Who should write the next Bond novel?

Number24 · August 2011

Lately more accopmplished authors have written Bond novels, like them or not. Which authors would you like to write Bonds?

My suggestions would be Phillip Kerr, the author of the Berlin Noir-series.
Perhaps a more leftfield suggestion is Jo Nesbo, the author of the Harry Hole crime series.

Suggestions? Comments?

pyrat · August 2011

I'd like to see Deaver flesh out his Bond some more, although his contractual obligations may prevent his doing another one.

Napoleon Plural · August 2011

He can't do it for another three years, but that may be the gap they'd have anyway.

Polar Bear 0007 · August 2011

I would like to see a young author who picks up Bond in the Fleming era. The Faulks idea of picking up where Fleming left off was excellent although the story was weak. The problem with getting "big name" authors is that they have to "rewrite" Bond and put their own twists on the man. I thought Gardner and "Markham" were very good at keeping true to the character Fleming created.

I don't see the purpose of writing Bond novels in the present day with little or no connection to Fleming. They should be repackaged as something else, they are not Bond. I wouldn't buy another Deaver "Bond" and if you check out Amazon I'm not alone..............

Sir Miles · August 2011

I think Charlie Higson deserves a crack at writing a 'proper' Bond novel...I know he'd like to !

Hardyboy · August 2011

Bernard Cornwell--he's detailed with describing weapons and equipment and he knows how to handle action.

Thunderpussy · August 2011

J R Heatley, the only man.

) or
J K Rowling , As Deaver has set up the "Boy Born to be a spy" angle in carte blanche. :v
Just missing out on the scar on the forehead, .......... Then again Bond has that scar on his Cheek.

)

ke02eww · September 2011

Thunderpussy wrote:

J R Heatley, the only man. ) or
J K Rowling , As Deaver has set up the "Boy Born to be a spy" angle in carte blanche. :v
Just missing out on the scar on the forehead, .......... Then again Bond has that scar on his Cheek. )

Class TP

Why not deaver?... Was carte Blanche so bad?

Sir Miles · September 2011

Thunderpussy wrote:

J R Heatley, the only man.

Who's this person ?:)

Or do you mean JR Hartley ?

Thunderpussy · September 2011

My Typing, always lets me down,

as well as my eye sight.

)

Sir Miles · September 2011

Thunderpussy wrote:

My Typing, always lets me down, as well as my eye sight. )

Then buy glasses dear boy...then you too will see the brilliance of DC :v

)

Thunderpussy · September 2011

"My futures so Bright, I've got to wear shades" probably why I mess up on the keyboard.

)

Sir Miles · September 2011

Thunderpussy wrote:

"My futures so Bright, I've got to wear shades" probably why I mess up on the keyboard. )

No...we ALL know the reason why you mess up the keyboard

dlb007 · September 2011

After the disappointment that was Carte Blanche, I'm not exactly sure I want IFP to continue with literary Bond. Let's face it, is there anyone good enough for the job? I can think of three off the bat who have the skills for the job, but who wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole: Ken Follet, Frederick Forsyth, and John Le Carre. I think they'll skip over Higson because while his books sell well, they don't do the sales in the US that would be required. The fact that they've even considered Lee Child makes me retch. He makes Raymond Benson seem competent. Who else is there? A few writers that aren't so well known; if that's the case, they should go with Higson because he at least knows the character.

One thing we know for certain is that there will be another book. While Carte Blanche was one of the weakest Bond novels, it has sold incredibly well. That alone is enough for IFP.

Surely, there is a better option than having Jeffery Deaver write another novel . . . the problem is, I cannot think of one.

Does anyone have a sound recommendation?

SpectreBlofeld · September 2011

I vote for Richard K. Morgan.

PPK 7.65mm · September 2011

How about Stephen Leather?

He is a British thriller writer who like Ian Fleming got his start as a newspaper writer. I have read several of his works and his style is very reminicent of Fleming's espically with reguard to weaponry and other technical equipment that spies and covert operations personel like the SAS use.

mediapig · September 2011

How about Barry Eisler? His John Rain books are one of the few modern espionage series I can stand these days.

Napoleon Plural · September 2011

I will throw Ben McIntyre's name into the ring. He wrote a book on Ian Fleming and also covered his wartime exploits, he is also a jobbing journo with his finger on the pulse. Not sure he's a sexpot though!

Number24 · October 2011

We have the Young Bond books, describing his school years. Then there is Flemming`s books, of course, covering 1954-67. Later came the continuation novels, covering Bond`s later career. The big, black hole here is world war two. I would very much like to read about our hero`s exploits as a commando and secret agent during the war, barely mentioned by Flemming. I now know witch writer I would like to do it: Alan Frurst.

