The Blades Library Book Club: Win, Lose Or Die

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

John Gardner’s Win, Lose Or Die

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 Twenty-third Book

Currently 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. The club has just finished all fourteen of the Ian Fleming novels as well as the one-time-only Bond novel by Kingsley Amis, Colonel Sun. Most recently, the club moved onto the John Gardner era, and now continues with his eighth novel: Win, Lose Or Die.

Obtaining The Book

Ordering online should be fairly easy. Win, Lose Or Die can be ordered online (although in used condition) from the following sources:

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com
• eBay

Discuss other places to buy Win, Lose Or Die 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 Win, Lose Or Die, 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

• 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

New 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' For Centenary

Ian Fleming’s classic children’s tale, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be republished this May as part of the James Bond author’s centenary celebrations.

The “lavish, highly collectable edition” of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

According to the latest Puffin catalogue, the book will be reprinted in a “fabulous new gift edition”, complete with original illustrations by John Burningham.

First published in 1964, Fleming’s story of a highly unique car has become a classic, later being adapted as a film (produced by Albert R. Broccoli) and stage production.

The book will be republished in hardback in May 2008 and will retail for £14.99.

In addition to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, May will also see the publication of Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care, Samantha Weinberg’s The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling and Kev Walker’s graphic novelisation of Charlie Higson’s SilverFin, as well as an exhibition dedicated to the 007 author.

Stay tuned to CBn for the latest news on the Ian Fleming Centenary.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet.

Young Bond 5's Working Title Steps From The Shadows

Our friends at The Young Bond Dossier have dug up a secret source to give them the working title of Young Bond book number 5.

The working title is:

The Shadow War

As most fans know working titles can possibly and may likely change—such as the title Double M becoming Blood Fever—but even if the title is changed a working title can give insight and spur imaginations of the upcoming book. Certainly more than a working title like Young Bond 5.

James Bond Stamps Coming In January 2008

Casino Royale, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only

11 October Update: The two first day covers are currently available to pre-order online. The first will be postmarked at Mayfair (where Ian Fleming was born) and features a diamonds and dice design. Dame Judi Dench will personally sign a limited number of this cover. The second will be postmarked at St Margaret’s-at-Cliff, Kent, where Fleming lived for a time. Featuring an underwater action motif, limited numbers of this cover will be signed by Richard Kiel and a very limited number by Sir Roger Moore. Pre-order: Cover 1 | Cover 2

One of the covers of the four prestige booklets has also been posted online at 007 Magazine. Arrangements are being made to have four different Bond girls personally sign a limited number of the prestige booklets (a different Bond girl for each of the four booklets). Pre-order: Prestige Booklets (set of 4)

Royal Mail will pay tribute to James Bond as part of the Ian Fleming Centenary celebrations next year when it releases a series of stamps commemorating the famous secret agent.

Dr. No, Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love

According to Philately Club, a series of six stamps will be released on 8 January 2008, each featuring four different covers of one of Ian Fleming’s novels. The six books to feature on the 60 x 21mm stamps are:

• 1st – Casino Royale
• 1st – Dr. No
• 54p – Goldfinger
• 54p – Diamonds Are Forever
• 78p – For Your Eyes Only
• 78p – From Russia With Love

The site reports that six stamps, a miniature sheet, prestige stamp book, presentation pack and first day covers will all be issued to celebrate the centenary of Fleming’s birth.

The 007 series is currently the only new line of stamps planned for release in January.

Stay tuned to CBn for all the latest news on the Ian Fleming Centenary.

Discuss these exciting new stamps in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet. With thanks to Charlie Higson – who dropped word of the stamps in a live web chat on Blue Peter. Additional thanks to The James Bond Dossier.

Amy Goodenough May Be Back For Young Bond 5

This past weekend, a particularly major piece of news regarding next year’s Young Bond 5 was released, namely that Charlie Higson is planning for James Bond to fall in love.

While Higson noted that the love interest will be someone new to the Young Bond series, he also mentioned that a girl from Bond’s past would also be returning.

The Young Bond Dossier reports that odds are likely that Blood Fever‘s Amy Goodenough will be this girl from the past.

