Christopher Wood's : Moonraker.
Once again Wood manages to make the book slightly more believable than the film, in that Bond
does get hurt in the Book, where as in the film he seems to move smoothly and unhurt from scene
to scene.
His space battle has Bond climbing on the outside of the space station, and is very good in my
opinion. Even the Boat trip, in the novel takes around four days, with a little discription of the river
and people who live on it, Not exactly the " Fleming sweep" but better than the film.
In my opinion Wood's two Books are fun, nowhere close to Fleming or even Gardner ( when on form)
but they do help to ground the fantasy elements better than the films did.
Febuary starts the John Gardner era. -{ , I love the Gardner Books ( I know many don't) but after so long
without a Bond novel it was brilliant to hear he was to start a new series of Bond books. -{ , I read
Licence Renewed in one sitting.
So I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with his slightly older 007 ! {[]
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Just a reminder for anyone who wants an excuse to read the Gardner novels.
That starting in February, with Licence Renewed. I'll be rereading them all, so
Any views and opinions, memories of these books would be most welcome.
" Gardner, an ex-Royal Marine commando, worked for a period as an Anglican priest, but he lost his faith and left the church after a short time. After a battle with alcohol addiction he wrote his first book, the autobiographical Spin the Bottle, published in 1964." Wikipedia.
He was approached in 1979, to reinvent 007 for a modern audience, and wrote fourteen
Bond books in all, plus two film tie ins.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Gardner should of stepped down after Scorpius, or Win Loose Or Die. After this Point, his Novels declined in Quality with each new Release
License To Kill Novelization - Good
Brokenclaw - Average, would have been better if the Main Villain was more interesting.
The Man From Barbarossa - Better then Brokenclaw, but rather dull.
Death Is Forever - It had some good Points, but the Story was as dull as TMFB
Never Send Flowers - Better then the previous two Entries.
Seafire - The Story and Villain were dull. It was also a semi-rehash of License Renewed. I've never liked the Ending either. Bond with Tears on his Cheeks.
Goldeneye Novelization - Was alright, but obviously watch the Film over this.
COLD - Terrible Novel
1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
Only a couple of days in and I'm already more than half way through
Licence Renewed. , Gardner is an entertaining writer, and keeps the
Story moving along at a cracking pace.
The only oddity, for me so far is in his description of Lavender, as looking
Like a young " Lauren Bacall ", yet never mentioned his older romantic tryst
With Tiffany Case, who Fleming also described as looking like a young " Lauren
Bacall" ? You'd think Bond might have mentioned something about that. )
So far, even better than I remember. -{
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Just finished Licence Renewed and loved it. -{ Gardner did a great job at
Updating 007. Some great characters and situations, moves along at a
Cracking pace and keeps you turning the pages.
Bond is a little older ( a little grey hair, on his temples) but still the " Blunt
Instrument " Britain needs.
I hoping with Horowitz we'll get something similar, as he comes across
As a working writer, and not as" Avant-garde " as some of the continuing
Writers. Who seem to want to always play around with the character and
Story form.
I'm hoping he'll give us a good standard story, in the Fleming tradition. -{
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I do think the Tracy-YOLT-Russia plot has allowed the most recent continuation authors to use their place in the timeline to portray an emotionally vulnerable JB, modernised and metrosexualised. Make him a Nick Clegg-Tony Blair hybrid.
Of course, both Fleming in TMWTGG and Amis realised Bond had been "repaired" and returned to being a blunt instrument. Neither mention Tracy. Gardner was on the same message in 1981 with LR.
Hopefully, Horowitz 50s timeline will spare us the feeble version of JB too
as I have read the Books I'm downloading them One at a time to my Kindle account, so I'll have them
all at the end.
Yes Gardner has Bond thinking of Tracy, although it's when he's thinking again about Marriage etc. Although
I can see David Schofield's point, even the modern films have Bond being a little " emotionally vulnerable" at
times.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
as I have read the Books I'm downloading them One at a time to my Kindle account, so I'll have them
all at the end.
