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John Gardner's Bond #2
For Special Services
On loan to the U.S. government, James Bond teams up with Cedar, daughter of Felix Leiter, an old friend, in order to discover the secret behind SPECTRE's Heavenly Wolf operation.
295 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1982
63 people are currently reading
1159 people want to read
About the author
John Gardner
113 books178 followersBefore coming an author of fiction in the early 1960s, John Gardner was variously a stage magician, a Royal Marine officer and a journalist. In all, Gardner has fifty-four novels to his credit, including Maestro, which was the New York Times book of the year. He was also invited by Ian Fleming’s literary copyright holders to write a series of continuation James Bond novels, which proved to be so successful that instead of the contracted three books he went on to publish some fourteen titles, including Licence Renewed and Icebreaker.
Having lived in the Republic of Ireland, the United States and the UK, John Gardner sadly died in August of 2007 having just completed his third novel in the Moriarty trilogy, Conan Doyle’s eponymous villain of the Sherlock Holmes series.
Having lived in the Republic of Ireland, the United States and the UK, John Gardner sadly died in August of 2007 having just completed his third novel in the Moriarty trilogy, Conan Doyle’s eponymous villain of the Sherlock Holmes series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
May 14, 2022
I last read this (John Gardner's second James Bond novel) 40 years ago! Back in 1982 I really enjoyed it & after all this time it was good to read it again.
I don't really mind that, like any James Bond novel, this one feels a bit dated. I did find John Gardner's endless references to Bond's past in the early part of the book a little tedious, but once he hits his stride the story really picks up. There's plenty of good set pieces & a very enjoyable reveal of the new head of 007's old adversary SPECTRE.
Of course it's not up to Fleming's standard, but it is a damn good adventure. What more could you ask for ?
I don't really mind that, like any James Bond novel, this one feels a bit dated. I did find John Gardner's endless references to Bond's past in the early part of the book a little tedious, but once he hits his stride the story really picks up. There's plenty of good set pieces & a very enjoyable reveal of the new head of 007's old adversary SPECTRE.
Of course it's not up to Fleming's standard, but it is a damn good adventure. What more could you ask for ?
May 6, 2016
"Inspector" was the dying word of a plane hijacker – a hijack that Bond, with the help of a couple of SAS soldiers, had just single-handedly foiled. Could this be the return of Spectre – even without Blofeld – you know it!
The fact that Gardner was entrusted with fourteen Bond novels implies that somebody thought that he was worthy of taking on Fleming's mantle. What we get is a novel that, though better than the previous one, License Renewed , is neither Fleming, nor Fleming's Bond. On the plus side, the story is fun and Gardner tries his hardest to keep the identity of the new Blofeld a guessing game for the reader. The hugely irritating "gee-whizzes" of the previous novel are thankfully, mostly gone – the turbo-charged Saab is a little gadget heavy still.
But the book also has a number of significant flaws. Despite his best attempts to hide it, the identity of Blofeld was so obviously telegraphed that I was never in any doubt. While the story was fun, it does seem to owe more to the movies (especially the Roger Moore ones) than the Fleming novels. Blofeld's retreat had a butler character called Criton – which seemed to exist purely so Bond could say "admirable" – purlease! And the balance of the book felt wrong. There was far too much time spent at the ranch that I was beginning to worry that Bond would run out of pages before the real Spectre storyline even kicked off. Then, as soon as it starts, it runs out of steam almost immediately. The cavalry just arrives and it's all over.
But the worst of the novel is the icky relationship between Bond and the Bond-girl – Felix Leiter's daughter Cedar. Obviously as the daughter of his friend she is off limits, but that doesn't seem to stop him thinking about it (a lot) and perving over her when a bad guy rips her top. As if sensing this difficult line, Gardner has Bond strike a brief feminist stand in the middle of the novel when another baddie tells an off-colour joke. Though, as it's so totally out of character for either the novel or the known history of Bond, he backs off almost immediately and never returns to any discussion of feminism while seducing his host's wife or thinking about his best friend's daughter. The worst of the worst is reserved for the final chapter though. A chapter which should just have been completely cut and never mentioned again. Instead of which we are rewarded for finishing the novel with a description of Felix Leiter 'gifting' his own daughter to Bond to be "whatever you want her to be". Really? Even in 1982 did people do that?
It seems as if Gardner is getting there. Slowly. This is a better Bond than the previous outing, but ultimately Gardner still manages to blow the novel at the eleventh hour. Two books into a series of fourteen, I'm just not sure I can be bothered to keep going through the rest, he's not getting better fast enough. I guess I'll see...
The fact that Gardner was entrusted with fourteen Bond novels implies that somebody thought that he was worthy of taking on Fleming's mantle. What we get is a novel that, though better than the previous one, License Renewed , is neither Fleming, nor Fleming's Bond. On the plus side, the story is fun and Gardner tries his hardest to keep the identity of the new Blofeld a guessing game for the reader. The hugely irritating "gee-whizzes" of the previous novel are thankfully, mostly gone – the turbo-charged Saab is a little gadget heavy still.
But the book also has a number of significant flaws. Despite his best attempts to hide it, the identity of Blofeld was so obviously telegraphed that I was never in any doubt. While the story was fun, it does seem to owe more to the movies (especially the Roger Moore ones) than the Fleming novels. Blofeld's retreat had a butler character called Criton – which seemed to exist purely so Bond could say "admirable" – purlease! And the balance of the book felt wrong. There was far too much time spent at the ranch that I was beginning to worry that Bond would run out of pages before the real Spectre storyline even kicked off. Then, as soon as it starts, it runs out of steam almost immediately. The cavalry just arrives and it's all over.
But the worst of the novel is the icky relationship between Bond and the Bond-girl – Felix Leiter's daughter Cedar. Obviously as the daughter of his friend she is off limits, but that doesn't seem to stop him thinking about it (a lot) and perving over her when a bad guy rips her top. As if sensing this difficult line, Gardner has Bond strike a brief feminist stand in the middle of the novel when another baddie tells an off-colour joke. Though, as it's so totally out of character for either the novel or the known history of Bond, he backs off almost immediately and never returns to any discussion of feminism while seducing his host's wife or thinking about his best friend's daughter. The worst of the worst is reserved for the final chapter though. A chapter which should just have been completely cut and never mentioned again. Instead of which we are rewarded for finishing the novel with a description of Felix Leiter 'gifting' his own daughter to Bond to be "whatever you want her to be". Really? Even in 1982 did people do that?
It seems as if Gardner is getting there. Slowly. This is a better Bond than the previous outing, but ultimately Gardner still manages to blow the novel at the eleventh hour. Two books into a series of fourteen, I'm just not sure I can be bothered to keep going through the rest, he's not getting better fast enough. I guess I'll see...
March 24, 2025
The decision to bring back SPECTRE is a good idea, and there are familiar tropes that give this the feel of a Fleming Bond - crazed villain with big plans, the villain's lair, plenty of action. The missteps are still there though - Q'ute is a terrible idea, Bond's car being a Saab in hindsight is not great, Leiter's daughter, and in some ways Gardner's books have dated poorly even compared to Fleming's originals. Still, an enjoyable piece of Bond literature and Gardner was now established as the Bond author for the next 15 years.
August 21, 2010
3.0 stars. Second James Bond book by Gardner after License Renewed. Read these as a teenager and a huge Bond fan. I remember liking this one because it had SPECTRE in it.
February 19, 2018
Thank you for your Special Services, Mr. Bond!
"FOR SPECIAL SERVICES" by John Gardner
THE GOOD NEWS: Bond is back, better than ever!
THE BAD NEWS: SPECTRE is back too, and so is Blofeld. Not Ernst Stavro Blofeld, mind you, whom 007 most definitely killed back in "You Only Live Twice," but an relative/heir apparent of his. But who is it? Is it Markus Bismaquer, a caricature-ish combo of Boss Hog, Foghorn Leghorn, and J.R. Ewing (only this time an ice cream tycoon, not an oil man) rolled into one? Or is it Bismaquer's sidekick, the Skeletor-lookalike Walter Luxor? Or....?
MORE GOOD NEWS: Leiter is back too....this time as in Felix Leiter's lovely ans coquettish daughter Cedar, an up-and-coming CIA operative in her own right.
