The Gardnerisation of James Bond 1981-1996

Silhouette Man

What 'winds of change' do you think that John Gardner introduced to the literary James Bond universe between 1981 and 1996. Here are my thoughts on the matter, which I have termed 'The Gardnerisation of James Bond':

1. The disbandment of the Double-O Section in 1979
2. The cut-backs on James Bond's smoking and drinking habits in the 1970s
3. James Bond is in his 50s - hair greying at the temples etc.
4. James Bond Junior element - daughters of Felix Leiter and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in For Special Services. The Special Section with 007 as the sole member - possibly illegal organisation?
6. The promotion of Commander James Bond RNVR to Captain James Bond in Win, Lose or Die (1989)
7. Drinks tea (Brokenclaw) and beer, both of which Fleming's Bond abhorred!
8. More real-life intelligence world across the board - reaching its peak in The Man From Barbarossa (1991)
9. James Bond cast more in the role of a police detective - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
10. More experimental a la TSWLM and QoS in Fleming's time - see Brokenclaw, The Man From Barbarossa, Scorpius, WLOD, Never Send Flowers and COLD/Cold Fall
11. Replacement of Special Section with the Two Zeros Section and government overseer MicroGlobe One - replacement of old M with female M.
12. Bond's new pasttimes - watching videos, jazz music, visiting Disney World, Orlando
13. Euro Disney used as a location in Never Send Flowers - pisstake or for real?
14. Less of exercise regims/new fads and favouites
15. Different 'knowing' relationship with M.
16. Bigger, more action-oriented role for Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner
17. Love interest near to marriage - Fredericka "Flicka" von Grusse
18. James Bond defending real-life people - Scorpius, WLOD and Never Send Flowers
19. MI5 and MI6 cast at loggerheads - more HUMINT role than in the Fleming books
20. More real-life scenarios - prescient plots - see Licence Renewed, For Special Services, Scorpius, WLOD, The Man From Barbarossa, Never Send Flowers, COLD
21. More low-key Euro-villains/criminals wanting to benefit out of the Cold War - some Flemingesque exceptions in Vladimir Scorpius/Father Valentine, Brokenclaw Lee, David Dragonpol and Sir Max Tarn.
22. More of a Special Forces Bondian background for James Bond and Bill Tanner - SAS training etc.
23. From 1990 onwards - more experimental writing, mixing new genres into the spy genre - Brokenclaw - Western-type Indian-American ceremonies etc., The Man From Barbarossa - real-world secret intelligence officer, Never Send Flowers - serial killer spy thriller, Cold - US Fascism take-over etc.

These are some of my thoughts on this - anyone got any more examples of the Gardnerisation of James Bond?

James Suzuki

I thought he was be coming more of a family man for some reason. Liking Disney Land, drinking tea. I almost thought he was going to settle down with kids.

Le Samourai

Quibble with #7: 'Drinks tea (Brokenclaw) and beer, both of which Fleming's Bond abhorred!"

Correct about tea, wrong about beer. Fleming's Bond drank beer on several occasions.

http://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/the-literary-james-bond-and-beer/

Silhouette Man

Le Samourai wrote:

Quibble with #7: 'Drinks tea (Brokenclaw) and beer, both of which Fleming's Bond abhorred!"

Correct about tea, wrong about beer. Fleming's Bond drank beer on several occasions.

http://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/the-literary-james-bond-and-beer/

Yes, I realised as I typed this - he did drink Red Stripe beer in TMWTGG I think, in Jamaica, but my point is he wasn't a heavy beer drinker!