Fleming on the Continuation Authors
AlphaOmegaSin
EnglandPosts: 10,926MI6 Agent
What do you think Fleming would make of those who carried on the Torch for the Bond Novels? Would he approve of them? Or would he have had some Objections to them?
1.On Her Majesties Secret Service 2.The Living Daylights 3.license To Kill 4.The Spy Who Loved Me 5.Goldfinger
Comments
Gardner, I think he'd have respected the first few,might have
Regarded the later ones as workman like, a couple
I'm sure he'd have regarded as poor.
Benson, I doubt Fleming would have liked any of his basic
Pulp fan fiction efforts.
I'm not counting wood as they were film tie in novels.
Can think it's bad !
The others? Well, depends how much IF was being paid; there is a group of us lit. Bond fans who hold to the theory that IF, had he lived, might have "franchised off" JB in the late 60s because he himself couldn't be arsed anymore, so long as he was well paid for the privilege. What's so different about the continuations?*
* may also explain the lasses of IFP milking JB for all its worth regardless of the quality of the end product...
You should note two things:
1 My comment "had he lived" presumes Fleming's health was not an issue.
And, if you disregard the above
2 That Fleming had said he was "out of puff" with Bond long before his health deteriorated.
-{
Well at least for TMWTGG anyhow.
a Bond every year. Would anyone know did J Gardner
carry on with his own writing, while doing Bond or did he
only write the Bond novels ?
FRWL and thereafter, with differing degrees.
And he continued through poor Health as well.
Have to come up with a new story every year must be incredibly
Stressful.
And your grandfather !
Have to become writers or actors instead. Which is good as Dave Morrissey was bitchin a short while back about there not being enough working class actors about. Though a few million quid a role'll soon change that.
With university fees etc, only the rich can become actors.
Also once EON started making the film's he encouraged them to take whatever liberties they needed to make it work for the broadest audience possible. Up to and including stressing not to make the movies too British, so only British people would go and see them.
So as long as there's enough Bond in the stories to where Ian Fleming would get a check, I believe all would be well.
As long as the money rolled in so IF could indulge his pleasures and drown in martinis, all would be fine with whatever was done with Bond.
The only riders I'd add is that I doubt Fleming would have been too comfortable had Bond taken on a life of his own to such extent that he - IF - was almost forgotten.
And I think he'd have liked the idea of holding the power of veto so no new writer could do anything Fleming found ridiculous. Such as some smart-arse coming up with the idea that Blofeld was really a sibling of JB, blood or not....
Gardner was quite busy during the 80s. Not only did he pen the continuation novels, but he continued to work on his exceptional Herbie Kruger series, and began The Railton series around 1985.
I highly recommend them both.