This was the first-ever John Gardner 007 novel I ever read, back in 1988 at the tender age of 12, and after all these years, even with the Cold War being long over and thus rendering the storyline dated, it is still rollicking entertainment, with the action, adventure, humour, and sexy women one has come to expect from a Bond story. Is it realistic? No, but then again, you don't read a 007 novel (or watch a 007 film) for realism, you read it precisely for the outlandish escapism!
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS (and noteworthy passages):
--p. 3: "A little earlier, James Bond had been reclining, apparently relaxed and at ease, in an aisle seat on the starboard side of the Executive Class area of Flight BA 12." Is Executive Club what BA used to call Business Class/Club World back then?
Did SAS actually perform Air Marshall equivalent duties at one time?
--p. 5: "A statuesque blonde stewardess." Ah yes, the pre-PC days (1982 in this case), when you could still get away with "stewardess" as opposed to the non-gender-specific "flight attendant."
--p. 6: "The stewardess, still clutching a Model II Ingram submachine gun, in the swirl of smoke, lay sprawled on her back," Doesn't the word "sprawl" specifically mean face-down as opposed to face-up?
--p. 7: "Bradbury Lines, 22 S.A.S. Regiment’s base near Hereford." Hmm, I've seen many references to Hereford, but not Bradbury Lines. (Perhaps better known as Stirling Lines? It's been since relocated to Credenhill.)
--p. 15: Was this python inspired at all by the one belonging to Hugo Drax in the "Moonraker" film?
--p. 19: HK VP-70! (Gardner forgot the "z" designation after the "0," though.)
--p. 22: "Bond thought of the other women who had played such a decisive role in his Service career: Vesper Lynd, who, in death, had seemed moulded like a stone effigy; Gala Brand, now Mrs Vivian, with three kids and a nice house in Richmond (they exchanged Christmas cards but he had never seen her again after the Drax business); Honey Rider; Tiffany Case; Domino Vitale; Solitaire; Pussy Galore; the exquisite Kissy Suzuki; his latest conquest, Lavender Peacock" Aahh, what a trip down Memory Lane, Bond Girl-style!
--p. 39: "Sharing a bottle of Dom Pérignon ’69." Cheers!
--p. 50: "the vast twin towers of the World Trade Center dwarfing everything else." Well, that passage right there certainly renders the novel dated!
--p. 52: "small, snub-nosed S & W ‘Highway Patrolman’ with the four-inch barrel and spare ammunition;" Um, a 4-inch barrel is considered standard length for a revolver, Mr. Gardner, not a snubnose!
--p. 75: "A compartment slid open to reveal the large Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum"....."One properly placed bullet from this magnificent, single-action revolver could wreck an engine." Even if it could, a single-action as opposed to a double-action revolver isn't a very technologically or tactically sound choice. Why not go with a Redhawk or an M29 instead?
--p. 80: "Bond asked for a very large vodka martini —shaken, not stirred —giving her the precise instructions." Aahh, just like ol' times, 007!
--p. 179: "But now Bond again made a silent vow: anyone remotely connected with the original Blofeld would also pay. The light of his own happiness had been extinguished without compassion. Why, then, should he show compassion now?"
--p. 209: "U.S. Air Force Base, Peterson Field, Colorado." The correct label would be Peterson AFB, Colorado.
--p. 230: "'‘Hate the muck, sir. I can’t even look at it.’" WTF? I could've sworn in earlier editions of the novel, the word used was "shit" instead of "muck."
CENTRAL CASTING: Roger Moore (RIP) as Bond, Wayne Newton as Mazzard, Joe Don Baker (or John Candy, RIP) as Bismaquer, Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor Palpatine actor) as Walter Luxor, Maria de Medeiros or Mirelle Mathieu (she'd have to grow her hair out, though) as Nina Bismaquer
"FOR SPECIAL SERVICES" by John Gardner
THE GOOD NEWS: Bond is back, better than ever!
THE BAD NEWS: SPECTRE is back too, and so is Blofeld. Not Ernst Stavro Blofeld, mind you, whom 007 most definitely killed back in "You Only Live Twice," but an relative/heir apparent of his. But who is it? Is it Markus Bismaquer, a caricature-ish combo of Boss Hog, Foghorn Leghorn, and J.R. Ewing (only this time an ice cream tycoon, not an oil man) rolled into one? Or is it Bismaquer's sidekick, the Skeletor-lookalike Walter Luxor? Or....?
MORE GOOD NEWS: Leiter is back too....this time as in Felix Leiter's lovely ans coquettish daughter Cedar, an up-and-coming CIA operative in her own right.
This was the first-ever John Gardner 007 novel I ever read, back in 1988 at the tender age of 12, and after all these years, even with the Cold War being long over and thus rendering the storyline dated, it is still rollicking entertainment, with the action, adventure, humour, and sexy women one has come to expect from a Bond story. Is it realistic? No, but then again, you don't read a 007 novel (or watch a 007 film) for realism, you read it precisely for the outlandish escapism!
RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS (and noteworthy passages):
--p. 3: "A little earlier, James Bond had been reclining, apparently relaxed and at ease, in an aisle seat on the starboard side of the Executive Class area of Flight BA 12." Is Executive Club what BA used to call Business Class/Club World back then?
Did SAS actually perform Air Marshall equivalent duties at one time?
--p. 5: "A statuesque blonde stewardess." Ah yes, the pre-PC days (1982 in this case), when you could still get away with "stewardess" as opposed to the non-gender-specific "flight attendant."
--p. 6: "The stewardess, still clutching a Model II Ingram submachine gun, in the swirl of smoke, lay sprawled on her back," Doesn't the word "sprawl" specifically mean face-down as opposed to face-up?
--p. 7: "Bradbury Lines, 22 S.A.S. Regiment’s base near Hereford." Hmm, I've seen many references to Hereford, but not Bradbury Lines. (Perhaps better known as Stirling Lines? It's been since relocated to Credenhill.)
--p. 15: Was this python inspired at all by the one belonging to Hugo Drax in the "Moonraker" film?
--p. 19: HK VP-70! (Gardner forgot the "z" designation after the "0," though.)
--p. 22: "Bond thought of the other women who had played such a decisive role in his Service career: Vesper Lynd, who, in death, had seemed moulded like a stone effigy; Gala Brand, now Mrs Vivian, with three kids and a nice house in Richmond (they exchanged Christmas cards but he had never seen her again after the Drax business); Honey Rider; Tiffany Case; Domino Vitale; Solitaire; Pussy Galore; the exquisite Kissy Suzuki; his latest conquest, Lavender Peacock" Aahh, what a trip down Memory Lane, Bond Girl-style!
--p. 39: "Sharing a bottle of Dom Pérignon ’69." Cheers!
--p. 50: "the vast twin towers of the World Trade Center dwarfing everything else." Well, that passage right there certainly renders the novel dated!
--p. 52: "small, snub-nosed S & W ‘Highway Patrolman’ with the four-inch barrel and spare ammunition;" Um, a 4-inch barrel is considered standard length for a revolver, Mr. Gardner, not a snubnose!
--p. 75: "A compartment slid open to reveal the large Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum"....."One properly placed bullet from this magnificent, single-action revolver could wreck an engine." Even if it could, a single-action as opposed to a double-action revolver isn't a very technologically or tactically sound choice. Why not go with a Redhawk or an M29 instead?
--p. 80: "Bond asked for a very large vodka martini —shaken, not stirred —giving her the precise instructions." Aahh, just like ol' times, 007!
--p. 179: "But now Bond again made a silent vow: anyone remotely connected with the original Blofeld would also pay. The light of his own happiness had been extinguished without compassion. Why, then, should he show compassion now?"
--p. 209: "U.S. Air Force Base, Peterson Field, Colorado." The correct label would be Peterson AFB, Colorado.
--p. 230: "'‘Hate the muck, sir. I can’t even look at it.’" WTF? I could've sworn in earlier editions of the novel, the word used was "shit" instead of "muck."
