Steve Cole’s take on Bond – Young Bond that is

2014 will finally – after a six year hiatus – see the return of Young Bond. Welcome back, young friend! Quite a detention for ‘trouble with the maid’…

Steve Cole, image courtesy RHCP UK

However, James’ new adventures will not be written by Charlie Higson. This time Bond’s exploits, set during his years at Fettes College, will be penned by Steve Cole, amongst other occupations veteran writer of several Doctor Who novels and a couple of series in the children’s and young adult fiction segment. His  Astrosaurs series is currently the rage with young readers. And his Z-Rex Trilogy are three fast-paced adventure thrillers for young adult fans, mixing Jurassic Park with Alex Rider. Not hard to imagine Cole sending our young hero through some serious and mind-boggling action.

Grateful thanks – as always – to John Cox/The Book Bond and CBn forum member ‘Major Tallon’ for the heads-up!

Here is today’s official announcement from Random House Children’s Publishers:

We are very excited today to announce that our very own Steve Cole has been selected by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. – the Fleming family-owned company – as the author of a new Young Bond series.

 

 

Steve, who has written DOCTOR WHO and ASTROSAURS is thrilled to take on this exciting mission! These new books will pick up where Charlie Higson – the writer of the previous wave of Young Bond titles – left off and will follow teenage James in the aftermath of his expulsion from Eton. This time in Bond’s life has never been explored before and readers can expect all the thrills, action, glamour and tension that are the essential ingredients of a classic Bond adventure.

 

 

Steve Cole says: ‘I first encountered Bond in print as a teenager, when I read From a View to a Kill. Fleming´s writing was so vivid and authentic, Bond and the world he inhabited seemed suddenly real to me – and the danger and glamour led me through book after book. It´s both a thrilling privilege and an exciting challenge now to be shaping a new era in the life of such an iconic character – with many firsts and surprises to come as James´s life in the dangerous 1930s develops.’

 

 

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., says, ‘Steve Cole is an imaginative and engaging author whose plots are addictive and gripping, so we were thrilled when he agreed to steer Young Bond through his mid-teen years. As publishers of Ian Fleming’s original Bond books and William Boyd’s new Bond continuation novel, SOLO, Random House are the perfect partner to work with us in bringing the next generation of Young Bond books to life. On behalf of Ian Fleming Publications and the Fleming family, I’d like to welcome Steve Cole to the exciting world of 007 – we can’t wait to see what scrapes James gets into next.’

 

 

Look out for the first Young Bond novel in Autumn 2014. We cannot wait!

Bond talks Boyd – or the other way round

Vintage Books was so kind to do an interview with William Boyd about his views on  Fleming, Bond and naturally – there’s a reason they do these things for – on Boyd’s own James Bond novel ‘Solo’ (to be released on 26. September, tomorrow) and his approach to 007. So far they hold the lid on a third part – probably until the official release of ‘Solo’ – but here are the two clips already available online on Vintage’s YouTube channel. 

Grateful thanks to CBner tdalton for keeping an eye on these things.

Intercepted: James Bond’s ‘Solo’ car

image provided by wikipedia

As the publicity machine for William Boyd’s upcoming James Bond continuation ‘Solo’ slowly gets into gear with an interview and part of the first chapter in today’s copy (21. September) of The Times John Cox/The Book Bond draws our attention to one other detail that emerged in the Mail Online coverage of ‘Solo’:  James Bond’s car in this adventure will be a Jensen.

While Jensen Motors Ltd. isn’t exactly a household name with the average Bond fan Jensen models have surely had their impact on the spy/thriller genre of the era ‘Solo’ depicts. The Jensen Interceptor featured prominently in the TV series THE PROTECTORS with Robert Vaughn and later during Simon Dutton’s incarnation of The Saint. Connoisseurs of the literary spy adventure genre will of course be aware that a Jensen Interceptor is also one of Willie Garvin’s cars, both in Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blaise books and newspaper comic strips.

Jensen FF image by wikipedia

Jensen models  were famous for their unique combination of restrained British elegance with ruthless horsepower, exceptional performance on the road and highly innovative technology. Their model FF for example was the first non-all-terrain vehicle to use a four-wheel drive, preceding Audi’s Quattro and Subaru’s use by several years.

It would seem  William Boyd’s version of James Bond is in very good company when driving a Jensen.

Grateful thanks to Jacques Stewart and John Cox/The Book Bond for providing valuable background information.

Wing Commander Ken Wallis, MBE, dies at 97

Wing Commander Kenneth Horatio Wallis, MBE, died on last Sunday. A passionate aviator, veteran of WWII and an enthusiastic developer of the autogyro design, Wallis became most famous for his stunt work on 1967’s  ‘You Only Live Twice’. His work in aerial reconnaissance continued well past his retirement from active RAF duty in 1964 and involved various missions for police and scientific research.

