Gardner also told me that the money for writing the Bonds was adequate but the literary Bond continuation was not, as some supposed, a licence to print money.
Refer you back to my post a couple back, Silhouette.
The money, however only "adequate", must surely have been greater remuneration than he'd have earned elsewhere, presumably on his own, non-Bond related work.
He was never a charity. So therefore my sympathy remains tempered.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,757Chief of Staff
Gardner also told me that the money for writing the Bonds was adequate but the literary Bond continuation was not, as some supposed, a licence to print money.
Refer you back to my post a couple back, Silhouette.
The money, however only "adequate", must surely have been greater remuneration than he'd have earned elsewhere, presumably on his own, non-Bond related work.
He was never a charity. So therefore my sympathy remains tempered.
Must have been good in getting people to read his own books as well...I've read several and I probably wouldn't have BUT for the Bond connection...they were good reads though...
YNWA 97
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
Gardner also told me that the money for writing the Bonds was adequate but the literary Bond continuation was not, as some supposed, a licence to print money.
Refer you back to my post a couple back, Silhouette.
The money, however only "adequate", must surely have been greater remuneration than he'd have earned elsewhere, presumably on his own, non-Bond related work.
He was never a charity. So therefore my sympathy remains tempered.
No, he was never a charity, that's true but when he had his expensive health treatment in the mid-1990s it took away in what he called a "walletectomy" his life savings of £250,000, one reason he returned to writing with his WWII set of Suzie Mountford novels. And remember Gardner would never have been chosen as Bond author had it not been for his hugely successful earlier work and as he told me they were bloody lucky to get him! He already had a connection to James Bond with the Boysie Oakes books and even in the 1960s Gardner was seen as Fleming's heir apparent, which incidentally, sounds like the USA title of one of his books!
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Gardner also told me that the money for writing the Bonds was adequate but the literary Bond continuation was not, as some supposed, a licence to print money.
Refer you back to my post a couple back, Silhouette.
The money, however only "adequate", must surely have been greater remuneration than he'd have earned elsewhere, presumably on his own, non-Bond related work.
He was never a charity. So therefore my sympathy remains tempered.
No, he was never a charity, that's true but when he had his expensive health treatment in the mid-1990s it took away in what he called a "walletectomy" his life savings of £250,000, one reason he returned to writing with his WWII set of Suzie Mountford novels. And remember Gardner would never have been chosen as Bond author had it not been for his hugely successful earlier work and as he told me they were bloody lucky to get him!
But Gardner had stopped writing Bond in 1996, by his own choice. Had the reason for writing them been to cover his cancer treatment - rather than be his principle form of income post 1981 - he would surely have continued.
I maintain, Gardner wrote the Bond's, committee and timescale pressure and all, because the grass was very green there. Remember, Gardner was an author to earn a good living; consider, in the early '60s he had been a fierce critic of Bond and the world Fleming had created. There are many interviews in which he says as much, and that Oakes was written to take the piss out of JB and IF (though like most thriller writers who dug into Fleming, I wonder how may did so because they were annoyed they'd not thought of the concept themselves?)
When Oakes had run his natural course, Gardner took the Glidrose contract, becoming a born-again Bond fan (I wonder, Benson apart, how many continuation authors THAT applies to). I don't accept his immodest claims, I'm afraid.
Sort of poacher turned game keeper. But of course, game keepers get paid more, as they are in regular work and poachers usually not
PS - did I mention I met Gardner at Wembley in 1982 at the James Bond Convention?
Like all the "stars" there he was open to go up to and have a chat with. Charming fellow. There is a photo of him in the Bond Fan Club mag after the event of Gardner on stage, puffing away one after the other, regaling us all with his tales of LR and a taster of FOS. That's Gardner right there.
My Dad had a really good chat, seemed quite similar in nature as they were "of that generation". Had a crack about Boysie with Gardner. My Dad was a Boyise fan and, like Gardner had at one time, hated the "serious" Fleming Bond and the Connery films of them. Only started to enjoy Bond, me old man, when Rog started to take the piss out of the concept. No bloody idea, Dad. X-(
Not a huge fan of IB. The first of Gardner's let's twist again novels.
ROH is sort of okay, but the world's stupidest criminal organisation after one from Austin Powers having a blimp but not one to get it up ....
Liked NLF, also SCORPIUS (though JB could have done without the SAS fellow as a crutch). Also liked what Gardner did with LTK, given that he had the story written for him.
Four or five books at most, the last with an open ending, and JG hands on the baton.
Not to be. Comfort in what was known? Less if often more...
I liked the ending to COLD, Gardner left things open there -{ Scorpius is very underrated and the Scene where Bond goes berserk after Harriet's Death is well written.
LTK was rather funny with the Issue of Leiter getting attacked by a Shark for the second Time.
1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
I liked the ending to COLD, Gardner left things open there -{ Scorpius is very underrated and the Scene where Bond goes berserk after Harriet's Death is well written.
LTK was rather funny with the Issue of Leiter getting attacked by a Shark for the second Time.
Never had a problem with Leiter's second chewing: Gardner just about gets away with it the way he writes it. Not bothered either about "Milton Krest"; clearly he's not meant to be the one from THR so I don't know why some get huffy about it - have they never met two people with the same name?????
SCORPIUS has lots going for it, except the SAS guy and his subplot
Yes, the end of COLD is very good, and would have been the perfect open ending to a shorter Gardner run. -{
PS - did I mention I met Gardner at Wembley in 1982 at the James Bond Convention?
Like all the "stars" there he was open to go up to and have a chat with. Charming fellow. There is a photo of him in the Bond Fan Club mag after the event of Gardner on stage, puffing away one after the other, regaling us all with his tales of LR and a taster of FOS. That's Gardner right there.