Furst is British and has written ten highly acclaimed spy novels set in Europe during the 30`s and 40`s. His plots are solid and exiting, his writing is rich and atmospheric and his knowledge of Europe at the time is impressive, including the clandestine world of espionage.

I`m reading "The Foreign Correspondent" tonight. It` my first Alan Furst book, and I`m allready a fan. Other Furst novels are "Night Soldiers" and "The Spys of Balkan". Furst is considered by many to be one of the best writers of the spy genre today.

DETROIT TRADECRAFT · March 2012

I agree with Spectreblofeld, Richard K Morgan would be a great bond novelist, his
combination of wit, danger and contemporary creativity are in my opinion what's
needed... To say the least

Richard--W · March 2012

I didn't realize the high hopes I had for Jeffrey Deaver until after the book let me down. As a writer he does so much that is right, but I did not sense the presence of James Bond or the mind of an Ian Fleming in that book. The series needs someone who can combine the pungent with the matter of fact, the carnal with the business.

I like the suggestion above, perhaps Philip Kerr who wrote the Berlin noir series should take a whack at it.

Richard

PDJamesBond · April 2012

I would love to see Jeffery Deaver do another one. I thought Carte Blanche was fantastic...although perhaps I'm biased because he's one of my favorite authors. And I think he set it up nicely for a second one, with the whole backstory involving Bond's mother.

CdrBond7777 · April 2012

Richard--W wrote:

I did not sense the presence of James Bond or the mind of an Ian Fleming in that book.

Couldn't agree more. I really like the book but the character may as well have been called Dave Johnson for all the relevance it had to bond.

CmdrAtticus · April 2012

I read Licensed Renewed when it was first released and have not read a non -Fleming novel since then. Like Sherlock Holmes or Phillip Marlowe, I will always consider the literary Bond a character of his time. Authors may strive to imitate Fleming's writing style and plotting as they try with other authors, but for me it always pales dramatically and comes up far too short for the effort. The worst sin in my mind is to remove the character from their time in order to update them for contemporary readers. Why do this? I relish time travelling into the past to follow Holmes and Watson jumping into the fog shrowded London streets of the 19th century; to inhabit Phillip Marlowe's wet trenchcoat as he follows a thug through damp streets of WWII Los Angeles; to watch Bond as he relishes another meal at a five star hotel in a foreign country while he is being secretly watched by 1950's Red agents or one of the villains' goons.

If new authors would keep the characters in their place and time I could forgive some of the inadequacies of plotting and style (but not too much!), but taking them out of their time frame context seems to me to be trying to update something that isn't broken. Granted, the fictional year to year time frame Fleming placed Bond from CR through TMWTGG is established since he would comment on the actual season or month the story was taking place. However, I don't see why this would preclude having more novels about other missions within the same time frame. If keeping Bond in the 50's cold war era would constrain the size of a present day audience, then doesn't Flemings original series have the same problem?

The films series is just an entirely different animal. It has become so seperated over time from the original novels that it exists in its own universe. By turning the character into a digital (because can we at this time still use the word celluloid?) superman/noncaped crusader, the producers can keep him current with the times and even reboot the fanchise as they did. However, I will always consider the literary Bond a man of his time, and unless a new author comes along who is permitted to produce a new work with Bond's feet firmly planted in the cold war, I will continue to enjoy re-reading and re-examining the original canon. Had Gardner or Benson kept Bond in the 1950's, I might have been more induced into reading their efforts.

CdrBond7777 · April 2012

Sebastian Faulkes did that. It was ****.

Napoleon Plural · April 2012

True. I get what Atticus is saying. It's v odd. Fleming namechecks North by Northwest in TB, and maybe Tommy Steele too when Bond is chatting to the taxi driver on the way to Shrublands, and it's okay. But when Faulks mentions the Rolling Stones and so on, it's cringey. It's awful signposting. Doubt if Bond would even know or care about the Stones.

Atticus, have you read Wood's novelisations? They are set in the present, well 1970s of its time, but there is nothing unsettling about it. It is just skirted around.

dlb007 · April 2012

I've given this a lot of thought, and I've finally decided on Daniel Silva. After reading a few of his Gabriel Allon novels, I think he is the guy for the job. Doubt he'll do it, but I think he'd do a great job.

chrisno1 · April 2012

Apparently this particular mystery is solved: William Boyd.
However at the risk of being cheeky, I think there a few half decent Fan Fiction writers who (with some sound, authoratitive, literary editing and advice) could concoct a novel at least as good as Deaver's and a darn sight better than Faulks'.