Calvin would you ever consider making a video tour of your Bond memorabilia? Showing us in detail of the books on your shelf, the art on your wall, the props behind you? It would be cool to hear details of each piece, and maybe a good way to give shoutouts to the artists and authors?
Thanks very much for this, Mike! Funnily enough I've been thinking about doing such a thing as shorts as I do have a fair few things in the collection that I'd like to show but probably not enough to make full videos out of. Shorts seem like they might be a good format to explore though!
Gardner taking Bond away from the events in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe isn’t going to last long as the next novel, The Man from Barbarossa, is going to get very topical very quickly! Also, I suspect the weekend thing M does is Gardner (who had a long-running espionage fiction career outside of Bond that’s worth reading) referencing the real-life defection of Burgess and MacLean in 1951. Part of how they got away was that the MI5 agents tailing MacLean home on Friday afternoon stopped following him at his train station, allowing him to go home, meet up with Burgess, and flee the country that very evening. MI5 realized it Monday morning when they couldn’t trail him. It’s one of those stranger than fiction but very British stories that Gardner taps into I think.
Ohhh that’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing, Matthew. I’d never heard that story before. I’m also very interested hearing that Gardner goes back to the Soviet Union for the next book! I’d assumed he’d just try to avoid being topical for the rest of his run now
Honestly a lot of these Gardner novels sound pastiche. Just insert random generic plot mechanism here, a couple of interchangeable forgettable characters with predictable plot twists and you have yourself a new airport thriller each year.
Wasn't that always kind of the idea though? Bond was always supposed to be self-insert fanfiction disposable trash. The original bond books were just Ian Fleming's daydreams that he had while he was doing Moneypenny's job in real life. He made James Bond the most boring character he could imagine on purpose, so the reader would have to project himself on to him. Even picked the name James Bond because it sounded boring.
Gardner was so hit and miss. I love his books, but my goodness... he really had hard time blending "real" world espionage with Bond Fantasy, and the hybrid never really worked. You gotta go one way or another 100% and Gardner could never get there. Benson, on the other hand, did Bond Fantasy very well, albeit he was probably directed to write like the movies. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Benson when you finally get to him.
Thanks for doing these Gardner books as there rarely discussed online and glad you had some fun with this one. I agree Gardner's love interests are pretty token and forgettable so far. Though you've got a bit to go to the Raymond Benson books, it's worth noting [excluding the film adaptions] they are covered by two omnibuses [Union Trilogy and 'Choice of weapons'] which including the uncollected short stories.
The title alone just seems like some hack trying to write a title that sounds Bond-like, and just used "Goldeneye" as a template. Brokenclaw...Tailoredhand...Silverfin...Takenface...Oldenguy...
The weekend thing may sound silly, but IIRC (and it's been years since I studied it), one of the Cambridge spies timed their escape to Russia to coincide with the infrastructure that would have pursued them all going home for the weekend because that's what the British did.
Calvin, I enjoyed your review! Good insights as to Gardner taking Bond to the US to avoid discussing the end of the Cold War. I'm also wondering if he wanted Chi Chi to seem like a more substantial relationship because of monogamy/the AIDS crisis, not unlike Kara in TLD. Gardner must have been grappling with a lot of the same issues of Bond's relevance/place in the world as Eon was in this same era.
It's been a while since I read this one (I think it was September/October 2019) so my thoughts are vague, but I remember: A) Being annoyed that Gardner has Bond drinking afternoon tea even though Fleming states that Bond hates it - it brings out the inner Alan Partridge in me shouting "Stop Getting Bond Wrong!" Country-cottage Bond strikes again! B) Brokenclaw is one of Gardner's more memorable villains, helped by the fact that the book is named after him so it sticks in the brain more. But also his motivation is a bit more fleshed out than other Gardner villains who are simply evil because the story needs someone to be evil otherwise there won't be a story. C) That bit at the end does stay in the brain, it's a good bit of writing, though it is let down a bit by the fact it seems to conclude just a bit too quickly. Like Gardner looked at the calendar, saw his deadline was in a day, and so rushed through it to get it finished.
Forgive me as I haven't read Brokenclaw (I gave up on the Gardner novels after book 6). Does Bond actually drink tea though? Afternoon tea itself can involve tea but I personally tend to drink coffee when I go out for afternoon tea.
@@noxida1 Just reread the relevant passage to double check: while the narration doesn't show Bond drinking the tea, it does describe the high tea the hotel serves him, which does specifically come with tea. The fact the tea Bond is served is described as "an indifferent brew" implies he did drink some. Really it's a minor quibble considering it's only two paragraphs out of a 241 page book, but it just clashes with how Fleming described the character: in Thunderball he wrote "Bond loathed and despised tea, that flat, soft, time-wasting opium of the masses."
@@BenCol Yeah, I'd agree that suggests Bond drank tea. That's disappointing, it's a very basic part of Bond's personality that he doesn't just dislike, but hates, tea. It's mentioned like three times through the Fleming novels as well. I obviously can't confirm with any certainty but I feel Gardner didn't care much for Bond. I'm glad Calvin's reading the rest of these so I don't have to but I'm excited for him getting to the newer continuation novels starting with Devil May Care, they've all generally been really solid books, especially the Horowitz trilogy in my opinion.