Charlie Higson didn’t confirm her appearance, but said: ‘She might appear in the fifth book, I’m thinking about it. I want to bring back some characters, and some I know are definitely coming back… but, yes, I think I probably will bring back Amy Goodenough.’

For further exclusive details on Young Bond 5, which is due for release in the UK on 4 September 2008, read the CBn Interview with Charlie Higson.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Young Bond and literary 007 coverage.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum in the world. With thanks to ‘zencat.’

Not Quite Young Bond, Not Quite 007

WARNING: Minor plot spoilers

Charlie Higson’s newest Young Bond novel, Hurricane Gold, is a bit of an oddity. One aspect that always shined through as the winning formula of the previous three novels in the series, especially evident in both Blood Fever and Double or Die, was the delicate and interesting mixture between the young James Bond character and the adult 007 he will eventually become. The main character is most undoubtedly a boy and one could argue that is the prime audience these novels should be attempting to please, but Higson always managed to perfectly fit together the puzzle pieces such as new and intriguing locations, the outlandish villains and their sinister plans so that they worked on both the Young Bond and 007 levels. With Hurricane Gold, it seems like the focus was much more in creating a young boy’s adventure story and it results in somewhat throwing off that compelling combination.

In the most recent novel in the series, Double or Die, the story’s events were always on a tight timescale as James and his friends frantically rushed around London trying to solve several cryptic clues in search of the missing professor. Hurricane Gold‘s plot is slightly less defined, but the pace still moves at breakneck speed. One of the first things the reader will immediately notice upon starting Hurricane Gold is the absence of any scenes at Eton. With this location out of the way, the action can promptly begin in Mexico. This is an interesting departure for the series in terms of the basic setup for the storyline, but Higson makes it work by interspersing three letters from Bond’s friends at Eton (Pritpal Nandra, Perry Mandeville and Mr. Merriot), thus keeping the reader in tune with the general events going on at the school.

Charlie Higson’s ‘Hurricane Gold’

The boy’s adventure story aspect is most clearly evident in the setup and execution of the many action sequences throughout the majority of the novel. With Blood Fever and Double or Die, the action seemed to alternate with breaks evenly throughout (particularly in Double or Die because of the mystery elements), but in Hurricane Gold, the key word is action from the very beginning. Sequences such as the hurricane and resulting flood are effective, but combined altogether it just doesn’t completely feel like the Young James Bond stories we’ve had in the past.

One of the highlights of Hurricane Gold is the Bond girl of the story, Precious Stone. In a particularly inspired introduction, Bond first meets the initially pretentious and conceited girl as she sits in front of a large make-up mirror, painting her nails: “‘You must be James,’ she said without looking round.” The sequence is faintly reminiscent of Bond’s first encounter with the cool and carefree Tiffany Case in Ian Fleming’s Diamonds are Forever. Her exhaustive complaining during much of the first half of the novel balances well with the common sense approach Bond uses throughout and it makes for a believable relationship between the two.

Slightly less successful (for the first time in the series) are the villains of Hurricane Gold. El Huracán is certainly one of the more outlandish characters featured so far and he makes a strong impression as he introduces the avenida de la muerte–the avenue of death–at the very beginning of the novel. The main problem is that his appearances throughout the story are limited and even with the addition of details on his past life, he just doesn’t make the same kind of impression that earlier villains such as Count Ugo Carnifex and Sir John Charnage did. More effective is the mysterious Theda Glass who leads the gang of thieves and interacts with Bond throughout the first half of the novel. Unfortunately, due to the storyline, the character’s importance ultimately pales in comparison to El Huracán.

Young Bond

As with the previous novels in the series, Hurricane Gold has its own unique torture sequence, this time with an assortment of unfriendly creatures. La Avenida de la Muerte has a little bit of everything, whether it be snakes, scorpions, or crocodiles. The surprise of not knowing what is in store in each new room as Bond and Precious proceed through the avenue of death makes for an effective climax.