R.I.P.

Little Nellie will have to find her own course now.

The Reboot of the 007th Minute – DRAFT, DO NOT PUBLISH!!!

Bond fan workshop “hairdressing and film editing”, Ulan Bator 2006, image (c) ‘Monkeypainter’

On my way to the advanced course ‘Pre-neolithic Cinema in 7454 Easy Steps – Chapter 4: Impact of the Cave Wall’. The usual droves of bondnotbond-protesters clogging up the streets between Salzburg and Liverpool, a considerable percentage of them merrily sloshed on Zero-Seven beverage, White Russians or the evening news. Or any combination thereof. Cabbie thinks it’s helping if he’s hooting at them like mad, so I leave him to his fun, settle back comfortably in the slashed faux leather upholstery and unfold the ironed copy of today’s CommanderBond.net.  Right on the front page – above stories about book covers, knotted ties and plots, pictures of mysterious traces in the snow, a colour-enhanced Dorchester hotel and a slightly-older-than-17 Sean Connery – there’s a piece by CBn’s resident West Albion Bromwich supporter, Jacques Stewart, that catches my eye. It’s titled ‘The Reboot of the 007th Minute – DRAFT, DO NOT PUBLISH!!!’, and that’s a most curious title, even for that eccentric guy that puts up their main page stuff.

So I read on…

 

 

 

Time for a reboot.

 

Casino Royale is good, if long. It bothers to tell a story, rather than simply mine long-exhausted seams.  Its 007^th minute exemplifies something. Blah blah blah about the dog and overwritten whimsy. James Bond will return in the 007^th minute of Quantum of Solace and Jacques Stewart will refer to himself in the third person, because that’s the sort of prat he is. Some nerve to accuse Bond of being formulaic; what a hypocrite. I prefer the ABC game anyway. It learns me spell good.

 

Ah ah ah, not so fast, poppet. 

 

It’s not that radical, is it? There’s M, there’s gunbarrel (the law), there’s climactic action that goes on well past forever’s bedtime , there’s Bond theme, there are ghastly watches, lovely Aston Martins, booze, ladies of acceptable architecture, dinner jackets, carrrrddds (with the excitement that brings), there’s still an infantile grasp on political and geographical reality and there’s fighting, explosions, destruction, kissing, weak sex jokes and general daftitude.

 

Disappointing. Not what I was promised.

 

For at least a year in advance the internet told me – betrayed me, for internet is truth – that Casino Royale would be a disastrous experimental art project starring a deformed, flappy-eared, asexual, trades-faced mendicant dwarf with a head like a Belisha Beacon driving an automatic Fiat Panda, the highlight of which would be witnessing conjoined mutant step-siblings defecating glistening, maggot-riddled pusblistered-stools onto a plate of wilted broccoli. All so very Belgian. Although you might have a view of the sort of “person” what I am, you still can’t imagine how much I was looking forward to watching that.  So many profound commentators who knew things stated their predictions as Total Unadulterated Fact.  Everyone they knew (might be true, poor souls) agreed with them. Religions kill for such concord.  The hu-mil-i-a-tion was going to be fantastic.

 

What a chuffin’ let-down.

 

Instead of the guaranteed cataclysm, what Eon put me through was an exercise in finally grasping the bindweed their complacency had let choke the creative development of the series for twenty-five years and – clever, this – not removing it all, a slash-and-burn policy being a step too far, but selecting the bits they actually needed to tell a story, rather than obliged to shoehorn them in. No Moneypenny, no Q, no rubbish that came with both, no complaints from me. Albeit not a perfect film, propelled by a compelling lead performance and evident thought about what they were doing beyond shaking our memories until more money fell out, it’s the closest to a proper film for decades. Story first, statutory Bond bits second: Die Another Day reversed. Disconcerting. Who knew that this was going to happen? Who knew that the internet was so full of expertise about how it couldn’t?

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A plot, a plot, my kingdom for a plot! For ‘Solo’…

These days the most interesting news often come from the US side of the Atlantic, and not all of it ‘leaked’. Just look what intriguing detail John Cox and his blog The Book Bond dug out from the HarperCollins site, well hidden within the audio book section on the upcoming ‘SOLO’:

It’s 1969, and, having just celebrated his forty-fifth birthday, James Bond—British special agent 007—is summoned to headquarters to receive an unusual assignment. Zanzarim, a troubled West African nation, is being ravaged by a bitter civil war, and M directs Bond to quash the rebels threatening the established regime.

