Young Bond saga continues in JAMES BOND ORIGIN

CBR.com reports that Dynamite will continue where Charlie Higson and Steve Cole left off in JAMES BOND ORIGN. News of this series first broke last year. Exciting to finally get details and cover art!

Writer Jeff Parker and artist Bob Q will revisit how the future 007 got his start in James Bond Origin, arriving in September from Dynamite Entertainment and Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. 

The new ongoing series will take readers back to March 1941, and introduce 17-year-old James Bond as a restless student in Scotland who’s eager to make his mark on the world. However, a visit by an old family friend coincides with the devastating Clydebank Blitz, forcing James to fight to survive. 

“It’s a weighty challenge to reverse-engineer this icon into a young man on a life’s journey of danger, but Nate Cosby paired me up with Bob Q, who not only brings the gravitas of war in 1941 Europe, but nails the promising hero in his youth,” Parker said in a statement. “James doesn’t have the vast experience of a double-O agent yet, but he’s tenacious and a lightning-quick study. Bob and I work to show the full force of Bond’s spirit.” 

The first issue of James Bond Origin will boast a selection of variant covers from John Cassaday, David Mack, Kev Walker, Gene Ha, Ibrahim Moustafa, and Bob Q. and Jordan Boyd.

You can see all the variant covers for Issue One at CBR.

Thanks to Tanner at Double O Section for the alert.

FOREVER AND A DAY Waterstones edition contains extra Ian Fleming material

As with Trigger Mortis, the Waterstones editions of Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz contain original Ian Fleming material in the back of the book that does not appear in the regular trade first editions. This time the dust-jacket is the same, but the book's page edges are yellow.

The only other special this time that I'm aware of is the Goldsboro Limited, which comes signed and numbered and has blue page edges (no extra content). That edition sold out in pre-orders.

There was also a hardback proof with slightly different boards and endpapers that advertise the novel. The proof did not come in a dust-jacket.

Happy hunting!

REVIEW: 'Forever and a Day' is both great and okay

Anthony Horowitz's second Bond novel, Forever and a Day, is released today in the UK by Jonathan Cape. (The U.S. edition will wait until November 6.) This time we see Bond's first mission as a double-oh agent in what amounts to a prequel to Casino Royale. I've had the great pleasure of reading the book, and I'm happy to report that it's a another strong Bond novel from Horowitz.

But I have to be honest in saying that while I thoroughly enjoyed Forever and a Day, I preferred Horowitz's Trigger Mortis. Every beat of that first book felt original to me, while every beat of this book felt familiar. It has familiar locations (South of France), familiar situations (a casino, a party, warehouses), familiar allies (CIA agent), and a familiar villain's plot (I'll keep this review spoiler free, but this one comes right out of a movie). Also, the original Fleming material, a story about a mad Russian who threatens to shell the casino at Monte Carlo, is related as a past event. It's a great story (or scene), and I'm surprised it wasn't integrated into the plot, as Horowitz did with the race car action in Trigger Mortis. And the idea that Bond "saved the casino" a year earlier undermines the whole idea of this being 007s first mission. Bond walks into the casino and he's greeted like Roger Moore!

The action also takes an unusually long time to kick in, but this is because Horowitz takes time to develop a strong Bond Girl in Sixteen. And once the action finally does kick in (around page 200), it is a relentless rush with a spectacular extended climax aboard the villain's luxury cruise ship. Again, no spoilers, but what Bond has to endure physically -- always a highlight of any Bond book -- is something we've never seen in any Bond adventure, and it's harrowing! This chapter alone makes Forever and a Day unforgettable and a classic among continuation novels.

So apart from my quibbles, I'm thrilled to have another beautifully written James Bond novel from the pen of Anthony Horowitz. I hope we get some more.

Purchase Forever and a Day from Amazon.co.uk.

Play Bond-themed ROULETTE at Waterstones Piccadilly

The countdown has begun to the release of Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz, with 4K in pre-orders and promotions kicking into high gear. For those near London, Waterstones Piccadilly will be running a Bond-themed roulette game starting tomorrow until the end of Saturday to celebrate the publication.

Purchase Forever and a Day from Amazon.co.uk or Waterstones.com. I will post my review of the book tomorrow.

FOREVER AND A DAY U.S. audio book cover

Now that we've confirmed the U.S. cover art for Anthony Horowitz's Forever and a Day, here's the audiobook. As usual, some are grossing about how this is vastly inferior to the UK art, but I really like it. I think it's the best U.S. cover we've had in some time.

You can pre-order the U.S. edition of Forever and a Day at Amazon.com. Release date is November 6, 2018. But if you can't wait, know the UK edition is out on Thursday.