Steve Cole YOUNG BOND novels coming to Germany

Steve Cole's first two Young Bond novels, Shoot To Kill and Heads You Die, will be released in Germany in May with translations by Leo H. Strohm. Below are the (okay) covers.

Thanks to CommanderBond.net on Twitter.

UPDATE: It appears publisher KJB has decided to abandoned the above designs and will release the books with cover art based on the UK editions (below).

HEADS YOU DIE released as eBook in U.S.

Steve Cole's new Young Bond novel, Heads You Die, has been released as a Kindle eBook in the U.S. by IFP. It even has nice original cover art. So far Steve's Young Bond novels have only been released in print editions in the UK.

Purchase Heads You Die for Kindle at Amazon.com

Heads You Die is available in the UK in paperback and as a limited edition hardcover.

STEVE COLE talks BOND

With the release today of Heads You Die, the official IFP website has posted a terrific interview with Young Bond author Steve Cole. Steve talks about his first encouner with 007 (The Man With The Golden Gun on TV), reveals the villian in Heads You Die, Scolopendra, and talks about the underwater action in the book.

Read: Agent in the Field: Steve Cole

Heads You Die is available in the UK in paperback and as a limited edition hardcover.

YOUNG BOND: HEADS YOU DIE released today in the UK

The 007th Young Bond novel, Heads You Die by Steve Cole, is released today in the UK. The book is being released simultaneously in paperback and as a limited edition hardcover, which is a first for a Bond novel.

James's Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save one of the last remaining links to his past. If he is ever to see his friend again, he must steal the darkest secret of a man with 1,000 ways to kill.

Pursued by corrupt cops and hired assassins, James's quest takes him from the sun-drenched streets of Havana to a mystery wreck deep in Caribbean water – and beyond to a deadly showdown. As a countdown to mass murder begins and killers close in, fates will be decided with the flip of a coin.

Unfortunately, I did not receive an advance copy of this book, so I won't be posting my regular Book Bond review anytime soon. But the description sounds fun -- Cuba is a first for the literary James Bond -- so I'm excited to discover this one along with everyone else.

While it has yet to be officially confirmed, it appears Heads You Die will be the first of TWO Steve Cole Young Bond novels to be released this year.

Purchase Heads You Die at Amazon.co.uk. U.S. readers can find the paperback edition via third party sellers on Amazon.com.

HEADS YOU DIE book jacket reveals new plot details

Here's a plot summery for Steve Cole's upcoming Young Bond novel, Heads You Die. This comes from the book jacket itself and offers more details than what's currently on Amazon.

James's Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save one of the last remaining links to his past. If he is ever to see his friend again, he must steal the darkest secret of a man with 1,000 ways to kill. 

Pursued by corrupt cops and hired assassins, James's quest takes him from the sun-drenched streets of Havana to a mystery wreck deep in Caribbean water – and beyond to a deadly showdown. As a countdown to mass murder begins and killers close in, fates will be decided with the flip of a coin.

One wonders if this old friend James is protecting will be a character from the Higson novels? Also sound like we'll be getting some underwater action in this outing.

Heads You Die will be released in the UK on May 5, 2016 in paperback and as a limited edition hardcover. Steve recently signed 2000 copies of the hardcover (below).

While it has yet to be officially confirmed, it appears Heads You Die will be the first of TWO Steve Cole Young Bond novels to be released this year.

Will we get TWO Young Bond books this year?

Steve Cole has tweeted this pic of the limited hardcover edition of his second Young Bond novel, Heads You Die, which will be released May 5 in the UK along with a paperback edition. The limited hardcover will be signed and numbered and contain extra material. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon.co.uk.

But what I'm more interested in this morning is what the eagle-eyed folks at the CommanderBond.net Twitter (@CBn007) spotted in the author description below. Is it possible we'll get Steve's third Young Bond adventure later this year?

Steve's only comment, "Never mind that, I just can't believe how young I was when that picture was taken."

Thanks to CBn.

UPDATE: This also appears on the official Penguin website, so I'm thinking we can bank on seeing Young Bond 8 this year!

Young Bond goes to Cuba in HEADS YOU DIE

Steve Cole's next Young Bond adventure, Heads You Die, will be set in Cuba, according to a new plot description on Amazon.co.uk.

Paperback edition.

James's Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save an old friend from a villain who has perfected 1,000 ways to kill.

With corrupt cops and hired assassins hot on his heels, James must travel through Havana and brave Caribbean waters to stop a countdown to mass murder.

Fates will be decided with the flip of a coin. Heads or tails. Live or die.

While the literary Bond traveled to Cuba in the novelizations for GoldenEye and Die Another Day, this will be the first original Bond adventure set in the island country.

Heads You Die will be released in the UK in paperback and as a limited edition hardcover on May 5, 2016.

Cover art for limited hardcover HEADS YOU DIE

Cover art for the signed limited edition hardcover of Steve Cole's next Young Bond novel, Heads You Die, has appeared on Amazon.co.uk. It's a variation on the paperback cover art revealed back in October. Both books will be released May 5, 2016.

There is yet no news about the plot or setting for this latest Young Bond adventure.