My Dad had a really good chat, seemed quite similar in nature as they were "of that generation". Had a crack about Boysie with Gardner. My Dad was a Boyise fan and, like Gardner had at one time, hated the "serious" Fleming Bond and the Connery films of them. Only started to enjoy Bond, me old man, when Rog started to take the piss out of the concept. No bloody idea, Dad. X-(
-{
I wrote to Gardner as a teenager and got a lovely letter back saying that my words had cheered him up on a bad day. I felt then - and you seem to confirm from your own experience - that he really was a great guy.
With NLF, would damaging your Spine really give you Cancer?
Yes, that is something I've often wondered myself and I believe I even asked my Biology teacher about it and I think he answered in the negative. I think it may just have been a plot device though - apparently 'Colonel' Tamil Rahani jarred his spine on landing in his parachute after he baled out of the Goodyear airship at the end of RoH.
I say are there any doctors in the House? ) -{
Worth a try... -{
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
An acquaintance was diagnosed with a brain tumour some time ago. The doctor asked if he'd suffered a bad bang to the head in the previous 5 years and he said he had. The doctor said that a bad knock can precipitate a later tumour. Not quite the same, but...
An acquaintance was diagnosed with a brain tumour some time ago. The doctor asked if he'd suffered a bad bang to the head in the previous 5 years and he said he had. The doctor said that a bad knock can precipitate a later tumour. Not quite the same, but...
Sorry to hear that. Thank you for that information - it just goes to show that in medicine anything is possible.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Comments
Refer you back to my post a couple back, Silhouette.
The money, however only "adequate", must surely have been greater remuneration than he'd have earned elsewhere, presumably on his own, non-Bond related work.
He was never a charity. So therefore my sympathy remains tempered.
Must have been good in getting people to read his own books as well...I've read several and I probably wouldn't have BUT for the Bond connection...they were good reads though...
No, he was never a charity, that's true but when he had his expensive health treatment in the mid-1990s it took away in what he called a "walletectomy" his life savings of £250,000, one reason he returned to writing with his WWII set of Suzie Mountford novels. And remember Gardner would never have been chosen as Bond author had it not been for his hugely successful earlier work and as he told me they were bloody lucky to get him! He already had a connection to James Bond with the Boysie Oakes books and even in the 1960s Gardner was seen as Fleming's heir apparent, which incidentally, sounds like the USA title of one of his books!
But Gardner had stopped writing Bond in 1996, by his own choice. Had the reason for writing them been to cover his cancer treatment - rather than be his principle form of income post 1981 - he would surely have continued.
I maintain, Gardner wrote the Bond's, committee and timescale pressure and all, because the grass was very green there. Remember, Gardner was an author to earn a good living; consider, in the early '60s he had been a fierce critic of Bond and the world Fleming had created. There are many interviews in which he says as much, and that Oakes was written to take the piss out of JB and IF (though like most thriller writers who dug into Fleming, I wonder how may did so because they were annoyed they'd not thought of the concept themselves?)
When Oakes had run his natural course, Gardner took the Glidrose contract, becoming a born-again Bond fan (I wonder, Benson apart, how many continuation authors THAT applies to). I don't accept his immodest claims, I'm afraid.
Sort of poacher turned game keeper. But of course, game keepers get paid more, as they are in regular work and poachers usually not
Like all the "stars" there he was open to go up to and have a chat with. Charming fellow. There is a photo of him in the Bond Fan Club mag after the event of Gardner on stage, puffing away one after the other, regaling us all with his tales of LR and a taster of FOS. That's Gardner right there.
My Dad had a really good chat, seemed quite similar in nature as they were "of that generation". Had a crack about Boysie with Gardner. My Dad was a Boyise fan and, like Gardner had at one time, hated the "serious" Fleming Bond and the Connery films of them. Only started to enjoy Bond, me old man, when Rog started to take the piss out of the concept. No bloody idea, Dad. X-(
FFS, FSS!
What the hell is FOS? What was I thinking????
-{
For Special Services, is my Favourite J Gardner Bond book. -{
ROH is sort of okay, but the world's stupidest criminal organisation after one from Austin Powers having a blimp but not one to get it up ....
Liked NLF, also SCORPIUS (though JB could have done without the SAS fellow as a crutch). Also liked what Gardner did with LTK, given that he had the story written for him.
Four or five books at most, the last with an open ending, and JG hands on the baton.
Not to be. Comfort in what was known? Less if often more...
LTK was rather funny with the Issue of Leiter getting attacked by a Shark for the second Time.
Never had a problem with Leiter's second chewing: Gardner just about gets away with it the way he writes it. Not bothered either about "Milton Krest"; clearly he's not meant to be the one from THR so I don't know why some get huffy about it - have they never met two people with the same name?????
SCORPIUS has lots going for it, except the SAS guy and his subplot
Yes, the end of COLD is very good, and would have been the perfect open ending to a shorter Gardner run. -{
I wrote to Gardner as a teenager and got a lovely letter back saying that my words had cheered him up on a bad day. I felt then - and you seem to confirm from your own experience - that he really was a great guy.
Yes, that is something I've often wondered myself and I believe I even asked my Biology teacher about it and I think he answered in the negative. I think it may just have been a plot device though - apparently 'Colonel' Tamil Rahani jarred his spine on landing in his parachute after he baled out of the Goodyear airship at the end of RoH.
I say are there any doctors in the House?
Worth a try...
We need a Test Subject, now where is Thunderpussy?....
Sorry to hear that. Thank you for that information - it just goes to show that in medicine anything is possible.