Which Stephen King novel dialogue inspired the title of Gardner's DIF?

Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
edited March 2018 in James Bond Literature
Ever since I read the passage quoted below from John Gardner's website shortly after it "went live" in about March 2002 I have been wondering which actual Stephen King novel dialogue passage it was that inspired the title of John Gardner's Death is Forever (1992). Perhaps a Stephen King fan here would be able to tell me which novel of his features a passage of dialogue with "death is forever" in it?

Of course, Death is Forever itself acknowledges in a quote at the beginning of the novel that its title is taken from the end paragraph of Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever (1956), so this rather muddies the waters on this topic.

Nonetheless, I assume the title was inspired (as Mr Gardner noted on his website in 2002) by "some dialogue in a Stephen King book." The question is - which Stephen King book? All I have to go on is the fact that it was obviously one that was published prior to 1992. Hopefully a major Stephen King fan out there can help solve this mystery. I realise that Mr King was a highly prolific author of course and that it will not be easy to track this down! Thanks in advance! :)

The relevant passage from John Gardner's website - The BOND page:

I have always believed that the editor who begins a session with the words, "I'm not happy with the title," has nothing to say about the book. Many reviewers said that my titles were poor. Little did they know what I'd saved them from because publishers almost to a man (or woman) wanted title changes and the Americans in particular suggested the most appalling new titles: I recall such wonders as Oh No, Mr. Bond! And Bond Fights Back. Those two finally became, after many protests on my part, the dreadful No Deals Mr. Bond while my original title for Icebreaker was instantly turned down only to be picked up again a month later after turkey after turkey had to be rejected. My former agent is convinced to this day that he was responsible for Death is Forever, which was actually taken from some dialogue in a Stephen King book. I tried to explain it to him but he still claimed that he was the one. I can't think why because it isn't a very sophisticated title. Peter Janson-Smith came up with two of the titles, though by now I've forgotten which, and somewhere I have the original lengthy list of quite abominable titles suggested by publishers.

Quoted from: http://www.john-gardner.com/bond - accessed 20 March 2018.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).

Comments

  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    I'm a Stephen King fan, and that's a big ask SM. He's an incredibly prolific author with a large number of novels and novellas and even more short stories to his name.
  • caractacus pottscaractacus potts Orbital communicator, level 10Posts: 3,907MI6 Agent
    doing a Google search on the strings "Stephen King" and "Death Is Forever" returns a couple of references to The Dark Tower. never read it myself, so I don't know.
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    That's a series of books (granted, one is actually called The Dark Tower though that's the last chronologically) some of which are door-stopping tomes. It's a wonderful read, and it isn't impossible King will write more of it one day.
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    I'm a Stephen King fan, and that's a big ask SM. He's an incredibly prolific author with a large number of novels and novellas and even more short stories to his name.

    Yes, I realised that, Barbel. Mr King certainly is prolific! :)

    I was just asking on the off-chance that someone out there would know the answer. Or, at the very least, someone might notice the dialogue in a re-read or first reading of a Stephen King novel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say! -{

    I have a few of Mr King's books but have sadly never read any of them as yet. I'm not a big horror fan really (although I would love to read the detective series beginning with Mr Mercedes at some point as it sounds a very interesting concept for a story).
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    I've read the first two in that series, and intend to read the third (and final) one soon. It's an interesting departure for King. I think the first one was good, the second not so much (I hate reading a book where the reader is ahead of the author, unusual for King) and hope the next is better.
  • Charmed & DangerousCharmed & Dangerous Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
    I'm also a massive King fan, having been given his third book (The Shining) shortly after it came out, and have been a Constant Reader, like Barbel, since then more or less as they were published. The Dark Tower is indeed a wonderful read (the recent film could never hope to do anything like justice to the series).

    I don't recognise the line SM but occasionally re-read the earlier ones do will keep an eye out.
    "How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
  • ggl007ggl007 SpainPosts: 388MI6 Agent
    King has a sense of humor as you can read:

    And while Eddie might get what he wanted somewhere down the line, Jake Chambers never would. Because dead was the gift that kept on giving. Dead, like diamonds, was forever.


    Chapter Two of Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower VI):

    51Q77ZZSJCL._SX307_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

    BUT Song of Susannah was published on... 2004!
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    edited March 2018
    ggl007 wrote:
    King has a sense of humor as you can read:

    And while Eddie might get what he wanted somewhere down the line, Jake Chambers never would. Because dead was the gift that kept on giving. Dead, like diamonds, was forever.


    Chapter Two of Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower VI):

    51Q77ZZSJCL._SX307_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

    BUT Song of Susannah was published on... 2004!

    Damn, for a minute I thought you'd found it there, ggl007! :))

    That's the best offering yet though and no doubt Mr King reused the phrase from his earlier novel. He may even have used it more than twice. As Mr Gardner noted, it is a rather generic phrase. Who knows?! :)
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ggl007ggl007 SpainPosts: 388MI6 Agent
    I just checked the pdfs and in the previous Dark Towers, there's nothing about it...
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    ggl007 wrote:
    I just checked the pdfs and in the previous Dark Towers, there's nothing about it...

    Thank you for all of your help so far, ggl007.

    It's much appreciated! :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • ggl007ggl007 SpainPosts: 388MI6 Agent
    My pleasure.

    If we would had the exact book, it would be easy to search it.
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