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  1. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Sebastian Faulks' 'Engleby' Released In US

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-09-05

    The newest novel by Sebastian Faulks (author of the upcoming Ian Fleming centenary novel, Devil May Care), Engleby, has been released in the US.

    According to the official blurb for the novel:

    Bestselling British author Sebastian Faulks reinvents the unreliable narrator with his singular, haunting creation–Mike Engleby.

    “My name is Mike Engleby, and I’m in my second year at an ancient university.”

    With that brief introduction we meet one of the most mesmerizing, singular voices in a long tradition of disturbing narrators. Despite his obvious intelligence and compelling voice, it is clear that something about solitary, odd Mike is not quite right. When he becomes fixated on a classmate named Jennifer Arkland and she goes missing, we are left with the looming question: Is Mike Engleby involved? As he grows up, finding a job and even a girlfriend in London, Mike only becomes more and more detached from those around him in an almost anti-coming-of-age. His inability to relate to others and his undependable memory (able to recall countless lines of text yet sometimes incapable of summoning up his own experiences from mere days before) lead the reader down an unclear and often darkly humorous path where one is never completely comfortable or confident about what is true.

    Mike Engleby is a chilling and unforgettable character, and Engleby is a novel that will surprise and beguile Sebastian Faulks’ readership.

    Those interested in the novel can currently order Engleby at a discounted price from amazon.com. The novel was previously published in the UK on 3 May of this year and can also be ordered from amazon.co.uk.

    In related literary James Bond news, a review of Engleby by The New York Observer indicates that 007 fans will be in for a treat once Devil May Care hits shelves: ‘If his Bond novel is as sharp as Engleby, Sebastian Faulks will soon be known as one of the most versatile writers at work today–and one of the most entertaining.’

    Devil May Care is due for release in May 2008 and will be published by Penguin in the UK and Doubleday in the US.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest literary 007 news.

    Discuss this literary 007 news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the Internet. With many thanks to K1Bond007.

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  2. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Pre-order The 'Devil May Care' U.S. Audiobook

    By Matt Weston on 2007-08-30

    Penguin 007 informs us it’s still some 270 days until its release date, but eager James Bond fans can now pre-order the U.S. audiobook of Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care at Amazon.com.

    The listing does not indicate who will be reading the audiobook, which will be published by Random House Audio and retail for $29.95. Fans will be pleased to know the audiobook will be unabridged.

    Oddly, this listing has appeared before any listing for the book itself.

    Faulks recently appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, where he briefly discussed the upcoming Ian Fleming centenary novel.

    According to Faulks, Devil May Care is set in 1967 when “Bond is damaged, aging and in a sense it is the return of the gunfighter for one last heroic mission.”

    The novel is due for release next year and will be published by Penguin in the U.K. and Doubleday in the U.S.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest literary 007 news.

    Discuss this audiobook release in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the Internet.
    With thanks to Forum member “zencat” for the tip-off.

  3. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    "I've just given Fleming's Bond another chapter."

    By Matt Weston on 2007-07-16

    The announcement of Sebastian Faulks as the writer of a new James Bond novel to mark the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth has received an incredible amount of publicity, including news items, features and interviews – it even made the front page of UK newspaper The Guardian.

    This flurry of media activity continues with a new interview with EW.com’s Popwatch blog. Whilst Faulks keeps schtum about the novel’s plot (“If I tell you, I will be strapped to a chair naked and whipped with knotted rope”), he indicates his new Bond novel, Devil May Care, will be firmly rooted in 007’s literary incarnation, and not based on his filmic counterpart.

    “Mine is the book Bond, and [my book] is set in 1967. Which is just after the last [Fleming] book. So we pick him up as Ian Fleming’s Bond, and not Roger Moore’s Bond, or Pierce Brosnan’s, or Daniel Craig’s. I’ve just given Fleming’s Bond another chapter.”

    “The idea was that it should read as though Fleming had written it. On the other hand, I didn’t want to write an exact imitation, because obviously with James Bond, there’s a danger of parody and self-parody.”