@@noxida1 I can confirm that Gardner didn't care much for Bond: in a much earlier version of his website, he had a page where he described his time as Bond writer, and he mentions that, when he was offered the gig, he initially turned it down because he "[did] not really like the Bond books very much." This write-up is no longer on his website, but if you plug the web address into the Wayback Machine and go back to 2006 you'll find it. It's the version of the website with a black background. To be honest, I don't blame Gardner - writing is a perilous profession, and only a small amount of people are able to make a living purely from writing. To be offered such a gig, with the promise of regular work every year and a sizeable paycheque too, I can't really blame him for taking the job. Who I do blame is Glidrose/IFP, who it seems just went with Gardner because he reliably gave them a book every year of adequate enough quality for them to sell. Really they should at some point looked around for another author, one more well-versed in Bond and Fleming, to do the job but it seems they were happy enough with what Gardner was doing, considering it was only ill health that ended Gardner's tenure. I'm sure they could've found someone better but it seems they just never felt the need to, not until they had to. Sidenote: Gardner mentions the tea debacle in his write-up, dismissing the criticism as nitpicking. While I can see his point of view, it is still an error - and evidence that Glidrose/IFP could have found someone better.
@@BenCol Interesting, I'll definitely dig around and have a read. I agree, I don't blame him for taking the job. As you said, a writer is a perilous profession for those who don't have a hit series or regular work on their hands already. I understand the desire to write a book every year and get a regular pay packet. You're right, Glidrose/IFP are to blame for not putting the effort into choosing the correct author to carry the torch. I'm just glad they seem to be doing a better job lately. The continuation novels over the past 15 years have ranged from relatively solid Bond books to books that I actually think are as good as some of Fleming's Bond novels.
I don't think I've ever come across a Bond fan as enthusiastic about Brokenclaw as you are in this video, but I'm delighted that you had a good experience with the novel. I quite liked beginning and the end of the novel, but the middle section not so much. One thing that this book has going for it is that Brokenclaw is a pretty memorable character, and I liked Ed Rushia as well. But like you, I have great difficulty remembering characters from Gardner novels because so few really make much of an impression. Good luck with The Man From Barbarossa. To date, John Gardner is the only person I have come across who likes that novel. I found it a real slog, and I am generally quite fond of Gardner's Bond novels. But The Man From Barbarossa is bottom of my ranking.
Thanks man, Really cool as usual to hear what all these writers can come up with to expand the world of a character. Like what they do with Conan or Star Trek books. I really should start reading more :) I take it Calvin that you went to the filming locations for 'VERTIGO' while you were in San Francisco?? I'd love to go to all the locations where 'The love Bug', Mrs Doughtfire and Basic instinct were filmed and throw some flowers in the sea by the golden gate bridge for Zorin ;)
Thanks, Dafydd and sure did visit some Vertigo filming locations! The spot under the Golden Gate Bridge where Kim Novak throws herself into the water was a must visit spot!
For some reason when I heard “Brokenclaw”, I immediately thought about Blofeld’s cat breaking a claw and the Blofeld getting it manicured… don’t know why, but it was funny lol
Ah, my favourite Gardner one. Right classic that one. Bond's dynamic with Rushia is top notch, Brokenclaw himself makes a wonderful antagonist and that final battle sequence is beyond amazing.
Wow, I'm so happy you liked this one, Calvin. I read all the Gardner books as they came out and I had very much the same reaction as you. I think it's right up there with his best. However, back in the day it was trashed and I've never encountered anyone who agreed with me. Until now. :)
Ooo yea very good keep up the good work! I’m still waiting on the review on the “technical bond spoof” The Cannonball Run (1981) W/Roger Moore playing himself and Bond!
Roger on that film in his autobiography is a delight. Filmmakers: We want your character to think he's James Bond Roger: it'll be funnier if he think's he's Roger Moore. I've been waiting to send him up for a long time!
I just read this one, I'm also going through all the Gardner books, I would say its my favorite one so far. Though to me none of these even come close to the actual Fleming novels.
They’re such a different thing to Fleming and I really can’t blame you for not getting into them. I admit, if I were not an obsessive completist I’m not sure I’d have continued past book 4 at most 😅
When I read the Gardener's books I was young and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was around 15/16 when the first edition of Licence Renewed came out and I really liked it because thankfully I wasn't as cynical as I've subsequently become. Anyone who reads them now will think they're awful because it's a different time.
Echoing your thoughts about it being set in a place you went on holiday - I remember liking the bits set in Victoria, Canada for precisely the same reason. I went to the same part of the city that Bond goes to and I remember thinking whilst reading that Gardner did a good job describing it.
Let me put it to you this way. I’ve read all the Gardner books, except the last three which I still have to finish. Every single Bond book he wrote is utterly forgettable. I just sold about 12 of them back to a bookstore not long ago. I have no interest in revisiting them.
Brokenclaw is an oddity. I liked it more when I was younger and the villain is the best Gardner had in some time. It’s more like a Fleming or Bond film villain. It’s very Goldfinger esque. There are some good passages but over time the plot keeps taking odd turns and kinda falls apart. The finale with the o kee pa is fantastic and one of the most vivid passages in Gardner’s entire tenure. I was waiting for the reaction to this sequence! Man From Barbarossa is a total about face in tone where Gardner goes full Cold War political intrigue like contemporary thrillers. Death Is Forever is another burst of energy and is probably my favorite later Gardner. The final three books are a bit all over the place and bizarre. I like the idea of a serious potential love interest but Never Send Flowers is BIZARRE. Seafire is messy but at least more Bondian. Coldfall is pure “what the heck am I reading?!”. The UK shorter text is simply called COLD.
It's been a while since I read this one (to take a line from another comment) but I remember this novel being horrible. The Asian-American girl spoke like an old English woman which threw me off, and the novel just didn't grab me. I may read it again later to see if my take changes, but this book (Bond or not) didn't do it for me.
