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Well I said I will give the first one a try and I meant it hell if I can suffer through the last few novels and the John Gardner books which were new to me I can read through this book
I wasn't aware that existed but that sounds like a good comparison with this novel series, yes.
What I would be fine with her writing actual James Bond novels
Good question but I suppose she doesn't know yet as she's only been contracted by IFP to write three of these Double O novels. It would certainly be something different to have a woman's perspective on an adult Bond novel, Vivienne Michel's "co-authorship" of The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) quite aside. ;)
Like I would love it if this is almost a bait and switch that half the novel is on say 003’s efforts to find bond and the second half of the book is Bond dealing with his side of the plot
Just so annoying no bond in a modern bond novel
That would be nice of course but sadly that's not what this series is about. As I said above this series is intended to be an expanded universe kind of thing looking at other Double-O agents besides James Bond as so many other franchises have done of late. It could be seen as an attempt to widen the fanbase to readers not currently drawn in by either the literary or cinematic Bond but who might like the sound of a Bondless series following the adventures of other Double-O agents. If, as a result of reading this series of new novels by Kim Sherwood, it brings in new readers to the Fleming originals and then the Bond continuation novels it'll not have been in vain. It's much the same thing as the Young Bond novels by Charlie Higson and Steve Cole hopefully bringing in a new generation to the Bond novels and short stories of Ian Fleming.
You no doubt have a point there. I was just trying to surmise who this new series of novels would appeal to outside of the established readership of literary and general Bond fans. I suspect you're right in that the catchment area for such a set of novels is not perhaps as wide as I'd anticipated. Only time will tell I suppose as to how successful these novels will be but we can at least congratulate IFP for trying to do something a bit different from the norm.
Yeah I think really you're only going to appeal to people who already like Bond so I'm not sure it will draw a new audience, but it's not like that's a tiny amount of people: Bond films and books always do incredibly well.
Yes indeed, it's always nice to see folks trying something new. And IFP's experiments have actually usually worked out very well: I thought Young Bond was terrific, and I hear that the Moneypenny Diaries are worth a look too, I never got around to them.
The only thing I can think of is that this is a relatively easy way to have the lead of a (sorta, kinda) James Bond novel be female or a person of colour or both. We know the main characters of this are going to be Johanna Harwood (003), Joseph Dryden (004) and Sid Bashir (009). It's not "What if, in a parallel universe, James Bond was female" or whatever. It's a different character, but in the same setting and presumably at least a recognizable style.
In a way it's surprisingly honest of them to say: These are the people Kim is going to write about, James Bond is not the main focus. Instead of selling this as a main James Bond novel but suddenly have 75% of the book be about his plucky sidekick from an East Asian family and what it is for him to be On Her Majesty's Secret Service in the shadow of the great James Bond.
Of course that is not going to reel somebody in who actively hates James Bond, but there might be interest by people who haven't read the old Fleming books to have a look what this is about.
One other thing: I am currently reading the Slough House books by Mick Herron (which are fantastic, by the way, as is the TV show on Apple TV+). One of the cool things about that series is that he builds up a cadre of characters that kind of step in and out of the spotlight for the different books. With this having three main character and being planned for a three book run, I wonder if this will be similar or whether we'll always get the three characters to a similar degree. (Although I would put money on not all three making it to the end of book 3...)
Sid Bashir is a reference to the character Dr Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine which had a Bond-themed episode that character appeared in. This reference seems to have been confirmed today by Kim Sherwood on Twitter as she replied to a question on Twitter with a clip from this episode. Dryden was the name of Bond's Double-O earning kill in the Casino Royale PTS. So there seem to be a few meta references there in the character names at least.
004, Bashir is a Star Trek character from DS9, playing a James Bond-like person in a holodeck program.
As for 009, Dryden...
It is a very cool cover. The golden orb definitely evokes the sun, which is probably appropriate if the novel has to do with the climate crisis.
The second golden circle looks like the bottom of a bullet too and it keeps with the Double O theme as well. So rather minimalist in nature but subtly clever too.
It it growing on me, and reading her newsletter about it was very interesting.
Dragonpol you do fan art sometimes can you remove the James Bond is missing and put in something like James Bond born in 86 veteran of the Afghanistan war on his first mission as 007
Something like that I dunno lol
I think you must be mixing me up with another member, @Risico007. My hack-like talents (such as they are) lie merely in the field of non-fiction writing and not in art sadly. As my Art teacher at secondary school once told my parents, "He's no Picasso." :)
That prospective Bond novel you have in mind sounds rather like Carte Blanche where I think Deaver's new 2.0 version of Bond was born in 1979 and had fought in the Afghanistan War. ;)
I myself wouldn't mind a return to the Amis-Gardner-Benson continuity of a contemporary set adult Bond continuation novel that doesn't have any period set gimmicks and that isn't a reboot of the character. However, that may be too much to ask for nowadays from IFP.