Pre-order the Heads You Die limited hardcover on Amazon.co.uk.

Steve Cole updates YOUNG BOND progress

Steve Cole has posted to his official blog an update on his progress with his Young Bond books:

"Well, since last I wrote I’ve written two drafts of my third Young Bond, finished off the second Young Bond, and been visiting a lot of schools and theatres."

Steve has been commissioned to write four Young Bond novels. His first, Shoot To Kill, was released in 2014. His next, Heads You Die, will be released in the UK on May 5, 2016.

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

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.

Next YOUNG BOND title and cover revealed Oct. 10

The title and cover art for Steve Cole's next Young Bond novel will be revealed at a special launch event for the paperback edition of Shoot To Kill on October 10. Steve shared this information via his Twitter:

Special #YoungBond event 10/10/15 - launching paperback of Shoot to Kill and revealing title and cover for book 2... http://t.co/NQcipZAkGt

— Steve Cole (@SteveColeBooks) September 21, 2015

For more information and tickets to this Young Bond event visit the Cheltenham Festivals website.

Amazon lists "UNTITLED YOUNG BOND" for May 2016

Amazon.co.uk now has a pre-order listing for Steve Cole's next Young Bond novel. The site shows the yet untiled book set for release on May 5, 2016 in paperback.

So does this mean there will not be a hardcover edition as there was with Steve's first book, Shoot To Kill? Or is this a listing for a paperback that will be released after the hardcover, which means we might actually be getting the book earlier in the year?

At the moment, news of the new book is embargoed, so I'm afraid I don't have any answers. But it's good to see that another Young Bond will be heading our way next year.

Steve Cole's first Young Bond novel, Shoot To Kill, will be released in paperback on October 22, 2015. Might it contain a preview of Book 2?

Related:

• Steve Cole's next will "test poor James as never before."
• Steve Cole delivers his second YOUNG BOND novel
• Young Bond 7 not called HELLSTRIKER

News on next YOUNG BOND expected soon

Earlier this month I reached out to Young Bond author Steve Cole on Twitter to ask when we might get news of his next Young Bond novel. Here's his answer:

@TheBookBond Within the next two months that itch should be scratched! The lad is keeping me busy...

— Steve Cole (@SteveColeBooks) August 12, 2015

Steve Cole's first Young Bond book, Shoot To Kill, will be released in paperback on October 22, 2015. Might it contain a preview of Steve's next?

Thanks to Steve Cole.

STEVE COLE at the Hay Festival, May 27

Young Bond author Steve Cole will be appearing at the Hay Festival this Wednesday, May 27 at 10am. Details below. You can buy tickets at the festival website HERE.

Meanwhile, Steve has revealed on his Steve's Space blog some "exclusive" details about his next Young Bond adventure. Says Steve:

"I’ve been hard at work on edits for my second Young Bond book. I can exclusively reveal that in this latest draft, the 40,000th word is ‘barricading’, the 50,000th word is ‘cool’… while the 60,000th word is ‘timber’. 

But that’s for your eyes only!"

Call me crazy, but I'm actually intrigued by the mention of "timber." Hmmm...

YOUNG BOND 7 not called "Hellstriker"

Recently a mysterious listing appeared on Amazon.co.uk for "Young Bond: Hellstriker." At first it appeared this might be the title of Young Bond 7. Recall that Amazon leaked the title of Hurricane Gold. But I've been told by the powers-that-be that Hellstriker is not the title of Steve Cole's next Young Bond novel. I expect the listing will be revised or removed, so I snatched an image for posterity.

Now, this could be a legit working title. There is precedent for this. Raymond Benson's High Time To Kill first appeared on Amazon under the author's original title, A Better Way To Die, so...

The release date of November 1, 2015 might also be erroneous. While I'd love a new Young Bond book in November, it's looking more likely that Steve's next will appear in 2016.

If you're a fan of working and rejected titles (as am I), check out: A Bond by any other name.

In 2015, JAMES BOND blasts off into the 1950s

Welcome to 2015, a year that promises to be an exciting one for fans of the literary James Bond. Not only will we get TWO Bond novels this year -- Steve Cole's second Young Bond adventure and Anthony Horowitz's adult Bond novel codenamed "Project One" -- but we'll also see the first installment of Dynamite's major new graphic novel series chronicling the formative days of Agent 007. While Cole's book will, of course, be set in the 1930s, both Horowitz and Dynamite will give us Bond adventures set in the 1950s. So to set the mood, here's a vintage cover from a 1955 edition of Moonraker by Ian Fleming.

Steve Cole delivers his second YOUNG BOND novel

Here's a nice bit of Bond serendipity. Young Bond author Steve Cole reveal in a tweet that he delivered the manuscript to his second Young Bond novel on the same day the title and cast were revealed for the new Bond film, SPECTRE.

Loving the new Bond movie title! And announced the day I'm due to deliver my second Young Bond manuscript. #timingiseverything #SPECTRE
— Steve Cole (@SteveColeBooks) December 4, 2014

No release date or details have yet been announced for the new book, except that "it will test poor James as never before."

Click here to read my review of Steve's first Young Bond novel, Shoot To Kill.