    In line with this statement, Faulks confessed not to have read any of the other continuation novelists. “My commission was from the [Fleming] family, and they strongly believe in Ian Fleming’s value as a writer. And that’s one of the reasons they went to someone like me rather than a genre thriller [writer]. Therefore, I felt that all I wanted to do was immerse myself in Fleming and not be distracted by anyone else’s take on the character.”

    Inevitably, the possibility of Devil May Care being adapted for the big screen arose. Said Faulks, “Well, it’s a possibility. It’s been read by [producers] Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson. They were both very positive about the book. But I’m sure that their choice of story for the next movie will be dictated by hundreds of other considerations to do with Hollywood and franchise and marketing. I’d be delighted if it works.”

    Of Daniel Craig’s debut outing, Casino Royale, Faulks told EW.com, “Oh, it was powerful, well-made, and exciting. The girl was great, too. [Craig] was certainly a lot tougher than Roger Moore, who was very soft.”

    “And Fleming does stress the cruelty of Bond, particularly in the early novels. I think that was one of the things that made the creation appealing and rather shocking when it first came out. But if you actually analyze the way that Bond behaves, both towards his enemies, and towards women, it isn’t actually a sadistic or unnecessarily cruel. He only kills in self-defense, or if absolutely necessary for his mission. Although he is an incurable womanzier, he doesn’t actually treat the women badly. In fact, he frequently falls in love with them and is jilted by them sometimes.”

    For the full interview, head on over to EW.com’s Popwatch blog. Stay tuned to CBn for all news on the literary 007.

    Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the Internet.
    With thanks to Forum member “Gobi-1” for the tip-off.

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  4. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Penguin 007 Website For Ian Fleming's Centenary Now Online

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-07-11

    CBn reported yesterday that Penguin Books had big plans for James Bond in 2008 as part of the celebration of Ian Fleming’s centenary and the new novel, Devil May Care, by Sebastian Faulks.

    Their new website, www.penguin007.com, is now up and running. Literary 007 fans can register for email updates while a clock counts down to 28 May 2008 (Fleming’s centenary and the release date of the novel).

    As earlier reported, Penguin, the UK publisher of all 14 of Fleming’s Bond novels, the Charlie Higson Young Bond series, as well as Fleming’s children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be creating a special James Bond imprint, Penguin 007–within which Devil May Care will be published.

    The original press release from July 2006 when Ian Fleming Publications had secured Faulks as the author noted that ‘2008 will be dedicated to a broad range of events and publications designed to celebrate the life of this literary legend and to examine [Fleming’s] legacy. The programme includes a major exhibition featuring never-before-seen material. Further events will reflect Fleming’s passions and experiences in the worlds of art, literature, journalism, sport, motoring and travel.’

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Devil May Care, the Ian Fleming centenary novel by Sebastian Faulks.

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

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  5. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Paris Revealed As A Location In 'Devil May Care'

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-07-11

    Not 24 hours after the announcement that Sebastian Faulks is the author of the Ian Fleming centenary novel, Devil May Care, and already details are coming in regarding the book.

    In a press release by Doubleday, the US publisher of the novel, the president of the company, Stephen Rubin, revealed that Paris, France is one of the key locations in Devil May Care.

    ‘Three pages into Devil May Care and you are immediately thrown back into the world of James Bond and all those wonderful characters we have come to love,’ he said. ‘Devil May Care is pure Fleming channeled by Faulks–a madcap adventure, a romantic romp and a book you can devour in one sitting. It all starts in Paris, and no one alive writes better about Paris than Sebastian Faulks.’

    According to the press release, Devil May Care will be released in the US on the same date as the UK hardback edition–28 May 2008. An Anchor paperback edition will follow in 2009.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Devil May Care, the Ian Fleming centenary novel by Sebastian Faulks.

    Discuss this centenary novel news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet. Thanks to The Young Bond Dossier.

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  6. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Sebastian Faulks Doesn't Know What He's In For, Says Charlie Higson

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-07-11

    The Young Bond Dossier reports that Young Bond author Charlie Higson has commented on the story that Sebastian Faulks is the new author of the centenary novel, Devil May Care.

    ‘I think Sebastian probably doesn’t know what he has let himself in for,’ Higson said to The Guardian. ‘He will find himself completely immersed in the world of Bond and for ever after will be pursued as a Bond author.’

