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William Boyd to Write Next James Bond Novel

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  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    If you check him out on Amazon you will see he is highly thought of and judging by some of the readers reviews you can see why the Fleming Estate may have chosen him.
  • KennonKennon
    Posts: 297
    Agent007391 wrote:
    Kennon wrote:
    It's a WW II / 1970s setting and Fleming would have liked it a lot. Yay!

    How is it set during two completely different time periods at the same time? Is there some space between the WWII part and the 70s part?
    Yep, there is.
  • tommychameleontommychameleon
    Posts: 132
    Bentley wrote:
    Personally, I'd have fired the Managing Director of Ian Fleming publications and hired Higson for the new book.He gets Bond and could have done for our hero what Anthony Horowitz has done for the Sherlock Holmes fans with 'The House Of Silk' - made them proud!

    I couldn't have said it better myself. IMHO, Higson is the only writer other than Fleming himself, who truly GETS what Bond is and should be. I just finished By Royal Command and I'm so sad the series is now over. I'm going to write to Charlie and tell him how awesome I think he is, something I've never felt compelled to do for any other author.
  • MrSpyMrSpy
    Posts: 116
    Ah well, I liked where Deaver was going & this is a disappointment to me. I wish they'd settle on a damned continuity already, it's getting like DC comics!
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    So, are we gonna just hopscotch back and forth from now on? American author doing the present day (Benson - Deaver) and then British author doing the 60s (Faulks - Boyd)?
  • BorisScaramangaBorisScaramanga
    Posts: 53
    Bentley wrote:
    Fellow Agents,
    I am excited that Jonathan Cape will be publishing Boyd's book. We may finally get a great dust jacket. I loved Richard Chopping's cover art and it would be great to get something Choppingesque. My personal favourite cover was "From Russia With Love" which was also, in my opinion, by fare and away Fleming's best novel and turned out to be the best movie.
    Regards, Bentley
    Yes, but that doesn't mean he won't do it again.
  • 6of16of1
    edited April 2012 Posts: 63
    Boyd is a fine writer, easily among the very best of contemporary British names. One of the few able to pen a worthwhile work satisfying in style, plot and characters.

    That said Boyd is not Fleming and won't pretend otherwise. If you are aware of this and can accept it you should be ok.

    And better stop wondering what he'll be like. There's an easy way to find out, just read some of his stuff. You don't even need recommendations, all his books are worth a read.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Here's a great summing up of CB and why it fell flat as a Bond novel:
    http://www.denofgeek.com/comics/938916/carte_blanche_book_review.html
    The writer of this is right. It feels foreign to Bondian prose, to the point where we could switch this "James Bond" character out with another agent like Bourne, or Hunt, and we would still get the same effect. And Bond deciding not to take sexual advancements towards Ophelia because she's on rocky roads in her relationship is tripe. The literary Bond would surely take advantage of her in that situation. And all the classic archetypes are gone. The brand names are there but lacks the Fleming touch where you knew both Bond and Ian had a strong affiliation with cigarettes, drinks, fast cars and fast women, and the like. Here Bond isn't Bond. It all feels unfamiliar with a sorry attempt at copying Fleming's style, a style that can never be recreated. Overall, an okay book that fills your time, but a shrug of the shoulders Bond book, that I don't even consider that.
  • darren_blacksmithdarren_blacksmith
    Posts: 678
    Wow, William Boyd, haven't heard about him in years! Really looking forward to this.
  • commandbond007commandbond007
    Posts: 660
    I wonder who were the other choices to be asked to write a Bond novel.....probably not many as many author already committed to other novel series like if Daniel Silva or Charles Cummning was asked.....they already have novels coming out in the summer and want to take a break from writing
  • BounineBounine
    Posts: 2,598
    So, Higson won't be writing the next series of Young Bond books. What a shame. Still, I'm glad IFP have plans to keep it going. I hope Bond won't still be13 though. We need a Bond in his early twenties in wartime. Unfortunately I'm starting to lose confidence in authors writing Bond due to the disappointing DMC and CB.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Unfortunately Ian Fleming's writing style will never be replicated and the Bond novels will always keep changing. It's similar to the films really. Terence Young gave a different take on Bond to Lewis Hamilton, who was different to Martin Campbell etc. As a result the Bond film series is diverse and all the better for it.

    Sadly though this isn't the case with books. They are set much more in reality and Fleming's very real man with his own hang ups can never be the same in 2012 or 1985 or whenever a story is set.

    Film Bond can be an eternal creature who changes hair colour every now and then, but the book Bond can't keep doing that and remain credible. It's why I can't read any Bond book after Fleming (apart from Col Sun) because I can't see this man of the 50s and 60s still being in his 40s in the 1980s.
  • FireSkullFireSkull
    Posts: 135
    Hey I can write a Spy Story!
  • SharkBaitSharkBait
    Posts: 2,107
    There is a book Bond?!?