CENTRAL CASTING: Roger Moore (RIP) as Bond, Wayne Newton as Mazzard, Joe Don Baker (or John Candy, RIP) as Bismaquer, Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor Palpatine actor) as Walter Luxor, Maria de Medeiros or Mirelle Mathieu (she'd have to grow her hair out, though) as Nina Bismaquer
September 17, 2020
I am a big time James Bond fan. I have read all of Ian Fleming's Bond books (I have a nice paperback boxed set of all of his Bond books) and several of the Benson's Bond books from the 90's, like
(and still have a few more Benson Bonds to go) and the two Bond books from Anthony Horowitz, like:
And of course, I have the boxed set of all the Bond movies in Blu-ray (which I have seen several times each).
I really enjoyed this 2nd John Gardner Bond novel. I read and loved the first one and I have also read his novelization of Goldeneye. I am now on a plan to read the Gardner Bond books in their order of publication. I have a hardcover edition of
and a paperback (in real good condition) edition of
. After I read Icebreaker in a few months I will then order the fifth book in this series. Cannot get enough on Bond.
(and still have a few more Benson Bonds to go) and the two Bond books from Anthony Horowitz, like:
And of course, I have the boxed set of all the Bond movies in Blu-ray (which I have seen several times each).I really enjoyed this 2nd John Gardner Bond novel. I read and loved the first one and I have also read his novelization of Goldeneye. I am now on a plan to read the Gardner Bond books in their order of publication. I have a hardcover edition of
and a paperback (in real good condition) edition of
. After I read Icebreaker in a few months I will then order the fifth book in this series. Cannot get enough on Bond.
February 18, 2020
Gardner's second Bond book, and much better than the first. Feels more like movie Bond than book Bond, but it is well written and fun to read.
The starting scene (the hijacking) is well handled, and the connection to SPECTRE is also good. I liked much of the build up, though there were a few info-dumps that went on too long. The ending is more of a rush than it needs to be, and I felt it could have been spread over another chapter.
This year I am reading sequels and finishing series. It may take more focus than I can give to finish Bond books, or even just the Gardner Bond series. Either way, should be a fun ride!
The starting scene (the hijacking) is well handled, and the connection to SPECTRE is also good. I liked much of the build up, though there were a few info-dumps that went on too long. The ending is more of a rush than it needs to be, and I felt it could have been spread over another chapter.
This year I am reading sequels and finishing series. It may take more focus than I can give to finish Bond books, or even just the Gardner Bond series. Either way, should be a fun ride!
September 8, 2018
The worst of all of the Bond novels. This one has Bond working with the daughter of his former CIA partner, Felix Leiter. Bond and Cedar Leiter believe SPECTRE is being revived and they go about stopping the criminal organization. It has been years since Bond killed the organization by killing its leader, Ernst Blofeld. The trail leads them to Markus Bismaquer, who they believe is the head of the organization. One thing leads to another, Bond has sex with his wife, Nena Bismaquer, but is captured and hypnotized into believing he is an American general in charge of NORAD. It gets unnecessarily complicated from there. But Markus is actually gay and falls for Bond, coming to his rescue, the real leader of SPECTRE is Nena, who is actually the daughter of Blofeld. Felix shows up at the end to save his daughter. The plot is ridiculous. It moves from one absurd scene to the next, never developing the main characters. It is a blundering, over the top, disaster. I would not even recommend this to the biggest Bond fans.
September 22, 2020
I don't know why I keep reading Gardner's Bond novels. Completism? Deliberately winding myself up? This had some good elements - the return of SPECTRE, a spooky house on the bayou with pythons to eat unwanted visitors - but was spoiled by the squick of Felix Leiter's daughter (eww) throwing herself at Bond (eww eww) who politely brushes her off because she's his best friend's daughter (eww eww eww). FSS? FFS more like.
September 19, 2023
Tired plot. Not well written. A twist you can guess a mile away. Skip this entry in the 007 canon.
November 7, 2013
When I originally read For Special Services (I’ve read it a couple of times), I thought it was one of the best of Gardner’s continuation novels, and re-reading it today it still holds up quite well. There are some contrived passages to be sure, but on the whole, the story holds up better than Licence Renewed, but I’ll talk about that a bit later. First, here’s a brief synopsis.
Airplanes from around the world, and from different airlines are being hi-jacked for their cargo. The hi-jackings are so frequent that MI-6, teamed with the SAS, have placed security details on flights which carry valuable cargo. As the story opens, James Bond is the lead man for one of these security teams. When terrorists attempt to steal the shipment of gold bullion on board, Bond, and the SAS operatives spring into ruthless and efficient action, polishing off the aggressors. However, before one of the hi-jackers dies, he mumbles ‘in…spector, inspector’, or so the SAS officer beside him thinks. Bond isn’t quite so sure. Could the word be SPECTRE?
Yes, James Bond’s old adversaries, the evil organisation SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) have risen from the ashes. And what’s more, it appears that a person named Blofeld is running the show. Of course, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the original leader of SPECTRE is dead. Bond killed him in his Castle of Death in You only Live Twice. So who is this new mastermind behind the world’s most evil organisation?
Bond is assigned to answer that very question when the CIA ask assistance from ‘M’ on a case. The CIA have been investigating a reclusive millionaire named Markus Bismaquer, but so far, every agent assigned to the mission has disappeared or been found dead in a Louisiana swamp. So the CIA decide to go off the grid, bringing in a new recruit, Cedar Leiter (the daughter of Bond’s old ally Felix Leiter) on her first official assignment. Coupled with Bond, she has to find out if Bismaquer is the new head of SPECTRE and calling himself Blofeld?
To get to Bismaquer, Bond and Cedar pose as a married couple who have a rare set of Hogarth prints to sell. Bismaquer is a fanatical collector of rare (and expensive) artwork, and once word reaches him that the prints are on the market, he simply must have them.
Upon Bond and Cedar’s arrival in the United States, Bismaquer’s first overture to acquire the prints are not the friendliest of gestures, sending a band of thugs to forcibly drag Bond and Cedar to his estate. Bismaquer’s estate is a actually a huge ranch, called (funnily enough) ‘Rancho Bismaquer’, which is almost like a huge theme park with its own monorail, racing track and international airport.
Bond and Cedar fight off the thugs and then go to ground. But Bismaquer has an efficient intelligence network across the USA, and soon enough, our heroic couple are tracked to a hotel in Washington.This time the thugs plan a nasty surprise for Bond and Cedar as they prepare to leave the hotel. One of the goons cuts the power and the breaking system to the elevator carriage that Bond and Cedar are traveling in, and the compartment careens out of control towards the bottom of the elevator shaft, where certain death awaits our heroes.
Well, maybe not certain death. I wont spoil what happens, but I am sure it will come as no surprise that Bond and Cedar survive the attempt on their life. Afterward, they decide to confront Bismaquer directly at his ranch. He is all smiles and the perfect host when they arrive, claiming that any unpleasantness was just a misunderstanding, and his staff exceeded their orders.
As Bismaquer’s guests, Bond and Cedar are treated to the full extent of his hospitality, as he is still eager to buy the prints. However, for a brief moment, there is trouble for Bond. Bismaquer’s beautiful trophy wife, Nena, is truly an art expert – unlike her husband who is a rich faker. She spots that the prints that Bond is trying to sell, are fakes. But as a neglected an abused wife, she chooses not to reveal the truth to her husband, and throws in her lot with Bond.
As Bond and Cedar dig deeper into the Bismaquer’s world, the more tangled the plot becomes. Is Bismaquer Blofeld? Or could it be his partner, Walter Luxor, a weedy skull-faced man who has undergone extensive plastic surgery? Of course, as SPECTRE is involved, the diabolical plot involves more than hi-jacking aircraft for profit. And Bond finds him self in the thick of it – almost too close for comfort as he becomes an unwilling pawn in SPECTRE’s game.
For Special Services reads far more fluidly than Gardner’s preceding novel, Licence Renewed. Gardner appears to have relaxed, and is far more confident with the Bond character. Funny how a ‘bestseller’ would do that! He has returned to his own writing voice, rather than trying to imitate Fleming and Gardner’s strength in action passages comes to the fore. He may not be as descriptive and atmospheric as Fleming, but there is no doubt that Gardner knows how to tell a story at a rattling brisk pace.