    ‘He will now find himself getting requests to do photo shoots wearing the odd tuxedo, and I imagine he’ll say no, but after a while you sort of give in. That’s the thing about James Bond. It just turns everyone into kids.’

    Devil May Care is due for release on 28 May 2008. It will be published by Penguin Books in the UK and Doubleday in the US.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Devil May Care, the Ian Fleming centenary novel by Sebastian Faulks.

    Discuss this centenary novel news in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet. Thanks to CBn Forum member ‘zencat.’

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  7. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Penguin Planning A Celebration Of 007 In 2008

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-07-10

    Even with the seemingly endless supply of new James Bond novels and books recently, it appears that 2008 may become the year for the literary 007.

    According to a report from the Bookseller, Devil May Care, the newly announced Ian Fleming centenary novel by Sebastian Faulks will be ‘at the centre of a larger programme of celebratory events that will run throughout 2008.’

    To mark the centenary, Penguin will be creating a special James Bond imprint, Penguin 007–within which Devil May Care will be published in May 2008, as well as launching a new website: www.penguin007.com. Penguin UK publishes all 14 of Fleming’s Bond novels, the Charlie Higson Young Bond series, as well as Fleming’s children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

    The original press release from July 2006 when Ian Fleming Publications had secured Faulks as the author noted that ‘2008 will be dedicated to a broad range of events and publications designed to celebrate the life of this literary legend and to examine [Fleming’s] legacy. The programme includes a major exhibition featuring never-before-seen material. Further events will reflect Fleming’s passions and experiences in the worlds of art, literature, journalism, sport, motoring and travel.’

    Devil May Care is due for release on 28 May 2008. It will be published by Penguin Books in the UK and Doubleday in the US.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Devil May Care, the Ian Fleming centenary novel by Sebastian Faulks.

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

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  8. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Sebastian Faulks To Continue James Bond Where Ian Fleming Left Off

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-07-10

    With the announcement today of Sebastian Faulks as the author of the 2008 Ian Fleming centenary novel, Devil May Care, further details have been revealed regarding what he has in store for the literary James Bond…

    ‘I was surprised but flattered to be asked by the Fleming estate last summer if I would write a one-off Bond book for the Ian Fleming Centenary. I told them that I hadn’t read the books since the age of 13, but if, when I re-read them, I still enjoyed them and could see how I might be able to do something in the same vein, then I would be happy to consider it.’

    He continues: ‘On re-reading, I was surprised by how well the books stood up. I put this down to three things: the sense of jeopardy Fleming creates about his solitary hero; a certain playfulness in the narrative details; and a crisp, journalistic style that hasn’t dated.’

    ‘I do think the basic character has lasted and it is a combination of vulnerability and ruthlessness. That is the key to his appeal as an agent and a human being.’ – Sebastian Faulks on James Bond

    ‘What I liked about them was that you had the sense of this single, vulnerable man who was in extreme jeopardy all the time.’

    Faulks continues where Fleming left off in 1966 with the short story collection Octopussy and the Living Daylights, the last of original 14 James Bond books which have sold 100 million copies since.

    Devil May Care is set in 1967 when ‘Bond is damaged, ageing and in a sense it is the return of the gunfighter for one last heroic mission. He has been widowed and been through a lot of bad things… He is slightly more vulnerable than any previous Bond but at the same time he is both gallant and highly sexed if you can be both. Although he is a great seducer, he really does appreciate the girls he seduces and he doesn’t actually use them badly.’

    Noting that the book is about about ‘80% Fleming,’ Faulks said while writing Devil May Care, he was determined ‘to keep the story driving on. I wanted to write a book that Fleming would have approved of and made him smile. I couldn’t wait to get to my desk every day.’

    ‘After almost five years researching Victorian psychiatry for Human Traces, there was something attractive about a jeu d’esprit which, if I followed Fleming’s own prescription, I could write in about six weeks.’

    ‘I found writing this light-hearted book more thrilling than I had expected. I tried to isolate the essential and the most enjoyable aspects of the books. Then I took that pattern and added characters and a story of my own with as much speed and as many twists as I thought the reader could bear. I hope that Ian Fleming would consider it to be in the cavalier spirit of his own novels and therefore an acceptable addition to the line.’

