WITH A MIND TO KILL by Anthony Horowitz (May 2022)

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  • Trigger Finger was Fleming's original title for The Living Daylights. It's on the manuscript that was on display at the Imperial War Museum's Fleming exhibition in 2008.
  • Posts: 1,078
    Monorailer wrote: »
    Trigger Finger was Fleming's original title for The Living Daylights. It's on the manuscript that was on display at the Imperial War Museum's Fleming exhibition in 2008.

    Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I wrongly assumed it was one of the missing plotlines from an unpublished TV idea.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,547
    Monorailer wrote: »
    Trigger Finger was Fleming's original title for The Living Daylights. It's on the manuscript that was on display at the Imperial War Museum's Fleming exhibition in 2008.

    Ah cool, thanks for that. Knew we could count on you for keeping us all on the same track. ;)
  • edited December 2021 Posts: 1,078
    mtm wrote: »
    I'm liking the spin on the opening to TMWTGG. I'm guessing this is what happens after Bond collapsed from trying to kill M, and its a way of staging a false illusion to the enemy watching afar. Nice touch!

    Oh, you mean it could actually happen within TMWTGG? Interesting thought.

    I don't think Horowitz would try and change an original storyline. Partly out of respect, but mostly because the publishers would want the new book to work as a stand alone novel, and not require the reader to have knowledge of a previous book.
    I think the events of TMWTGG will be referenced in the story, but the novel will take place after the Scaramanga affair.
  • No Time to Die another Day with a Mind to Kill Dr No Time to Die another...

    I look forward to it... the plot sounds like a big change from the last few continuation novels.
  • DoctorNoDoctorNo USA-Maryland
    Posts: 755
    The service concocts a scheme to make it look like Bond achieved his goal of killing M....

    Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day both included plot aspects in their covers (the plans and the ship). I wonder if there's a clue in the bullet hole in (what looks like) glass?
    I wonder if it's the armourplate glass in M's office, described in TMWTGG?
    DoctorNo wrote: »
    Does anyone know if the Fleming material is available online to read? How long is it and worth tracking down to buy one of these editions?

    I don't know if it's online, but to give you some idea here's a page from the extra Fleming section in the Waterstones special edition of Trigger Mortis. As you can see, it's basically a facsimile of Fleming's typed up notes from an episode of the cancelled James Bond TV series. There's seven pages of this in the Trigger Mortis special edition, (black cover, not grey), and the episode is titled 'Murder on Wheels'. There's an explanatory paragraph by Fleming at the end about the story.
    In Forever and a Day there's only two facsimile pages, titled 'Russian Roulette'. But the typing is very dense, much denser than the picture here, so it's a little deceiving to say 'only two' pages. It still outlines the full episode.
    These rough TV scripts were woven into the Horowitz stories, so even if you don't have the special editions you will still get to read the plots. Trouble is, you won't know which is the Fleming bits unless you have the Waterstones specials. Do any others on here know which short stories came from the TV episode outlines? (It might be worth starting a thread on this if there isn't one).
    I gather other plots for the TV series became published short stories.
    Sorry the page looks pinky, it isn't, it's the lighting in my flat.


    Flem-Extras.jpg

    Thank you @ColonelAdamski!
  • Posts: 2,917
    With a Mind to Kill sounds like another product of the James Bond Title Generator (fun party game: come up with a Bond title that doesn’t involve “Kill” or “Die”), but the premise sounds intriguing. The idea of Bond being framed for M’s murder was also explored in the early treatments for the film of Octopussy, though I doubt they were an influence on Horowitz.

    After You Only Live Twice Kingsley Amis speculated that the next Bond novel would involve “capture by the KGB, questionings and torturings and brainwashings, break-out (aided probably by some beautiful firm-breasted female major of the Foreign Intelligence Directorate), the slaying of Colonel-General Grubozaboyschikov of SMERSH, and perhaps of Lieutenant-General Vozdvishensky of RUMID for good measure, in revenge for what happened on the Orient Express in 1957, and final escape over the Wall.”

    Though Fleming failed to deliver this, it sounds like Horowitz might, to some extent.
  • edited December 2021 Posts: 17,756
    Don't mind the title at all, personally. A bit similar to Horowitz's A Line to Kill, as @zebrafish mentioned, but I like to think that he wanted that title to be a bit Fleming-esque.