But, and if you’ll forgive the bad pun. The ‘specter’ of Fleming still hovers over the novel. There are rather obvious odes to Fleming’s previous Bond stories in For Special Services, but rather try to write like Fleming, Gardner simply attempts to evoke a Flemingesque feel using his own words.
Gardner’s description of the relationship between the Bismaquers, for me, evokes memories of the Krest’s (Milton and Liz) relationship in Ian Fleming’s The Hildebrand Rarity (which was in the For Your Eyes Only collection. Markus Bismaquer, like Milton Krest is a pompous ass with too much money, and likes the power that his money can bring. The wives, in both situations appear to be smothered by their overbearing husbands and are looking for a way out. They almost hope that Bond will be their white knight. However, in The Hildebrand Rarity, Bond’s actions did not free Liz Krest. And as I don’t like to include ‘spoilers’ in my reviews, I will refrain from detailing if Bond succeeds in saving Nena from her husband.
The primary conceit of the novel is ‘Who is Blofeld?’, and generally this is handled pretty well. However at the start of the novel, Blofeld is almost an evil mastermind caricature, spouting the usual gibberish about the evil scheme that’s about to unfold. The reason it becomes cartoonish, is that Gardner is deliberately trying to be vague about who Blofeld is, and as such, description is kept to a minimum. Therefore when Blofeld launches into the megalomaniac spiel, it comes across as a pastiche. Later, however, the resolution is great – even if you have guessed who Blofeld is, the final confrontation is extremely enjoyable.
For Special Services still holds up reasonably well after all these years, which pleases me no end. I was scared that my childhood memories of the Gardner books would be shattered re-reading them now. But, as it did twenty-eight years ago, For Special Services still serves up lively thrills and chills, and as such I’d heartily recommend it to Bond fans.
Airplanes from around the world, and from different airlines are being hi-jacked for their cargo. The hi-jackings are so frequent that MI-6, teamed with the SAS, have placed security details on flights which carry valuable cargo. As the story opens, James Bond is the lead man for one of these security teams. When terrorists attempt to steal the shipment of gold bullion on board, Bond, and the SAS operatives spring into ruthless and efficient action, polishing off the aggressors. However, before one of the hi-jackers dies, he mumbles ‘in…spector, inspector’, or so the SAS officer beside him thinks. Bond isn’t quite so sure. Could the word be SPECTRE?
Yes, James Bond’s old adversaries, the evil organisation SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) have risen from the ashes. And what’s more, it appears that a person named Blofeld is running the show. Of course, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the original leader of SPECTRE is dead. Bond killed him in his Castle of Death in You only Live Twice. So who is this new mastermind behind the world’s most evil organisation?
Bond is assigned to answer that very question when the CIA ask assistance from ‘M’ on a case. The CIA have been investigating a reclusive millionaire named Markus Bismaquer, but so far, every agent assigned to the mission has disappeared or been found dead in a Louisiana swamp. So the CIA decide to go off the grid, bringing in a new recruit, Cedar Leiter (the daughter of Bond’s old ally Felix Leiter) on her first official assignment. Coupled with Bond, she has to find out if Bismaquer is the new head of SPECTRE and calling himself Blofeld?
To get to Bismaquer, Bond and Cedar pose as a married couple who have a rare set of Hogarth prints to sell. Bismaquer is a fanatical collector of rare (and expensive) artwork, and once word reaches him that the prints are on the market, he simply must have them.
Upon Bond and Cedar’s arrival in the United States, Bismaquer’s first overture to acquire the prints are not the friendliest of gestures, sending a band of thugs to forcibly drag Bond and Cedar to his estate. Bismaquer’s estate is a actually a huge ranch, called (funnily enough) ‘Rancho Bismaquer’, which is almost like a huge theme park with its own monorail, racing track and international airport.
Bond and Cedar fight off the thugs and then go to ground. But Bismaquer has an efficient intelligence network across the USA, and soon enough, our heroic couple are tracked to a hotel in Washington.This time the thugs plan a nasty surprise for Bond and Cedar as they prepare to leave the hotel. One of the goons cuts the power and the breaking system to the elevator carriage that Bond and Cedar are traveling in, and the compartment careens out of control towards the bottom of the elevator shaft, where certain death awaits our heroes.
Well, maybe not certain death. I wont spoil what happens, but I am sure it will come as no surprise that Bond and Cedar survive the attempt on their life. Afterward, they decide to confront Bismaquer directly at his ranch. He is all smiles and the perfect host when they arrive, claiming that any unpleasantness was just a misunderstanding, and his staff exceeded their orders.
As Bismaquer’s guests, Bond and Cedar are treated to the full extent of his hospitality, as he is still eager to buy the prints. However, for a brief moment, there is trouble for Bond. Bismaquer’s beautiful trophy wife, Nena, is truly an art expert – unlike her husband who is a rich faker. She spots that the prints that Bond is trying to sell, are fakes. But as a neglected an abused wife, she chooses not to reveal the truth to her husband, and throws in her lot with Bond.
As Bond and Cedar dig deeper into the Bismaquer’s world, the more tangled the plot becomes. Is Bismaquer Blofeld? Or could it be his partner, Walter Luxor, a weedy skull-faced man who has undergone extensive plastic surgery? Of course, as SPECTRE is involved, the diabolical plot involves more than hi-jacking aircraft for profit. And Bond finds him self in the thick of it – almost too close for comfort as he becomes an unwilling pawn in SPECTRE’s game.
For Special Services reads far more fluidly than Gardner’s preceding novel, Licence Renewed. Gardner appears to have relaxed, and is far more confident with the Bond character. Funny how a ‘bestseller’ would do that! He has returned to his own writing voice, rather than trying to imitate Fleming and Gardner’s strength in action passages comes to the fore. He may not be as descriptive and atmospheric as Fleming, but there is no doubt that Gardner knows how to tell a story at a rattling brisk pace.
But, and if you’ll forgive the bad pun. The ‘specter’ of Fleming still hovers over the novel. There are rather obvious odes to Fleming’s previous Bond stories in For Special Services, but rather try to write like Fleming, Gardner simply attempts to evoke a Flemingesque feel using his own words.
Gardner’s description of the relationship between the Bismaquers, for me, evokes memories of the Krest’s (Milton and Liz) relationship in Ian Fleming’s The Hildebrand Rarity (which was in the For Your Eyes Only collection. Markus Bismaquer, like Milton Krest is a pompous ass with too much money, and likes the power that his money can bring. The wives, in both situations appear to be smothered by their overbearing husbands and are looking for a way out. They almost hope that Bond will be their white knight. However, in The Hildebrand Rarity, Bond’s actions did not free Liz Krest. And as I don’t like to include ‘spoilers’ in my reviews, I will refrain from detailing if Bond succeeds in saving Nena from her husband.
The primary conceit of the novel is ‘Who is Blofeld?’, and generally this is handled pretty well. However at the start of the novel, Blofeld is almost an evil mastermind caricature, spouting the usual gibberish about the evil scheme that’s about to unfold. The reason it becomes cartoonish, is that Gardner is deliberately trying to be vague about who Blofeld is, and as such, description is kept to a minimum. Therefore when Blofeld launches into the megalomaniac spiel, it comes across as a pastiche. Later, however, the resolution is great – even if you have guessed who Blofeld is, the final confrontation is extremely enjoyable.
For Special Services still holds up reasonably well after all these years, which pleases me no end. I was scared that my childhood memories of the Gardner books would be shattered re-reading them now. But, as it did twenty-eight years ago, For Special Services still serves up lively thrills and chills, and as such I’d heartily recommend it to Bond fans.
December 7, 2020
This was just adequate, really not very good. I would have given it 2.5 stars, but I rounded it up to be nice. This is not well plotted and has many dufus lacks of logic. The only really good chapter in the book concerned the car race. Gardner should be shaken and not gently stirred.
June 14, 2016
For Special Services a very schizophrenic book which doesn't seem certain about where it wants to take Bond, which is sad since it's Gardner's second book. The man resorts to fan service by bringing back SPECTRE, Felix Leiter, and using the child of a pre-existing villain as its central antagonist. The premise is a new Blofeld has taken control of SPECTRE's remnants and reformed them into a capable dangerous force which threatens global stability.
