John Gardner was appointed by Jonathan Cape (holders of the literacy licence to the James Bond stories) to bring Bond into the 80s. This is the first of many Gardner books (and is the first I've read) and I was pleasantly surprised.
The ingredients are all there: a fiendish villain with the plot and wherewithal to threaten global catastrophe (by hijacking and causing to melt down nuclear power stations in order to prove a point); a beautiful damsell in distress for Bond to bed; great toys including his highly personalised Saab 900 turbo and, best of all, a taut and credible story line that really moves you along the narrative.
M features prominently along with Q branch and Major Boothroyd and some of the fun tension between the services.
If you like the Fleming originals and want more of the same, give this a go!
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