Monday, April 15, 2013

JAMES BOND IS BACK IN 'SOLO'

William Boyd announced the title of his new James Bond novel today at The London Book Fair: SOLO. Here is the official press release:


William Boyd announces title of new Bond book
at The London Book Fair


William Boyd, whose James Bond continuation novel is set to be one of this year’s publishing highlights, has today announced that his book will be called Solo
The announcement came on the opening day of The London Book Fair, where Boyd is Author of the Day. 
He explained his choice of title: 
‘Sometimes less is more. For me as a novelist the simple beauty of Solo as the title of the next James Bond novel is that this short four-letter word is particularly and strikingly apt for the novel I have written. In my novel, events conspire to make Bond go off on a self-appointed mission of his own, unannounced and without any authorization - and he’s fully prepared to take the consequences of his audacity. 
‘The journey Bond goes on takes in three continents – with the main focus honing in on Africa. It’s what happens to Bond in Africa that generates his urge to “go solo” and take matters into his own hands in the USA. 
‘Thus far and no further, at this stage…’ 
He continues: ‘Titles are very important to me and as soon as I wrote down Solo on a sheet of paper I saw its potential. Not only did it fit the theme of the novel perfectly, it’s also a great punchy word, instantly and internationally comprehensible, graphically alluring and, as an extra bonus, it’s strangely Bondian in the sense that we might be subliminally aware of the “00” of “007” lurking just behind those juxtaposed O’s of SOLO…’ 
Very little else has been revealed about the book at this stage, other than that it will feature a veteran secret agent, with Bond aged 45. It will be published on 26 September in the UK by Fleming’s original publisher, Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Vintage Publishing, part of The Random House Group, in hardback, ebook and audio editions. HarperCollins will publish the book in Canada and the U.S. on 8 October. 
Quote from Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd: 
‘Ian Fleming had a great aptitude for naming his books and his Bond titles have become true classics. Solo is a simple yet striking title which fits perfectly alongside the other books in the Bond canon. The announcement of the title marks the lead up to the launch of William Boyd’s novel in September, which we and the Fleming family are looking forward to immensely.’ 
Quote from Richard Cable, Managing Director, Vintage: 
‘We are delighted to be announcing Solo as the title for the new James Bond novel on the day on which William Boyd is celebrated as Author of the Day at London Book Fair. The few of us with the good fortune to have read Solo can testify that Will has written an absolutely brilliant book and we look forward with mounting excitement to a huge worldwide publishing event on September 26th. The timing of the announcement is particularly apt as we mark the 60th anniversary of Jonathan Cape’s first publication of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale.’

Solo... I think I love it. Not an obvious Bond title, but still very Bondian. Elegant, but also tough. And I love one word titles. We haven't had a one word title on an adult Bond novel since Doubleshot in 2000.

Solo will be released by Jonathan Cape in the UK on September 26, 2013 (Amazon.co.uk) and by HarperCollins in the U.S. on October 8, 2013 (Amazon.com).

4 comments:

  1. Too much to hope for a Man From U.N.C.L.E. crossover?

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    Replies
    1. Don't forget who came up with the name Napoleon Solo.

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  2. i think it's a cool title. my first reaction was to think back over Fleming's contribution to UNCLE and his own use of the name Solo in a novel...but then the graphic potential of the single word really struck me. great!

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  3. Solo... hmmm... wasn't that a sitcom? I think I like it...

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