The opening has Bond defending a airline from a masterfully planned hijacking. Determining his old enemy has returned, Bond teams up with the college-age daughter of Felix Leiter in infiltrating the compound of SPECTRE's most likely new leader. There, meets the beautiful Nina Bismaquer who wishes to turn him against her dangerous husband.
For Special Services was a continuation of the Roger Moore Bond for me, both in tone as well as plot contrivances. Oddly enough, I always tended to see Roger (with dark hair and a perpetually ****ed off look) in Fleming but that was unrelated to the Gardener Bond. License Renewed established this was an older Bond and one with everything up to the Man with the Golden Gun behind him. Even so it's a much-much older Bond if Felix Leiter now has a twenty-year-old daughter who wants to sleep with our anti-hero.
I forgive a lot in this book despite the more ludicrous choices made within. Part of it has to do with the crowd pleasing choice of bringing back SPECTRE. It's a return of an old friend and its arising from the ashes Phoenix style is something that works remarkably well. Honestly, I think the elimination of the threat of Blofeld II was handled far too easily though. It might have helped Gardener's books tremendously to keep Spectre as a multi-book villain. I applaud the new Blofeld's use of a snake to eat a underling. That's a very well visualized scene.
The problem with Cedar Leiter is, oddly, she's acts her age throughout. The girl pretty much embodies 19 year old vapidity. The idea she's a CIA agent and a Sophomore college student pretty much breaks my suspension of disbelief. That Bond would be interested in her is also a trifle ridiculous to me. I'm reminded very strongly of Bibi Dahl in For Your Eyes Only because the whole point of her character was that Bond was attracted to more worldly women than just an attractive body. It doesn't help Felix Leiter approves of his daughter pursuing the much-older Bond despite knowing it'd be purely for sex.
What the hell is that all about?
Nina Bismaquer is a much more interesting character than Cedar as well as her husband. I actually think the revelation about her detracts from the character, though, as it was wholly unnecessary. She strongly resembles Sophia Marceu's character of Elektra King and works well as the secondary Bond girl. Giving her the unique deformity she possesses was also a surprising revelation that worked well.
The plot is very strong for the first half of the book with the hijackings well-done as well as Bond's reaction to SPECTRE rebuilding itself. Unfortunately, it goes in a bizarre, almost Austin Powers and Get Smart-esque direction by having a plot to take over NORAD with mind-controlling ice-cream to steal particle weapons. I kid you not. There's a bit of values dissonance as well as one use of the other F-word when discussing the villain's bisexuality. I make allowances for the fact this was made in 1982 but it still was jarring.
One of the reasons I enjoy reading Gardner is he largely lacks Fleming's ingrained prejudices. In conclusion, this is an excellent book brought down by the fact it can't decide on its tone. Bringing back SPECTRE is good, making Blofeld's relative into the main villain is not. Cedar Leiter is a fun character but having her be a love interest as well as the sister of a close friend ages Bond too much as well as makes him a creep when he goes after her (doubly so for her father in encouraging it).
7/10
July 28, 2012
* Gardner's second Bond book.
* The first appearance of SPECTRE, Cedar Leiter, Felix Leiter (briefly), and Bond's precognitive ability (which last brings with it the fervent hope of sensible readers everywhere that it will also be the last appearance of Bond's precognitive ability).
* The one where even the bad guy's underlings watch Batman.
* The one where we find out that Bond is a pervert--for, make no mistake about it, if you and the daughter of one of your best friends should ever find yourselves in a life or death situation, and if the daughter's breasts are exposed because one of the psycho killers holding you captive slits her top open with a knife, and if you then take a moment to admire the view--then you are a pervert.
* Of course, Bond gets something of a pass here because Gardner knows and we know and, hell, even Clark Kent (pardon me, James Bond) knows that no mere mortals can possibly ever constitute or engineer a truly life-threatening situation for Bond.
* One of the most remarkable elements of Fleming's Bond books and stories is their humor, which is executed with charming dexterity. This shows a side of Fleming that isn't reflected in Gardner, who, I think, tends to cover this lack with a heavier emphasis on sex. Sex covers also for Gardner's decision to excise the romantic center of Bond that had him constantly falling in love with his damsels in distress. Gardner's Bond doesn't fall in love; rather he makes love and leaves. All in gentlemanly fashion, of course, and always with willing partners (who are easy to find, since every woman he meets is almost instantly willing).
* Another outlandish plot that isn't in the least believable.
* More amazing coincidences (as when Bond pulls just the tool he needs from his magic briefcase and when a couple of "Blofeld's" henchmen just happen to hand him the ideal location to hide during an important secret conference).
* More genuflections to Bond's greatness. This, for example: "...007 recognized a chilling prospect: the one person in all the West who might yet be able to avert disaster was...James Bond."
* We already knew that Gardner watched Batman and the Bond movies; now we can add another influence. For this book is positively infected with what I refer to as Star Wars Syndrome: the unnecessary but undeniably cheap, easy, and unimaginative impulse to relate new (and God help us, occasionally existing) characters by blood. Call it the Soap Opera Approach, if you prefer. In any case, one of its effects here is to turn Bond's personal hatred of Blofeld into a family feud.
* And what are we to make of Cedar Leiter, the young and desirable (what else?) daughter of Bond's old CIA buddy, Felix Leiter? She's also an agent and, like every other woman in Gardner's world, she's got the hots for Bond. Felix doesn't mind. In fact, as far as he's concerned, Bond can treat her like every other woman he meets. But how will Bond handle the situation? That question isn't answered in this book.
* A certain plot twist of this novel, which concerns high-tech satellites, the resurrection of SPECTRE and, indeed, of Blofeld, in a way, suggests a certain contempt for Bond. I won't give it away, except to say that fans of Fleming's Bond will no doubt find something Bond does here quite offensive.
* I could go on, but what's the point? Oh, what the hell, just one more:
* Bond's newfangled feminism is rather amusing. This is due to the fact that Bond need do no more than pay lip service to it since every woman wants him anyway. It's therefore impossible to know what he truly believes. This is never more clear than in a scene here in which Bond gets huffy when another man tells an off-color joke. At the time, he's impersonating a stuffed-shirt type, but because of Bond's indeterminate feelings on the matter, it's impossible to tell whether or not his sour expression of contempt is part of his disguise or not.
* The first appearance of SPECTRE, Cedar Leiter, Felix Leiter (briefly), and Bond's precognitive ability (which last brings with it the fervent hope of sensible readers everywhere that it will also be the last appearance of Bond's precognitive ability).
* The one where even the bad guy's underlings watch Batman.
* The one where we find out that Bond is a pervert--for, make no mistake about it, if you and the daughter of one of your best friends should ever find yourselves in a life or death situation, and if the daughter's breasts are exposed because one of the psycho killers holding you captive slits her top open with a knife, and if you then take a moment to admire the view--then you are a pervert.
* Of course, Bond gets something of a pass here because Gardner knows and we know and, hell, even Clark Kent (pardon me, James Bond) knows that no mere mortals can possibly ever constitute or engineer a truly life-threatening situation for Bond.
* One of the most remarkable elements of Fleming's Bond books and stories is their humor, which is executed with charming dexterity. This shows a side of Fleming that isn't reflected in Gardner, who, I think, tends to cover this lack with a heavier emphasis on sex. Sex covers also for Gardner's decision to excise the romantic center of Bond that had him constantly falling in love with his damsels in distress. Gardner's Bond doesn't fall in love; rather he makes love and leaves. All in gentlemanly fashion, of course, and always with willing partners (who are easy to find, since every woman he meets is almost instantly willing).
* Another outlandish plot that isn't in the least believable.
* More amazing coincidences (as when Bond pulls just the tool he needs from his magic briefcase and when a couple of "Blofeld's" henchmen just happen to hand him the ideal location to hide during an important secret conference).
* More genuflections to Bond's greatness. This, for example: "...007 recognized a chilling prospect: the one person in all the West who might yet be able to avert disaster was...James Bond."
* We already knew that Gardner watched Batman and the Bond movies; now we can add another influence. For this book is positively infected with what I refer to as Star Wars Syndrome: the unnecessary but undeniably cheap, easy, and unimaginative impulse to relate new (and God help us, occasionally existing) characters by blood. Call it the Soap Opera Approach, if you prefer. In any case, one of its effects here is to turn Bond's personal hatred of Blofeld into a family feud.