    Faulks has written ten books, including eight novels, the most recent of which, Engleby, was published to widespread acclaim in May this year and remains with his usual publisher, Random House. ‘I am sure Penguin will do a great job with this book, but I would like to stress that Random House remain my publishers.’

    Alex Clarke, the senior editor at Penguin UK, said: ‘When we heard that Sebastian Faulks would be taking up the mantle, we knew instantly there could not be a more fitting celebration of the most iconic spy in literature and film. Not only has Sebastian picked up from where Fleming left off, but he has also brought his own exquisite prose to the cocktail party–and, in so doing, has written a tour de force that will thrill and satisfy every kind of reader.’

    Devil May Care is due for release on 28 May 2008. It will be published by Penguin Books in the UK and Doubleday in the US.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest news and details on Devil May Care, the Ian Fleming centenary novel by Sebastian Faulks.

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

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  9. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    James Bond To Return In 'Devil May Care' By Sebastian Faulks

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-07-10

    After months of speculation, rumours and waiting, the author of the 2008 Ian Fleming centenary novel has been revealed: Sebastian Faulks.

    The full press release…

    James Bond To Return In Devil May Care By Sebastian Faulks

    James Bond will soon be back, in bookstores.

    Devil May Care, a novel written by British author Sebastian Faulks and authorized by the estate of the late Ian Fleming, is due to come out in 2008, the centennial of Fleming’s birth. According to the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, Devil May Care is set during the Cold War and, like so many Bond adventures, moves about a variety of scenic locales.

    “My novel is meant to stand in the line of Fleming’s own books, where the story is everything,” Faulks, whose books include Birdsong, Charlotte Gray and the upcoming Engleby, said in a statement issued Tuesday by Doubleday.

    “In his house in Jamaica, Ian Fleming used to write a thousand words in the morning, then go snorkeling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another thousand words in the late afternoon, then more martinis and glamorous women. In my house in London, I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkeling.” Fleming, who died in 1964, wrote such favorites as Goldfinger, Dr. No and From Russia With Love. Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore are among those who have played the debonair secret agent on screen.

    The Bond series has continued over the past 40 years, with Kingsley Amis and John Gardner among those writing stories. Corinne Turner, managing director of Ian Fleming Publications Limited, said Faulks was ideal for the job.

    “We had him in mind for our centenary novel for quite some time. He has an ability to write convincingly in whichever period or genre he chooses, and his novel On Green Dolphin Street in particular made me think he might enjoy exploring the world of Ian Fleming and James Bond,” Turner said in a statement.

    “We gave a sneak preview of the manuscript to Barbara Broccoli (daughter of Bond film producer Albert Broccoli), who said if I had told her the family had found an old manuscript of Ian’s in the basement she would have believed me. Sebastian couldn’t have written a better book to celebrate Ian’s 100th birthday.”

    Film rights have not yet been sold, Doubleday said.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest literary James Bond news.

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

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  10. Books / Sebastian Faulks

    Why Lee Child Turned Down The Centenary Novel

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-06-06

    It was reported back in April 2006 that Lee Child would definitely not be writing the Ian Fleming Centenary novel, due for release in 2008.

    According to a new interview at K1Bond007, Child explains why he turned down the opportunity to write the novel…

    Twice over the period of five years they’ve asked me to write the series, no regrets really because I think it is a thankless task in terms of first financial remuneration, as the terms were more favourable to the Ian Fleming estate than to me, and secondly there is the technical and cultural aspect. I see this as an impossible job as it’s now 2007, around 50 years on from the world that James Bond first appeared in. The world has changed, and one of the reasons the world has changed is because of James Bond, this country has altered its cultural frame of reference because of things like James Bond, so any follow-up fifty years later would be somewhat self-referential, and reading the book would be like watching an ABBA tribute band–i.e. what’s the point?

    Lee Child

    Recently, CBn reported that Ken Follett, despite voicing his interest in the job, had not been asked.

    Keep watching CBn for all the latest literary James Bond news.

    Keep up to date with all the latest Centenary novel discussion in this thread on the CBn Forums, the largest James Bond forum on the internet. Thanks to CBn Forum member ‘K1Bond007.’

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