Preview Brian Berley's THE ILLUSTRATED 007 v.2.0

Check out this teaser for Brian Berley's next series of illustrated images from the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. This is great stuff.

You can watch Brian's first image collection via a link on his official website: BrianBerley.com/007.

UPDATE: It appears Brian has taken down his work. Don't know why.

JOHN GARDNER's Bond novels released as eBooks in USA

Eleven of the 16 John Gardner James Bond novels have been released as eBooks in the USA by Ian Fleming Publications. The books are available now via Amazon, Kobo and Sony, and will also be available from Apple in a few weeks' time. The available novels are:

License Renewed

For Special Services

Icebreaker

Role of Honor

Nobody Lives Forever

No Deals, Mr. Bond

Scorpius

Win Lose or Die

Licence To Kill

Brokenclaw

GoldenEye

The final five novels (The Man From Barbarossa, Death Is Forever, Never Send Flowers, Seafire and Cold) will be released as eBooks when the paperbacks are published by Pegasus in 2014.

Visit The Book Bond's special Gardner Renewed page for links to all the Gardner-Bond reprints in the U.S. and UK.

NO DEALS, MR. CONNERY

Here's a 1994 Italian paperback edition of John Gardner's sixth original Bond novel, No Deals, Mr. Bond. I like this cover for several reasons.

First, you gotta love that Bond is depicted as a 1970s Diamonds-era Sean Connery. I also really like that it showcases the Hong Kong locations of this book. I can't think of another No Deals cover that does that. It's also very much a modern pulp cover, capturing Bond in a moment of vulnerable bloody action. And speaking of blood, I'm wondering if this is the only Bond cover that actually shows 007 bleeding?

All the John Gardner James Bond novels were recently reprinted. Visit The Book Bond's special Gardner Renewed page for links to all the Gardner-Bond reprints in the U.S. and UK.

From Italy FOR SPECIAL SERVICES

This is an Italian trade paperback edition of John Gardner's second James Bond novel, For Special Services (1982), with terrific cover art. Apart from the Conneryesque silhouette, the Saab, and the oh-so-'80s Bond girl, I love that the gun Bond is holding is the Heckler & Koch VP70, which is unique to this book. Gardner tried three different handguns for 007 before settling on the ASP in his fourth book, Role of Honor.

All the John Gardner James Bond novels were recently reprinted. Visit The Book Bond's special Gardner Renewed page for links to all the Gardner-Bond reprints in the U.S. and UK.

Official JAMES BOND site celebrates Fleming's 14th

The official James Bond 007 Facebook page is devoting the month of June to Octopussy, the 13th James Bond film which celebrates its 30th Anniversary this month. Octopussy was loosely based on the Ian Fleming short story published in a 1966 collection that also included The Living Daylights. Octopussy was the 14th and final Ian Fleming James Bond book. The paperback edition added The Property of a Lady to the collection, hence the reference in the movie to the Faberge Egg as being "the property of a lady."

I've always loved the movie Octopussy. I thought it was a very successful combination of the campy elements of the Moore era and a solid espionage tale, along with a nice dash of mystery and exotic locations. It was also was the Bond film that was released when I just turning into a true Bond fanatic, so that might have something to do with why I still love it so much. It's great to see it being celebrated in this way.

Click to celebrate Octopussy on the official James Bond 007 Facebook page. You can also "Like" my own Octopussy Facebook page.