Icebreaker

James Bond (Original Series)

By: John Gardner

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Bond reluctantly finds himself recruited into a dangerous mission involving an equally dangerous and treacherous alliance of agents from the CIA, the KGB, and Israel's Mossad. The team dubbed "Icebreaker" waste no time double crossing each other, as they try to root out the leader of the murderous National Socialist Action Army, Count Konrad von Gloda, a one time SS officer, who now perceives himself as the New Adolf Hitler.

©2013 John Gardner (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Inconsistent & a bit silly, but undeniably fun

An overcomplicated plot, occasionally baffling depiction of Bond, almost too many characters, but it clips along at a delightful pace & is ultimately more than the sum of its disjointed parts. In some moments, Gardner writes the hyper-competent 007 we generally expect, at others our man misses some startlingly obvious clues and makes a number of (narratively convenient) mistakes that become increasingly hilarious as they compound. In a story stuffed with secret agents, Bond at times feels like the least savvy of the bunch—his main power seems to be that women can’t help but throw themselves at him no matter what he does or says. But the story is a zany treat, with twist piled on (occasionally confusing or improbable) twist. It’s a whole different animal than Fleming, but in a way I found totally refreshing. Don’t expect a masterpiece, but I’ll say that this was my first Gardner novel & instantly made me want to read more. It’s just plain fun, in a way that I’m not sure a more realistic spy novel could manage.

In the tradition of Sean Connery’s Bond

I felt like I was listening to a classic James Bond story. John Gardner gets into more Spycraft than you would get from a typical bond movie which I think is really important to get out the spy aspect of the character.

Good

Good James Bond novel. There is a James Bond special coming soon look for it.

Simon Vance performs another Bond novel masterfully

This is an entertaining, complex, and compelling Bond novel by John Gardner. Simon Vance gives another masterful performance with a wide ensemble of characters. Vance is smooth, maintaining the suspense, creating a satisfying experience.

Gets better

The first 1/4 is slowish but the end is good and worth the wait. James is James.