Icebreaker

The story, without spoilers

Bond is sent to northern Finland, near the Russian border, to join a small operation called Icebreaker. Its members come from British, American, Soviet and Israeli intelligence services. A shared threat does not mean shared loyalties, and each partner brings an agenda.

The mission therefore has two sources of danger: the enemy outside the team and the uncertainty within it. The frozen setting adds physical pressure to a story in which Bond has to decide how far he can trust people who would normally be his rivals.

Can I start here?

Licence Renewed remains the best first Gardner book. Icebreaker's joint mission is easy to understand separately, so it is also a reasonable choice if a wintry setting and uncertain alliances are what interest you.

What stands out

The unusual multinational team is the hook. Read it for suspicion between supposed allies and for an Arctic border setting, rather than expecting the warmer resort locations associated with some Fleming adventures.

Who wrote it

Gardner had created the comic spy Boysie Oakes before the Fleming estate invited him to bring Bond into the 1980s; he later wrote Icebreaker. His run contains fourteen original novels and two film adaptations.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Icebreaker is Gardner’s original Bond novel 3 of fourteen. In Icebreaker, Gardner’s updated Bond operates after the original Fleming era. No precise neighbouring Fleming mission is given.

Content notes

Adult readers. Violence, torture, extremist threats and dangerous cold-weather operations.

Setting

• Northern Finland
• The Finnish–Russian border region

Main characters

James Bond, M, The Icebreaker intelligence team.