Death Is Forever: (James Bond Novel) [Paperback]

John Gardner (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Publishers (1992)
• ASIN: B000OV8D8G
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,457,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Post Cold War Outing for Gardner with 007, May 25, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Death Is Forever (Paperback)

Ian Fleming's James Bond is the gold standard. To me, From Russia with Love is the finest novel in that distinguished, exciting series. But Fleming is gone, and we are fortunate to have John Gardner to continue the stories for us.

Gardner's stories suffer from two basic weaknesses: He doesn't have the full range of Cold War enemies to work with and his doesn't have the same hard edge to his characters and writing.

Death is Forever veers back toward the Fleming books by involving Wolfgang Weisen, onetime director of East Germany's Security Service. He makes for a truly fascinating villain. Fleming would have made him even more fascinating, but you will enjoy him and his plot to destabilize the West. Although the Cold War is over in this book, Gardner finds a way to create an extension of the Cold War. That is good for all of us readers.

In all other ways, the book is a typical Gardner offering -- serviceable plot and relentless Bond.

If you have a choice between reading a Fleming novel and a Gardner one, you should always read a Fleming one first. If you have read and liked all of the Fleming books, you will be pleased with this Gardner offering. Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich in plot and surprises, one of the best Bond novels!, August 2, 2003

By 

matt f. (mississauga , ontario, canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Is Forever (Paperback)

Beginning with the murder of two members of a VERY well-organized spy ring known as Cabal, Bond teams up with another MI6 agent to try and find out what happened to the remaining members of the organization and find out who was behind it.

Wow! John Gardner has a masterpiece this time. This is one of the best espionage novels I've read. Bond goes up against some of the most sinister and ruthless villains, and in this novel almost nobody can be trusted. The amount of double-crosses and plot twists is astounding, and unlike the more recent Bond movies, the plot is complex and (gasp) logical! As Bond unravels more clues as to who is killing Cabal's agents, he must use every means available to survive, and to stop a cataclysmic event orchestrated by a ruthless organization.

Because of the rich and twisting plot, Death Is Forever captures the more sinister elements of the spy world with nothing short of brilliance. HIGHLY recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gardner is as close as anyone's ever gotten to Fleming, November 23, 2002

By 

Robert Douglas (Alexandria, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Is Forever (Paperback)

I'm not a "die-hard Bond fanatic" but I've seen the movies and read some of the novels, and after reading some of the other comments, mostly negative, about Gardner and his novels I thought I'd set down some thoughts on DEATH IS FOREVER. For me Gardner is as close as anyone's ever gotten to Fleming and not that far behind. DEATH IS FOREVER was an enthralling novel and the best Gardner I have read (with SCORPIUS a close second). Gardner's Bond, like Fleming's, is not a super-hero with rocket-boats and submarine cars never at a loss for humorous one-liners every time he kills a guy. He's a flesh-and-blood human being as vulnerable as anyone else who survives by using his head. Of all the movies, the two that are most faithful to Fleming's original conception of the Bond character are "From Russia with Love" and "Licence to Kill." In my opinion, needless to say, the two best Bond films. And this is the Bond of DEATH IS FOREVER and the Gardner novel series. As for the Benson novels, I've never understood why the head of the James Bond fan club was chosen to succeed Gardner as Bond writer and not an actual published novelist.