* And what are we to make of Cedar Leiter, the young and desirable (what else?) daughter of Bond's old CIA buddy, Felix Leiter? She's also an agent and, like every other woman in Gardner's world, she's got the hots for Bond. Felix doesn't mind. In fact, as far as he's concerned, Bond can treat her like every other woman he meets. But how will Bond handle the situation? That question isn't answered in this book.
* A certain plot twist of this novel, which concerns high-tech satellites, the resurrection of SPECTRE and, indeed, of Blofeld, in a way, suggests a certain contempt for Bond. I won't give it away, except to say that fans of Fleming's Bond will no doubt find something Bond does here quite offensive.
* I could go on, but what's the point? Oh, what the hell, just one more:
* Bond's newfangled feminism is rather amusing. This is due to the fact that Bond need do no more than pay lip service to it since every woman wants him anyway. It's therefore impossible to know what he truly believes. This is never more clear than in a scene here in which Bond gets huffy when another man tells an off-color joke. At the time, he's impersonating a stuffed-shirt type, but because of Bond's indeterminate feelings on the matter, it's impossible to tell whether or not his sour expression of contempt is part of his disguise or not.
October 27, 2025
2.5 STARS
It's been 42 years since I last read this novel. I was fourteen years old.
Not surprisingly my views on so many things have changed in the past four decades.
I enjoy the James Bond movies - have since I was a child. The novels I have had more of a hit and miss relationship with.
I read several of the John Gardner Bond novels when they were published in the Eighties. I moved away from them as I moved through university. I have tried a couple of the 007 novels written by Mr. Gardner's successors and just couldn't get into them.
A couple months ago I came across several of the Gardner novels in a local secondhand store and decided it was time to see how much things have changed. I started with "For Special Services" since it was the first Gardner 007 novel that I read.
Right off the bat I could tell that it was obvious that FSS was channeling the Roger Moore era. Gardner even has Bond wearing a cravat which is so very much of the time. The Moore era wasn't bad if you liked your 007 a bit on the light side and jaunty. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate them.
I don't care that Gardner had Bond drive a Saab 900. The movies change things around constantly when it comes to Bond, and it wasn't until the Daniel Craig era that the purists got their way with Bond returning to the Walther PPK and the Aston Martin. The Saab 900 was a hot car in the early Eighties, and it seemed exotic to nerdy boys, such as me, growing up in Idaho.
The plot was very much a comic book product. Defiantly more like the movies in that respect - particularly the Seventies productions. Once again, we come back to the Roger Moore era. Over the top, outlandish and delivered with a sly wink in my opinion.
The biggest fault with the novel is the ending. Which is why I have to knock it down to 2.5 stars
I really wasn't surprised to find that the book wasn't as fantastic as I remembered it. It's a 007 novel after all - not high literature.
It's been 42 years since I last read this novel. I was fourteen years old.
Not surprisingly my views on so many things have changed in the past four decades.
I enjoy the James Bond movies - have since I was a child. The novels I have had more of a hit and miss relationship with.
I read several of the John Gardner Bond novels when they were published in the Eighties. I moved away from them as I moved through university. I have tried a couple of the 007 novels written by Mr. Gardner's successors and just couldn't get into them.
A couple months ago I came across several of the Gardner novels in a local secondhand store and decided it was time to see how much things have changed. I started with "For Special Services" since it was the first Gardner 007 novel that I read.
Right off the bat I could tell that it was obvious that FSS was channeling the Roger Moore era. Gardner even has Bond wearing a cravat which is so very much of the time. The Moore era wasn't bad if you liked your 007 a bit on the light side and jaunty. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate them.
I don't care that Gardner had Bond drive a Saab 900. The movies change things around constantly when it comes to Bond, and it wasn't until the Daniel Craig era that the purists got their way with Bond returning to the Walther PPK and the Aston Martin. The Saab 900 was a hot car in the early Eighties, and it seemed exotic to nerdy boys, such as me, growing up in Idaho.
The plot was very much a comic book product. Defiantly more like the movies in that respect - particularly the Seventies productions. Once again, we come back to the Roger Moore era. Over the top, outlandish and delivered with a sly wink in my opinion.
The biggest fault with the novel is the ending. Which is why I have to knock it down to 2.5 stars
I really wasn't surprised to find that the book wasn't as fantastic as I remembered it. It's a 007 novel after all - not high literature.
July 18, 2011
http://jeremynorthamfanblog.wordpress...
(For full review, follow link)
... For Special Services, picks up where Licence Renewed left off and is more filmic, thanks to Gardner doing a better job with setting the scene, and, of the two, this was by far my favourite. James Bond is on secret loan to the US government and, teamed with his old friend Felix Leiter’s daughter Cedar (a CIA agent), he must stop legendary secret organisation SPECTRE and their evil leader ‘Blofeld’ who are, of course, up to no good on a grand scale. Blofeld was responsible for killing Bond’s wife Tracy (in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and was later killed by Bond. Who is the new ‘Blofeld’? We don’t find out for sure until the very end of the book...
...This audiobook really is a Bond film performed entirely by one man and can only be described as a tour de force. There are many plot twists and turns (some of which you’ll see coming), some great set-piece scenes worthy of the best Bond movies, and a large cast of vivid characters, all of which are created with verve and gusto...
(For full review, follow link)
... For Special Services, picks up where Licence Renewed left off and is more filmic, thanks to Gardner doing a better job with setting the scene, and, of the two, this was by far my favourite. James Bond is on secret loan to the US government and, teamed with his old friend Felix Leiter’s daughter Cedar (a CIA agent), he must stop legendary secret organisation SPECTRE and their evil leader ‘Blofeld’ who are, of course, up to no good on a grand scale. Blofeld was responsible for killing Bond’s wife Tracy (in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and was later killed by Bond. Who is the new ‘Blofeld’? We don’t find out for sure until the very end of the book...
...This audiobook really is a Bond film performed entirely by one man and can only be described as a tour de force. There are many plot twists and turns (some of which you’ll see coming), some great set-piece scenes worthy of the best Bond movies, and a large cast of vivid characters, all of which are created with verve and gusto...
March 1, 2021
This is the second Gardner Bond Novel and the second one I have read. So far, I like these books. I don't love them as much as Fleming's, but I enjoy them.
Unlike Fleming, these books seem to operate in a world where the books and movies are in the same universe. Fleming was missing many of the tropes from the films, but the Gardner novels includes them, mainly the inclusion of Q branch playing a large role, and the relationship of Bond and Moneypenny. Both of these are more like the films than the Fleming novels.
Though the books do Fleming-esque; especially the brutality. Fleming is always much for brutal than the films, and the Gardner books seem to take that path. Also the great chapter titles -- for example this book has some great chapter titles that include: "The House of the Bayou," "Pillow Thoughts," "Invitation by Force," " Intimidations of Mortality," and "Shock Tactics" to name a few.
I am curious to see if he begins to forge his own path, or continues to ride the fence of two worlds that have come before.
Unlike Fleming, these books seem to operate in a world where the books and movies are in the same universe. Fleming was missing many of the tropes from the films, but the Gardner novels includes them, mainly the inclusion of Q branch playing a large role, and the relationship of Bond and Moneypenny. Both of these are more like the films than the Fleming novels.
Though the books do Fleming-esque; especially the brutality. Fleming is always much for brutal than the films, and the Gardner books seem to take that path. Also the great chapter titles -- for example this book has some great chapter titles that include: "The House of the Bayou," "Pillow Thoughts," "Invitation by Force," " Intimidations of Mortality," and "Shock Tactics" to name a few.
I am curious to see if he begins to forge his own path, or continues to ride the fence of two worlds that have come before.
June 27, 2021
This was an okay story. I've never read a James Bond novel before, so I didn't really know what to expect (other than assuming it would follow a similar formula to the movies: a mystery/mission only Bond can resolve, 2-3 beautiful women who pine for Bond with at least one of them dying, and gadgets galore). I cannot really say that Bond ever develops as a character, and I am not sure how well I feel the other characters are developed in the story. It moves at a reasonable pace, although the ending seems pretty quick (almost as if the author realized he was running out of pages and had to wrap things up). The very last chapter could have been left out, in my opinion; it was very bizarre.