Early drafts of what became Licence to Kill was going to be set in China and the 'lost' third Dalton movie [covered in Mark Edlitz book which started being developed in May 1990] was going to be partly set that region. Interestingly, this novel [released August 1990] though set in the USA involves the Chinese characters and there government. Given as you say there was probably a desire from Eon+ Gardner to stay away from Eastern Europe/USSR during this period, China was used as an alternative [especially as the Tiananmen Square protests occurred from April to June 1989].
That probably carried over into the initial story of Tomorrow Never Dies, which was gonna tie more directly into the UK handover of Hong Kong to China that was to take place during the film's release year of 1997. But they got cold feet over any possible political controversy, so they changed the story.
10:43 The Bond reference Book 'The Bond Files' when looking at the movies/books have several categories including 'James Bond, Fashion Victim'. The entry for this book has the amusing 'Well, that depends on whether being stripped naked and having your private parts smeared with rancid animal fat counts as a fashion statement!'.
@@davidjames579 There is a running gag in the Gardner plot deceptions where they describe events/villains motives occurring 'for reasons remaining maidenly unclear'! as well as there attempts to make any sense of James Bond Jr. [mistakes can be fatal for '21. Race against disaster' ends with 'why do we even bother picking these things up?!].
@@jamesatkinsonja Lol I really appreciated the part of the book documenting every James Bond Jnr episode. That's dedication to the job. I even learnt that when Jaws hijacks a Bullion Truck we're told it's near Maidstone, Kent. Exoticism you'd never get in the films.
Great Video as always. Agreed BrokencClaw is one of the books that sticks out from the Gardners. Really glad that you continue this series. There some more crazy books coming up! 😅 So hang in there. The final ritual Bond and BrokencClaw go through is similar/inspired by a ritual portrayed in the Richard Harris Movie A Man Called Horse .
It could stray too far away from Bond but I'd love your take on Clive Cussler's work. Dirk Pitt always struck me as an American Bond type and McConaughey is much more then all right all right all right in the Sahara adaptation if you've seen it?
I want Bond in a Canadian Resort a la Piz Gloria in OHMSS or the Spa in Thunderball. That would be a funny diversion of a book, if not entirely cinematic.
I thought that opening of the story was going to turn into Vertigo! As it is I think Gardner is trying to do a Goldfinger in having Bond intrigued by a guy while on leave and that leads into him being the villain once Bond comes back for his next mission.
I believe Gardner himself doesn't think much of this book. My impression of this novel form reading it in the Nineties was Memorable villain, forgettable plot, thus I was surprised to read the title of this video. The ending with Bond and Brokenclaw running about dragging buffalo skulls form their legs seemed a bit silly to me. The only saving grace for me was the character of Brokenclaw, who is a well rounded character we get to know him throughout the story instead of having him turn up in the final act.
Calvin, I'm glad you enjoyed Brokenclaw but I'm afraid I found it familiar and underwhelming. I've been getting through the Gardner books this year, re-reading the first 9 now (excluding LTK) and I hadn't read BKC since the early 1990s as a teenager. So I remembered virtually nothing about it. I do agree with you that the main villain is the most interesting of Gardner's so far, but I found the plot frustrating. He seemed to be up to a couple of things - nicking the submarine intel and also trying to hack into the financial system, but the implications or reasons were never really fleshed out convincingly. The love affair with Chi-Chi came out of nowhere and there was nothing special about her - just another cardboard cut-out Gardner Girl I'm afraid. He doesn't write well for women - a criticism made of Fleming which supposedly resulted in the misfire TSWLM concept. The Blue Ridge Mountain trick with the house was a bit of a letdown resolution to Bond's confusion (and put that bloody Kingsman song in my head) and overall I found the book plodding and predictable. The final lines again proved that Gardner can't do humour very well and he should maybe avoid trying to leave us laughing - just go for a happy ending, Bond's inner monologue or even a philosophical musing. In saying that, it was entertaining and never confusing. It was about the right length and killing a villain with a bow and arrow is at least memorable! But overall, this one ranks as "Satisfactorily Average" and my Gardner rankings are now: 1. NLF 2. SCRPS 3. WLD 4. ROH 5. FSS 6. IB 7. BKC 8. NDMB 9. LR
Proper loving these videos! Gardner that I’ve read, bearing in mind I was born in 77 are just mental. But Gardner’s Herbie Kruger books which he was writing during this time as well and his early Boysie Oakes novels are superb! The Bonds paid the bills the others I mentioned are the meat of his writing.
I was wondering if he started this book with Goldfinger in mind where he had already tangled with the protagonist before he realised this was to be the main baddie?
When is the next in depth movie review coming, I really really enjoy them and wish they were a bit more often, but I do understand they are difficult to do too!
There's also "The Claw", a villain from Lev Gleeson publications (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claw_(Lev_Gleason_Publications), a Marvel villain/series known as Yellow Claw, and an entry in Sax Rohmer's Gaston Max series, also titled Yellow Claw and featuring the Asian "Mr. King". Clearly something captivated people about that in the 20th century.
