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'On His Majesty's Secret Service' by Charlie Higson (2023)

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  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,848
    Love the cover wish we would get more modern day 007
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,540
    How incredibly generic and underwhelming.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 13 Posts: 18,282
    Red_Snow wrote: »
    How incredibly generic and underwhelming.

    It's still better than the hardback cover though. I know you might reply that that wouldn't be too hard! I'm just glad that there is a paperback edition as I wasn't sure if they were going to do one or whether the hardback would be the only edition. I suppose it'll help save the easily wiped off gold lettering on the hardback cover a tad too!
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,428
    I really like that, what a clever idea.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,282
    mtm wrote: »
    I really like that, what a clever idea.

    Yes, it works for me too. Simple yet effective.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,428
    Cheers Dragonpol; agreed.

    I see it comes with 'revised text and exclusive bonus content':

    https://www.ianfleming.com/items/on-his-majestys-secret-service-paperback/
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited February 13 Posts: 2,077
    Yeah. Blood that forms the crown is quite unique. The sort of peculiar approach you would expect from the world of James Bond.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,282
    mtm wrote: »
    Cheers Dragonpol; agreed.

    I see it comes with 'revised text and exclusive bonus content':

    https://www.ianfleming.com/items/on-his-majestys-secret-service-paperback/

    Oh, yes. I kind of forgot about that. Revised text is good. Hopefully the errors will have been removed.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,848
    Honestly i am either an easy lay when it comes to 007 covers or the new cover is just that good that i might have to buy it for the cover alone
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,282
    Risico007 wrote: »
    Honestly i am either an easy lay when it comes to 007 covers or the new cover is just that good that i might have to buy it for the cover alone

    Welcome to my world. I have to collect pretty much everything literary Bond.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,077
    Risico007 wrote: »
    Honestly i am either an easy lay when it comes to 007 covers or the new cover is just that good that i might have to buy it for the cover alone

    Exactly. Same here.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,763
    I'm yet to read On His Majesty's Secret Service, so I'll try my best to avoid any spoilers in this thread – but since I have particular interest in book covers, I have to agree that this is a pretty good paperback cover. Although I don't mind the hardback cover, I find this to be an improvement.

    If I were the designer, I'd probably give the crown / blood a bit more movement and unevenness (it's a bit too uniform for my taste), and at the same time made the title all white. It feels unnecessary to highlight "HIS", IMO. I might have looked at font alternatives too.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,282
    Spybrary Podcast Interview with Charlie Higson:

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited June 1 Posts: 16,428
    There's a piece in the Guardian today by Higson on the reception to OHisMSS when it came out last year:

    ‘Bond’s gone woke!’ Charlie Higson on the row around his ‘metrosexual’ 007

    It's a good read.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,595
    I thought it was a decent novel - reminded me a lot of Licence Renewed with the villain's castle and mercenaries. Memorable Bond girl too. Still need to get me some paprika but I did buy the coin! From memory, everyone here went pretty easy with the criticism, and as usual the ones ripping it to shreds elsewhere hadn't read it. 'Metrosexual', eh? Someone's still living in the 2000s.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited June 6 Posts: 16,428
    Interesting, the paperback has a new ending set in Westminster Abbey:

  • ColonelAdamskiColonelAdamski UK
    Posts: 1,078
    Everything kind of points to the first edition being put together in a bit of a rush, doesn't it?
    That's not a criticism, I enjoyed the book and I'd much rather them have done it than not.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,848
    Wait how long is the new ending
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,649
    So even if I bought it digitally before, I have to buy it again to get the new ending? Can I just buy the new words? lol. Kind of annoying
  • CharmianBondCharmianBond Pett Bottom, Kent
    Posts: 557
    LucknFate wrote: »
    So even if I bought it digitally before, I have to buy it again to get the new ending? Can I just buy the new words? lol. Kind of annoying

    I was wondering whether the digital edition would get updated but so far the Apple Books version hasn't. But I suppose this is where libraries come in useful, just the other day I stumbled on the paperback of one of my favourite books and found it has a bonus chapter that I never knew existed.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,428
    Bit rubbish how Amazon don't send it out the day of release if you pre-ordered.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,282
    I'm intrigued by the new ending. This will be the first Bond novel to ever have that. I get that it's probably due to the rushed nature of the project initially. I suppose it's also an added selling point to get people to buy the paperback version too.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,638
    I just wish that America could get a proper copy of it, not through UK services.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,820
    By chance my wife is in the London area for the first time for a few days. Maybe my way to get a copy.

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited June 7 Posts: 16,428
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    I'm intrigued by the new ending. This will be the first Bond novel to ever have that. I get that it's probably due to the rushed nature of the project initially. I suppose it's also an added selling point to get people to buy the paperback version too.

    I'm imagining it won't be hugely extended; just a little more in the sequence in the 'present day'. But I guess Higson has a chance to make it less specific to publication date (as it was then)- maybe add a short epilogue after the event to make it seem less 'live' (which I loved at the time- I've never read a book set on the day I was actually reading it before).
    No one's read it yet? :D
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,820
    Now I see. 200 copies. Already moved.

    I do like this rarity type of book offering.

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,595
    The new content is rumoured to be a cooking recipe involving hot and smoked paprika with a splash of Dreher.
  • ColonelAdamskiColonelAdamski UK
    edited June 8 Posts: 1,078
    mtm wrote: »
    No one's read it yet? :D

    There's an interesting Q&A at the back of the new paperback book where CH talks about the changes. He admits the book was a 'bit of a fudge' when it came to the locations of the actual coronation day, because he didn't know where Charley would be. So he's changed locations at the start and end of the book.
    My 'reading' copy from Amazon came yesterday, and my signed 'for the collection' copy from IFP hasn't arrived yet. I'm going to try and real it over the next couple of days.
  • ColonelAdamskiColonelAdamski UK
    edited June 8 Posts: 1,078
    .

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited June 8 Posts: 16,428
    ColonelAdamski wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    No one's read it yet? :D

    There's an interesting Q&A at the back of the new paperback book where CH talks about the changes. He admits the book was a 'bit of a fudge' when it came to the locations of the actual coronation day, because he didn't know where Charley would be. So he's changed locations at the start and end of the book.
    My 'reading' copy from Amazon came yesterday, and my signed 'for the collection' copy from IFP hasn't arrived yet. I'm going to try and real it over the next couple of days.

    Thanks! I did the same thing but Amazon haven’t even sent mine out yet. I’d probably have got it quicker if I had just ordered it when it went on sale. I thought IFP would be a bit better at sending though.
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