CommanderBond.net

From CBn's Main Page...

Looking Back: SeaFire
John Gardner's thirteenth James Bond 007 novel

I'm so far behind. Sloooow down God, I'm still on Icebreaker

Good stuff though guys, but can you really call the submarine in TWINE a "mini-sub"? That was a nuclear submarine IIRC.

Read this one a while ago so I don't remember a ton of specifics just that it was rather disappointing to me.

I'm not a big Gardner fan to begin with but I had higher hopes for this one. I was under the impression that the whole thing took place on a cruise liner not just the first chapter then a few later parts (something like that).

I think the story could've been much better had it all taken place on a ship with just Bond, his steel capped shoes, throwing knives and wits. Maybe Flicka could have a gun with her to round out their limited arsenal a bit. What I'm getting at is that I was expecting something claustrophobic and suspenseful and it didn't deliver.

That said, it wasn't awful, but I'd much rather read Licence Renewed or particularly Icebreaker.

I'm a big fan of SeaFire. One of Gardner's better novels.

Weak book. Goes in a number of directions but never evidently reaches any clear destination.

Nice overview, Devin. I only read the book once, it's kinda like a White Castle burger. You have it once and think it's alright but you're not really craving experiencing it again.

I didn't like it at all. Like CoS, I too had the feeling it all happened on a cruise liner. Kind of "Love Boat" feeling that I didn't fancy. Then the Microglobe-thing got me really angry. M (the M of Fleming at least) would (and should) have said: "Some stupid idea of Whitehall. Call it "Microglobe One". Entirely useless bunch of politicians and careerists from every other ministry. They'll be content with round-the-clock commitee-palaver. We won't bother with the outfit. There is work to do after all."

Felix Leiter was a welcome character, but behaved absolutely stupid. Talk any sense into Maxwell Tarn? Did he hope Tarn might become suddenly a good guy, feel remorse for his sins and beg forgiveness while crying tears? That wasn't Felix Leiter. Tarn's whole plot seemed very farfetched to me. Not my favourite Gardner.

Typical Gardner - the usual cack-handed plotting. Why, for example, could the hijacking of the ship been enough at the start, why add in the fire (if I recall correctly)? Too co-incidental and OTT.

That said, I was never really troubled by the Flicka and Bond thing from the later books or the change in MI6 and the retirement of M. I applaud Gardner's courage not to write within the restrictions of what passes for accepted Bond, the EON formula (that's a note to you, Mr Benson). I have no trouble pensioning off a very old M, Bond in his maturity taking over a more senior admin role in MI6 and settling down with a regular girlfriend: for all the attacks on Gardner, the idea of Bond settling down and becoming less of an action man in his 50s is as likely what Fleming himself would have had Bond do. Yes, Fleming would have Bond become more introspective at his declining powers and more contemplative about his desire to co-habit (as Fleming himself had - Bond mirrors Fleming, of course), but I can still see Fleming's Bond living - at least - as Gardner's.

Still, shame about the plotting.