Hey Calvin, would you consider reviewing the pilot of Hart to Hart? It’s a suspense series with a lot of Bond connections- Tom Mankiewicz wrote and directed it, Jill St. John appears, and Clifton James plays a sherifff
One of many entertaining TV shows in the 70's and 80's with, like Bond, a cool car - Mercedes 450SL convertible. I recall after watching the "Hart of Darkness" episode, I was hesitant to go swimming in my friend's pool for months. Clifton James also made appearances on other 80's hits such as Dukes of Hazzard, The Fall Guy and A-Team portraying a sheriff. However, none will ever come close to Sheriff J.W. Pepper!
btw calvin have you read point blanc by anthony horowitz, from the alex rider series? I just finished reading it, and it was a almost exact copy of OHMSS. like... did no one notice? there is no copyright issues? horowitz is a very good writer but the structure of the novel was completely OHMSS. I found it odd, besides that was a very pleasent reed because OHMSS is probably my favourite Fleming novel.
I did indeed read Point Blanc but it was back when I was a kid and I’m not sure I remember it well enough to compare with OHMSS. Would be interested to revisit it though. I think I read about 5 or 6 of the Alex Rider books when I was a kid and I enjoyed them a lot. Horowitz was definitely channeling a lot of Fleming in them! Makes sense that they’d bring him in as a continuation novelist.
All the early Alex Riders are pastiches. Stormbreaker has the exact same plot as the novel Moonraker (along with an icebreaker-like title) while ArkAngel goes full Moonraker film. Spectre becomes Scorpia (by way of Gardner's Scorpius), and as you said, Point Blanc is very much On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Horowitz literally said he developed Alex Rider after a bad meeting he had with Eon when he wanted to write the next Bond film for them, and it shows, though I think Alex Rider hits its own stride later, and Horowitz's Bond books are peak Bond continuation, and almost entirely played straight.
@@davidjames579 I think he campaigned quite hard to get the book gig, and I don't know if he's at all interested in doing a film after that eon meeting 30 years ago (and he doesn't seem to have had a great time screenwriting in general, what with Harvey Weinstein's Alex Rider film and Tintin 2). Though who knows what would happen if they asked really nicely!
@@olivergiggins7931 Horowitz has created and written a lot of British TV dramas, so I think he may get scripting if they accepted his ideas. I think he'd have to just take rejection on the chin, EON said no to no less than Anthony Burgess.
Personally no as there pretty dated now and are not a patch on Fleming's stuff [as another comment says there very stock 'airport' thrillers at heart].
Brokenclaw is not my favourite Gardner novel that would be Icebreaker and/or Licence Renewed) BUT I think it is my favourite novel of Gardner´s "second (weaker) half" of his tenure and I consider this novel underrated. Brokenclaw is a very good villain and probably Gardner´s best. I always imagine Steven Seagal als Brokenclaw. About "slower pace" ... wait until you get to "The Man from Barbarossa". I hardly remember anything about it but only that I hating it from start to finish and it was a slog to get through
Agreed-Barbarossa is probably my least favourite Gardner book as it's so dull and boring and I also agree the second half of Gardner's books are weaker. Apparently his health wasn't great around SeaFire and Cold but he was clearly running out of idea's and enthusiasm towards the end of his 16 Bond novels.
That's funny, I also had Steven Seagal in mind as Brokenclaw. When I read was in the mid 90's and I was very into Martial Arts Movies. Seagal was the new exciting star I'd just got into.
Johnson was only 19 when this novel came out and very obscure [studying at University of Miami while playing American football] Brokenclaw is half native American-Half Chinese when Johnson is Samoan.
@@jamesatkinsonja Interestingly there is a Bond Connection, as The Rock's Granddad Peter Maivia (also a Wrestler) is the big henchman who fights Sean Connery's Bond at Osato's Office in You Only Live Twice, and was also the film's Fight Co-Ordinator.
Calvin, you should really consider reviewing some of the Dynamite Bond comics. Many of the writers have a very good grasp of the character -- in some cases I'd say a better grasp then some EON screenwriters.
“We are ten deep into John Gardner”
*Roger Moore eyebrow raise*
Calvin would you ever consider making a video tour of your Bond memorabilia? Showing us in detail of the books on your shelf, the art on your wall, the props behind you? It would be cool to hear details of each piece, and maybe a good way to give shoutouts to the artists and authors?
Thanks very much for this, Mike! Funnily enough I've been thinking about doing such a thing as shorts as I do have a fair few things in the collection that I'd like to show but probably not enough to make full videos out of. Shorts seem like they might be a good format to explore though!
@@calvindyson I'd be interested in that too. Always enjoy seeing what you've got in the background and on the bookcase!
Yeah that would be brilliant!
No he wouldn't. Why display his collection for prospective thieves?
Gardner taking Bond away from the events in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe isn’t going to last long as the next novel, The Man from Barbarossa, is going to get very topical very quickly!
Also, I suspect the weekend thing M does is Gardner (who had a long-running espionage fiction career outside of Bond that’s worth reading) referencing the real-life defection of Burgess and MacLean in 1951. Part of how they got away was that the MI5 agents tailing MacLean home on Friday afternoon stopped following him at his train station, allowing him to go home, meet up with Burgess, and flee the country that very evening. MI5 realized it Monday morning when they couldn’t trail him. It’s one of those stranger than fiction but very British stories that Gardner taps into I think.
Ohhh that’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing, Matthew. I’d never heard that story before. I’m also very interested hearing that Gardner goes back to the Soviet Union for the next book! I’d assumed he’d just try to avoid being topical for the rest of his run now
"Okay Mr MacLean you can have the weekend off, but don't get any ideas as we'll be tailing you first thing on Monday"
Honestly a lot of these Gardner novels sound pastiche. Just insert random generic plot mechanism here, a couple of interchangeable forgettable characters with predictable plot twists and you have yourself a new airport thriller each year.
