Friday, December 24, 2010

Young Bond books released for Kindle

Following their release as eBooks in the UK last week, Ian Fleming Publications have now released all five Young Bond novels by Charlie Higson for the Kindle in the U.S. and UK.

All 14 Ian Fleming Bond novels and Sebastian Faulks Devil May Care are also available for the Amazon eBook reader. Jeffery Deaver's Untitled James Bond Novel will be released for the Kindle on the same day as the hardcover.
SilverFin - Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Blood Fever - Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Double or Die - Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Hurricane Gold - Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
By Royal Command - Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Deaver to hold first Project X event in Dubai, Jan. 18

Gulf News reports that Jeffery Deaver will be part of a special "007-inspired" Emirates Lit Festival event in Dubai on January 18, 2011.

The event will mark Deaver's first public appearance as a James Bond author. He will discuss his love of all things Bond and reveal "a little bit about his new book Project X."

Deaver's Bond evening will take place at the stunning 900-seat theatre at Al Mamzar, known as the Dubai Cultural and Scientific Association.

"Jeffery Deaver's return to Dubai should not missed," said Isobel Abulhoul, Festival Director. "His 2010 Emirates Lit Fest event was one of the most popular with festival-goers and I know his Bond evening will be another festival highlight."

Following his event, fans will have the opportunity to meet the author at a signing session where he will sign special bookplates which can be inserted into his still untitled Bond novel when it is released on May 28, 2011.

Says Deaver, "I'm quite excited about returning to Dubai to take part in this James Bond-inspired Emirates Lit Fest event. During my last trip, I found Dubai to be a truly inspirational city - a place of awe-inspiring sights, fascinating cultures and remarkable people."

Lucy Hale, Sales & Marketing Director Hodder & Stoughton, added: "Hodder's authors have always enjoyed their visits to Dubai and we've had some great events with the Emirates Airline Festival. We're very excited about the publication of Project X and thrilled that they are putting on this special evening for Jeffery Deaver."

Tickets will be priced at 70dhs for the stalls and 30dhs for the balcony and can be purchased online from www.emirateslitfest.com from 3rd January 2011.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Deaver's new Bond will be released for the Kindle

This just appeared on Amazon. Looks like Jeffery Deaver's new Untitled James Bond novel will be released for the Kindle on the same day as the hardcover, June 14, 2011. This marks the first eBook release of a Bond novel simultaneous with the hardcover first edition.

Hey, like the description says, this is James Bond "for the new millennium."

The 14 original Ian Fleming James Bond novels are currently available for the Kindle, as is the most recent continuation novel, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Casino Royale first edition sells for £19,000

BBC News reports that a first edition of Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, Casino Royale, has sold for £19,000 ($29,389) at an auction in South Cerney, Gloucestershire.

The 1953 book, which sold for £4,000 more than expected, was the top lot at a sale. A copy of Live and Let Die went for £6,600, and a copy of Moonraker sold for £7,200.

Auctioneer Dominic Winter said "the strikingly colourful" Bond first editions had "always been one of the surest certainties over the last 30 years."

It is thought the highest price for a Bond first edition was £22,750 for a signed copy of From Russia With Love at Bloomsbury Auctions in London in 2004.

A signed first edition of Casino Royale sold for £20,000 at Bloomsbury in 2007.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Young Bond novels released as eBooks in the UK

All five Young Bond novels by Charlie Higson have been released as eBooks in the UK by Ian Fleming Publications. The eBooks, which all feature the U.S. cover art, are currently available on Waterstones.com, and will soon be available from Amazon and Sony.

These follow the release of Ian Fleming’s 14 original James Bond novels as eBooks last month. Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, says: “Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond novels to be read and enjoyed by everyone, and we are always looking for opportunities to introduce new audiences to Bond’s adventures."


It's possible that IFP might also release the James Bond novels by John Gardner and Raymond Benson as eBooks. The eBook rights for Devil May Care and Jeffrey Deaver's upcoming Bond reboot novel remain with the publishers.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Enemy 3 title revealed: The Fear

Charlie Higson has tweeted the title and release date of the third book in his zombie-horror series...


Charlie recently stated that he’s signed to write six novels in the Enemy series.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Pre-order the Italian Project X

The Italian edition of Jeffery Deaver's new James Bond novel, codenamed "Project X", can be pre-ordered from Amazon's new Italian website, Amazon.it.

The listing shows the publisher as Rizzoli and a release date of June 1, 2011.

SilverFin The Graphic Novel released in Italy

SilverFin: The Graphic Novel by Charlie Higson and Kev Walker has been released in Italy by Renoir Comics.

This first (and last?) Young Bond graphic novel runs 160 pages with approximately 300 full color illustrations by renowned comic book artist Kev Walker. When it was first released in the UK in 2008, The London Times praised it as “a bold and brilliant Manga-inspired treat.”

SilverFin: The Graphic Novel has so far been released in the UK (Puffin), U.S. (Disney Books), France (Casterman), and now Italy.

