Icebreaker

Muston

Finished Gardner's 3rd book last night and have to say, I rather enjoyed it!

Unlike his first two, Icebreaker wasn't the same old formula re-worked and I got the feeling that this is one was the real John Gardner. Maybe it was because he was at the end of his 3-book-deal and wanted to go out with something different? Only to find himself being asked to stay on at the end of his agreement?

Three novels in, I am being to like Gardner's James Bond. He is a different beast to Fleming's, and though I know he'll never replace the original, I'm beginning to understand what Gardner was up against and what he tried to do with Bond. Role Of Honour awaits me, and yes I've read some reviews so I know it doesn't have loads of admirers. But Icebreaker was by far the best of his first-three and has helped me like Gardner that little bit more. :007)

Le Samourai

What timing... it's the 30th anniversary of the publication of 'Icebreaker.' The Book Bond had a nice write-up:

http://www.thebookbond.com/2013/05/30th-anniversary-of-john-gardners.html

Thunderpussy

Nice atricle Le Samourai. I agree that although I did
enjoy Icebreaker, It was the start of all the Double/triple
agents and double crossing that was to take place more and
more in the Gardner novels.

David Schofield

Thunderpussy wrote:

Nice atricle Le Samourai. I agree that although I did
enjoy Icebreaker, It was the start of all the Double/triple
agents and double crossing that was to take place more and
more in the Gardner novels.

I would suggest that after ICEBREAKER folks "not being who you thought they were/oh, yes they are/oh no, they're really not after all" was never absent in a Gardner novel, with the exception of LICENCE TO KILL whose story was handed to him(GOLDENEYE, of course, had the effect but that cannot be blamed on Gardner ).

Much to do, I suggest, with Gardner's frustration with the "ordinariness" of Bond stories and his own, post Boysie Oakes, desire to write true, twisty spy fiction. The graft of that on to James Bond, I believe, never worked.

oakesshot

Thanks for the link to the Icebreaker article - this is a key Gardner Bond. From thereafter, things got much more complicated plot and character wise. It was not a change for the better, but there were still some good novels in this period too.

davidelliott101

It's next in line in my reading...

Muston

Yes it's a good article (I'm impressed with all the Icebreaker copies.)

For me, LR and FSS were too similar for my liking. At least Icebreaker tried to take Bond on a different road which I think worked. It's interesting that each book came out a year after each other. This means he probably had no longer than 6/7 months to get the story finished. Even for a full time writer, that's a hard thing to do when you're working under guidelines and trying to not stray too far from a formula. So for Icebreaker to have been written within such a time frame is a job well done. I've just started Role Of Honour which has started okay, it's fair to say that I am warming to Gardner's Bond.

oakesshot

A fair comment on Icebreaker, plus spot on about the quickness of the turnover of Gardner Bonds - it must have been tough going at times as he wrote his own novels alongside too!

IanT

Here I am, resurrecting an old post but with the recent snow in the UK, I felt compelled to add my own memories of Icebreaker.

I agree with the majority here, it is Gardner Gold, and my own memories of it always come flooding back whenever I'm out driving in the snow and I remember that fantastic scene with the snow ploughed.

I too would like to see how DC would portray Bond in Icebreaker. I think it would be a great movie. Right, I'm off to re-read it now...

AlphaOmegaSin

Icebreaker is one of Gardner's best -{

superado

This was the first Bond of Gardener's that I read and I have to say it's my favorite!

SilentSpy

I like this book a lot. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that in another topic around here. The snow scenes, the description of the girl by the pool, it's one of the better non Fleming books.