sentences:  Writer John Gardner was asked to continue the series by copyright holders Ian Fleming Publications and, between 1981 and 1996, he wrote fourteen novels and two novelisations.After Gardner retired due to ill health, author Raymond Benson continued the stories and wrote six "Bond" novels, three novelisations and three short stories between 1996 and 2002.There was a hiatus of six years before Sebastian Faulks was commissioned to write a further "Bond" novel, which was released on 28 May 2008, the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth.