The Blades Library Book Club: Doubleshot

Welcome back to The Blades Library Book Club – the place for quality discussions of the books of James Bond!

Every two months a James Bond 007 novel is chosen for the club members to read. A thread is posted in the club forums listing locations on where you can find the novel. Discussions about the book will go on as the book is read and when it is finished. Another thread will be created so that club members can post their review and give a rating on the current book.

All fans of the Literary Bond are eligible for membership. All you need to do to sign up is register on the CBn Forums (it’s free and only takes a minute) and then post your name in the sign up thread.

The Book Club’s 33rd Book

We are progressing though the James Bond 007 novels in chronological order, since quite a number of members are using the club as an opportunity to read the books for the very first time.
After moving through the Bond novels by Ian Fleming, Kingsley Amis and John Gardner, the club most recently embarked upon the Raymond Benson Bond era and now continues with his fourth novel: 2000’s Doubleshot.

Obtaining The Book

Ordering online should be fairly easy. Doubleshot can be ordered online (although in used condition) from the following sources:

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com
• eBay

Discuss other places to buy Doubleshot or where you got your copy in this thread.

Discuss The Book While Reading

Want to talk about the book while reading it? Post a new thread in The Blades Library.

Review And Rate The Book

After you have finished reading Doubleshot, you can discuss it with other club members in The Blades Library, and give the book your personal rating out of five in this thread.

If you have any questions or suggestions just post them in a new thread. Happy reading.

*New* Archive Of All Past Read Books

Additionally, club members can review or comment on any of the past read books in the club any time they want. Click here for the full archive of the past read books in the club.

Previous Books Read

• High Time To Kill: April 2009 – May 2009
• The Facts of Death: February 2009 – March 2009
• Zero Minus Ten: December 2008 – January 2009
• COLD: October 2008 – November 2008
• SeaFire: August 2008 – September 2008
• Never Send Flowers: June 2008 – July 2008
• Death Is Forever: April 2008 – May 2008
• The Man From Barbarossa: February 2008 – March 2008
• Brokenclaw: December 2007 – January 2008
• Win, Lose Or Die: October 2007 – November 2007
• Scorpius: August 2007 – September 2007
• No Deals, Mr. Bond: June 2007 – July 2007
• Nobody Lives Forever: April 2007 – May 2007
• Role Of Honour: February 2007 – March 2007
• Icebreaker: December 2006 – January 2007
• For Special Services: October 2006 – November 2006
• Licence Renewed: August 2006 – September 2006
• Colonel Sun: June 2006 – July 2006
• Octopussy & The Living Daylights: April 2006 – May 2006
• The Man With The Golden Gun: February 2006 – March 2006
• You Only Live Twice: December 2005 – January 2006
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: October 2005 – November 2005
• The Spy Who Loved Me: August 2005 – September 2005
• Thunderball: June 2005 – July 2005
• For Your Eyes Only: April 2005 – May 2005
• Goldfinger: February 2005 – March 2005
• Doctor No: December 2004 – January 2005
• From Russia, With Love: September 2004 – November 2004
• Diamonds Are Forever: July 2004 – August 2004
• Moonraker: May 2004 – June 2004
• Live and Let Die: May 2003 – June 2003
• Casino Royale: March 2003 – April 2003

Titan's 'The Girl Machine' Pushed To August In US

Titan’s latest James Bond comic strip collection, The Girl Machine, has been pushed back to a late-August release in the US.

007 fans stateside will now have to wait until 25 August to pick up the forthcoming Bond collection. The UK release date of 24 July remains the same. Pre-order links follow at the end of this article.

The Girl Machine brings together the Beware Of Butterflies and The Nevsky Nude adventures in addition to the title story. All three were penned by Jim Lawrence and drawn by Yaroslav Horak and originally syndicated in 1973/74.

The legend continues! Stand by for more adventures with the world’s greatest and most famous secret agent, James Bond, as some of his most thrilling missions are collected for the first time ever in a deluxe collectors’ library edition! This bumper action-packed volume collects ultra rare Bond stories that have not been seen since their original syndication between 1973-74: The Girl Machine, Beware of Butterflies and The Nevsky Nude. Plus a brand new celebrity introduction and an exclusive selection of recently unearthed James Bond comic strip artwork that has never before seen print, this latest essential volume is not to be missed!

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date illustrated James Bond coverage on the web.

'By Royal Command' On Independent Booksellers Prize Shortlist

Charlie Higson’s latest Young James Bond adventure has been included on the children’s shortlist for a 2009 Independent Booksellers Prize.

The Young Bond Dossier reports the news that 2008’s By Royal Command will compete against 9 other selected titles.

Fans can vote for By Royal Command as their favourite by picking up a voting postcard in participating retail stores or emailing their choice to [email protected] before 28 August 2009. The winner will be announced in September.

The following shortlist of titles was voted for by Booksellers Association members from a longlist derived from sales data of bestselling books at independent bookshops.

Children’s – Independent Booksellers Prize

• The Crossing of Ingo by Helen Dunmore (HarperCollins)
• Running on the Cracks by Julia Donaldson (Egmont)
• The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson (Macmillan)
• Tiddler by Julia Donaldson (Scholastic)
• Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton (Egmont)
• Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire by Derek Landy (HarperCollins)
• Then by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin)
• Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer (Puffin)
• By Royal Command by Charlie Higson (Puffin)
• Kaspar by Michael Morpurgo (HarperCollins)

• Order the UK paperback edition of By Royal Command from Amazon.co.uk

Stay up-to-date with all the latest literary James Bond news at CommanderBond.net main page—and be sure to check out our brand new Twitter feed too.

'SilverFin' Graphic Novel Slated For July 2010 In US

Good news today for Young James Bond fans in the US. The Young Bond Dossier reports that SilverFin: The Graphic Novel is slated to be released in July 2010.

Disney Publishing will release the graphic novel adaptation of Charlie Higson’s first Young Bond novel in both hardback and papeback formats.

SilverFin: The Graphic Novel first arrived in the UK this past October and featured more than 300 full-colour illustrations from artist Kev Walker. Click here for CommanderBond.net’s detailed review.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest details on the SilverFin graphic novel and all Young Bond-related news—be sure to check out our Twitter feed too.

Ian Fleming's 'The Diamond Smugglers' And 'Thrilling Cities' Coming This Year

The updated Ian Fleming Publications website has a few promising notes for literary James Bond fans.

First up is the news that 2009 will see Fleming’s two non-fiction (and non-Bond) books The Diamond Smugglers and Thrilling Cities finally reprinted.

As reported on CommanderBond.net, both titles were originally slated to be released last year, but this never occurred. The new hardback editions of The Diamond Smugglers will be introduced by Fergus Fleming and Thrilling Cities will be introduced by Jan Morris. CBn will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Next is the news that IFP will be continuing to release 007 novels as e-books. All 14 of Fleming’s Bond adventures were made available for the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader last year.

The final bit of news promises that more literary Bond adventures (in some shape or form) are on the way:

Ian Fleming Publications is constantly considering new ways to extend the Bond brand, and plans for James Bond following Ian Fleming’s Centenary are well under way.

What do you think the company should do next? Voice your opinion here on the CommanderBond.net Forums.

Keep watching the CBn main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date literary James Bond coverage on the web.

'Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale' Now Available

Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale, a brand new book by author Christoph Lindner is released this month in both the UK and US.

Literary Bond fans best know Lindner for his 2003 critical examination of 007, The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (the second edition of which was also just released in the UK).

Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale is published in hardback and paperback by Wallflower Press. The official blurb follows:

Revisioning 007 is a lively collection of new essays on the reinvention of James Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig in his first appearance as Agent 007. Treating Casino Royale as a case study in popular film culture and as a significant turning point in the 007 series, the book offers innovative readings of the film and its inte-rrelations with the Bond franchise, the culture industry and recent developments in cinema, society and world politics.

Essay topics range from the analysis of 007’s masochism, voyeurism and hyper-mobility, to the examination of the film’s testicular torture scene, the links between international politics and high-stakes gambling and the changing role of the secret agent in a post-9/11 world order.

Order online:

• Order the UK hardback edition of Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the UK paperback edition of Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the US hardback edition of Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale from Amazon.com
• Order the US paperback edition of Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale from Amazon.com

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date literary James Bond coverage on the web.