You’re definitely not wrong with that observation 😅
Spot on. If the hero wasn't called James Bond they would be very forgettable.
Don't forget about a girl who betrays Bond at the end. I'm reading through these myself, and each time it happens, I roll my eyes so hard
Wasn't that always kind of the idea though? Bond was always supposed to be self-insert fanfiction disposable trash. The original bond books were just Ian Fleming's daydreams that he had while he was doing Moneypenny's job in real life. He made James Bond the most boring character he could imagine on purpose, so the reader would have to project himself on to him. Even picked the name James Bond because it sounded boring.
Gardner was so hit and miss. I love his books, but my goodness... he really had hard time blending "real" world espionage with Bond Fantasy, and the hybrid never really worked. You gotta go one way or another 100% and Gardner could never get there. Benson, on the other hand, did Bond Fantasy very well, albeit he was probably directed to write like the movies. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Benson when you finally get to him.
Thanks for doing these Gardner books as there rarely discussed online and glad you had some fun with this one. I agree Gardner's love interests are pretty token and forgettable so far.
Though you've got a bit to go to the Raymond Benson books, it's worth noting [excluding the film adaptions] they are covered by two omnibuses [Union Trilogy and 'Choice of weapons'] which including the uncollected short stories.
The title alone just seems like some hack trying to write a title that sounds Bond-like, and just used "Goldeneye" as a template. Brokenclaw...Tailoredhand...Silverfin...Takenface...Oldenguy...
The weekend thing may sound silly, but IIRC (and it's been years since I studied it), one of the Cambridge spies timed their escape to Russia to coincide with the infrastructure that would have pursued them all going home for the weekend because that's what the British did.
“Ten deep into John Gardener” - hope you at least took him out to dinner first!
Calvin, I enjoyed your review! Good insights as to Gardner taking Bond to the US to avoid discussing the end of the Cold War. I'm also wondering if he wanted Chi Chi to seem like a more substantial relationship because of monogamy/the AIDS crisis, not unlike Kara in TLD. Gardner must have been grappling with a lot of the same issues of Bond's relevance/place in the world as Eon was in this same era.
It's been a while since I read this one (I think it was September/October 2019) so my thoughts are vague, but I remember:
A) Being annoyed that Gardner has Bond drinking afternoon tea even though Fleming states that Bond hates it - it brings out the inner Alan Partridge in me shouting "Stop Getting Bond Wrong!" Country-cottage Bond strikes again!
B) Brokenclaw is one of Gardner's more memorable villains, helped by the fact that the book is named after him so it sticks in the brain more. But also his motivation is a bit more fleshed out than other Gardner villains who are simply evil because the story needs someone to be evil otherwise there won't be a story.
C) That bit at the end does stay in the brain, it's a good bit of writing, though it is let down a bit by the fact it seems to conclude just a bit too quickly. Like Gardner looked at the calendar, saw his deadline was in a day, and so rushed through it to get it finished.
Forgive me as I haven't read Brokenclaw (I gave up on the Gardner novels after book 6). Does Bond actually drink tea though? Afternoon tea itself can involve tea but I personally tend to drink coffee when I go out for afternoon tea.
@@noxida1 Just reread the relevant passage to double check: while the narration doesn't show Bond drinking the tea, it does describe the high tea the hotel serves him, which does specifically come with tea. The fact the tea Bond is served is described as "an indifferent brew" implies he did drink some.
Really it's a minor quibble considering it's only two paragraphs out of a 241 page book, but it just clashes with how Fleming described the character: in Thunderball he wrote "Bond loathed and despised tea, that flat, soft, time-wasting opium of the masses."
@@BenCol Yeah, I'd agree that suggests Bond drank tea. That's disappointing, it's a very basic part of Bond's personality that he doesn't just dislike, but hates, tea. It's mentioned like three times through the Fleming novels as well. I obviously can't confirm with any certainty but I feel Gardner didn't care much for Bond. I'm glad Calvin's reading the rest of these so I don't have to but I'm excited for him getting to the newer continuation novels starting with Devil May Care, they've all generally been really solid books, especially the Horowitz trilogy in my opinion.
@@noxida1 I can confirm that Gardner didn't care much for Bond: in a much earlier version of his website, he had a page where he described his time as Bond writer, and he mentions that, when he was offered the gig, he initially turned it down because he "[did] not really like the Bond books very much."
This write-up is no longer on his website, but if you plug the web address into the Wayback Machine and go back to 2006 you'll find it. It's the version of the website with a black background.
To be honest, I don't blame Gardner - writing is a perilous profession, and only a small amount of people are able to make a living purely from writing. To be offered such a gig, with the promise of regular work every year and a sizeable paycheque too, I can't really blame him for taking the job. Who I do blame is Glidrose/IFP, who it seems just went with Gardner because he reliably gave them a book every year of adequate enough quality for them to sell. Really they should at some point looked around for another author, one more well-versed in Bond and Fleming, to do the job but it seems they were happy enough with what Gardner was doing, considering it was only ill health that ended Gardner's tenure. I'm sure they could've found someone better but it seems they just never felt the need to, not until they had to.
Sidenote: Gardner mentions the tea debacle in his write-up, dismissing the criticism as nitpicking. While I can see his point of view, it is still an error - and evidence that Glidrose/IFP could have found someone better.
