Seafire [Paperback]

John Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

A self-made millionaire is known to British Intelligence as a notorious arms dealer whose bloody acts have earned him the name Apocalypse, and James Bond must prevent him from returning to a reunited Germany. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this, his 13th James Bond novel, Gardner surpasses Ian Fleming's total output by one, but he continues to lag immeasurably behind Fleming in panache. Much has changed for 007 in the aftermath of the Cold War. For starters, he has a steady lover, former Swiss Intelligence agent Flicka von Grusse, who, aside from a few lethal flashes, becomes just another damsel ready for distress when Bond's around. Bond is in command of the Double-Oh section, now called "Two Zeros," whose members have turned in their licenses to kill for the pleasure of "dealing with cases concerning breach of international law and treaties." Here the villain is Sir Maxwell Tarn, who aims to be the next Hitler. Once on the case, Bond pursues a foolhardy and dangerous course, meeting semi-disastrous results and returning to ask his overseers whether he might try, try again-a wish that, sensibly, they are reluctant to grant. At one point, the ineffable M, threatens: "If you fail, Bond, I'll see you out of the Service for good." Bond fails, of course, but nothing is heard from M, who takes to his sickbed. Judging by this pale, by-the-numbers series entry, one hopes that the old boy will recover soon and make good on his threat.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Yes, folks, James Bond is alive and well. This is Gardner's thirteenth novel starring the handsome, tough, romantic hero 007 since he took over the series after the death of Ian Fleming in 1964. In Seafire, Gardner again mixes sex and violence in exotic settings--this time a picturesque village in Germany, the Israeli desert, Puerto Rico, and the streets of London. Working with 007 is the lovely Fredericka von Grusse, formerly of Swiss intelligence, who was introduced in Never Send Flowers. The plot involves one Maxwell Tarn, a billionaire, and his wife, who are missing. Sir Maxwell, who disappeared while under surveillance, is evil--dealing in illicit arms and munitions. Bond, "Flicka," and the Double-0 section of the SIS must find out what really happened to Tarn. The outcome is never in doubt, but it's a rollicking ride all the way. George Cohen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; paperback / softback edition (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425147754
• ISBN-13: 978-0425147757
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very Good Book!, March 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Seafire (Paperback)

I thought this was one of the best Bond books I have read in a while! It is a little boring at the beginning for about two chapters, but it gets a lot better after that. I could not stop reading it at the end, because it is so EXCITING! Other people say John Gardner doesn't write very good books, but a disagree. This book is very good, and I recommend it to people that like action packed James Bond novels!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The sort of Bond book Enid Blyton might have written., December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Seafire (Paperback)

It's difficult to know where to begin, but let's just say that if the object is to follow in Ian Fleming's footsteps, this fails, miserably. The main problem is that the character of James Bond has lost all his old certainty, strength and invulnerability; his character now better befits that of the policeman I see wandering up and down my road from time to time, and while I'm sure he's a great bloke, he's not the sort of escapist character I want to seek refuge in. The other big problem is that the emotions expressed are all incredibly naive, and, well, teen-like, particularly with regard to the relationship between Bond and Flicka; these are supposed to be mature secret agents who have lived a little, not high school students on a first date! Some of the writing is also way too obvious; Gardner will say something like 'Bond drank his vodka Martini. He liked vodka Martinis you see.' He doesn't actually write that, but you get my drift. I hope against all hope that John Gardner reads this; if he does, I would ask him to re-read any of the Ian Fleming Bond books, carefully; all the cues he needs, those that made the books such incredibly good reads, are there on the pages before him.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Gardner's Best, October 19, 2005

By 

Josh Irby (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seafire (Paperback)

This was the 7th Gardner/Bond novel I read, being second best only to Icebreaker. Seafire deals with a wealthy business man named Max Tarn and his plot to create a massive oil slick around Puerto Rico, which could cause massive environmental damage. James Bond and Flicka von Grusse, who was introduced in Never Send Flowers, must find a way to stop Tarn. Felix Leiter also appears in this book for a couple chapters. Also notable is the fact that M is put to bedrest about halfway through the book, after he gets some kind of illness. The book ends with a BANG that leaves the reader wanting more.