Friday, May 28, 2021

Third ANTHONY HOROWITZ Bond coming in 2022

It's the news we've been waiting for! Ian Fleming Publications announced today (Ian Fleming's birthday) that Anthony Horowitz is currently at work on his third James Bond continuation novel due for release in May 2022. The book will be set directly after the events of The Man With The Golden Gun and will involve Bond "confronting an old enemy." It will be released in the UK by Jonathan Cape and in the U.S. by Harper Collins.

You can read the full press release at Ian Fleming Publications.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

IFP promises news tomorrow

Ian Fleming Publications has just tweeted out the following:

Fingers crossed for news of a new continuation novel! 

UPDATE: It is!

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Bonus

Today we conclude our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with a special bonus post. Collector Gary J. Firuta has been able to provide the three illustrations missing from the group we've been enjoying from the collection of Delmo Walters Jr. So now we have them all! Below are Rick Tulka's illustrations for Parts 6, 7, and the concluding Part 12.

A very big thank you to Delmo Walters Jr. and Gary J. Firuta for sharing these fantastic illustrations. You can revisit each of them below:


Saturday, May 15, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Caber gets the boot

Continuing our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Today Bond has his final battle with henchman Caber in the back of Anton Murik's C-130.


If this once again seems strangely familiar, that's because Bond has his climatic fight with henchman Necros in the back of a C-130 in the 1987 Bond film, The Living Daylights. Eon Productions appeared to freely harvest ideas from the Gardner books. It's shame they never did a proper adaptation, starting with License Renewed.

Tomorrow: Bonus

Friday, May 14, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Meltdown

Continuing our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Today Bond desperately tries to halt Anton Murik's mad plan to initiate several simultaneous nuclear power plant meltdowns.


It might interest yopu to know that the original announced title for License Renewed was "Meltdown."

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Air Murik

Continuing our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Today we find James Bond and Lavendar Peacock captives aboard Anton Murik's C-130 aircraft control center.


Tomorrow: Meltdown

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Sniper's roost

Continuing our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Today we find 007 closing in on Anton Murik's fashion show assassin in Perpignan, France.


Tomorrow: Air Murik

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Night flight!

Continuing our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

This time Tulka shows us Bond's late night escape from Anton Murik's Scottish castle in his fully equipped Saab 900 Turbo.


Yes, James Bond drove a Saab in the first three John Gardner books, and it was awesome! At least I thought so. Check out my post: BOND'S BEAST - WHEN OO7 DROVE A SAAB.

Tomorrow: Sniper's roost

Monday, May 10, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Caber clobbered

Continuing our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed, here's another terrific illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Postserialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Today's image sees Bond victorious in his Highland wresting match with henchman Caber (with an assist from Q-branch).

Click to enlarge.

Tomorrow: Night flight!

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Lovely Lavender

Today we continue our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Here Bond gets a surprise visit from the enigmatic Lavender Peacock, high fashion model and ward of the villainous Anton Murik.


Tomorrow: Caber clobbered

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Ascot subterfuge

Today we continue our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and are from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Today Bond infiltrates the inner circle of Anton Murik using some sleight of hand at Ascot Racecourse.

Click to enlarge.

If this image seems familiar, it's because the 1985 James Bond film A View To A Kill also used Ascot as a setting, although not as well as in License Renewed (IMO). This certainly wasn't the only idea from a John Gardner novel that mysteriously found their way into the films. Speaking of films, Bond looks a lot like Timothy Dalton here, doesn't he?

Tomorrow: Lovely Lavender

Friday, May 7, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Meeting with M

Today we continue our special 40th anniversary celebration of John Gardner's License Renewed with another illustration by Rick Tulka. These appeared in a New York Post serialization of the book in July/August 1981 and come from the collection of our good friend Delmo Walters Jr.

Bond's adventure begins, like so many others, in a familiar office overlooking Regent's Park.

Click to enlarge.

It's surprising how much Tulka's M resembles Robert Brown, who would not actually appear in the role until 1983's Octopussy.

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Rick Tulka's LICENSE RENEWED: Bond for the '80s

Here's a very special treat for the 40th anniversary of John Gardner's License Renewed. Our good friend Delmo Walters Jr. recalls that the book was serialized in the New York Post in late July/August 1981. The installments included original illustrations by artist Rick Tulka, whose style you might recognize from his work in MAD magazine. I was not aware of this serialization nor have I ever seen Tulka's Bond artwork. So Delmo kindly sent over ten illustrations from his own collection for all of us to enjoy.

My plan is to share one illustration per day for the next ten days. So let's kick it off with Rick Tulka's vision of 007 in the 1980s. Gotta love the tie!

I described to the Glidrose Board how I wanted to put Bond to sleep where Fleming had left him in the sixties, waking him up now in the 80s having made sure he had not aged, but had accumulated modern thinking on the question of Intelligence and Security matters. Most of all I wanted him to have operational know-how: the reality of correct tradecraft and modern gee-whiz technology. — John Gardner

Tomorrow: Meeting with M

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