'No Deals' is a Good Deal from Gardner

After having read John Gardner's first Bond novel, which was a typical formula Bond story, I proceeded with 'No Deals, Mr Bond'. I had read that this was a less 'typical' Bond story, and according to a review on www.universalexports.net, this story would appeal to those who enjoy Ian Fleming's 'From Russia With Love'. As FRWL is my favourite Fleming novel I eagerly began NDMB while on a flight from Durban to Cape Town.

From the outset I found this to be a novel which didn't stick so much to the formula and delivered more surprises than most of Gardner's novels that I have read. This is one of those Bond stories where some of the people you think are the allies are actually villainous and vice-versa.

This novel is also one quite realistic by Bondian standards, and reads more like a serious spy thriller, than the more overblown, film-inspired novels that Gardner and others have written. The fact that the villains of this novel work for the organisation that used to be called 'SMERSH', gives this a nice link to the earlier work of Fleming.

Proabably the best, and most tense scene in the novel comes when the villain has Bond pursued by so-called 'Robinsons' (live targets used in training exercises) in the pitch black as a sort of training exercise for the 'Robinsons', and an exercise in survival for Bond. Armed with such gruesome weapons as a fighting mace, the 'Robinsons' prove to be no match for Bond. The only complaint that I have with this scene is that Bond's survival is due more to his gadgets than him outwitting the 'Robinsons'.

All in all, a good solid spy thriller which kept me eagerly reading to the very end. In fact, of the Gardner novels that I have read so far, this is my favourite. Just for clarification so far I have read, Licence Renewed, No Deals Mr Bond, Scorpius, The Man From Barbarossa, Goldeneye, COLD.

Just before reading NDMB, I read Gardner's novelisation of the 1995 film, 'Goldeneye', which I enjoyed merely because the film is one of my favourites. But Gardner doesn't bring anything new to the story - he merely adds a thin layer of backstory to the characters, and equips Bond with an ASP 9mm pistol with Glaser ammunition. Aside from that there was nothing unique to the story. For me, the best James Bond novelisations are the ones which use the screenplay as a basis for the story and then create something more literary than just a straight rehash of the film. Christopher Wood's novelisations of The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker are good examples.