• Icebreaker

  • James Bond (Original Series)
  • By: John Gardner
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (142 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Icebreaker  By  cover art

Icebreaker

By: John Gardner
Narrated by: Simon Vance
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.00

Buy for $20.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Bond reluctantly finds himself recruited into a dangerous mission involving an equally dangerous and treacherous alliance of agents from the CIA, the KGB, and Israel's Mossad. The team dubbed "Icebreaker" waste no time double crossing each other, as they try to root out the leader of the murderous National Socialist Action Army, Count Konrad von Gloda, a one time SS officer, who now perceives himself as the New Adolf Hitler.

©2013 John Gardner (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Icebreaker

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    77
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    95
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Recommend without reservation

Any additional comments?

Bravo to Brilliance Audio and Audible for bringing a set of the John Gardner 007 series to audiobook. I greatly enjoyed revisiting “Icebreaker” and Simon Vance’s narration was (as always) first-rate. The plot that sees James Bond tackle a former SS officer neo-Nazi with dreams of a new Reich takes 007 to Finland and includes a thrilling encounter with a snowplow (villains are always searching for a new and inventive way to dispatch our hero) and a particularly brutal ice torture. “Icebreaker” also includes one of my favorite of the literary heroines in Paula Vacker, and a complete set of rounded secondary characters.
As regards the series, many of these have already appeared in audiobook form such as “Nobody Lives Forever,” “Scorpius”, “Never Send Flowers”, “Death is Forever”, “SeaFire” and “Cold” (most in an abridged form, though “Cold” has appeared in both abridged and unabridged) but to my knowledge this is the first time that “Icebreaker” has appeared in the format. Of course Gardner’s first two “Licence Renewed” and “For Special Services” were handled capably by Jeremy Northam a few years back (both excellent I might add if you see them for sale I would recommend them), and the two novelizations (“Licence to Kill” and “Goldeneye” both received capable releases previously), but the realization that I had an opportunity to own the complete set led me to quickly add all of them to my cart or wish list.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Inconsistent & a bit silly, but undeniably fun

An overcomplicated plot, occasionally baffling depiction of Bond, almost too many characters, but it clips along at a delightful pace & is ultimately more than the sum of its disjointed parts. In some moments, Gardner writes the hyper-competent 007 we generally expect, at others our man misses some startlingly obvious clues and makes a number of (narratively convenient) mistakes that become increasingly hilarious as they compound. In a story stuffed with secret agents, Bond at times feels like the least savvy of the bunch—his main power seems to be that women can’t help but throw themselves at him no matter what he does or says. But the story is a zany treat, with twist piled on (occasionally confusing or improbable) twist. It’s a whole different animal than Fleming, but in a way I found totally refreshing. Don’t expect a masterpiece, but I’ll say that this was my first Gardner novel & instantly made me want to read more. It’s just plain fun, in a way that I’m not sure a more realistic spy novel could manage.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simon Vance performs another Bond novel masterfully

This is an entertaining, complex, and compelling Bond novel by John Gardner. Simon Vance gives another masterful performance with a wide ensemble of characters. Vance is smooth, maintaining the suspense, creating a satisfying experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another enjoyable story

This was another enjoyable story. The narration is great as it has been in other stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not Fleming.

Simon Vance was excellent as always, but the story was less than great. Try Forever And a Day.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!