- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; New edition edition (17 Oct 1991)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340542896
- ISBN-13: 978-0340542897
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.9 x 1.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 539,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Book Description
Official, original James Bond from a writer described by Len Deighton as a 'master storyteller'.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Another James Bond adventure from the author of "Licence Renewed", "For Special Services" and "Icebreaker".
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11 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Great!
30 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback
Brokenclaw is an excellent Bond novel, up there with Gardner's best (Icebreaker). "Brokenclaw" Lee is one of the better villians Gardner has created, and the ending is unbelieveably unique in pushing Bond to the limit. It really annoys me when people who don't understand the literary Bond pick up a book like this and cast it off as horrible because it doesn't correspond with the movies . . . . this is a great read if your really into Bond, it's Gardner at his best!
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Somewhere the wheels came off I think...
23 April 1998
Format:Paperback
I don't know, but I think that somewhere along the way the wheels came off of this particular Bond vehicle. Brokenclaw is a fast read, kinda fun, but in the end it is rather disappointing, and the ending itself is, in my opinion, pretty ridiculous. The villain--Brokenclaw Lee, a half Chinese,half Blackfoot Indian gangster who controls most of Chinatown in San Franciso--is intriguing, but by the end of the novel, after the ludicrous showdown between him and Bond, it seems a shame that we didn't get more about him or his plans. It feels like Gardner was going fine and then sort of jettisoned a number of elements and fine setups and instead rushed to end it nicely in the (usual) 300-page format. And when all is said and done, a lot of things are just pretty damn unbelievable, even for a Bond story. For instance, and perhaps most strikingly, is the relationship between Bond and "Chi-Chi" (a code name), his Chinese female partner on the case. Hardly knowing each other they seem to fall in love like that, and the finale involves Bond entering into a completely ridiculous one-on-one matchup with Brokenclaw all because he has to save Chi-Chi because he would do ANYTHING for her because "love stays." Um, is this the James Bond we know? Certainly Bond would save a damsel in distress, but here it seems rather cheesy, because the love and attachment is unconvinving at best. I mean, Bond beds down with gals on every case, so what made Chi-Chi so special? I don't know, and neither does Gardner seem to. It's frustrating. There really isn't a lot of action, but the book is never really boring either, and that's a good thing. Gardner sacrificed some more involving elements for the sake of a quick, smooth read. 'Tis a shame, because the story and the villain especially have potential. As a matter of fact, I am pretty disappointed with Brokenclaw, especially since the beginning and parts of the middle and even some nice details are wasted. We never get to learn too much about Brokenclaw's plans, they are mentioned and taken for granted. There is Ed Rushia, a good supporting character, and M has a bigger part than usual in it. I can't totally knock the book because I enjoyed many parts, but as a whole, Brokenclaw seems lazily slapped together toward the end, the romance just plain cheesy and trite. Maybe Gardner got bored or something, but he can do much better than this.
I Tried...I Really Really Tried.
22 Mar 2012
Format:Paperback
Being a die-hard fan of the Fleming canon, I have flirted in the Bond novels written by other authors. I have a lot of respect for John Gardner as a writer and have read other Gardner/007 novels. I also must acknowledge that he must have been on a one-a-year contract which is a lot of pressure, I understand being a writer myself. I gave Brokenclaw a lot of chances, but it fell short for me. When reading a 007 novel, I can't help but picture in my head Bernard Lee when M is involved in a chapter. Yet when he speaks about the female agent Wanda who is infiltrating the criminal Brokenclaw, I can't picture Bernard Lee filling his pipe and saying to Bond, "Cuckoo, which is Wanda's crypto...." I tried, but Brokenclaw just didn't move me. 150 pages into it and I felt like it went nowhere. I will try some other Gardner novels and hopefully enjoy some of those.
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