'Devil May Care' Extract Online

WARNING: Spoilers

With the release of Sebastian Faulks’ James Bond novel right around the corner, the Times today published an extract which Faulks prefaces with how he came to write the novel and his early encounters with the Fleming family and Ian Fleming Publications.

The extract begins with Bond at his home and a discussion with his housekeeper May. From there Bond goes to the office in his Bentley Continental (from Thunderball and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and receives his orders from M. M is worried about opium and a fellow by the name of Dr. Julius Gorner who like Bond joined the war underage though fighting for the Nazis before switching and fighting for the Russians. Presumably the villain of the novel, Gorner like many of Fleming’s villains comes with a physical congenital deformity of his own, a monkey paw for his left hand (although, I chuckled when I read it, it’s not as silly as it may sound here). After receiving his orders, Bond leaves in his Continental and is attacked by two motorcyclists.

Personally, I found it interesting how many name drops from previous books were in this extract. Goldfinger and Kristatos are both mentioned when Bond is hearing M talk about drugs. Rene Mathis is mentioned and presumably will appear later in the book as Bond is sent to make contact with him. Mathis hasn’t been seen since From Russia with Love, although he does appear notably in Raymond Benson’s Never Dream of Dying. To no one’s surprise, before and after Bond meets with M, he also has a talk with Miss Moneypenny.

Devil May Care hits bookshelves Wednesday 28 May. Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest news in the lead-up to the Ian Fleming Centenary and the release of Sebastian Faulks’ novel.