SUN inspires SPECTRE

The official Ian Fleming Publications website reports that the new James Bond film SPECTRE, which had its Royal premier in London on Monday, features a pivotal scene from the first 007 continuation novel Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis. I've not yet seen the movie (U.S. release is November 6), so I don't know what that scene is, nor does IFP reveal it. They just tease:

The Colonel Sun scene which features in SPECTRE is one of pivotal importance both to the film and the book and fans are encouraged to identify which part stems from Amis’ pen.

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. commented that "The Fleming family and The Kingsley Amis Estate hope that fans of SPECTRE will be encouraged to reach for this thrilling book by one of the finest writers of the 20th century."

Of course, this isn't the first time an element from a continuation novel had found its way into a James Bond film. Check out: Déjá vu, Mr. Bond: The surprising similarities between the continuation novels and the James Bond films.

Colonel Sun was recently reprinted by Vintage Books in the UK and is available from Amazon.co.uk.

WIN a signed copy of Trigger Mortis and an Aston Martin Driving Experience

Here's a chance to win a signed copy of Trigger Mortis and an Aston Martin Driving Experience via the good folks at buyagift. Open to UK residents only.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

SHOOT TO KILL released in paperback

The paperback edition of Steve Cole's debut Young Bond novel, Shoot To Kill, is released today in the UK. I don't yet have the book in hand so I don't know whether it contains a preview or teaser for his next book, Heads You Die, but I hope so!

In Shoot To Kill young James Bond travels to Hollywood where he battles a mad movie mogul. You can read my review of the book HERE.

Purchase Shoot To Kill at Amazon.co.uk.

Christopher Wood, 1935 - 2015

Photo: Graham Rye, OO7 Magazine.

James Bond screenwriter and novelist Christopher Wood has died. Roger Moore announced the news on his Twitter. Wood was 79 years old.

Christopher Wood wrote two of the best Roger Moore James Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). He also penned the novelizations for those films. In the UK his novelization were published in hardcovers by long-time Bond publisher Jonathan Cape. Wood's novelizations remain fan favorites.

In 2006 Wood published a book about his experiences working in the world of James Bond called James Bond, The Spy I Loved.

You can read more about the life and work of Christopher Wood at his Wikipedia page.

Vintage Books COLONEL SUN released today

Today see's the release in the UK of Vintage Book's new paperback edition of Colonel Sun by Kingley Amis. This is the first reprint of Colonel Sun since 1995. The cover art matches the artwork on Vintage's current set of Ian Fleming trade paperbacks.

Purchase Colonel Sun now at Amazon.co.uk.

HEADS YOU DIE will be released in a Limited Edition hardcover

Steve Cole has confirmed on his official blog the his next Young Bond novel, Heads You Die, will be released in both paperback and a limited edition hardcover. This from Steve:

"Heads You Die comes out next May in paperback and in a special Collector’s Limited Edition Hardback. I’ll keep you informed as to what you can expect as we get closer to publication…"

Great news!

You can pre-order the paperback edition of Heads You Die now at Amazon.co.uk.

UPDATE: The limited edition hardcover is now available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk.

The next Young Bond is HEADS YOU DIE

Steve Cole revealed the title and cover art for his next Young Bond novel, HEADS YOU DIE, at the Cheltenham Festival today. No other details have been released (at least I haven't seen a press release yet), but here's a good look at the cover.

It looks like rough water is going to somehow play a part in the next Young Bond adventure. Maybe an adventure set at sea? That could be fun and unique.

Heads You Die will be released on May 5, 2016 and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.co.uk.

New YOUNG BOND title and cover to be revealed today

Steve Cole has posted the following to twitter. The event takes place at 1:15 PM (GMT).

13.15 - #YoungBond event at @cheltfestivals to reveal cover and title of my second YB novel @RHKidsUK #cheltlitfest pic.twitter.com/2J1AxGicyY

— Steve Cole (@SteveColeBooks) October 10, 2015

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TYPEWRITER released in UK

Today sees the release in the UK of The Man with the Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters edited by Fergus Fleming. The book is a collection of unpublished letters by James Bond creator Ian Fleming sourced from the Fleming Archive, the Cape Archive and private collections from around the world.

Before the world-famous films came the world-famous novels. This book tells the story of the man who wrote them and how he created spy fiction's most compelling hero.

Purchase The Man With The Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming's James Bond Letters at Amazon.co.uk. 

The book will be released in the U.S. (with a slightly different dust jacket) on November 3 and can be pre-order at Amazon.com.

WIN a signed copy of the CASINO ROYALE Folio Edition

Ian Fleming Publications and The Folio Society are holding a competition to give away two copies of the new illustrated Casino Royale Folio Edition signed by artist Fay Dalton. The image below includes all the details.

Click to enlarge.

The Casino Royale Folio Edition will be released this month and can be pre-ordered now.

CASINO ROYALE – Folio Illustrated Edition

The Folio Society is releasing a beautiful new illustrated edition of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. Here's a preview.

This lavish edition, with artwork by acclaimed illustrator Fay Dalton, and an introduction by Booker-Prize winning author John Banville, pays homage to the enormous success of Ian Fleming’s iconic novels. Few characters have come to define a genre as James Bond has done, and this introduction to his world, with its merciless villains, spectacular dangers, ill-fated romances and exotic settings, is Fleming at his best.

Bound in blocked cloth
Set in Miller Text with Folio
192 pages
Frontispiece and 6 colour illustrations
Pictorial slipcase
9" x 6¼"

The Casino Royale Folio Edition will be released this month and can be pre-ordered now.

Thanks to Dan Rawling for the tip.

Dynamite reveals JAMES BOND: VARGR #2

Dynamite Comics has released a plot summery and alternate covers for James Bond: VARGR #2 by Warren Ellis. The second installment of this six issue graphic novel series will be released on December 2, 2015.

James Bond is in Berlin, alone, unarmed and with no idea of the forces ranged in secret against him. If he can make it to the Embassy, he might survive for a few hours more. But he's getting into that car with that woman, which means he has only minutes to live...

You can pre-order VARGR issues #1 and #2 at Dynamite Comics.

Steve Cole confirms May release for next YOUNG BOND

Steve Cole has confirmed that his next Young Bond novel will be released in May 2016. Steve posted the following on Facebook.

Special Young Bond event at Cheltenham Festival next Saturday, where I'll be revealing the title and cover of my second adventure for Jimmy B, out next May (and launching the paperback edition of Shoot to Kill). http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/whats-on/2015/young-bond/

This jibes with a current Amazon listing that shows Steve Cole's "Untitled Young Bond" coming out on May 5, 2016. This listing is for a paperback edition, so it's looking likely that the next Young Bond book will not get a hardcover release as did Steve's first book, Shoot To Kill.

The paperback edition of Shoot To Kill will be released on October 22 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.co.uk.

Discover where SPECTRE began

Vintage Books has released THE SPECTRE TRILOGY, a new paperback that collects the Ian Fleming novels: Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice. The book also includes an introduction by Bond film producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, which would appear to make this the official literary tie-in with the latest Bond film (IFP stopped doing novelizations after Die Another Day).

You can purchase THE SPECTRE TRILOGY at Amazon.co.uk (UK) and Amazon.com (U.S.).