Sorry John, I've given up.
Muston
Huncote, Leicestershire Posts: 228MI6 Agent
Have tried to get through Role of Honour for the past 9 weeks 
and every time I've tried to sit and read it I've found my eyes looking over to my bookshelf and more interesting novels waiting to be read.
I enjoyed Icebreaker and hoped that after that I'd see Gardner continue to get better. But for me Role of Honour is a dragged down waste of time that just doesn't ring true with a Bond novel. The worst thing for me is that in this novel I began caring less and less about the man himself. And that's something I don't want to happen as I love the character throughout all of Fleming's books and also in Kingsley Amis' one off novel. But after going through five of Gardner's attempts, I think I'll leave him there (also going to bypass the Benson years) and just await the release of SOLO. I believe the Bond of the novel works best in the timeline set down by Fleming and that's where he should be kept.
NOTE:
I will however be reading Gardner's Licence To Kill novel as it's my favourite Bond film and has old Dalton on the cover. I will also still read Christopher Wood's two novels as they come with such high praise.
and every time I've tried to sit and read it I've found my eyes looking over to my bookshelf and more interesting novels waiting to be read.I enjoyed Icebreaker and hoped that after that I'd see Gardner continue to get better. But for me Role of Honour is a dragged down waste of time that just doesn't ring true with a Bond novel. The worst thing for me is that in this novel I began caring less and less about the man himself. And that's something I don't want to happen as I love the character throughout all of Fleming's books and also in Kingsley Amis' one off novel. But after going through five of Gardner's attempts, I think I'll leave him there (also going to bypass the Benson years) and just await the release of SOLO. I believe the Bond of the novel works best in the timeline set down by Fleming and that's where he should be kept.
NOTE:
I will however be reading Gardner's Licence To Kill novel as it's my favourite Bond film and has old Dalton on the cover. I will also still read Christopher Wood's two novels as they come with such high praise.
"Thank you very much. I was just out walking my RAT and seem to have lost my way... "
Comments
Edit to add: And Muston, my research indicates that ROH was Gardner's weakest early book. The next two seem to be winners. FYI
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I agree with you that Role of Honor is a drag - but I think many people feel that way. I would urge you, at the very least, to check out Gardner's next two 007 novels after that: Nobody Lives Forever and No Deals, Mr. Bond. Those are really fantastic and are him at the height of his Bond era. If you don't like those two, then I would think it's safe to say that Gardner is just not for you!
Me too...I've always enjoyed reading it - but I've never understood why I do
The James Bond Dossier | SPECTRE | Q-Branch James Bond Podcast