The 007 Re-Read Project: Scorpius by John Gardner

John Gardner's 007th James Bond novel is one which I specifically remember where and when I got it. After almost literally having the revelation of the Gardner Bonds dropped into my lap (as recounted here), I set about tracking down all of them. A trip to The Book Rack, a local used book store, turned up a half dozen Gardner Bond paperbacks, mostly the earliest entries. I managed to turn up most of the others in short order, but for whatever reason, Scorpius was one of the three that eluded me. In those (just barely) pre-ebay days, there weren't a whole lot of options for running down old books unless you were fortunate to live in a large city with an abundance of stores that sold such things. Thankfully, we did have a bookstore here that would attempt to locate old out-of-print books for you, and I set them to work on the trio of Gardner Bonds I was missing. (This shop is also where I found my hardcover Casino Royale and the Goldeneye novelization on the same trip!) I remember the day they called to let me know they had located a copy of Scorpius; it was in immaculate condition, and would cost me $30. I wasn't thrilled with the price, but I'd been working my way through the Gardner books I had in publication order, and that one was holding me up. Impatient to read it, I told her to go ahead and get it. I went by there once it arrived and picked it up on my way to work. Decades later I remembered enjoying it, and thinking it had an appropriately harsh villain death, but nothing else about it. Let's see how it holds up! As always, I won't blow the whole thing, but there are

SPOILERS AHEAD! 

 

A woman escapes the clutches of a cult known as the Meek Ones and is found dead soon afterward. When her purse is found to contain little besides a scrap of paper with James Bond's phone number written on it, 007 is brought into the investigation.  Almost immediately, another young woman turns up after leaving the cult, out of her mind with the powerful drugs that have been pumped into her. Her father is an old acquaintance of M's, which pulls the SIS further into things. Despite being exhausted from the intense "refresher course" he's just completed with the SAS, Bond is plunged into the mix. The leader of the Meek Ones, Father Valentine, is suspected to be a new identity adopted by notorious arms dealer Vladimir Scorpius, who has rarely been photographed, and hasn't been sighted for years. A search of the Meek Ones compound in London reveals that it has been abandoned, its members dispersed to blend seamlessly with the general populace. When a horrific act of terrorism is committed on British soil, it becomes clear that Scorpius is responsible. Despite numerous precautions, the attacks continue. Through the Meek Ones cult, Scorpius has an army willing to die to commit murder at his command. With the aid of IRS agent Harriet Horner and SAS Sergeant Pearlman, Bond must run Scorpio to ground and try to devise some way to halt his bloody scheme. However, Scorpius has someone very close to the mission who keeps him informed of their every move...

This is a rather unusual James Bond story, with Bond, M, and the entire SIS on the back foot more often than not. Much of the novel takes place in London, and we're quite a ways in before Bond even leaves the country. It's always refreshing to read a 007 tale that breaks from the formula. The deplorable acts of terrorism committed by religious fanatics, so shocking to M and Bond, are sadly not unheard of today. It's interesting to read their reactions to these appalling acts through modern sensibilities. The weaponized cult concept is disturbingly plausible, and indeed, we have seen such things play out again and again. 

Scorpius himself is built up to the point that he seems a fiend for the ages, though he falls a bit short once we finally meet him. He doesn't command the scene as the best Bond villains do, and seems almost deferential to Bond at several points. He is oddly concerned with performing a wedding ceremony prior to the final phase of his plan for reasons that are never explained. (Horner mentions something about the ritual being important to him, but it's not elaborated on.) He does indeed receive a nasty death that is well-earned, though it occurs weirdly early in the novel. There's still a bit of story left once he's been wiped from the board. The way the story is constructed, this isn't objectively a flaw, but it does feel strange to have the main antagonist disposed of relatively early. 

Several of the supporting characters are interesting, with the aforementioned Sergeant Pearlman a real standout. There are several very effective scenes in the novel, one of which is a desperate escape in which Bond, for once, miscalculates badly.  It's a scene that feels far more Fleming-esque than the somewhat movie-leaning Bond characterization we often get from Gardner. Unfortunately, the consequences of that mistake are not given much page space, and it feels glossed over far too quickly and easily. (Though to be fair, Bond does achieve one hell of a catharsis immediately afterward, so I suppose that helped him cope!) A duo of iconic Bond cars are referenced when Bond is tailed by a Saab and a red Lotus Esprit, a nice detail for attentive readers. We also get an appearance from Sir James Molony, familiar to anyone who has read Fleming's final Bond novel!

 

Notable Quotes:

Bond's lifestyle had changed drastically over the last few months, and any changes in 007 made M a shade nervous - even when the changes appeared to be for the best. 

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 Bill Tanner - M's Chief of Staff - came in through the private door that was the only other entrance to M's office. (What the hell... since when does M's office have two entrances? Seems a rather odd choice.)

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For a moment, Bond felt uncomfortable. Sir James Molony probably knew more than any other man about his secret life - not his life of secrets within the Service, but the hidden areas of fear, the complexities of imagination which dwelt within him, motivated him, kept him happy and on an even keel, or came hurtling from his subconscious to plague him like demons in the night.

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"Get them, James!" M spoke through clenched teeth. "Just get them. Kill them, wipe them off the face of the earth if you have to, though I'll deny ever saying that to you if it happens. Go out and find the devils."

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 Breakfast, as ever, was his favorite meal of the day, an immovable and set feast when he was home. Apart from a brief acknowledgement, Bond took little notice of May, who went back into the kitchen clucking to herself about his bad habits of coming in late at night, then acting like a "Wee bear wi' a sore heed!" the next morning.

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Pearlman settled back to watch the in-flight movie. Though he had already seen it, Bond sat through it again. The Untouchables. A favorite actor of his played a Chicago cop. (Who knew Bond was a Kevin Costner fan? 😉)

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It would have taken a saint to resist her, and Bond would be the first to admit that sanctity was not his strong point. 

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"Good girl for you, James. Good family. Steady." (WTF?!? M's playing matchmaker now?) 

 

Even with a final act that deflates a bit, Scorpius is a good read, and offers a 007 adventure that breaks from the standard formula in a few key areas. Scorpius is an interesting villain, even if he doesn't quite measure up to the build-up Gardner gives him. I'd rank this in the upper middle tier of the Gardners I've revisited so far in this series. Up next is another one that is a blank slate to me; all I remember is that it involves submarines, and that Bond is promoted from commander to captain. Join me next time for Win, Lose, or Die! 

Here's another of those cool fan-made covers in the style of the old Great Pan paperbacks. I have no idea what the original source is, but I love these things!