began, EON had just run out of full length Fleming novels to adapt (the unavailable CR excepted)...

Who knows? Perhaps had EON had a 40 and not 50 something Bond actor with a slightly more serious demeanour on their hands they might have given it a go...

[Dustin]

On an unrelated question...I'm reading FOR SPECIAL SERVICES right now and wondering if the popularity of the show DALLAS (at the time) had anything to do with Gardner's decision to put half the book in Texas. It seems an odd choice for location.

Really? Can't say I see that. Gardner thought up a villain with a ranch as big as a small city, featuring the original house from Gone with the Wind, a racetrack, a private airfield, a number of various buildings, a private monorail, a tunnel system and so on. I thought the Texas setting was quite natural, not many places you can build that kind of base and get the necessary mercenary force to man the whole affair. Also the target of the SPECTRE plot was Cheyenne Mountain, also situated in the US, as was the fallback house in Louisiana. Not an odd choice to have the villain's main base also in the country.

[OmarB]

True Dustin. Not many6 places, even here in the US with that kind of open landspace. You could go Kansas, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, the Dakotas, but as far as closeness to major cities and trad arteries while still being relatively isolated, it's Texas.

[Dustin]

It's odd, I never got a Dallas or Southfork feeling at all from FSS. If anything Rancho Bismaquer most reminded me of Spectreville from DAF; probably due to the monorail.

[zencat]

BTW, this month marks the 30th Anniversary of License Renewed (released in the U.S. before the UK).

[Dustin]

Most interesting, wasn't aware of that.

[Dustin]

It's odd, I never got a Dallas or Southfork feeling at all from FSS. If anything Rancho Bismaquer most reminded me of Spectreville from DAF; probably due to the monorail.

Gardner would've been doing research on FSS at the height of the DALLAS craze (1980-1981; the "Who Shot J.R.?" phenomena peaked in 1980). It's simply a possibility. DALLAS heavily influenced a lot of pop culture at the time. I mention it because Amarillo, Texas is a bit off the beaten path for a Bond novel. It's not exactly the first glamorous location that comes to mind when thinking about places to set a 007 story.

However, I'm not suggesting that Marcus Bismaquer is J.R. Ewing or that Gardner attempted to use the show DALLAS a blueprint for 'Special Services'. I do think, though, that he might have gotten the idea to investigate Texas and its very distinct culture because of all the mania and hype surrounding the show DALLAS. There are plenty of other suitably large tracts of land in other states that could have been used, but the people and culture of Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota aren't quite as colorful as people living in Texas. Texas must be seen to be believed (I stayed in Houston for five weeks on business and loved every minute of my stay; great people there). If Texas ever secedes from the union, I would consider emigrating there.

Could well be. I seem to remember having read somewhere that Gardner watched little tv, and only followed HILL STREET BLUES with any much enthusiasm. But it would have been hard to dodge the Dallas craze in 1980 or so. The show surely put Texas on the map in a way much more prominently than most westerns did at the time. On top of that the show featured a certain glitzy atmosphere that would perhaps appeal when researching a Bond theme. Much of it could have come out entirely different, but indeed, now that you mention it, I remember the scene when Bond and Cedar are met by a pickup driven by one of Bismaquer's men and I thought of Krebs (the Dallas version, I forget his first name), in the early days when he was having an affair with that underage girl.

[zencat]

Was Dallas big in Ireland? Isn't that where JG lived at the time?

I think he just wanted to do a USA set book and Texas seemed like a good choice. Not hard to believe it would be home to a megalomaniac.

[zencat]

Was Dallas big in Ireland? Isn't that where JG lived at the time?

I think he just wanted to do a USA set book and Texas seemed like a good choice. Not hard to believe it would be home to a megalomaniac.

I don't have any hard numbers on Ireland, but according to what I've read, it was huge internationally. And didn't Gardner have a home in Virginia at some point?

He moved to Virgina in the 90s, I believe.

[Loomis]

There's almost no sense that this Bond is the same Bond as in Fleming's novels (so far), despite some of the links Gardner tries to establish.

Those were my thoughts exactly when I read the first three Gardners a few years ago when they were republished in ombibus form. Gardner's Bond bears no relation to the character Fleming created, as far as I can tell. (Not that this is necessarily a bad thing - I hope that Deaver will take some rather wild liberties and give us an all-new 007, although I expect it'll just be the usual neither-one-thing-nor-the-other fudge.)