Do I recommend Hurricane Gold for interested Bond fans? Yes; definitely. It features several intriguing locations that are new to the literary 007 canon and has a pace that never tires. In turn, the aspect that makes the novel disappointing compared to the previous entries in the series is that isn’t as enjoyable as a James Bond novel. Hurricane Gold works extremely well as a young boy’s adventure novel, but it just feels like the mixture of Young Bond and 007 isn’t quite complete.

Purchase Hurricane Gold from Amazon.co.uk.

Discuss this Hurricane Gold review in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum in the world.

Charlie Higson Reveals Major Young Bond 5 Details

WARNING: Minor spoilers

With the release date of 4 September 2008 now revealed for Charlie Higson’s Young Bond 5, the fifth and final novel in his hugely popular Young James Bond series, expect details and spoilers to start coming in more and more.

The Young Bond Dossier reports that Higson dropped a particularly interesting piece of news about the role of the Bond girl in Young Bond 5, noting that this will be the first time that James falls in love.

‘At the risk of all the boys running squeamish throughout the room,’ Higson announced to his audience at the Hurricane Gold launch party last month, ‘James Bond is going to fall in love…[click here to view the discussion with Higson]

As CBn has previously reported, Young Bond 5 will focus on the events that lead to Bond’s expulsion from Eton. Windsor Castle is planned as a location and the Royal Family also may be featured. Read the most recent CBn interview with Charlie Higson for even more details.

Even though there were numerous new Bond books released in 2006 and a fair share so far this year, 2008 is shaping up to be the year for the literary 007. In addition to the release of Young Bond 5, Penguin Books has planned a celebration of 007, Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care will mark Ian Fleming’s centenary in May, Samantha Weinberg will conclude her Moneypenny Diaries trilogy with Final Fling and the SilverFin graphic novel will finally hit bookshelves. Not to mention the Titan release of Shark Bait, Double or Die‘s US debut, and much, much more.

To keep up will all of the latest releases, just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, which is located on the lower right panel on our main page.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Young Bond and literary 007 coverage.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum in the world. With thanks to ‘zencat.’

Charlie Higson Discusses Young Bond Short Story Possibilities

Even with recent release of Charlie Higson’s Hurricane Gold last month and the recent news that Young Bond 5 will be out next year, it seems that many fans can’t get enough enough of these James Bond adventures. With that in mind, the upcoming news should prove to be a welcomed surprise…

The Young Bond Dossier reports that Charlie Higson is toying with the idea of writing a Young Bond short story set between the events of Hurricane Gold and Young Bond 5.

The author revealed the news during the launch party for Hurricane Gold and further elaborated that it would feature James Bond and Aunt Charmain aboard an ocean liner on their way back to England from Mexico. SilverFin‘s Wilder Lawless would also make an appearance.

Higson cautioned that this ideas was ‘something that might happen or might not,’ so we’ll just have to wait and see.

The most recent short stories in the literary 007 world were Samantha Weinberg’s For Your Eyes Only, James and Moneypenny’s First Date With Bond, both released in November of last year.

Be sure to check out CBn’s brand new interview with Young Bond author, Charlie Higson.

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Hurricane Gold and Young Bond coverage.

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum in the world. With thanks to ‘zencat.’

'Double Or Die' Limited Collector's Edition In Stores Now

Young Bond fans hoping to snap up a limited collector’s edition copy of Charlie Higson’s Double Or Die had better get searching!

Charlie Higson’s Double or Die

The Young Bond Dossier today reports that copies of the novel have arrived in Waterstone’s stores across the UK. Despite previous reports that the book could be pre-ordered online, the site confirms that the edition, like those of SilverFin and Blood Fever, is available exclusively in-store.

Charlie Higson signed the 999 copies of the book the same day he signed the 1,500 limited edition copies of Hurricane Gold. And yes, as expected, there is a #007 copy out there… somewhere.

Double Or Die sees James Bond following a series of clues that lead him on a dangerous trek across London.

Keep watching CBn for the latest Young Bond news.

Order Double Or Die from Amazon.co.uk.

Discuss this edition of Double Or Die in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond 007 forum on the internet. With thanks to “zencat”.