New James Bond Author: Sebastian Faulks

[Gerald So]

Ending nearly two years of speculation, Ian Fleming's estate today announced Britain's Sebastian Faulks as the author of a new James Bond novel, DEVIL MAY CARE, to be published May 28, 2008, the centennial of Fleming's birth.

From what I've learned of the plot, it's set in 1967; Bond is widowed and slightly more vulnerable than we've seen in the past. Faulks describes it as "the return of the gunfighter for one last heroic mission."

Thoughts on Faulks, the plot, or other things Bond?

[John Dishon]

A standalone is okay; I don't mid if this is Faulk's only Bond book, but I hope they do pick another continuation novel. The newer books aren't always great, but it would be a shame to have no more Bond novels.

I hope Faulks has already started on it, because he doesn't have a lot of time. I wonder if they gave him the plot or if he got to have his input on it as well.

[John Dishon]

Also, I gotta say, the title is not very thrilling. Maybe it'll be changed before the release date.

[Gerald So]

Faulks reportedly completed the manuscript in six weeks. From The Sydney Morning Herald:

Faulks said his book's style was "about 80 per cent Fleming". "I didn't go the final distance for fear of straying into pastiche, but I strictly observed his rules of chapter and sentence construction. My novel is meant to stand in the line of Fleming's own books, where the story is everything.

"I hope people will enjoy reading it and that Ian Fleming would consider it to be in the cavalier spirit of his own novels and therefore an acceptable addition to the line," he added.

[Karen from AustCrime]

I thought there must have been something in the air.

Himself got a review book this week - The Man With The Golden Torc by Simon Green.

According to Publishers Weekly:

Readers who recognize the pun on Ian Fleming's James Bond title, The Man with the Golden Gun, will find the secret agent in question has more up his sleeve than a fancy car and some high-tech gadgets in this first of a new fantasy series from bestseller Green (Deathstalker). Meet Shaman Bond, aka Eddie Drood, scion of the ancient Drood family, devoted to protecting humanity from the forces of darkness. Protected by the secret weapon received at birth by all members of the Drood family—a magical gold torc (i.e., a neck ring) that turns into a suit of nearly impervious golden armor—Eddie faces arcane dangers with healthy doses of wry self-confidence and sarcasm. Then the family matriarch sends him on a mission that turns out to be a deadly setup. Declared a rogue, Eddie teams up with short-tempered witch Molly Metcalf to find out why he's been betrayed. This spy yarn is packed with enough humor, action and plot twists to satisfy fans who prefer their adventure shaken, not stirred.