Thursday, August 30, 2007

Devil May Care audiobook on Amazon

The audiobook edition of Sebastian Faulks centenary James Bond novel, Devil May Care, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

This is the first appearance of the novel on any online retailer in any form.

Amazon shows the audiobook release as May 20, 2008. That’s a week before publication, so expect this date to change. It will released by Random House Audio (who also release the Young Bond novels) and will be unabridged.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

LINK: Young Bond comes to town

The Guardian has a terrific article today by Charlie Higson in which the Young Bond author recounts taking a London foot tour with his two sons, Jim and Sidney, revisiting locations from his novel Double or Die.


CLICK HERE or on the headline to read.

Thanks to Karen for the heads up.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Fleming centenary exhibit & book announced

The Times have announced one of the major Ian Fleming Centenary celebration events for next year.

For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond, will run from April 25, 2008 to March 1, 2009 at the Imperial War Museum, and will be the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the Bond phenomenon and the life of his creator.

Rare material on display will include Fleming’s research notes for From Russia with Love, a map of the Mercury News Network, established by Fleming in the 1950s to collect information and intelligence from Sunday Times foreign correspondents; notes for the scandalous Thrilling Cities series in which Fleming explored the casinos and brothels of the world’s most glamorous metropolises; annotated Bond manuscripts; the Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver presented to Fleming by the Colt company; and the manuscript for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Fleming’s other enduring classic.

The organisers also hope to track down the golden typewriter that Fleming used and to secure a letter to the author written by a Major Boothroyd, advising him on what handguns he thought would be most appropriate for Bond.

The exhibit will show how the Bond plots, locations and villains were rooted in Fleming’s experiences during the Second World War and as a well-travelled reporter. It will examine to what extent the books and films reflect the reality of the Cold War and life in postwar Britain and how far they were a product of Fleming’s prodigious imagination.

Ben Macintyre is writing the book to accompany the exhibition, For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond, due to be published by Bloomsbury in April.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

First Look: Shark Bait cover art

Titan Books just released collection of classic James Bond comic strips, Death Wing, includes a preview peek at the cover art for their next release, Shark Bait.

The Shark Bait collection includes the title story along with "Doomcrack" and "The Xanadu Connection," plus an introduction by Caroline Bliss, and Part II of Alan Porter’s very fine feature on James Bond in U.S. comics.

Shark Bait is available for pre-order at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. The release date is February 12, 2008.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

IFP, fans react to Gardner passing

Ian Fleming Publications have updated their official website with a message about James Bond continuation author John Gardner, who died after collapsing in his home in England last week.

“All at Ian Fleming Publications Limited were saddened and shocked to hear of the death of John Gardner on Friday 3rd August.

John was a highly respected and admired member of the Bond family and he will be great missed.

Our thoughts at this time are with his family.”

John Gardner’s successor Raymond Benson has also published a tribute on his official website, with a remarkable photo of the two Bond authors taken in 1984. Fellow literary Bond sites Double O Section and K1Bond007 have published tribute articles.

Proper obituaries have also now appeared in The Washington Post and the Stratford Hearld.

Over at the CommanderBond.net forums, a popular thread is running with Bond fans remembering with great fondness the man who brought the literary Bond back to life in the 80s.

John Gardner’s funeral will be held on September 6.

*UPDATE: Simon Gardner has sent a response to Bond fans over at the CBn forums:

“I would like to thank all your members on behalf of John's family and friends for the wonderful messages posted on your forums. John in fact died from 'old age', as in his heart just gave out. Not a stroke or heart attack as first thought. My Father at times was not the greatest 'Pro-Bond' guy but he did not take writing Bond lightly. I think he succeeded in bringing Bond to new generations of readers who will continue to love the world of Bond.

Again thank you all for your kind words.”

Monday, August 6, 2007

John Gardner dies at 80

OO7 Magazine Online reports that author John Gardner has died after collapsing in his home in England on August 3. The cause of death was a heart attack. He was 80.

John Gardner penned over 50 books during his prolific career, but Bond fans know him best as the man who brought the literary 007 back to life in the 1981 bestseller License Renewed. Gardner went on to pen 14 original James Bond novels and two novelizations between 1981 and 1996.

For me, John Gardner is just as responsible for my love of James Bond as Ian Fleming or Cubby Broccoli. License Renewed turned me onto the literary Bond during the same summer that Roger Moore returned in For Your Eyes Only. This double does of Bondamania ignited a passion for 007 that continues to this day. I looked forward to each new Gardner novel as much as I anticipated each new film. During the dreaded six year gap between Licence To Kill and GoldenEye, it was John Gardner who kept the Bond flame burning by continuing to turn out a new novel each and every year.

During his run, John Gardner produced many of my all-time favorite 007 books. Licence Renewed, For Special Services, Icebreaker, Nobody Lives Forever, Brokenclaw, (yes, I said Brokenclaw), and Never Send Flowers are novels I returned to again and again. Just the other day I was talking to a fellow Bond fan about how much we enjoyed the Gardner books. As I type this, a vintage bookstore advert for Licence Renewed and For Special Services hangs near my desk (“It’s a James Bond Explosion!”). Heck, I even bought a Saab Turbo in 1983 because that was the car of choice for John Gardner’s James Bond.

He will be missed.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Psst! We know the name of the new BOND GIRL...

The Book Bond has a nice little exclusive to share with fans today -- the name of the new (Young) Bond Girl in Charlie Higson’s forthcoming Hurricane Gold. Ready?

Joining the sisterhood of Wilder Lawless, Amy Goodenough, Vendetta, and Kelly Kelly will be...

Precious Stone.

Unfortunately, that’s all the intel we could gather from our top secret sources. But fans won’t have to wait long to learn more as Hurricane Gold is a mere 005 five weeks away from publication.

Hurricane Gold finds James (and Precious) tangling with gangsters deep in the jungles of Mexico. It’s the 4th book in Charlie Higson’s bestselling Young Bond series, and will be released in hardcover in the UK on September 6, 2007.