For Special Services a very schizophrenic book which doesn't seem certain about where it wants to take Bond, which is sad since it's Gardner's second book. The man resorts to fan service by bringing back SPECTRE, Felix Leiter, and using the child of a pre-existing villain as its central antagonist. The premise is a new Blofeld has taken control of SPECTRE's remnants and reformed them into a capable dangerous force which threatens global stability.
The opening has Bond defending a airline from a masterfully planned hijacking. Determining his old enemy has returned, Bond teams up with the college-age daughter of Felix Leiter in infiltrating the compound of SPECTRE's most likely new leader. There, meets the beautiful Nina Bismaquer who wishes to turn him against her dangerous husband.
For Special Services was a continuation of the Roger Moore Bond for me, both in tone as well as plot contrivances. Oddly enough, I always tended to see Roger (with dark hair and a perpetually ****ed off look) in Fleming but that was unrelated to the Gardener Bond. License Renewed established this was an older Bond and one with everything up to the Man with the Golden Gun behind him. Even so it's a much-much older Bond if Felix Leiter now has a twenty-year-old daughter who wants to sleep with our anti-hero.
I forgive a lot in this book despite the more ludicrous choices made within. Part of it has to do with the crowd pleasing choice of bringing back SPECTRE. It's a return of an old friend and its arising from the ashes Phoenix style is something that works remarkably well. Honestly, I think the elimination of the threat of Blofeld II was handled far too easily though. It might have helped Gardener's books tremendously to keep Spectre as a multi-book villain. I applaud the new Blofeld's use of a snake to eat a underling. That's a very well visualized scene.
The problem with Cedar Leiter is, oddly, she's acts her age throughout. The girl pretty much embodies 19 year old vapidity. The idea she's a CIA agent and a Sophomore college student pretty much breaks my suspension of disbelief. That Bond would be interested in her is also a trifle ridiculous to me. I'm reminded very strongly of Bibi Dahl in For Your Eyes Only because the whole point of her character was that Bond was attracted to more worldly women than just an attractive body. It doesn't help Felix Leiter approves of his daughter pursuing the much-older Bond despite knowing it'd be purely for sex.
What the hell is that all about?
Nina Bismaquer is a much more interesting character than Cedar as well as her husband. I actually think the revelation about her detracts from the character, though, as it was wholly unnecessary. She strongly resembles Sophia Marceu's character of Elektra King and works well as the secondary Bond girl. Giving her the unique deformity she possesses was also a surprising revelation that worked well.
The plot is very strong for the first half of the book with the hijackings well-done as well as Bond's reaction to SPECTRE rebuilding itself. Unfortunately, it goes in a bizarre, almost Austin Powers and Get Smart-esque direction by having a plot to take over NORAD with mind-controlling ice-cream to steal particle weapons. I kid you not. There's a bit of values dissonance as well as one use of the other F-word when discussing the villain's bisexuality. I make allowances for the fact this was made in 1982 but it still was jarring.
One of the reasons I enjoy reading Gardner is he largely lacks Fleming's ingrained prejudices. In conclusion, this is an excellent book brought down by the fact it can't decide on its tone. Bringing back SPECTRE is good, making Blofeld's relative into the main villain is not. Cedar Leiter is a fun character but having her be a love interest as well as the sister of a close friend ages Bond too much as well as makes him a creep when he goes after her (doubly so for her father in encouraging it).
7/10