    Preordered the signed Waterstones signed edition tonight. Didn't see any mention of additional (Fleming) material, but if another edition pops up I'll try and get a copy of that as well.

    It's great to have one of my favourite writers penning a third Bond novel!
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    edited December 2021 Posts: 4,629
    I said this earlier, but I feel that Anthony Horowitz will take some influence from Skyfall as well. After reading about M’s death, Bond questioning about his place in the world, former agents coming back for revenge, it does sound like Anthony Horowitz’s take on Skyfall in the past.

    Also, Kim Sherwood says that it will be Horowitz’s last Bond book. Stroll down, she would know.

    https://twitter.com/kimtsherwood
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    mtm wrote: »
    I'm liking the spin on the opening to TMWTGG. I'm guessing this is what happens after Bond collapsed from trying to kill M, and its a way of staging a false illusion to the enemy watching afar. Nice touch!

    Oh, you mean it could actually happen within TMWTGG? Interesting thought.

    I don't think Horowitz would try and change an original storyline. Partly out of respect, but mostly because the publishers would want the new book to work as a stand alone novel, and not require the reader to have knowledge of a previous book.
    I think the events of TMWTGG will be referenced in the story, but the novel will take place after the Scaramanga affair.

    I also don't think he would alter the story, but I wonder how closely related to TMWTGG it will be. The ideas we have bandied around here mostly rely heavily on knowing the opening of that book. And I don't know how widely known the plot of that book and especially the opening is (does anyone have an idea?).
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,547
    I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that this new book will take place after Bond’s encounter with Scaramanga, which would mean after the entirety of TMWTGG.
  • Posts: 9,846
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    I said this earlier, but I feel that Anthony Horowitz will take some influence from Skyfall as well. After reading about M’s death, Bond questioning about his place in the world, former agents coming back for revenge, it does sound like Anthony Horowitz’s take on Skyfall in the past.

    Also, Kim Sherwood says that it will be Horowitz’s last Bond book. Stroll down, she would know.

    https://twitter.com/kimtsherwood

    my only hope is Kim writes bond novels in addition to her 00 books.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    The plot sounds really interesting, it reminded me of the original Skyfall plot were M was a traitor and would have to kill her
    I haven't read any of Horowitz's books, are they good?
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    edited December 2021 Posts: 4,341
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    The plot sounds really interesting, it reminded me of the original Skyfall plot were M was a traitor and would have to kill her
    I haven't read any of Horowitz's books, are they good?

    As others have said, almost anything he penned is an entertaining read. He knows his stuff and is respectful towards the original styles (in those cases where he wrote continuation novels in the style of Fleming , Christie or Doyle).
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    Thanks mate, I'll have to give his novels a try before the new one is released
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,538
    Not too keen on the cover. Colourwise was hoping for something different. Red perhaps. The colour scheme is too similar to 'Forever and a Day.
  • Posts: 17,756
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    Not too keen on the cover. Colourwise was hoping for something different. Red perhaps. The colour scheme is too similar to 'Forever and a Day.

    It might be a placeholder cover, rather than the finished one. I remember one of his previous two Bond books at least, had a cover that was changed to the finished design some time after the announcement.
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,538
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    Not too keen on the cover. Colourwise was hoping for something different. Red perhaps. The colour scheme is too similar to 'Forever and a Day.

    It might be a placeholder cover, rather than the finished one. I remember one of his previous two Bond books at least, had a cover that was changed to the finished design some time after the announcement.

    'Forever and a Day' had a placeholder cover, however the press release said "Ian Fleming Publications are delighted to reveal the title and front cover...' so I'm assuming this is the official cover?

    Maybe the hard and paper back editions will have different cover designs.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,629
    I’m wondering with the Amazon takeover of James Bond, that Anthony Horowitz got access to unused EON scripts.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited December 2021 Posts: 18,271
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    I’m wondering with the Amazon takeover of James Bond, that Anthony Horowitz got access to unused EON scripts.

