Raymond Benson's Choice of Weapons 007 anthology to launch on 12 September

The official book launch party has been announced for Choice of Weapons: Three 007 Novels, the second James Bond anthology from author Raymond Benson.

According to the author’s official website, the 007 anthology will be made available at Centuries and Sleuths Bookstore in Forest Park, Illinois on 12 September 2010. Benson is currently in negotiations to arrange for Janet Davies, ABC 7 news anchor and celebrity (as well as a character in his 1999 Bond short story Live at Five), to attend the event.

However, lucky fans attending the Printers Row Book Fair this June in Chicago will have the exclusive chance to pick up a copy of the book several months ahead of publication. Benson will be appearing at the event on 12-13 June where a special print run of the book courtesy of publisher Pegasus Books will be for sale.

Otherwise, the 864-page trade paperback will hit bookstores on 17 August. Bringing together Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death and The Man with the Red Tattoo, this collecton will further include the Midsummer Night’s Doom and Live at Five short stories, both originally published in 1999.

Literary 007 fans will recall that 2008 marked the release of The Union Trilogy—the first anthology of Benson Bond adventures. As was the case with that collection, Benson will once again provide an all-new introduction for this one.

• Order the US paperback edition of Choice of Weapons: Three 007 Novels from Amazon.com

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page and visit our always active Discussion Forums for the most up-to-date literary James Bond coverage on the web.

SilverFin makes the cut in Puffin's top 70 books

Charlie Higson’s SilverFin has been honoured by appearing in Puffin’s list of its top 70 books, drawn up to mark the publisher’s 70th birthday.

The novel, which introduced us to Young James Bond, is one of four books to feature in the “Best Heroes” category.

Higson’s The Enemy was also recognised in the “Best Blood and Guts” category of Puffin’s list.

The list features a selection of books from Puffin’s rich history from classic novelists such as Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum to contemporary writers including Eoin Colfer and Rick Riordan. Five of the 70 novels were penned by children’s favourite (and You Only Live Twice screenwriter) Roald Dahl.

Georgina Hanratty, manager of south London children’s bookshop Tales On Moon Lane, told guardian.co.uk, “The Puffin list continues to look remarkably strong. So many of the books it promoted in the seven decades have just gone on and on. They provide a long, robust spine to children’s books. And the recent acquisition of authors such as Eoin Colfer, Meg Rosoff and Charlie Higson just adds a fresh new layer.”

Puffin recently published Monstroso, a novella written by Charlie Higson as part of its Pocket Puffins series, also launched to celebrate the publisher’s 70th birthday.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest Young Bond news.

The Man With the Golden Touch: How the Bond Films Conquered the World

Back in October 2008, CommanderBond.net reported on a brand new book for literary 007 collectors to grab: The Man With the Golden Touch: How the Bond Films Conquered the World by Sinclair McKay.

We can now report that a paperback edition of the title has been announced and can currently be pre-ordered online at Amazon.co.uk.

The publisher’s blurb follows below:

When Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman set out to make what they expected to be the first of three or four movies based on the espionage novels of Ian Fleming they can hardly have dreamt that they were founding a business that would still be going strong nearly half a century later. Yet the role of James Bond, which transformed Sean Connery’s career in 1962 when Dr. No came out, still retained its star-making power in 2006 when Daniel Craig made his Bond debut in Casino Royale. This is the story of how, with the odd misstep along the way, the owners of the Bond franchise, Eon Productions, have contrived to keep James Bond abreast of the zeitgeist and at the top of the charts for 45 years, through 21 films featuring six Bonds, three M’s, two Q’s and three Moneypennies. Thanks to the films, Fleming’s original creation has been transformed from a black sheep of the post-war English upper classes into a figure with universal appeal, constantly evolving to keep pace with changing social and political circumstances.

Having interviewed people concerned with all aspects of the films, Sinclair Mckay is ideally placed to describe how the Bond ‘brand’ has been managed over the years as well as to give us the inside stories of the supporting cast of Bond girls, Bond villains, Bond cars and Bond gadgetry. This book covers the 45-year history of the world’s most successful film franchise. It shows how Eon Productions has kept James Bond abreast of the zeitgeist and at the top of the charts through 21 films featuring six Bonds, 3 M’s, 2 Q’s and 3 Moneypennies. It tells the stories behind the ‘Bond’ girls, the ‘Bond’ villains, the ‘Bond’ songs and title sequences, the ‘Bond’ cars and gadgetry.

This new paperback edition of The Man With the Golden Touch: How the Bond Films Conquered the World will be published by Aurum Press Ltd. on 25 March 2011 and will retail for £8.99.