But I also find it hard to picture Moore as Gardner's Bond, despite the facts that he was Eon's Bond at the time and Gardner was writing about an ageing 007 (or at least I think that was the idea - it's often tricky to tell just how old Gardner's Bond is supposed to be). This is because Gardner's Bond is more world-weary and less jolly than Moore's, and his books are grittier and more down-to-earth than Moore's ever were. I mean, Moore was making movies like OCTOPUSSY and A VIEW TO A KILL in Gardner's Bond heyday - flicks that are outrageous zany comedy romps by comparison to the books that appeared around the same time.

BTW, I well remember DALLAS being absolutely huge in Britain in the early 1980s (and DYNASTY, too).

[OmarB]

John Gardner stated many times he didnt watch the Bond movies because he wanted his guy to be sort of Ian's guy. I don't see a Moore influence creeping up.

[Glenn]

Well, I will definately be going for the five British hardbacks. Couldn't afford them whilst I was in my teens so had to make do with the papaerbacks (and wait a year). Now I will just have to be nice to the wife and do extra ironing

Edited by Glenn, 04 April 2011 - 06:25 AM.

[Professor Dent]

When the conversation started about a desire for a reprinting of the books, I figured it was just wishful thinking. Even if we did get some reprints, it would just be a handful of them. Now, we are getting every book reprinted with several in hardcover! This is fantastic news!

[zencat]

And the news gets even better...

New Gardner paperbacks hit Amazon...including Licence To Kill!

A nice surprise.

[OmarB]

Nice! ITK is one of my prized possessions.

[zencat]

BTW, the Orion hardcovers now all show their cover art on Amazon. Color on Icebreaker looks a little different.

http://www.amazon.co...1961913&sr=1-19

[Glenn]

Eight GBP for a thin paperback!.....I remember thinking that 1.95 was a lot for the paperback of Icebreaker. How times have changed. (sorry, no pound sign on my keyboard, and I can't be bothered to changed the settings).

[Syndicate]

IF there are really going hardbacks, are they going to be in the U.S. also. IF so what cover arts for the U.S. ones. The 80s U.S. ones or the 80s UK ones. For some reason the Icebraker cover art keeps reminding me or make think of the begining of the movie The Young Lions. There nothing good about the cover art of For Special Service. Both the 80s US hardcover and paperback had the best over all design. The same goes for the Role Of Hornor. Hopfully they will give that one something better.

Now about that cover design of those paperbacks we've kept mum about; is that going to be the design for the US and the UK market? Will the others follow that line? I understand the hardbacks are going to have the original cover design. Is there a possibility that style will somehow be continued?

Edited by Syndicate, 05 April 2011 - 05:17 PM.

[zencat]

And the news gets even better...

New Gardner paperbacks hit Amazon...including Licence To Kill!

A nice surprise.

LIcence To Kill and GoldenEye now confirmed.

[zencat]

IF there are really going hardbacks, are they going to be in the U.S. also. IF so what cover arts for the U.S. ones.

Yes, there REALLY are going to be hardcovers in the UK (first five books). Not a rumor. No hardcovers in the U.S. It was all in my article.

[solace]

Im really looking forward to this. Lit Bond really seems to be filling the void of movie Bond this year. One question I would ask is, are the continuation books Bond more like Flemings 007, more like the Bond in the movies or something else entirely? Currently Im reading Flemings books in order and just starting for your eyes only.

[Dustin]

You can find pretty much everything in the continuations. Some follow the path Fleming first went with Bond. Some veer off over time, some lean heavily on the films, some try to amalgamate both and some are nothing like Fleming at all, nor like the films. You really have to find out yourself what's up your alley.

[Jump James]

Im really looking forward to this. Lit Bond really seems to be filling the void of movie Bond this year. One question I would ask is, are the continuation books Bond more like Flemings 007, more like the Bond in the movies or something else entirely? Currently Im reading Flemings books in order and just starting for your eyes only.

It's all a lot down to ones own interpretation to a certain degree. I don't think Amis or Gardner were a million miles off. My advice is read them in order of publication if you can. Enjoy your reading of the Fleming books solace. There is plenty of fun to be had after!

[Jeff007]

Can't wait to get those first 5 UK hardbacks! This is pretty exciting news! Glad Gardner is back.

[zencat]

Started re-reading Nobody Lives Forever last night.

I so love these books. I enjoyed them as new Bond adventures back in the day, but now they have the extra punch of being '80s nostalgia, and also hugely nostalgic for me personally. I can remember when and where I got every book, and exactly where I was in my life at that time. They deliver for me on so many levels now. Wonderful things, these books.