    I very much doubt it. Eon will want to keep those for themselves as they paid for them to be written in the first place. As such they're their intellectual property. Just look at as recent an example as NTTD: it had an idea in it that went all the way back to 1976 or so and an unused script for TSWLM. Just as nobody ever leaves the KGB no idea is ever entirely thrown away by Eon, however radical it may seem at that particular point in time. I'd say IFP won't get a look in at those unused scripts and they'll be rather jealously guarded by Eon. I don't mind that at all as I'd be opposed to the leaching of ideas between the two quite different main pillars of Bondism. The two worlds should be kept as discrete as possible, especially in terms of the novels being influenced by film material. The influence being the other way around is something I'm all for of course.
  • edited December 2021 Posts: 17,756
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    Not too keen on the cover. Colourwise was hoping for something different. Red perhaps. The colour scheme is too similar to 'Forever and a Day.

    It might be a placeholder cover, rather than the finished one. I remember one of his previous two Bond books at least, had a cover that was changed to the finished design some time after the announcement.

    'Forever and a Day' had a placeholder cover, however the press release said "Ian Fleming Publications are delighted to reveal the title and front cover...' so I'm assuming this is the official cover?

    Maybe the hard and paper back editions will have different cover designs.

    Ah, didn't see that bit of the press release. If this is indeed the final cover, I agree it's a bit of a let down. Not bad from a technical point of view, but the idea itself isn't anything special. Might think differently about it depending how it ties in with the story though.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,547
    Even if it is the official cover, Trigger Mortis and Forever And A Day both got additional covers down the line, so maybe we'll get a cool retro cover or something for With A Mind To Kill at some point.
  • Posts: 17,756
    Even if it is the official cover, Trigger Mortis and Forever And A Day both got additional covers down the line, so maybe we'll get a cool retro cover or something for With A Mind To Kill at some point.

    Good point. There's also the chance of the American release getting a different cover.
  • Posts: 9,846
    Even if it is the official cover, Trigger Mortis and Forever And A Day both got additional covers down the line, so maybe we'll get a cool retro cover or something for With A Mind To Kill at some point.

    Good point. There's also the chance of the American release getting a different cover.

    I hope not I prefer the British cover of carte Blanche and hated the American cover and I Fear the same here I love the new cover of With a Mind to Kill and really don’t want some bland American cover
  • Posts: 17,756
    Risico007 wrote: »
    Even if it is the official cover, Trigger Mortis and Forever And A Day both got additional covers down the line, so maybe we'll get a cool retro cover or something for With A Mind To Kill at some point.

    Good point. There's also the chance of the American release getting a different cover.

    I hope not I prefer the British cover of carte Blanche and hated the American cover and I Fear the same here I love the new cover of With a Mind to Kill and really don’t want some bland American cover

    Oh, I definitely agree about that. The American covers (the Trigger Mortis paperback aside) have been really bland.
  • Perhaps it's just incredibly bleary eyed exhaustion... but my first glance at the cover had me thinking the shattered glass was a hammer and sickle... anyone else faintly see that or am I just going nuts ?

    The title... I suppose it's one with many an interpretation and works within the the context of the story. Bonds mind has been "killed" psychologically, M has been "killed" as a consequence. The career of a 00 is to operate prepared "with a mind to kill", etc. I get the grumbling that it's title by Bond word generation though.

    I enjoyed Trigger Mortis. More than I did most the other continuations. Forver and a day less so, as frankly give me a doomsday plot over drugs for literary escapism any day of the week... but it still ranks high. So I've got some hopes for this one. I like that Horowitz has essentially been given the chance to write one at the beginning, one at the middle and one at the end, all incorporating elements of Fleming. And he is undoubtedly a fan and respects the franchise. So consider me intrigued.
  • edited March 2022 Posts: 1,078
    I've just had an email off Goldsboro to say their signed, numbered firsts are up available to pre-order. Only 1,000 being printed. I've ordered one just, £25.00 plus postage.

    https://www.goldsborobooks.com/

    Edit - if that doesn't work try https://www.goldsborobooks.com/product/with-a-mind-to-kill-limited-edition
    With the password
    TR1GG3R-B0ND-007
  • Posts: 2,161
    Any word yet on any bonus material included in any special editions?
  • Posts: 1,078
    No, but as you probably know, the bonus Fleming material was in the Waterstones special editions of Trigger and Forever, so for that reason alone my order's in for one of those too.
  • Posts: 2,161
    I will probably order the Waterstones edition.
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