Yes Gardner has Bond thinking of Tracy, although it's when he's thinking again about Marriage etc. Although
I can see David Schofield's point, even the modern films have Bond being a little " emotionally vulnerable" at
times.
I venture that Fleming's Bond of LALD is not same the character as the Vesper obsessed emotional wreck that the Bond of QOS has, apparently, become.
Betrayal seems to have been viewed a little differently in the 1950s...
I'm going to push ahead with For special services, ( It's my favourite Gadner Bond ), although if anyone has any views on
Licence renewed please fel free to jump in. I've downloaded the first Four J Gardner Bonds so far on to the Kindle. As
I found a Tenner blowing down the street yesterday, it's as If I was being told to do it. )
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I remember being amazed at what gadgetry actually existed, The stuff the Saab had was fantastic.
I was impressed with the Tyres that never went flat ) , and the bugs for phones etc. All great
stuff -{
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I am not reding them in order because I don't own them all yet, and Moonraker is the first I have ever read. I have never read them before.
I just finished it last night and found it highly enjoyable. It's a bit of an oddment as the entire story takes place in England (Obviously none of the films, and I assume none of the other books do this?). Drax is a pretty good villain and Gala a decent Bond girl. Krebs was, I thought, a bit of a weak henchman though, even after the fact that he gets a rather good back-story (as does Drax).
I very much enjoyed the card game at "Blades" and some of the driving scenes were pretty tense. There are large portions of the book where not very much is happening, but this is where some pretty good characterisation comes through instead.
Hi Spoff,
Moonraker is one of my favourite Bond novels. I too love the card game.
Very tense with Drax losing his temper with Bond. Agree there are some
Great back stories, I love the whole 50s rocket vibe.
Fleming writes some of the best descriptive passages of any author. You
Can really imagine being in those locations.
Thunderball. Is another great book and the film follows it very closely. -{
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
There are so many brilliant bits in Moonraker. From the workers in
Their big moustaches. Bond escaping the rocket silo and the car
Chase,including the lorry carrying the news print. -{
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Sadly I doubt we'll ever see MR filmed, unless we get a TV series of the
Books filmed in their time period of the 50s/60s. I'd love to see it. We can
Only hope.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Sadly I doubt we'll ever see MR filmed, unless we get a TV series of the
Books filmed in their time period of the 50s/60s. I'd love to see it. We can
Only hope.
I would too, the original story would make a great screen adaptation.
Comments
Once again Wood manages to make the book slightly more believable than the film, in that Bond
does get hurt in the Book, where as in the film he seems to move smoothly and unhurt from scene
to scene.
His space battle has Bond climbing on the outside of the space station, and is very good in my
opinion. Even the Boat trip, in the novel takes around four days, with a little discription of the river
and people who live on it, Not exactly the " Fleming sweep" but better than the film.
In my opinion Wood's two Books are fun, nowhere close to Fleming or even Gardner ( when on form)
but they do help to ground the fantasy elements better than the films did.
Febuary starts the John Gardner era. -{ , I love the Gardner Books ( I know many don't) but after so long
without a Bond novel it was brilliant to hear he was to start a new series of Bond books. -{ , I read
Licence Renewed in one sitting.
So I'm looking forward to getting back in touch with his slightly older 007 ! {[]
That starting in February, with Licence Renewed. I'll be rereading them all, so
Any views and opinions, memories of these books would be most welcome.
" Gardner, an ex-Royal Marine commando, worked for a period as an Anglican priest, but he lost his faith and left the church after a short time. After a battle with alcohol addiction he wrote his first book, the autobiographical Spin the Bottle, published in 1964." Wikipedia.
He was approached in 1979, to reinvent 007 for a modern audience, and wrote fourteen
Bond books in all, plus two film tie ins.