As the story progressed, I did figure out some elements before the ending, so that was cool. The "BIG REVEAL/TWIST" (who is Blofeld?) was a bit of a surprise for me; I did not see that coming. In regards to the story I enjoyed most of the story.
Some if it was kind-of "weird," though.
It was okay. I liked some of it; it held my interest. The villain's plan was certainly unique and not something I would have expected. The dust jacket is not exactly "honest" about describing what transpires in the book; I've read dust jackets with better summaries of the book's plot. In any case, I suppose I am glad that I took a chance reading it. I really do not feel like I can honestly rate it as high as two stars; I'd rate it 1.7-1.8, rounded down, I think. I may never read it or another Bond book again, but at least I tried this one. Actually, I would probably try one or two of Ian Fleming's books, since he is the man who actually started Bond in the first place, but I do not know if I would try any of Gardner's other Bond novels that he wrote. Time will tell.
As the story progressed, I did figure out some elements before the ending, so that was cool. The "BIG REVEAL/TWIST" (who is Blofeld?) was a bit of a surprise for me; I did not see that coming. In regards to the story I enjoyed most of the story.
Some if it was kind-of "weird," though.
It was okay. I liked some of it; it held my interest. The villain's plan was certainly unique and not something I would have expected. The dust jacket is not exactly "honest" about describing what transpires in the book; I've read dust jackets with better summaries of the book's plot. In any case, I suppose I am glad that I took a chance reading it. I really do not feel like I can honestly rate it as high as two stars; I'd rate it 1.7-1.8, rounded down, I think. I may never read it or another Bond book again, but at least I tried this one. Actually, I would probably try one or two of Ian Fleming's books, since he is the man who actually started Bond in the first place, but I do not know if I would try any of Gardner's other Bond novels that he wrote. Time will tell.
November 14, 2024
Been noticing lately how unusable the internet is becoming - Facebook just a bunch of AI-generated sentences with zero accuracy or even meaning. Gardner pioneered this style of prose and peaked with his Bond novels. For Special Services is full of sentences that are barely recognisable as the work of a human. At one point it reads something like “the knife was so finely balanced that even the most skilled knife-thrower would struggle to use it”. Does even Gardner know what he means? Repetitive and offensive. Pages and pages of Bond doing laps on a racetrack, or climbing a ladder, each bend in the road or rung described as though anyone cares, and then he’ll blow through the climax in a single page. Gardner’s Bond is a loathsome creation - sanctimonious, smug, humourless, rude, always rummaging around in his stupid car. I do like a lot of Gardner’s ideas like the snakes and the ice cream and the ants but this is filth. Incredible Bill Botten cover.
December 29, 2020
A series of high profile hijackings leads M to loan James Bond to the CIA who are investigating the impossible: that Ernst Stavro Blofeld is still alive and SPECTRE is planning a new global attack.
‘For Special Services’ sees John Gardner settle into his role as the writer of the ‘Bond’ series. The plot is well developed and reminiscent of Ian Fleming’s style.
‘For Special Services’ sees John Gardner settle into his role as the writer of the ‘Bond’ series. The plot is well developed and reminiscent of Ian Fleming’s style.
September 21, 2019
I read many of the Ian Fleming Bond novels years ago, and while I enjoyed the movies, found the novels even more entertaining. I hoped that this would capture some of the escapist entertainment from those earlier Fleming stories. This ended up being a very pale shadow of Bond in previous stories. The only thing that kept this from being a one star review was the villains and their grandiose scheme.
July 14, 2024
John Gardner was writing his Bond novels in the shadow of the movies. It shows in what is essentially a pre-title sequence, and a denouement which is actually set in a hollowed-out volcano. He was never as fun a writer as Fleming, however. Nor as madly reactionary. Part of the plot here revolves around ice cream (I’m not joking), and whereas Bond does sneer at this dessert as ‘muck’, it’s nothing compared to what his creator would have done. You just know, from Fleming, there would be a whole rant about how frozen desserts represent the end of masculinity, and it’d be both bonkers and glorious.
September 11, 2020
2020 re-read:
"For Special Services" has a handful of elements of a successful James Bond novel - a resurgence of SPECTRE, auto racing, twists and turns.
That said, elements of the plot are downright implausible and the aforementioned elements have been done in other Bond novels better.
There are a lot of references to Bond lore, specifically as Bond faces a "new Blofeld" and the feelings that resurface of facing the first. There are some familiar faces and themes. In all, this one is 3 1/2 stars.
________________________
LICENCE RENEWED, the first Gardner 007 novel, was OK. It was good to read a continuation of the Bond stories, but it didn't feel like Fleming's Bond.
In FOR SPECIAL SERVICES, it feels much more like it, relying on harking back to references to ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE to feed off of some of the best in Bond lore.
While it is a bit too reliant on some of these elements (you'll know what I mean when you read the book) and does not explore some of them enough (Bond's aging, Bond's deep feelings for Tracy), there are some very original twists and turns that make this a major page-turner.
4 out of 5 stars.
"For Special Services" has a handful of elements of a successful James Bond novel - a resurgence of SPECTRE, auto racing, twists and turns.
That said, elements of the plot are downright implausible and the aforementioned elements have been done in other Bond novels better.
There are a lot of references to Bond lore, specifically as Bond faces a "new Blofeld" and the feelings that resurface of facing the first. There are some familiar faces and themes. In all, this one is 3 1/2 stars.
________________________
LICENCE RENEWED, the first Gardner 007 novel, was OK. It was good to read a continuation of the Bond stories, but it didn't feel like Fleming's Bond.
In FOR SPECIAL SERVICES, it feels much more like it, relying on harking back to references to ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE to feed off of some of the best in Bond lore.
While it is a bit too reliant on some of these elements (you'll know what I mean when you read the book) and does not explore some of them enough (Bond's aging, Bond's deep feelings for Tracy), there are some very original twists and turns that make this a major page-turner.
4 out of 5 stars.
April 5, 2020
An expanded and annotated version of this review originally appeared on as part of my 007 Case Files column.
So, the story goes that Ian Fleming took part in a clandestine operation with the Americans during the Second World War, one that would be later embellished as the basis for Casino Royale . As the behest of General William Donovan, Fleming wrote a lengthy memorandum outlining the structure of a secret service organisation that indirectly influenced the formation of the OSS and the CIA. To thank him, Donovan presented Fleming with a .38 Police Positive Colt revolver. It was inscribed with the words ‘For Special Services.’
John Gardner’s book of the same name, the second in his series of Bond continuation novels, comes with its own historical weight. After three decades of stories in print and on screen, accusations of Bond wearing a little thin dogged the novels and the films alike. Not helping matters is that Gardner chose to follow up his critically maligned Licenced Renewed with something that feels like Bond’s greatest hits.
Bond teams up with CIA operative Cedar Leiter, the daughter of his old comrade Felix, to investigate Markus Bismaquer, an ice cream merchant and art lover suspected of reviving SPECTRE (last seen in You Only Live Twice ). Along the way there’s martinis, a car race, deadly animals, broken women, and an evil death ray.
FOR SPECIAL SERVICES opens with a tense (albeit brief) sequence in which Bond foils a plane hijacking, the first sign of the return of SPECTRE. It never feels complete somehow, skipping to the chase like a pre-credits scene in a film, perhaps because Gardner was keen to reintroduce the terrorist organisation. Indeed, much of the book feels like it is spinning its wheels (Saab wheels, of course) until the puppet master is revealed.
Gardner’s writing has been called everything from “endlessly silly” (by Colonel Sun author Kinglsey Amis) to “exceptionally bad” by Robin W. Winks. This is not the novel on which to base a counter-argument. The thin plotting is held together with scant regard for character development or tension. For all of Fleming’s faults, he invested his characters with a grounded believability. Here Gardner never gets beyond the surface, more interested in moment-to-moment action than in 007 or his supporting cast.
