Licence Renewed (published with the spelling License Renewed in American editions), first published in 1981 is the title of the first novel by John Gardner featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond. It was the first proper James Bond novel (not counting novelizations and a faux biography) since Kingsley Amis's Colonel Sun in 1968. It successfully relaunched the Bond literary franchise, being the first of 20 original novels (not counting later novelizations and short stories) which would be published up until 2002. Carrying the Glidrose Publications copyright, it was first published in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape and in the United States by Richard Marek .

Plot summary

The novel picks up the career of James Bond some years after the Fleming novels ended, although Gardner has updated the timeframe to the 1980s (suggesting that the Fleming stories, in the Gardner universe, took place in the 1960s and 1970s, not the 1950s and 60s). The 00 section has in fact been dissolved, but M retains Bond as a troubleshooter (pun intended), telling him "You'll always be 007 to me." Bill Tanner, M's Chief of Staff, is present and accounted for, but Q has been replaced by Ann Reilly, a genius of gadgetry who Bond prompty nicknames "Q'ute", not long before adding her to his long list of romantic conquests.

Bond is assigned to investigate one Anton Murik, a brilliant nuclear physicist who is accused of working with terrorist factions. Bond infiltrates Murik's Scottish castle, where he pretends to be a mercenary looking for work and quickly gains Murik's confidence. Murik hires Bond to kill Franco, a terrorist, but unknown to Bond Murik has also hired Franco to kill his young ward, Lavender Peacock.

Murik's plan is to hijack numerous nuclear power plants around Great Britain simultaneously with the aid of bands of terrorists. He actually accomplishes this, briefly, but is defeated by Bond and Lavender before his demands can be met.

An early segment of the book that takes place at the Ascot horse races, where Murik is shown cheating, is similar to a scene in the 1985 Bond film, A View to a Kill, but it's not known if this was a deliberate nod to Gardner's book or a coincidence.

In this novel Bond drives a Saab 900 Turbo called The Silver Beast, also shown on the book cover (but in the book it's silver colored). The car is Bond's personal vehicle, updated on his own expense with:

• Water-cooled turbo engine modification per Saab Law Enforcement specs, producing a top speed in excess of 170 MPH.
• Modified fuel system capable of running on petrol or gasohol.
• Halon 12 fire extinguishing system and fire-proofing.
• Digital Head-Up Display.
• Remote text-messaging system via black box phone hook up to landline.
• Mobile phone.
• Four external tear gas ducts.
• A filter to neutralise deadly gas entering the car’s passenger cabin.
• Oxygen masks under the seats in CO₂-operated compartment.
• Several hidden compartments in dashboard containing TH70 Nitefinder goggles (for driving without headlights), grenades, one unauthorized Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum revolver, and one Browning automatic handgun.
• Fully armor-plated body.
• Bulletproof glass.
• Steel-reinforced ramming bumpers back and front.
• Heavy-duty Dunlop Denovos tires, self-sealing even after being hit by bullets.
• Side gunport.
• Remote starter kit.
• Rotating license plates.
• Two halogen fog lamps.
• Aircraft headlight hidden behind front license plate.

SAAB used the opportunity to launch a Bond themed campaign complete with an actual car outfitted like the one in the book (but using smoke instead of tear gas). [1].