@@BenCol Interesting, I'll definitely dig around and have a read. I agree, I don't blame him for taking the job. As you said, a writer is a perilous profession for those who don't have a hit series or regular work on their hands already. I understand the desire to write a book every year and get a regular pay packet. You're right, Glidrose/IFP are to blame for not putting the effort into choosing the correct author to carry the torch. I'm just glad they seem to be doing a better job lately. The continuation novels over the past 15 years have ranged from relatively solid Bond books to books that I actually think are as good as some of Fleming's Bond novels.
I don't think I've ever come across a Bond fan as enthusiastic about Brokenclaw as you are in this video, but I'm delighted that you had a good experience with the novel. I quite liked beginning and the end of the novel, but the middle section not so much. One thing that this book has going for it is that Brokenclaw is a pretty memorable character, and I liked Ed Rushia as well. But like you, I have great difficulty remembering characters from Gardner novels because so few really make much of an impression.
Good luck with The Man From Barbarossa. To date, John Gardner is the only person I have come across who likes that novel. I found it a real slog, and I am generally quite fond of Gardner's Bond novels. But The Man From Barbarossa is bottom of my ranking.
Thanks man, Really cool as usual to hear what all these writers can come up with to expand the world of a character. Like what they do with Conan or Star Trek books. I really should start reading more :)
I take it Calvin that you went to the filming locations for 'VERTIGO' while you were in San Francisco?? I'd love to go to all the locations where 'The love Bug', Mrs Doughtfire and Basic instinct were filmed and throw some flowers in the sea by the golden gate bridge for Zorin ;)
Thanks, Dafydd and sure did visit some Vertigo filming locations! The spot under the Golden Gate Bridge where Kim Novak throws herself into the water was a must visit spot!
This man is going through hell for us
XD
oops spoke too soon. i guess this one was good
For some reason when I heard “Brokenclaw”, I immediately thought about Blofeld’s cat breaking a claw and the Blofeld getting it manicured… don’t know why, but it was funny lol
Ah, my favourite Gardner one. Right classic that one. Bond's dynamic with Rushia is top notch, Brokenclaw himself makes a wonderful antagonist and that final battle sequence is beyond amazing.
Bond follows a striking and erect man around for most of the day, but we swear: No gay here.
Unrelated, then Bond went to San Francisco.
Wow, I'm so happy you liked this one, Calvin. I read all the Gardner books as they came out and I had very much the same reaction as you. I think it's right up there with his best. However, back in the day it was trashed and I've never encountered anyone who agreed with me. Until now. :)
Ooo yea very good keep up the good work!
I’m still waiting on the review on the “technical bond spoof” The Cannonball Run (1981) W/Roger Moore playing himself and Bond!
Roger on that film in his autobiography is a delight.
Filmmakers: We want your character to think he's James Bond
Roger: it'll be funnier if he think's he's Roger Moore. I've been waiting to send him up for a long time!
I just read this one, I'm also going through all the Gardner books, I would say its my favorite one so far. Though to me none of these even come close to the actual Fleming novels.
Awesome video, Calvin. Honestly I love this series you’re doing. Can’t wait to see it continue!
Wait until you get to Raymond Benson’s Bonds. I enjoyed all of them
I just cannot get into the Gardner novels. Don’t know why, but I cannot.
i cant get into books in general lol
They’re such a different thing to Fleming and I really can’t blame you for not getting into them. I admit, if I were not an obsessive completist I’m not sure I’d have continued past book 4 at most 😅
When I read the Gardener's books I was young and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was around 15/16 when the first edition of Licence Renewed came out and I really liked it because thankfully I wasn't as cynical as I've subsequently become. Anyone who reads them now will think they're awful because it's a different time.
Echoing your thoughts about it being set in a place you went on holiday - I remember liking the bits set in Victoria, Canada for precisely the same reason. I went to the same part of the city that Bond goes to and I remember thinking whilst reading that Gardner did a good job describing it.
All these descriptions of Brokenclaw make me wish we had a Bond novel from a Bond villain's POV.
Let me put it to you this way. I’ve read all the Gardner books, except the last three which I still have to finish. Every single Bond book he wrote is utterly forgettable. I just sold about 12 of them back to a bookstore not long ago. I have no interest in revisiting them.
Brokenclaw is an oddity. I liked it more when I was younger and the villain is the best Gardner had in some time. It’s more like a Fleming or Bond film villain. It’s very Goldfinger esque.
There are some good passages but over time the plot keeps taking odd turns and kinda falls apart.
The finale with the o kee pa is fantastic and one of the most vivid passages in Gardner’s entire tenure. I was waiting for the reaction to this sequence!
Man From Barbarossa is a total about face in tone where Gardner goes full Cold War political intrigue like contemporary thrillers. Death Is Forever is another burst of energy and is probably my favorite later Gardner.
The final three books are a bit all over the place and bizarre. I like the idea of a serious potential love interest but Never Send Flowers is BIZARRE. Seafire is messy but at least more Bondian.
Coldfall is pure “what the heck am I reading?!”. The UK shorter text is simply called COLD.
It's been a while since I read this one (to take a line from another comment) but I remember this novel being horrible. The Asian-American girl spoke like an old English woman which threw me off, and the novel just didn't grab me.
I may read it again later to see if my take changes, but this book (Bond or not) didn't do it for me.
When I first heard the name Brokenclaw I thought that it was a slight reference to Blofeld's Shatterhand name
Early drafts of what became Licence to Kill was going to be set in China and the 'lost' third Dalton movie [covered in Mark Edlitz book which started being developed in May 1990] was going to be partly set that region. Interestingly, this novel [released August 1990] though set in the USA involves the Chinese characters and there government. Given as you say there was probably a desire from Eon+ Gardner to stay away from Eastern Europe/USSR during this period, China was used as an alternative [especially as the Tiananmen Square protests occurred from April to June 1989].
