Centenary author and title announced!

zencat · July 2007

DEVIL MAY CARE, a novel written by British author Sebastian Faulks and authorized by the estate of the late Ian Fleming, is due to come out in 2008, the centennial of Fleming’s birth. According to the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, Devil May Care is set during the Cold War and, like so many Bond adventures, moves about a variety of scenic locales.

Full Press Release:
http://web.mac.com/zencato/iWeb/Young_Bond/News/138BA633-0E3A-4BCB-B694-0A84E9FF6BF7.html

7289 · July 2007

Part of me is very interested, the other part bemoans that a dead horse cannot cry "Uncle!!!".

Too bad so much money is at stake -otherwise they could have let oo7 die with his creator.

TOOTS · July 2007

Fantastic title, fantastic choice, fantastic news!

zencat · July 2007

Story #2 (additional details not in the US press release):

'Devil May Care' 80% Fleming, says Faulks

DAWUSS · July 2007

If only it was present day...

Hardyboy · July 2007

Well, I thought it would be Bernard Cornwell, but what do I know? 8-)

I've never read Sebastian Faulks, but maybe I'll pick up one of his books to see what he's like. I certainly wish him well and I hope the book is great, though I can't say I like the title. Devil May Care? Too flip and cheeky. Then again, I'm glad Glidrose didn't insist he change it to Devil May Kill or some such cheesy title. . .

darenhat · July 2007

I think this is good news. Like Hardyboy, I'm not familiar wiht Faulks works (and think that Cornwell would have been a good choice). I like the title, however, and feel it's up to par with any of Gardner's stabs ('never send flowers' just didn't work for me).

It will be interesting to see how it's received. The 1967 setting seems like it might alienate some fans, and also seems to kill the concept of seeing another string of continuation novels anytime soon.

Loeffelholz · July 2007

I like the title; don't know the author. I assume this one comes after Colonel Sun, sequence-wise.

I'll buy this one the day it hits the stores B-)

zencat · July 2007

Loeffelholz wrote:

I like the title; don't know the author. I assume this one comes after Colonel Sun, sequence-wise.

I'll buy this one the day it hits the stores B-)

Actually, I believe it's set in between TMWTGG and CS. Faulks says it's set in 1967.

blueman · July 2007

Can't wait, sounds like a good read to-be.

Loeffelholz · July 2007

zencat wrote:

Actually, I believe it's set in between TMWTGG and CS. Faulks says it's set in 1967.

I'm sure you're right...got a bit crossed-up as to when CS came out...

Lady Rose · July 2007

In this quite an interesting interview with Faulks about the book.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL1017616220070710?pageNumber=1

I quite like the idea, especially when Faulks says about the book ...

"Bond is damaged, ageing and in a sense it is the return of the gunfighter for one last heroic mission."

scaramanga1 · July 2007

Having Read On Green Dolphin Street by Faulks recently -I can see why he was chosen -for although the book isn't one with a great deal of action -his use of locale's and the way he writes fully rounded characters who are often flawed in some way make his writing style perfect for this job - I am sure he will produce the right pace and amount of action we all require. I for one am really looking forward to this novel.

emtiem · July 2007

Really rather cracking- he's big news and so's this book (it's on the news and everything!); IFP are really doing a great job with Bond right now.

And I think it's the best original Bond title in decades; very Fleming without having to resort to sticking 'Die' or 'Kill' in there.

The only downside is that it doesn't sound like he's likely to do any more what with him being signed to another publisher (although I'm sure they won't mind him getting his name and face all over BBC News!).

Barbel · July 2007

Speaking of BBC News, they're referring to Our Founder as Sir Ian while discussing the new novel- do they know something we don't

)?

John Drake · July 2007

I guess Faulks doesn't sell many copies in the US. He's a highly regarded author in the UK. His latest, Engleby, recently came out to rave reviews. I've only read one of his books, The Fatal Englishman: Three Short Lives. It's a non-fiction work, about three young prodigies who all died young. All were undone by their own personal flaws and those of the age in which they lived in. It was outstanding. I think Faulks is an inspired choice to write a Bond novel.

TOOTS · July 2007

This book is going to be a smash.

A literate yet story driven novelist, his writing is fine and sometimes exquisite. He belongs to a tradition of contemporary English/Anglo-centric writers that I love (Julian Barnes, Graham Swift, Pat Barker, Kazuo Ishiguru, William Boyd etc). I have not read all of his books, just the famous ones, Birdsong, Charlotte Gray and On Green Dolphin Street. He was too high brow and successful for me to even contemplate him writing Bond but, rest assured, at least IMHO, he is a great choice.

He is the Daniel Craig of Bond authors.

emtiem · July 2007

TOOTS wrote:

This book is going to be a smash.

I think you're right- I'm not sure how they've managed to generate this much publicity to be honest, but if they can keep it up it's looking very good for sales. In fact I bet Faulk's sales of his own books will be doing rather well this week.

John Drake · July 2007

emtiem wrote:

I think you're right- I'm not sure how they've managed to generate this much publicity to be honest, but if they can keep it up it's looking very good for sales. In fact I bet Faulk's sales of his own books will be doing rather well this week.