    On a serious note, the Ian Fleming estate should decide where to take this character. There's no continuation like there used to be in the novels. Even the movies now have better continuity than in the novels. Save Young Bond, that at least knew where it was going. I honestly think they should just keep novel Bond in the modern times or keep him in the past. Though I was never one to think they'd actually keep him in the modern times. They just don't seem to know where to go with the character these days. And I'm solely talking about the literature Bond.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,843
    I just don't get how hard it is to keep bond in modern times.... Is there a reason for this back and forth nonesense

  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    I doubt that it's hard. They just want to push the "Flemingesque" angle, and keep setting them not long after his original tenure.
  • tommychameleontommychameleon
    Posts: 132
    So sad about Higson, that guy has the style absolutely nailed. I will be wearing black all week :-(
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    With all the good news with new pics and interviews over the last few days, to hear if Higson's departure is a massive blow to the gut. The guy IMO new Bond and wrote better stories than all of Fleming's successors. Wasn't there some sort of epilogue in DoD where Higson writes adult Bond? The possibilities. I'm actually scared of the quality of these new YB books declining. What a shame.
  • CrabKeyCrabKey
    Posts: 1,971
    Since literary characters tend to outlive their authors, the issue of age is irrelevant. However, I am interested in knowing the thinking about not continuing with Deaver. Did the Fleming estate feel the same way as I did about his contribution? It didn't work for me. Never felt like Bond, nor did I care for recreating Bond's past. A modern Bond is fine, as with the films. It isn't necessary to adjust his past to fit his age.
  • BorisScaramangaBorisScaramanga
    Posts: 53
    tommychameleon wrote:
    So sad about Higson, that guy has the style absolutely nailed. I will be wearing black all week :-(
    Bring back Higson!
  • SharkBaitSharkBait
    edited April 2012 Posts: 2,107
    Didn't Carte Blanche finish with the notion that it was possibly Bond's mother who was the spy, not his father?

    I'm not complaining, but I thought they were going to continue from that.
    I also wonder why they didn't use Boothroyd in the novel. There was just some indian guy handling all Q's duties.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Bounine wrote:
    So, Higson won't be writing the next series of Young Bond books. What a shame. Still, I'm glad IFP have plans to keep it going. I hope Bond won't still be13 though. We need a Bond in his early twenties in wartime. Unfortunately I'm starting to lose confidence in authors writing Bond due to the disappointing DMC and CB.

    They should wait for Higson. If he goes back to Bond after his current series is done, the next novel would be out 2015. IFP have waited this long, why not wait the extra three years?

    I'm now undecided if I'm even going to read them. Higson even knew what the next set of books would be about! (A trilogy set at Fettes). X(
  • acidieacidie
    Posts: 152
    Boyd is a wonderful writer, I love his work and Im just pleased they are making another novel. I don't mind continuity I just read each book as it comes and enjoy ( or try to ) the story.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    For eveybody his or her information:

    13 April 1953 – Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel, is published
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    Hopefully, April 13th of 2013 is when this new Bond novel comes out. That'd be a great nod to history.
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,843
    We'll know soon enough.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited April 2012 Posts: 13,355
    Agent007391 wrote:
    Hopefully, April 13th of 2013 is when this new Bond novel comes out. That'd be a great nod to history.

    The press release says it's autumn next year. So it will be September - December.
  • BounineBounine
    edited April 2012 Posts: 2,598
    Samuel001 wrote:
    Bounine wrote:
    So, Higson won't be writing the next series of Young Bond books. What a shame. Still, I'm glad IFP have plans to keep it going. I hope Bond won't still be13 though. We need a Bond in his early twenties in wartime. Unfortunately I'm starting to lose confidence in authors writing Bond due to the disappointing DMC and CB.

    They should wait for Higson. If he goes back to Bond after his current series is done, the next novel would be out 2015. IFP have waited this long, why not wait the extra three years?

    I'm now undecided if I'm even going to read them. Higson even knew what the next set of books would be about! (A trilogy set at Fettes). X(

    Hmmm, 2015. That's quite a while away. I'm not sure about waiting that long but I might be thinking it would have been a good idea if this new author doesn't do a good job.

    People should atleast try reading the first one and if they don't like it, then don't touch them.

    I'm still excited about a new young Bond series and an adult Bond yarn but to a lesser extent than I would have been a few years ago. I still feel greater enthusiasm for a new Bond book though than I do a new Bond film.

  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    Samuel001 wrote:
    Agent007391 wrote:
    Hopefully, April 13th of 2013 is when this new Bond novel comes out. That'd be a great nod to history.

    The press release says it's autumn next year. So it will be September - December.

    Damn! Oh, well. Hopefully the book will be good.
  • marketto007marketto007 Brazil
    Posts: 3,277
    The Telegraph - William Boyd talks about Bond



    xxx
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