Young Bond Book 3 FIRST DETAILS

As Charlie Higson's first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, continues to fly off store shelves and anticipation grows for the January release of Book 2, Blood Fever, we have uncovered the first details of Charlie Higson's third Young Bond novel.

The yet untitled Young Bond Book 3 will be set almost entirely in the darkest corners of 1930s London where young Bond battles Russian spies who are attempting to build an early computer. The release date is currently set for January 2007.

Some fans speculated that Ian Fleming Publications might release Book 3 in late 2006 to take advantage of the onslaught of James Bond publicity surrounding the release of Daniel Craig's debut as 007 in Casino Royale. However, it appears IFP is sticking with their plans to release a Young Bond book every year -- which means the series will continue until 2009, overlapping the adult centennial Bond novel due in 2008.

RED TATTOO museum launches two websites

The 007 The Man With the Red Tattoo Museum in Naoshima Japan has launched two new websites featuring art and images from this unique museum devoted to Raymond Benson’s last original James Bond novel.

The first is the museum’s official website, which is currently only in Japanese. In conjunction with the official site is the 007 Location Promotion Committee, featuring general information about the museum and ongoing efforts to petition Eon into making a James Bond movie in Naoshima. A link in English takes you to a plot synopsis, drawings exhibited in the museum, and other goodies.

Designed by Hidemi Inoue of Inoue Commercial Space Planning, The 007 The Man With the Red Tattoo Museum is located at 2310 Miyanoura, Naoshima (one minute from Myanoura Bay). For more information, contact the International Affairs Division, Kagawa Prefectural Government, Tel: 087-832-3026, Fax 087-837-4289.

Raymond Benson recently provided CBn with a exclusive report on the museum’s opening day ceremonies with his own personal pictures from the event. CLICK HERE to read Raymond’s report.

New Adult Bond Novel Coming in 2008

Ian Fleming Publications have announced plans to commission a one-off adult James Bond novel to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth in 2008.

Following the success of Charlie Higson's Young Bond series (Book 2, Blood Fever is to be released in January 2006), IFP are keen to commission a big-name author to pen the new novel.

"We are still in the planning stages, but at the moment the idea would be to have it done by an established author - potentially a big name," said Zoe Watkins of IFP. "The literary Bond is something we want to focus on and any work would have to be in keeping with the literary aspects of the books. If it was successful there could be scope for further novels."

According to Ms Watkins, the new novel will be far removed from the gloss of 007's cinematic incarnation, marking a return to the dark and complex nature of Fleming's early works.

Scotsman.com reports the early favorites to be approached to pen the new novel include Lee Child (Killing Floor), Frederick Forsyth (The Day of the Jackal) and John le Carré (The Tailor of Panama).

John Gardner, who penned 16 James Bond novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s (including two novelisations) has ruled himself out for taking on the new project. "Sorry, but for me Bond is very much in the past. No more comments, no more interviews."

The adult literary James Bond went on hiatus in 2002, following the publication of Raymond Benson's The Man With The Red Tattoo and the novelisation of Die Another Day. Earlier this year, Penguin released the first in a series of five novels by Charlie Higson, focussing on Bond's time at Eton in the 1930s.

Asked about the possibility of him writing the new adult Bond novel, Higson commented, "I'm very honored. But I'm busy writing the young Bond books and I can't take the time out. It's a shame because I'd love to do it."

Source: CommanderBond.net

Young Bond Book 2 is BLOOD FEVER

PRESS RELEASE

Following the huge success of the first Young Bond book, SilverFin, Puffin Books and Ian Fleming Publications are delighted to reveal the title and jacket image for the second book in the series, Blood Fever, which will be published on Thursday 5th January 2006. The book is by the much-acclaimed author of SilverFin, Charlie Higson.

SilverFin, which was published in March this year, has sold 125,000 copies in the UK alone, and was in the Top Ten of the Children's Bestseller lists for 11 weeks. In the book, readers are introduced to a 13-year old James Bond, who gets involved in an evil plot in the Scottish Highlands while in his first year at Eton. Blood Fever is set largely in Sardinia, where James is spending his summer holidays, and features, in Charlie Higson's words, pirates, bandits, art thieves and a shoot-out in a cave; everything you could want from a James Bond book. It is the second in a planned series of five Young Bond books.

Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Puffin, said: "We are delighted with the success of SilverFin and anticipate a huge second bestseller in Blood Fever. Gritty, action-packed and villain-ridden - it is unputdownable."

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH large print edition released

Raymond Benson’s novelization of The World Is Not Enough, originally published in 1999, has just been released in a large print edition by Ulverscroft Large Print and can be purchased at Amazon.co.uk.

What makes this particular book interesting (and collectible) is that it uses cover art radically different from what appeared on the original 1999 U.S. and UK releases. While many large print editions opt for variant covers, novelisations typically stick with the movie poster art. But not this time.

This is the second large print edition of a Benson Bond film novelisation, the first being Die Another Day. Benson’s original Bond books High Time To Kill, DoubleShot, and Never Dream of Dying have also been published in large print. There were plans for a large print edition of The Man With The Red Tattoo, but the book has yet to materialize.

Large print editions can be highly collectible as they are typically published in small quantities with most going to libraries. All the Fleming novels and most of the James Bond novels by John Gardner have appeared in large print editions.