License To Kill Novelization - Good
Brokenclaw - Average, would have been better if the Main Villain was more interesting.
The Man From Barbarossa - Better then Brokenclaw, but rather dull.
Death Is Forever - It had some good Points, but the Story was as dull as TMFB
Never Send Flowers - Better then the previous two Entries.
Seafire - The Story and Villain were dull. It was also a semi-rehash of License Renewed. I've never liked the Ending either. Bond with Tears on his Cheeks.
Goldeneye Novelization - Was alright, but obviously watch the Film over this.
COLD - Terrible Novel
Licence Renewed.
Story moving along at a cracking pace.
The only oddity, for me so far is in his description of Lavender, as looking
Like a young " Lauren Bacall ", yet never mentioned his older romantic tryst
With Tiffany Case, who Fleming also described as looking like a young " Lauren
Bacall" ? You'd think Bond might have mentioned something about that.
So far, even better than I remember. -{
Updating 007. Some great characters and situations, moves along at a
Cracking pace and keeps you turning the pages.
Bond is a little older ( a little grey hair, on his temples) but still the " Blunt
Instrument " Britain needs.
I hoping with Horowitz we'll get something similar, as he comes across
As a working writer, and not as" Avant-garde " as some of the continuing
Writers. Who seem to want to always play around with the character and
Story form.
I'm hoping he'll give us a good standard story, in the Fleming tradition. -{
Of course, both Fleming in TMWTGG and Amis realised Bond had been "repaired" and returned to being a blunt instrument. Neither mention Tracy. Gardner was on the same message in 1981 with LR.
Hopefully, Horowitz 50s timeline will spare us the feeble version of JB too
Now there is true Horror !!!!
Are you reading the Orion Re-prints TP?
I was referring to 1981 and the book under discussion, LR - when he doesn't - and TPs remarks about recent continuation writers in that context...
But it is gratifying to note you have read Gardner's later books.
all at the end.
Yes Gardner has Bond thinking of Tracy, although it's when he's thinking again about Marriage etc. Although
I can see David Schofield's point, even the modern films have Bond being a little " emotionally vulnerable" at
times.
I venture that Fleming's Bond of LALD is not same the character as the Vesper obsessed emotional wreck that the Bond of QOS has, apparently, become.
Betrayal seems to have been viewed a little differently in the 1950s...
But there is a Vesper Reference though.
Different person though. Context, of the reference, too
See my previous post
Licence renewed please fel free to jump in.
I found a Tenner blowing down the street yesterday, it's as If I was being told to do it.
I was impressed with the Tyres that never went flat
stuff -{
I am not reding them in order because I don't own them all yet, and Moonraker is the first I have ever read. I have never read them before.
I just finished it last night and found it highly enjoyable. It's a bit of an oddment as the entire story takes place in England (Obviously none of the films, and I assume none of the other books do this?). Drax is a pretty good villain and Gala a decent Bond girl. Krebs was, I thought, a bit of a weak henchman though, even after the fact that he gets a rather good back-story (as does Drax).
I very much enjoyed the card game at "Blades" and some of the driving scenes were pretty tense. There are large portions of the book where not very much is happening, but this is where some pretty good characterisation comes through instead.
All in all a very good read.
Starting Thunderball tonight...
Moonraker is one of my favourite Bond novels. I too love the card game.
Very tense with Drax losing his temper with Bond. Agree there are some
Great back stories, I love the whole 50s rocket vibe.
Fleming writes some of the best descriptive passages of any author. You
Can really imagine being in those locations.
Thunderball. Is another great book and the film follows it very closely. -{
Their big moustaches. Bond escaping the rocket silo and the car
Chase,including the lorry carrying the news print. -{
Books filmed in their time period of the 50s/60s. I'd love to see it. We can
Only hope.
I would too, the original story would make a great screen adaptation.
Which is how they began life in the first place, isn't it...?
The correct time period. -{