Purchase from Amazon.it

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Sunday, November 28, 2010

By Royal Command US paperback and The Dead hit Amazon

The U.S. paperback edition of Charlie Higson’s fifth Young Bond novel, By Royal Command, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Release date is May 10, 2011.

No cover art yet, but I've confirmed with Disney that the paperback will feature the same Owen Richardson cover art as seen on the U.S. hardcover released in May of this year.

Also just listed on Amazon (with cover art!) is the U.S. hardcover edition of Charlie Higson’s second zombie-horror novel, The Dead. Release date is June 14, 2011. The paperback edition of Book 1, The Enemy, is also available for pre-order with a May 10, 2011 release date.

By Royal Command sees James Bond thrown into the midst of a dangerous, spy-ridden plot that threatens both King and country. Set between the two World Wars and moving between Eton and the chilling slopes of the Austrian Alps, By Royal Command sees the young James Bond put to the test as never before.

A personal message from Deaver, Jeffery Deaver

Friday, November 26, 2010

Project X U.S. edition hits Amazon with teaser cover art

The U.S. edition of Jeffrey Deaver's highly anticipated upcoming James Bond novel is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. The website has also revealed publisher Simon & Schuster's very own "teaser" cover art. Nice!

Click to enlarge

The new novel, codenamed "Project X", will be released in the UK on May 28, 2011. Interestingly, the U.S. date on Amazon shows June 14, 2011 (we'll see if that date sticks). Amazon is also listing the abridged and unabridged audiobooks.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

New Bond game lifts Caspian Sea Monster from DEVIL MAY CARE

So it appears the new James Bond videogame from Activison, Blood Stone, has lifted one of the better ideas from Sebastian Faulks 2008 Bond novel, Devil May Care. A look at the game release trailer reveals none other than the Caspian Sea Monster.

Pretty naughty of them, I'd say. But at least they had the wisdom to put Bond onboard.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

James Bond novels launch as eBooks in the UK

Ian Fleming’s classic James Bond novels are to be published for the first time in the UK as eBooks on 4 November 2010. The 14 books, which include Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, From Russia with Love and Dr No, will be sold under the Ian Fleming Publications Ltd imprint and will be available through major retailers including Amazon and Waterstone’s. The eBooks will be priced in line with the lowest-priced Bond paperback editions available on the market.

Corinne Turner, Managing Director, Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, comments: “Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond novels to be read and enjoyed by everyone, and we are always looking for opportunities to introduce new audiences to Bond’s adventures. Fleming loved good, new technology, and I am sure he would have been thrilled by the idea of his books being available electronically.”

Fleming’s James Bond novels first launched as eBooks in the United States to mark the Ian Fleming centenary in 2008 and were sold through Sony’s special edition 007 Reader and the Amazon Kindle. The availability of the eBooks in the US marked a new chapter in Bond publishing, and it is anticipated that this success will be matched with the forthcoming UK launch.

Further James Bond titles including Charlie Higson’s bestselling Young Bond series will follow from December.

The eBook rights for the new James Bond novels Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks and the as yet untitled novel by Jeffrey Deaver, to be published next year, remain with the publishers – Penguin and Hodder & Stoughton respectively.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Project X manuscript imminent

A recent update on the official Project X website has confirmed that Jeffery Deaver is nearly finished with the manuscript for his new James Bond novel due for release May 28, 2011.
28.10.10 – Stop press: Rumours of a manuscript

Rumours are circulating that Mr Deaver has nearly finished writing Project X, and that the papers will soon be delivered to a top-secret location. This is causing huge excitement in the Hodder and Ian Fleming offices and we can’t wait to read it. Although, like you, we’re going to have to wait until May next year to discover James Bond’s latest adventure.

In early October Deaver reveled in a Q&A on his official website, "It's largely completed, though there'll be some more editing to do (you can never do too much rewriting)."

Friday, September 24, 2010

Is a Young Bond Series 2 still a possibility?

Despite Charlie Higson posting on his Twitter in July that he was having a meeting “to discuss the future of Young Bond”, there is still official word from the powers-that-be as to whether we will get a Young Bond Series 2.

Is it time to give up hope -- or is a second series still a possibility?

Charlie shared his ideas for a continuation series last May during a book signing for the U.S. edition of By Royal Command in Washington D.C. He confirmed a Young Bond Series 2, should it happen, would be a trilogy of books set at Fettes, the school Bond attended after Eton, and for which Fleming provided tantalizing information in the same obituary that had guided the first series:

“Here the atmosphere was somewhat Calvinistic, and both academic and athletic standards were rigorous. Nevertheless, though inclined to be solitary by nature, he established some firm friendships among the traditionally famous athletic circles, at the school. By the time he left, at the early age of seventeen, he had twice fought for the school as a light-weight and had, in addition, founded the first serious judo class at a British public school. - Ian Fleming, Chapter 21, Obit, You Only Live Twice

Charlie, who is currently penning a zombie-horror series for Puffin (Book 2, The Dead, was released in the UK this month), made it clear in our last interview that his plan was always to take a break from Bond after By Royal Command.

