When Bond went LIVE AT FIVE

Check out this artwork for Raymond Benson's short story Live At Five. The story appeared in TV Guide in November 1999 as part of a special issue showcasing The World Is Not Enough (recall that Raymond wrote the novelization for that film). I love how it evokes the classic Signet series artwork with Fleming's name running down the edge.

Live At Five is a unique Bond short story in that it's a "flashback" adventure set in the year 1985 (a year without a Gardner novel, which may or may not have been intentional on Raymond's part). In it, Bond travels to Chicago to help a Russian ice-skater defect with the help of a television news reporter, Janet Davis. In my CBn Interview with Raymond, he recalled:

"The idea for the plot had to do with a Russian defector, an ice skater. In order for that to make any sense, the story had to take place prior to 1989, before the fall of the Soviet Union. Simple as that. So I framed the bulk of the story within the context of Bond remembering the events of that time prior to meeting the girl again in the present. The story has a nice twist, I think, when the identity of the girl is revealed."

Live At Five was included in the 2011 anthology collection of Raymond's Bond work, Choice of Weapons.

YOUNG BOND getting full series refresh in Germany

The entire Young Bond series is getting a cover refresh in Germany on July 1, 2015. Arena will re-release all five Charlie Higson Young Bond novels with these cool new cover designs. You'll noticed that they all sport the new Young Bond logo. Also note that, in Germany, Double or Die is titled GoldenBoy.

SilverFin

Blood Fever

Double or Die

Hurricane Gold

By Royal Command

Steve Cole's new Young Bond novel, Shoot to Kill, will be released in Germany on October 22, 2015 by KJB. Below is the cover art. Translation is by Leo H. Strohm.

Shoot To Kill

Thanks to Trempo for the tip.

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.

Anthony Horowitz on May "PROJECT ONE" news

We know we will be getting some "Project One" news this month. When asked specifically about the date, author Anthony Horowitz tweeted the following:

In the past IFP has used Ian Fleming's birthday, May 28, to announce major news and reveal book covers, etc. But here's hoping Anthony is correct and the news will come in early May instead. I'm itching for some fresh book Bond news!

"Project One" (codename) is set in the 1950s and will be based in part on unpublished Ian Fleming material. The book will be released on September 8, 2015 in both the U.S. and UK.

LINK: Interview with Richard Schenkman

The blog Artistic Licence Renewed (literary007.com) has a must-read interview with Richard Schenkman who published the great James Bond fanzine BONDAGE from 1974 to 1989. He even shares his thoughts on the continuation novels:

"I never did quite understand why the movie producers steadfastly refused to consider adapting any of the new novels into films, but that was their call to make. I thought there were some great stories in those continuation novels, but the powers that be made the decision to keep the worlds entirely separate."

Click the headline have a read. You can also check out my full bibliography of the fanzine: 15 YEARS OF 'BONDAGE'.