VERY good point man :)
That probably carried over into the initial story of Tomorrow Never Dies, which was gonna tie more directly into the UK handover of Hong Kong to China that was to take place during the film's release year of 1997. But they got cold feet over any possible political controversy, so they changed the story.
10:43 The Bond reference Book 'The Bond Files' when looking at the movies/books have several categories including 'James Bond, Fashion Victim'. The entry for this book has the amusing 'Well, that depends on whether being stripped naked and having your private parts smeared with rancid animal fat counts as a fashion statement!'.
Lol I had that book as a teen, and devoured it. I remember it's categories such as Lines to Flick Past/Fast-Forward Past.
@@davidjames579 There is a running gag in the Gardner plot deceptions where they describe events/villains motives occurring 'for reasons remaining maidenly unclear'! as well as there attempts to make any sense of James Bond Jr. [mistakes can be fatal for '21. Race against disaster' ends with 'why do we even bother picking these things up?!].
@@jamesatkinsonja Lol I really appreciated the part of the book documenting every James Bond Jnr episode. That's dedication to the job. I even learnt that when Jaws hijacks a Bullion Truck we're told it's near Maidstone, Kent. Exoticism you'd never get in the films.
Thanks for the amazing video
Great Video as always. Agreed BrokencClaw is one of the books that sticks out from the Gardners. Really glad that you continue this series. There some more crazy books coming up! 😅 So hang in there. The final ritual Bond and BrokencClaw go through is similar/inspired by a ritual portrayed in the Richard Harris Movie A Man Called Horse .
It could stray too far away from Bond but I'd love your take on Clive Cussler's work. Dirk Pitt always struck me as an American Bond type and McConaughey is much more then all right all right all right in the Sahara adaptation if you've seen it?
There's even a British Spy character in there, who Cussler implies is Bond under a different name.
James Bond was vacationing in Canada? That seems kind of dull for a jet setting superspy.
I want Bond in a Canadian Resort a la Piz Gloria in OHMSS or the Spa in Thunderball. That would be a funny diversion of a book, if not entirely cinematic.
I thought that opening of the story was going to turn into Vertigo! As it is I think Gardner is trying to do a Goldfinger in having Bond intrigued by a guy while on leave and that leads into him being the villain once Bond comes back for his next mission.
I believe Gardner himself doesn't think much of this book. My impression of this novel form reading it in the Nineties was Memorable villain, forgettable plot, thus I was surprised to read the title of this video. The ending with Bond and Brokenclaw running about dragging buffalo skulls form their legs seemed a bit silly to me. The only saving grace for me was the character of Brokenclaw, who is a well rounded character we get to know him throughout the story instead of having him turn up in the final act.
My favorite John Gardner 007 novel has always been "Death is Forever". It's fantastic, in my opinion. Definitely read that if you haven't already.
It's Calvin's least favourite, lol 😂
Calvin, I'm glad you enjoyed Brokenclaw but I'm afraid I found it familiar and underwhelming. I've been getting through the Gardner books this year, re-reading the first 9 now (excluding LTK) and I hadn't read BKC since the early 1990s as a teenager. So I remembered virtually nothing about it. I do agree with you that the main villain is the most interesting of Gardner's so far, but I found the plot frustrating. He seemed to be up to a couple of things - nicking the submarine intel and also trying to hack into the financial system, but the implications or reasons were never really fleshed out convincingly. The love affair with Chi-Chi came out of nowhere and there was nothing special about her - just another cardboard cut-out Gardner Girl I'm afraid. He doesn't write well for women - a criticism made of Fleming which supposedly resulted in the misfire TSWLM concept. The Blue Ridge Mountain trick with the house was a bit of a letdown resolution to Bond's confusion (and put that bloody Kingsman song in my head) and overall I found the book plodding and predictable. The final lines again proved that Gardner can't do humour very well and he should maybe avoid trying to leave us laughing - just go for a happy ending, Bond's inner monologue or even a philosophical musing. In saying that, it was entertaining and never confusing. It was about the right length and killing a villain with a bow and arrow is at least memorable! But overall, this one ranks as "Satisfactorily Average" and my Gardner rankings are now:
1. NLF 2. SCRPS 3. WLD 4. ROH 5. FSS 6. IB 7. BKC 8. NDMB 9. LR
The best books he released were...
3. Licence Renewed
2. For Special Services
1. Icebreaker.
The rest were average at best.
Proper loving these videos! Gardner that I’ve read, bearing in mind I was born in 77 are just mental. But Gardner’s Herbie Kruger books which he was writing during this time as well and his early Boysie Oakes novels are superb! The Bonds paid the bills the others I mentioned are the meat of his writing.
Bassam Barradj and Clover Pennington-Jones.
How did the memory do?
Great book especially if you like San Francisco and ❤😊🎉
I was wondering if he started this book with Goldfinger in mind where he had already tangled with the protagonist before he realised this was to be the main baddie?
The next one is REALLY boring by the way.
Glad to know how it ends. I couldn’t get through this one.
Do you think any of these would be turned into movies?
Aah, Brokenclaw, where he managed to surpass the craziness of FSS... :D
When is the next in depth movie review coming, I really really enjoy them and wish they were a bit more often, but I do understand they are difficult to do too!
THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO MR DYSON!
2:06 - Erect, you say? Oh my!
10 down 4 to go for John Gardner Books. I hope you get a chance to review the man with the dragon Tattoo.
