The Man from Barbarossa

The story, without spoilers

The kidnapping of an old man in New Jersey draws several intelligence services into a case linked to historical atrocity. A group called the Scales of Justice stands behind the operation. Bond is sent to Moscow and, unusually, placed under KGB control rather than simply opposed to it.

The changing Soviet political world alters the familiar Cold War arrangement. This mission asks Bond to operate within an uneasy alliance, where the history behind the case and the interests of several services make a simple division into allies and enemies unreliable.

Can I start here?

You can read it as a separate intelligence operation. It is especially suitable if you want Gardner's more political side; choose Licence Renewed first if you would rather meet his Bond in a more conventional introductory adventure.

What stands out

Bond working under the KGB is the important change of perspective. The historical accusation behind the kidnapping gives the story a heavier political subject than a chase for a weapon or a missing document.

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 The Man from Barbarossa. His run contains fourteen original novels and two film adaptations.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

The Man from Barbarossa is Gardner’s original Bond novel 10 of fourteen. In The Man from Barbarossa, Gardner’s updated Bond operates after the original Fleming era. No precise neighbouring Fleming mission is given.

Content notes

Adult readers. Genocide and war-crime references, kidnapping, political coercion and violence.

Setting

• New Jersey
• Moscow

Main characters

James Bond, The Scales of Justice, British, Soviet, French and Israeli intelligence.