John Gardner in the Bond world

Where to begin

Begin with Licence Renewed, then follow the fourteen original novels in publication order below. Gardner brings Bond into the 1980s without making these immediate sequels to individual Fleming books. Role of Honour and Nobody Lives For Ever share a returning enemy, so their order matters. Keep the two film novelisations separate from the original sequence.

Reading order

1. Licence Renewed (1981)

   Gardner brings Bond into the 1980s, when political pressure threatens the Double O section but M still needs his agent. Investigating nuclear physicist Anton Murik and his dealings with a terrorist called Franco leads Bond towards a threat to nuclear power stations.

2. For Special Services (1982)

   Murders and hijackings suggest that SPECTRE has returned, drawing Bond into a new investigation after the death of its notorious leader. Bond joins CIA agent Cedar Leiter, the daughter of his old friend Felix, to confront a threat to American defences.

3. Icebreaker (1983)

   Bond travels to northern Finland, near the Russian border, to join an operation involving British, American, Soviet and Israeli intelligence. A common enemy does not guarantee common loyalties, and the frozen landscape makes uncertainty within the team even more dangerous.

4. Role of Honour (1984)

   After scandal and an apparent resignation from the Secret Intelligence Service, Bond offers his skills to the highest bidder. SPECTRE takes an interest in the supposedly disgraced agent, but proving his loyalty means confronting demands that threaten his former service.

5. Nobody Lives For Ever (1986)

   Bond’s European holiday becomes an assassination hunt when the dying SPECTRE leader Tamil Rahani puts a price on his head. With May and Moneypenny also threatened, Bond must do more than escape the killers pursuing him across the continent.

6. No Deals, Mr Bond (1987)

   The murder of two former Operation Cream Cake agents sends Bond searching for surviving members before their enemies can reach them. His investigation leads to Ireland and a contest with the KGB, where rescuing former operatives requires untangling old loyalties and deception.

7. Scorpius (1988)

   A woman’s body is discovered in the Thames with Bond’s telephone number among her possessions, giving the investigation a troubling personal connection. An attempt on Bond’s life leads him towards a religious-looking sect, Vladimir Scorpius and a network whose outward beliefs conceal danger.

8. Win, Lose or Die (1989)

   A terrorist group targets a British aircraft carrier hosting the leaders of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. Promoted to captain and returned to naval duty, Bond must protect the summit while an assassin is already pursuing him.

9. Brokenclaw (1990)

   On a Canadian holiday, Bond notices Brokenclaw Lee, whose outward charm is accompanied by a disturbing sense of menace. The disappearance of scientists working on a secret submarine-detection system draws Bond back into service and connects the encounter with a larger investigation.

10. The Man from Barbarossa (1991)

    The kidnapping of an old man in New Jersey draws several intelligence services into a case linked to historical atrocity. Sent to Moscow and placed under KGB control, Bond must navigate an uneasy alliance shaped by the changing Soviet political world.

11. Death Is Forever (1992)

    After two British agents die in Germany, Bond and CIA agent Easy St. John investigate the surviving members of Cabal. A mysterious instruction has told this old intelligence network to disband, but its operatives are being killed and trust is increasingly dangerous.

12. Never Send Flowers (1993)

    Several apparently unrelated assassinations acquire a disturbing link: a blood-tipped rose is sent to each funeral. After a British agent is killed in Switzerland, Bond is paired with Swiss intelligence officer Flicka von Grusse.

13. SeaFire (1994)

    Bond and Flicka von Grusse investigate Sir Maxwell Tarn, whose legitimate business empire conceals extensive weapons dealing. A Cambridge operation leads into a fast-moving international pursuit, with neo-Nazi conspirators adding to the danger.

14. COLD (1996)

    A bombing destroys Flight 229 at Washington Airport, killing hundreds of passengers, including Bond’s former lover and friend Sukie Tempesta. The investigation becomes personal, drawing Bond along a complex international trail towards an organised threat in Gardner’s final Bond book.

Film novelisations, separately

1. Licence to Kill (1989)

   After CIA agent Ed Killifer delivers Bond’s friend to the crime boss Sanchez, Bond pursues the people responsible for the betrayal. M withdraws his Double O status, but Bond continues the revenge mission with Q’s help in this novelisation of the 1989 film.

2. GoldenEye (1995)

   The Russian criminal leader Janus acquires GoldenEye, a stolen technology capable of attacking the financial systems of the West. Bond investigates the operation and its former KGB operative Xenia in Gardner’s prose adaptation of the 1995 film adventure.