Thank you for these excellent reviews. Looking forward to you reviewing the Raymond Benson novels.
I always thought that Steve Seagal could play brokenclaw in a film adaptation of this.
An Asian villain named Brokenclaw? Inspired by The Claw in “Get Smart” perhaps?
Or The Claw was inspired by Dr. No.
There's also "The Claw", a villain from Lev Gleeson publications (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claw_(Lev_Gleason_Publications), a Marvel villain/series known as Yellow Claw, and an entry in Sax Rohmer's Gaston Max series, also titled Yellow Claw and featuring the Asian "Mr. King". Clearly something captivated people about that in the 20th century.
113😮🎉
do a review of double or nothing, which I'm pretty sure will be the Bond film reboot.
😮🎉
Oh yes, I totally remember the torture scene from the Last King of Scotland.
Great review of my favourite Gardner Bond novel.
Definitely the strongest villain of this Bond era.
Was bored deciding what to watch then Calvin solves the problem
Hey Calvin, would you consider reviewing the pilot of Hart to Hart? It’s a suspense series with a lot of Bond connections- Tom Mankiewicz wrote and directed it, Jill St. John appears, and Clifton James plays a sherifff
One of many entertaining TV shows in the 70's and 80's with, like Bond, a cool car - Mercedes 450SL convertible. I recall after watching the "Hart of Darkness" episode, I was hesitant to go swimming in my friend's pool for months. Clifton James also made appearances on other 80's hits such as Dukes of Hazzard, The Fall Guy and A-Team portraying a sheriff. However, none will ever come close to Sheriff J.W. Pepper!
Anyone with a SAAB 900 in it
😂, no thankfully.
@@Niala8419 Not even a Lexus, "the Japanese Mercedes"
btw calvin have you read point blanc by anthony horowitz, from the alex rider series? I just finished reading it, and it was a almost exact copy of OHMSS. like... did no one notice? there is no copyright issues? horowitz is a very good writer but the structure of the novel was completely OHMSS. I found it odd, besides that was a very pleasent reed because OHMSS is probably my favourite Fleming novel.
I did indeed read Point Blanc but it was back when I was a kid and I’m not sure I remember it well enough to compare with OHMSS. Would be interested to revisit it though. I think I read about 5 or 6 of the Alex Rider books when I was a kid and I enjoyed them a lot. Horowitz was definitely channeling a lot of Fleming in them! Makes sense that they’d bring him in as a continuation novelist.
All the early Alex Riders are pastiches. Stormbreaker has the exact same plot as the novel Moonraker (along with an icebreaker-like title) while ArkAngel goes full Moonraker film. Spectre becomes Scorpia (by way of Gardner's Scorpius), and as you said, Point Blanc is very much On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Horowitz literally said he developed Alex Rider after a bad meeting he had with Eon when he wanted to write the next Bond film for them, and it shows, though I think Alex Rider hits its own stride later, and Horowitz's Bond books are peak Bond continuation, and almost entirely played straight.
@@olivergiggins7931 Interesting that after Rider's success he got to write Bond novels, if not a film (yet).
@@davidjames579 I think he campaigned quite hard to get the book gig, and I don't know if he's at all interested in doing a film after that eon meeting 30 years ago (and he doesn't seem to have had a great time screenwriting in general, what with Harvey Weinstein's Alex Rider film and Tintin 2). Though who knows what would happen if they asked really nicely!
@@olivergiggins7931 Horowitz has created and written a lot of British TV dramas, so I think he may get scripting if they accepted his ideas. I think he'd have to just take rejection on the chin, EON said no to no less than Anthony Burgess.
Thank you for this and for the rankings thus far, more food for future thought -- do you think Barbara Broccoli should look these over?
Personally no as there pretty dated now and are not a patch on Fleming's stuff [as another comment says there very stock 'airport' thrillers at heart].
cool review as always
You know you've completely lost the plot when John Gardner books seem exciting.
Brokenclaw is not my favourite Gardner novel that would be Icebreaker and/or Licence Renewed) BUT I think it is my favourite novel of Gardner´s "second (weaker) half" of his tenure and I consider this novel underrated. Brokenclaw is a very good villain and probably Gardner´s best. I always imagine Steven Seagal als Brokenclaw. About "slower pace" ... wait until you get to "The Man from Barbarossa". I hardly remember anything about it but only that I hating it from start to finish and it was a slog to get through
Agreed-Barbarossa is probably my least favourite Gardner book as it's so dull and boring and I also agree the second half of Gardner's books are weaker. Apparently his health wasn't great around SeaFire and Cold but he was clearly running out of idea's and enthusiasm towards the end of his 16 Bond novels.
That's funny, I also had Steven Seagal in mind as Brokenclaw. When I read was in the mid 90's and I was very into Martial Arts Movies. Seagal was the new exciting star I'd just got into.
I think John was mind-casting Dwayne Johnson as the title character.
Johnson was only 19 when this novel came out and very obscure [studying at University of Miami while playing American football] Brokenclaw is half native American-Half Chinese when Johnson is Samoan.
@@jamesatkinsonja Interestingly there is a Bond Connection, as The Rock's Granddad Peter Maivia (also a Wrestler) is the big henchman who fights Sean Connery's Bond at Osato's Office in You Only Live Twice, and was also the film's Fight Co-Ordinator.
Calvin, you should really consider reviewing some of the Dynamite Bond comics. Many of the writers have a very good grasp of the character -- in some cases I'd say a better grasp then some EON screenwriters.
The Gardner novels should have been produced as Bond movies long ago
Why do you only talk about James Bond movies