Sebastian Faulks' 'Devil May Care' Is Back In UK Book Charts

One year on and Devil May Care is back in the UK book charts.

According to the Bookseller, the paperback edition of the Ian Fleming centenary novel made its way into the official UK Top 50 this week. The title debuted in 14th position with a 12,609 part-week sale, 2,636 copies short of the week’s highest new entry, Sheila O’Flanagan’s Someone Special.

One year ago exactly, CommanderBond.net reported that the hardback edition of Devil May Care became publisher Penguin’s fastest selling hardback fiction title ever, shifting 44,093 copies were in the first four days it was on sale.

Keep turning to the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for complete coverage of Devil May Care and all the latest literary James Bond news.

Win Two Tickets To An Exclusive VIP Screening With Charlie Higson

The Young Bond Dossier has launched an all-new competition that Young Bond fans won’t want to miss.

In conjunction with publisher Puffin Books, they are offering five sets of two tickets to a special preview screening of a short film for Charlie Higson’s new book The Enemy. With make-up done by a movie professional, this promotional film is said to be amazing!

This exclusive VIP screening will be held in London on Tuesday, 23 June and will be followed by a Q&A with Charlie Higson. To enter the drawing for these incredibly limited tickets, all you have to do is answer the following question:

Who directed the celebrated 1968 cult zombie film Night of the Living Dead?

Click here to email your answer along with your name, age, and address

Only one entry per person. Closing date is Friday, 12 June. You must be over 13 to enter and be available to attend the screening on 23 June. If you are under 16 you will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Visit The Young Bond Dossier for full terms and conditions.

The Enemy will be published by Puffin on 3rd September 2009. Set in contemporary London after a mystery illness attacks everyone over the age of 14, gangs of kids are left to fend for themselves, dodging adults who are so crazed by disease they have become little better than wild animals who feed on the living!

'The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader' Released In UK

The second edition of Christoph Lindner’s The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader has been released this month in the UK and is currently shipping from Amazon.co.uk at a discounted price of £12.74.

Originally published in the UK and US at the end of 2003, The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader features various essays examining from different perspectives the cultural icon that 007 has become.

This new edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader is published in paperback by Manchester University Press. At 272 pages in length, it retails for £14.99 / $24.95. A release in the US follows in early August of this year.

The book’s original blurb follows:

Sean Connery’s tuxedo, Ursula Andress’ bikini, Oddjob’s bowler hat, and Q’s gadgets are just a few defining features of the 007 world examined in this text. Drawn from the fields of literary, film, music and cultural studies, the essays in this collection range from revitalized readings of Ian Fleming’s spy novels to the analysis of Pussy Galore’s lesbianism, Miss Monneypenny’s filmic feminism and Pierce Brosnan’s techno-fetishism.

Together the essays not only consider the James Bond novels and films in relation to their historical, political and social contexts, from the Cold-War period onwards, but also examine the classic bond canon from an array of theoretical perspectives. What the text aims to show is that there is much more to the 007 series than cheap thrills, fast cars and beautiful women.

With essays by Umberto Eco, Tony Bennett, Tara Brabazon, Toby Miller and Jim Leach, among others, Lindner illustrates not only how the Bond character has conquered the globe, but has sustained its pre-eminence across six decades. Starting with the original books and moving through the films, the music and the marketing, this study should be of use to students of film, media, popular literature, marketing and cultural studies.

• Order the paperback edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2nd ed.) from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the paperback edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2nd ed.) from Amazon.com

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest literary 007 coverage.

James Bond Centenary Reprints Arrive In Paperback

As many CommanderBond.net readers will no doubt recall, all 14 of the original James Bond books were reprinted last May to mark the centenary of Ian Fleming.

Published in hardback under the Penguin 007 imprint with striking new cover designs by artist Michael Gillette, these editions were quickly coveted by fans and went out of print after just a few months.

We have now discovered new paperback editions published this year that also feature the cover artwork. However, only a select few titles are listed on Amazon.co.uk: all titles listed below are marked as being published on 23 April 2009, with the exception of You Only Live Twice, which (oddly) has a 2 July release date.

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date literary James Bond coverage on the web.