Bond fans can currently pre-order online at a discounted price:

• Order the UK paperback edition of The Man With the Golden Touch: How the Bond Films Conquered the World from Amazon.co.uk

For up-to-the-minute literary James Bond coverage, always turn your browsers to the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums.

Faulks on Fiction: The Secret Life of the Novel

A new book from James Bond centenary author Sebastian Faulks is on the horizon: Faulks on Fiction: The Secret Life of the Novel.

Faulks on Fiction will be published to coincide with a major BBC series (more on that in this CommanderBond.net article). The book will feature the Devil May Care author’s take on many enduring character types from over the centuries and ‘a unique social history of Britain’.

The full publisher’s blurb follows below:

The British invented the novel, with the publication of Robinson Crusoe in 1719 marking the arrival of a new and revolutionary form of art. But it’s equally true, as Sebastian Faulks makes clear in this remarkable book, that the novel invented the British: for the first time there was a form of art that reflected the experiences of ordinary people and provided characters that served as true cultural touchstones.

In The Secret Life of the English Novel, Faulks explores enduring character types from over the centuries—Heroes from Tom Jones to John Self, Lovers from Mr Darcy to Lady Chatterly, Villains from Fagin to Barbara Covett, and Snobs from Emma Woodhouse to James Bond—and shows us how they mapped and inspired the British psyche, and continue to do so.

Published to coincide with a major BBC series, The Secret Life of the English Novel is a subjective and opinionated look at the psychology of the British through their literature, and a unique social history of Britain from one of our most respected writers.

Faulks on Fiction: The Secret Life of the Novel is currently scheduled for a late 2010/early 2011 release date. The book can currently be pre-ordered in hardback, retailing for £20.00, from Amazon.co.uk:

• Order the UK hardback edition of Faulks on Fiction: The Secret Life of the Novel from Amazon.co.uk

For up-to-the-minute literary James Bond coverage, always turn your browsers to the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums.

James Bond fans unite to get John Gardner's 007 back in action

GardnerRenewed.org

In the early-1980s, novelist John Gardner (1926-2007) undertook the impossible task of bringing Ian Fleming’s “master spy” James Bond 007 into the new decade, ending up with a product that reinvigorated the Bond literary franchise after many years of inactivity. First published by Glidrose Publications (currently Ian Fleming Publications) and Jonathan Cape in 1981, Licence Renewed was the first of 14 original James Bond novels written by Gardner.

May 2011 will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of Licence Renewed and in honor of this anniversary, a campaign to get all 14 of Gardner’s James Bond novels reprinted began on the CommanderBond.net Forums on April 16, 2010.

From 1981 to 1996, Gardner penned 14 original novels and 2 novelizations featuring James Bond 007. The majority of Gardner’s novels have been out of print for 20 or more years and COLD, Gardner’s final contribution to the series, hasn’t been in print since 1997!

The purpose of the “Reprint John Gardner’s 007 Now” campaign is to gather “followers” that wish to see these novels reprinted (complete with uniform cover art) in the near future.

GardnerRenewed.org

There are many ways to get involved and show your support. They include:

• Follow @GardnerRenewed on Twitter
• Vote in the CommanderBond.net Discussion Forums poll
• Voice your opinion on the CommanderBond.net Discussion Forums

If you’re unfamiliar with John Gardner’s literary 007 series, feel free to check out the following CommanderBond.net ‘Looking Back…’ series:

Fans can also participate in CBn’s Blades Library Book Club, where they can post their own reviews of Gardner’s Bond novels on the CBn Forums. Full details here.

As always, keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums for all the latest literary 007 coverage and news.

Charlie Higson's Australian and New Zealand tour stops announced

Last month we reported on the various US locations Young James Bond author Charlie Higson would be visiting in May for his forthcoming book tour. Now, thanks to the always up-to-date Young Bond Dossier, we can bring you the details on several more in Australia and New Zealand.

Featuring book signings, discussions and more, this world tour will support the release of his fifth Young Bond adventure, By Royal Command, the SilverFin Graphic Novel and the non-Bond horror novel The Enemy.

Specific details follow below:

Thursday, 13 May

• 11:00am – Auckland Writers & Readers Festival, ABS Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
  Official website

Saturday, 15 May

• 2:30pm – Auckland Writers & Readers Festival, ABS Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
  Official website

Tuesday, 18 May

• 9:20am – Sydney Writers’ Festival, Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay, Australia
  Official website
• 4:30pm – The Children’s Bookshop, 6 Hannah St, Beecroft, Australia
  Official website

Wednesday, 19 May

• 9:40am – Sydney Writers’ Festival, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, Australia
  Official website

Thursday, 20 May

• 11:00am – Melbourne Exhibition and Conference Centre, Melbourne, Australia
  Official website

• Order the US hardback of By Royal Command from Amazon.com
• Order the US hardback of SilverFin: The Graphic Novel from Amazon.com
• Order the US paperback of SilverFin: The Graphic Novel from Amazon.com
• Order the US hardback of The Enemy from Amazon.com
• Order the US paperback of Hurricane Gold from Amazon.com

Be sure to stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page (and our Discussion Forums) as more stops on Higson’s US book tour are announced.