Agreed. I think this will be mutually beneficial for both Bond and Faulks. I haven't read a non-fleming Bond novel in years, not since early 90's. I am definitely reading this one.

stevej · July 2007

As a Bond Fan but new to this forum, can I ask: what was wrong with the John Gardner books? I read and enjoyed them and have actually just re-visited them after finding them at the back of my shelves. Have I missed some previous discussion?

TOOTS · July 2007

Welcome, stevej,

IMO, nothing was wrong with the Gardner books. They were fun and kept literary Bond in focus through the 1980's and early 1990's. He stopped writing them though in 1996 and since then we've had Raymond Benson and Charlie Higson and Kate Westbrook keeping the world of literary Bond alive.

It's like asking what was wrong with Roger Moore's Bond when Daniel Craig is announced.

Hardyboy · July 2007

John Drake wrote:

I guess Faulks doesn't sell many copies in the US. He's a highly regarded author in the UK.

No, he isn't a name here, though people are probably acquainted with Charlotte Gray through the movie. As for those who are disappointed that this won't be the start of a new series of continuation novels, well, from the beginning it was planned as a "one-off" to celebrate the centennial of Fleming's birth.

And I've heard Sir Ian Fleming a time or two myself. I've heard of posthumous honors, but 43 years is a bit much. . .

Napoleon Plural · July 2007

Well Gardner's books are not much loved by fans. Guess you can do a search for a thread, but they tended to be Fleming-lite, the character happened to be called James Bond and that's the only similiarity. Nothing sexy about them, either, and rubbish titles, though Gardner insists that the publishers pushed them on him. I gave up reading after the first two.

The way Craig is ageing, he could make this his final movie 8 years down the line!

Napoleon Plural · July 2007

As for Sebastian Faulks, I have only one response:

"Lovely! Lovely!"

zencat · July 2007

First location revealed: Paris.

http://web.mac.com/zencato/iWeb/Young_Bond/News/F854B7AC-2CC9-412D-90B2-42AF4AEE1991.html

-{

Loeffelholz · July 2007

Lady Rose wrote:

In this quite an interesting interview with Faulks about the book.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL1017616220070710?pageNumber=1

I quite like the idea, especially when Faulks says about the book ...

"Bond is damaged, ageing and in a sense it is the return of the gunfighter for one last heroic mission."

I didn't think it was possible...but I'm even more excited by by this -{ Perhaps, if it's a big enough best-seller, Eon could be persuaded to pluck a couple of currency bills off the cash mountain upon which they sit...purchase the rights...and adapt it?

Probably not. But the infusion of some new plasma into 007's literary bloodstream is the best news I've heard since...well, since I heard that Casino Royale was the next movie title... :007)

Lady Rose · July 2007

I like the idea it is set in 1967 and we have the worn out, burnt out Bond. Reading that short interview it sounds like Faulks has tried to be quite faithful to Fleming.

Whilst I am not ready for the film series to end I have always liked the idea of a proper final Bond book. One were our hero finally comes to a conclusion and not necessarily a dead one either!

( He could just retire and go off and live the rest of his life as The Equalizer

) )

Loeffelholz · July 2007

Even if Eon were to adapt DMC, I'm sure they'd 'fudge' the bit about it being Bond's last adventure; perhaps as the final movie in a particular actor's run

There's just something very cool about the possibility (however crazily remote!) of a new Bond novel being adapted to the silver screen...

[takes a moment of personal indulgence to imagine it...]

Yeah. It would be cool B-) Ah well...back to reality

John Drake · July 2007

Loeffelholz wrote:

There's just something very cool about the possibility (however crazily remote!) of a new Bond novel being adapted to the silver screen...

[takes a moment of personal indulgence to imagine it...]

Yeah. It would be cool B-) Ah well...back to reality

I'm still waiting for Colonel Sun to be adapted.

00-Agent · July 2007

I have never read any works by Sebastian Faulks. Does anyone familiar with his work have a recommendation on a novel of his that might be in the same genre as the upcoming Bond novel? I would like to get an idea of what to expect.

John Drake · July 2007

00-Agent wrote:

I have never read any works by Sebastian Faulks. Does anyone familiar with his work have a recommendation on a novel of his that might be in the same genre as the upcoming Bond novel? I would like to get an idea of what to expect.

Charlotte Gray has elements of spying in it. It's about a young Scottish woman fighting with the resistance in France. They made a film version starring Cate Blanchett. It was bloody awful, and helped bring about the end of C4's involvement in feature films. But the last part of The Fatal Englishman: Three Short lives is the closest to what you're looking for. It's about Jeremy Wolfenden, who turned traitor and defected to Russia. Wolfenden had the same kind of priviledged background as Fleming, worked in British Intelligence, but went in a different direction. Faulks brilliantly describes this world, Oxford, the Cold War and the machinations of East and West. Also his new book, Engleby is supposed to be a fascinating character study into the mind of a damaged loner. I really do think Faulks is going to deliver something special with Devil May Care.

Centenary author and title announced!

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