Which isn’t to say that there aren’t some memorable set-pieces. With the highly publicised Saab 900 Turbo making a return, and referred to by its nickname of “The Silver Beast” for the first time, Gardner delivers a terrific race against a Mustang – even if he does labour the point with pages of technical specs. Similarly, while we’ve had many encounters with animals before, Gardner’s description of thousands of deadly ants deliberately left for Bond and Cedar (“a constantly moving sea of creatures”) is both chilling and gruesome.
Another thing Gardner maintains from Fleming is his penchant for women that are ‘damaged’ in some way. Just as Honey Rider had a broken nose, Bismaquer’s wife Nena was born with only one breast: “I’m not a whole woman,” she tells Bond. “I feel deformed, and I don’t like people.” Yet Gardner tries to turn this into a strength of sorts, although some might argue it is a fetish. The revelation that she is , and the architect of all the new SPECTRE, also gives her added dimensionality. Or as Raymond Benson puts it in The James Bond Bedside Companion, “the most successful villain Gardner has created.”
Less successful is the finale of the plot, one in which . Apart from being more than reminiscent of Goldfinger , it involves the preposterous plan of brainwashing Bond to pose as a US General. However, it all comes apart because . May I remind you that this is 1982.
While we’re on the subject: exactly how old is Bond meant to be anyway? Gardner firmly establishes this book as being set in the 80s, but Bond is also said to have been an “officer in the Second World War.” As one henchmen puts it, “the Second World War was a long time ago, friend.” Later mentioned as being “just about old enough” to be Cedar’s father, Gardner’s timeline would probably put Bond somewhere between 60 and 70 years old! It’s a minor thing, but it points to some of the perfunctory editing with which Gardner has approached his subject.
FOR SPECIAL SERVICES is the kind of Bond outing one gets when you just want to go through a checklist of 007 iconography. With the introduction of Cedar Leiter, and the approval of her doting father (now with “the latest thing in artificial arms”), Gardner delivers a kind of soft reboot of his own renewal a year earlier. With another 14 books left before the end of his tenure, he certainly had time to get the formula right.
James Bond will return…in Icebreaker.
So, the story goes that Ian Fleming took part in a clandestine operation with the Americans during the Second World War, one that would be later embellished as the basis for Casino Royale . As the behest of General William Donovan, Fleming wrote a lengthy memorandum outlining the structure of a secret service organisation that indirectly influenced the formation of the OSS and the CIA. To thank him, Donovan presented Fleming with a .38 Police Positive Colt revolver. It was inscribed with the words ‘For Special Services.’
John Gardner’s book of the same name, the second in his series of Bond continuation novels, comes with its own historical weight. After three decades of stories in print and on screen, accusations of Bond wearing a little thin dogged the novels and the films alike. Not helping matters is that Gardner chose to follow up his critically maligned Licenced Renewed with something that feels like Bond’s greatest hits.
Bond teams up with CIA operative Cedar Leiter, the daughter of his old comrade Felix, to investigate Markus Bismaquer, an ice cream merchant and art lover suspected of reviving SPECTRE (last seen in You Only Live Twice ). Along the way there’s martinis, a car race, deadly animals, broken women, and an evil death ray.
FOR SPECIAL SERVICES opens with a tense (albeit brief) sequence in which Bond foils a plane hijacking, the first sign of the return of SPECTRE. It never feels complete somehow, skipping to the chase like a pre-credits scene in a film, perhaps because Gardner was keen to reintroduce the terrorist organisation. Indeed, much of the book feels like it is spinning its wheels (Saab wheels, of course) until the puppet master is revealed.
Gardner’s writing has been called everything from “endlessly silly” (by Colonel Sun author Kinglsey Amis) to “exceptionally bad” by Robin W. Winks. This is not the novel on which to base a counter-argument. The thin plotting is held together with scant regard for character development or tension. For all of Fleming’s faults, he invested his characters with a grounded believability. Here Gardner never gets beyond the surface, more interested in moment-to-moment action than in 007 or his supporting cast.
Which isn’t to say that there aren’t some memorable set-pieces. With the highly publicised Saab 900 Turbo making a return, and referred to by its nickname of “The Silver Beast” for the first time, Gardner delivers a terrific race against a Mustang – even if he does labour the point with pages of technical specs. Similarly, while we’ve had many encounters with animals before, Gardner’s description of thousands of deadly ants deliberately left for Bond and Cedar (“a constantly moving sea of creatures”) is both chilling and gruesome.
Another thing Gardner maintains from Fleming is his penchant for women that are ‘damaged’ in some way. Just as Honey Rider had a broken nose, Bismaquer’s wife Nena was born with only one breast: “I’m not a whole woman,” she tells Bond. “I feel deformed, and I don’t like people.” Yet Gardner tries to turn this into a strength of sorts, although some might argue it is a fetish. The revelation that she is , and the architect of all the new SPECTRE, also gives her added dimensionality. Or as Raymond Benson puts it in The James Bond Bedside Companion, “the most successful villain Gardner has created.”
Less successful is the finale of the plot, one in which . Apart from being more than reminiscent of Goldfinger , it involves the preposterous plan of brainwashing Bond to pose as a US General. However, it all comes apart because . May I remind you that this is 1982.
While we’re on the subject: exactly how old is Bond meant to be anyway? Gardner firmly establishes this book as being set in the 80s, but Bond is also said to have been an “officer in the Second World War.” As one henchmen puts it, “the Second World War was a long time ago, friend.” Later mentioned as being “just about old enough” to be Cedar’s father, Gardner’s timeline would probably put Bond somewhere between 60 and 70 years old! It’s a minor thing, but it points to some of the perfunctory editing with which Gardner has approached his subject.
FOR SPECIAL SERVICES is the kind of Bond outing one gets when you just want to go through a checklist of 007 iconography. With the introduction of Cedar Leiter, and the approval of her doting father (now with “the latest thing in artificial arms”), Gardner delivers a kind of soft reboot of his own renewal a year earlier. With another 14 books left before the end of his tenure, he certainly had time to get the formula right.
James Bond will return…in Icebreaker.
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February 20, 2021Less successful than Gardner's first. Having the daughters of major Fleming characters as the principal "Bond Girls" rather stresses how old Bond is. Of necessity, the plot requires a great deal of Fleming-era flashback, probably more than in any later Gardner Bond, which, again, foregrounds 007 as someone with a lot of miles on the clock. The NORAD sequence near the end is still fun for me. And the Saab/Shelby race is a classic "Villain test" sequence that recalls the golf match with Goldfinger and so many other set pieces.
August 13, 2016
Criticizing James Bond adventures for being outlandish is like criticizing the desert for being dry, but this book really pushed the envelope. Killer ice cream? One-boobed villains? All I can say is that after reading John Gardner's second Bond book, I feel a lot better about some of the stuff I've written.
June 9, 2016
Εντάξει, δε θα μείνει και στην ιστορία ως το καλύτερο βιβλίο με ήρωα το James Bond, αλλά δε μπορώ να πω ότι με χάλασε κιόλας! Το αντίθετο μάλιστα! Αρκετά καλή πλοκή, ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες, είχε και κανά δυο ανατροπές (αν και εγώ την είχα καταλάβει την τελική ανατροπή, ε, καλά τώρα!!) και όλα καλά! Θα προτιμούσα να έπαιζε λίγο περισσότερο ο Felix, αλλά δεν... Εντάξει, καλό ήταν! Πάμε παρακάτω!!
November 15, 2017
Planes are being hijacked and millions stolen but who is behind it? SPECTRE are back but who is behind them? Surely Bond killed Blofeld with his bare hands in You Only Live Twice? It can't be him, can it? There's a secret base thrown in too.
The love interest? Well that would be telling.
James Bond will return in Icebreaker.
The love interest? Well that would be telling.
James Bond will return in Icebreaker.
February 1, 2019
Was better than Gardner's first Bond book, but just ruined but making one of the "Bond girls" a daughter of an old friend. And let's not mention the last chapter.
I read some of these Gardner Bond's back in the day, but I never really got into them enough to find and read all of them. This is one that I missed out on before
I read some of these Gardner Bond's back in the day, but I never really got into them enough to find and read all of them. This is one that I missed out on before
January 24, 2008
This was my second (and last) attempt to read one of Gardner's Bond books. After reading Fleming's good work, this just wasn't interesting.
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