John Gardner's The Liquidator to return in 2010

John Gardner’s The Liquidator will be back in action in 2010.

According to an update posted on the recently redesigned and relaunched John-Gardner.com website, the James Bond author’s very first novel, 1964’s The Liquidator, is set to be reprinted later this year in the UK.

The comedic thriller introduced secret agent Boysie Oakes, a character Gardner would be bring back for several of his future novels in the series, such as Understrike and Amber Nine.

This new reprint of The Liquidator will be released by classic thrillers and crime publisher Ostara Publishing. No specific release date has been announced yet, but October 2010 is the targeted month.

For an interesting take on the connections between Gardner’s James Bond series and The Liquidator, check out the following CommanderBond.net article: Past James Bond Author References In John Gardner’s ‘The Liquidator’.

Keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums for all the latest literary 007 coverage and news.

Sebastian Faulks' A Week in December arrives in paperback in UK

A Week in December, the latest novel from Devil May Care author Sebastian Faulks, has debuted in paperback this month in the UK.

Originally published late last year in the UK and this past March in the UK, this new book is the first contemporary novel written by Faulks. Besides his 2008 Ian Fleming centenary James Bond adventure, some of his other works include Birdsong, Human Traces and Engelby.

This new paperback edition is published by Hutchinson and retails for £12.99.

The official publication blurb follows:

A Week in December is Sebastian Faulks’ first wholly contemporary novel. Set in London, it’s a brilliant social satire, structured like a thriller, that takes place over the course of a single week at the end of 2007.

It brings together an intriguing cast of characters, each apparently in his or her own world but – as gradually becomes clear – ultimately intricately related. The anti-hero, John Veals, is a shadily successful and boundlessly ambitious Dickensian figure who is trading billions and other characters include a teenage Muslim fanatic, a Polish footballer, a female tube driver, a literary critic, a care worker and a chutney tycoon. As the story builds to its climax, Faulks pulls together powerful ideas about family, money, religion, and the way we live now.

• Order the UK hardback edition of A Week in December from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK audiobook edition of A Week in December from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK paperback edition of A Week in December from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the US hardback edition of A Week in December from Amazon.com

For up-to-the-minute literary James Bond coverage, always turn your browsers to the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums.

Higson comments again on Young Bond series 2

It’s been about six months since the UK publication of Charlie Higson’s Danger Society: The Young Bond Dossier, his non-fiction companion to the first Young Bond series. We say first Young Bond series because Higson still hasn’t ruled out returning to the franchise for another go. Last year he was quoted as saying he’d “like to write more Bond books, it’s just a question of juggling time.”

Yesterday the New Zealand Herald published an interview with Charlie Higson where he reaffirmed that he’s still considering doing a Young Bond series 2. “I always had a storyline that would run over five books and work as a complete series,” he says. “But as the books became more successful, both the Fleming Estate and Puffin were very keen for me to extend it beyond that. I wanted to take a break at that point, not least of all because it would require thinking up a whole new storyline with James growing up and moving to a new school. It’s always difficult to move on from something that’s done really well. I haven’t said I’m never going to do another one but I wanted to establish my own, entirely new series first.”

Last year saw the release of Higson’s The Enemy, a horror book of sorts for young adults in the UK. Publication of the novel stateside is planned for May 11. A followup sequel, The Dead, is currently planned for release in the UK in October.

Charlie Higson’s fifth and final (first series) Young Bond novel, By Royal Command, is due for release in the US on May 18th followed by a US book tour beginning on the 23rd.

Be sure to stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page (and our Discussion Forums) for all the latest news from the world of Young Bond.

Bond with Charlie Higson at the Hay Festival on 5 June

Young James Bond author Charlie Higson will once again be attending this year’s Guardian Hay Festival in the UK.

The Young Bond Dossier reports that a conversation with the Bond author is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 5 June at 2:30pm.

The venue for this event is the Oxfam Studio. Tickets are £5.00 per person and can be purchased online here.

The Guardian Hay Festival runs from Thursday, 27 May through Sunday, 6 June. For complete details on the guests attending and a round-up of all the events, email [email protected] or visit the official website.

Be sure to stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page (and our Discussion Forums) for all the latest news from the world of Young Bond.