“I always had a storyline that would run over five books and work as a complete series,” he says. “But as the books became more successful, both the Fleming Estate and Puffin were very keen for me to extend it beyond that. The decision as to exactly how we do the books and where we go ultimately lies with IFP.”

Potentially complicating plans for a Series 2 is the news that Charlie’s zombie-horror series will now run for six books. Also, IFP have announced a new series of adult James Bond novels that will give 007 a modern-day reboot (the first book by Jeffery Deaver is due out in May of next year). With a new modern Bond hitting store shelves, will IFP still want to produce books set in the Fleming timeline?

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of IFP tells us, “Don’t worry, we haven’t given up on the past entirely.” And while Charlie could potentially write two franchises at the same (recall that he wrote Double or Die and Hurricane Gold in the same year), there is also the possibility that the Young Bond series could be continued by another author (perhaps from a master outline approved by Charlie?).

So while the prospects for a Series 2 may seem a bit remote at the moment, until we get official word either way, I don’t think we should give up hope that...

Young Bond Will Return.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Higson says Young Bond came to a natural end

In an interview with Scotsman.com, author Charlie Higson says the Young Bond series came to a natural end with his fifth book, By Royal Command. And what finally finished off Young James Bond?

Sex.

Says Charlie, “I was worried young master James was getting older and that sooner or later he was going to have to get his cock out. I have to admit that as a 53-year-old man I would have felt odd writing about adolescent sex. Interestingly I think one of the reasons why so many adults read children's fiction now is its innocence. There seems to have been a reaction against those thrillers which were featuring too much explicit and nasty sex.”

Not sure whether we should read into this that Charlie has decided not to come back and pen a Young Bond Series 2, but it’s a pretty funny quote.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Raymond Benson's Choice of Weapons released

Raymond Benson's second anthology of 007 work, Choice of Weapons, has been released by Pegasus.

The collection includes the novels Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death, The Man With The Red Tattoo, and the short stories "Live At Five" and "Midsummer Night's Doom." Until now, "Live At Five" had only been available in a 1999 issue of TV Guide.

Choice of Weapons can be purchased at Amazon.com. For news about Raymond's current and upcoming original work visit his official website.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Danger Society US release remains unlikely

It’s starting to look less and less likely that the Young Bond companion book, Danger Society The Young Bond Dossier, which was recently released in paperback in the UK, will be released in any form in the USA.

I confirmed at Comic Con that there are still no plans by Disney to publish this latest Young Bond release. However, they did spark to my suggestion that they consider including the original Charlie Higson short story, “A Hard Man To Kill”, in their paperback edition of By Royal Command, due out in May 2011. (Of course, they might have just been humoring this mad fanboy.)

The good news is the UK paperback edition of Danger Society The Young Bond Dossier is currently 38% off at Amazon.co.uk, so U.S. fans who want this excellent book can purchase it for about the same total price as a U.S. hardcover.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Lost James Bond short story uncovered

A long forgotten James Bond short story, possibly written by Dr. No/From Russian With Love screenwriter Johanna Harwood, has been revealed on The Young Bond Dossier.

The story is called “Some Are Born Great” and was first published in the September 3, 1959 issue of Nursery World. The story details an intense card game with Bond facing off against an unseen opponent, only to reveal in the end that it's a game of "Snap" and this is a prepubescent James Bond playing against a nanny.

The story was discovered by author Charles Helfenstein while researching in his major new book, The Making of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Amazon, Amazon.co.uk).

Click here to read "Some Are Born Great" at The Young Bond Dossier.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Top Secret Project X event today in London

Ian Fleming Publications and Hodder & Stoughton invited “a very small handful of people” to a "Top Secret" meeting with new James Bond author Jeffery Deaver today.

In true Bond style, the one-on-one meetings with the author took place in the crypt of St Andrews church in Holborn, London. The location was only revealed to attendees after they RSVP'd, and it was not revealed in advance that the meeting would be with Deaver (who recently arrived in the UK to start his latest book tour).



UPDATE: You can now read a first hand account of this ultra-mysterious meeting at the CommanderBond.net forums.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Was the future of Young Bond decided today?

Is Charlie Higson going to return and pen a Young Bond series 2? That decision could very well have been made today, according to a tweet from Charlie Higson himself @monstroso.

“Various meetings today to discuss the future of Young Bond, the Enemy, Monstroso & 1 with an academic to discuss the past -Randall & Hopkirk”

Unfortunately, this tweet was logged 9 hours ago, so we were unable to redirect our Book Bond spy satellite on London and listen in.

Guess we will just have to wait for some official word about the future of Young Bond, but here’s hoping the meeting went well!

Legal Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Translate