Bond’s arrival in Africa marks the start of a feverish mission to discover the forces behind this brutal war—and he soon realizes the situation is far from straightforward. Piece by piece, Bond uncovers the real cause of the violence in Zanzarim, revealing a twisting conspiracy that extends further than he ever imagined.

Moving from rebel battlefields in West Africa to the closed doors of intelligence offices in London and Washington, this novel is at once a gripping thriller, a tensely plotted story full of memorable characters and breathtaking twists, and a masterful study of power and how it is wielded—a brilliant addition to the James Bond canon.

 

Now that certainly sounds like a slightly different meal than just ‘KissKissBangBang’ with vodka martini chaser. Appetising.

Grateful thanks to John Cox/The Book Bond for the heads-up and to HarperCollins for the original info!

Happy Birthday Sir Sean!

Today 83 years ago Sir Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh. CommanderBond.net’s team and all CBners hereby congratulate and wish a very happy 83rd Birthday. May there be many happy returns and all of them finding you in the best of health and spirits!

Get your teeth into ‘Solo’ – and (roughly) 1000 calories

Image ‘sunny side up’ by ‘unslugged’ (c)

Looking for literature with nutritional value? Feeding body and mind? In that case William Boyd’s ‘SOLO’ is this autumn’s release with the most culinary allure for you.  According to The Book Bond and Ian Fleming Publications it features an appetising opening, consisting of an ample breakfast to celebrate a new year in James Bond’s life.

You want to make the reading experience not just great but truly outstanding? Read the book at the very site this regal start into a new day is savoured in the book: The Dorchester. Don’t want to bring your own copy? Get one right at the spot by quoting ‘SOLO’ when making your breakfast reservation. But make haste, this offer only runs between 26th September and 30th November.  And you can even opt for the audio book as read by Dominic West.

Still not satisfied? Want more? Something really, really, extraordinarily, outrageously refined? In that case the special ‘SOLO’ celebration event on Saturday 28th September at The Grill at The Dorchester is your game. William Boyd himself will read from the first chapter of ‘SOLO’, chat about writing it and sign copies for guests. If that still leaves you wishing for more you will have to apply with either SIS or Eon.

Grateful thanks to John Cox/The Book Bond for the heads-up!

Learn more about The Dorchester’s various Bond-related services and events from The Book Bond’s detailed report:

Breakfast with Bond at The Dorchester

-Enjoy breakfast as described in Solo, the new James Bond book by William Boyd

(London) Dorchester Collection’s iconic British hotel, The Dorchester, will be the first and most fitting location to read the new James Bond book on publication day, Thursday 26 September, and will host a book reading by William Boyd on Saturday 28 September.

The Dorchester is the setting for the opening scene of the new James Bond book by international bestselling author William Boyd, in which 007 is described as treating himself to a 45th birthday breakfast in 1969. In the book, Bond’s breakfast at The Dorchester consists of “four eggs, scrambled with pepper sprinkled on top, half a dozen rashers of unsmoked bacon, well done, on the side and a long draught of strong black coffee”.

From Thursday 26 September, guests quoting ‘Solo’ whilst making a breakfast reservation will receive a copy of the book or can choose to listen to the audio version read by British actor Dominic West on an iPod over breakfast. Creating the perfect environment by evoking the time the novel is set; restaurant guests will also have the option of listening to hits from the 60s on an iPod, be given a copy of a national newspaper and the menu from 1969, and will be served their breakfast silver service in keeping with the 60s. Once a week, a table will be chosen at random to be charged the Grill Menu’s 1969 price, a sum just short of £2.

On Saturday 28 September a special event will take place at The Grill at The Dorchester during which William Boyd will read from the first chapter of Solo, share his experience of writing the book, and sign copies for guests. Further evocative narrative will be added to this unique event with vintage cars from the 1960’s parked on the hotel forecourt, and characters dressed in 60’s outfits. Optional dress code for guests: swinging 60s, tickets priced at £69.

Solo author William Boyd said: “I chose The Dorchester for James Bond to stay in because the hotel has strong literary associations (particularly in World War 2) but also because it was the epitome of style and glamour in the 1960s. The Dorchester was, and still is, the elite hotel — the choice of film stars and show business legends — and so it seemed fitting that when Bond wanted to give himself a special birthday treat he would book himself a room at The Dorchester.”

For the full Solo experience guests can stay the night at The Dorchester just like James Bond. By requesting ‘007 room service’, guests will be provided with the full library set of the Ian Fleming Bond Collection with an accompanying martini nightcap.

Martini master classes are also provided at The Bar at The Dorchester by expert alchemist bar manager Giuliano Morandin, who joined the hotel over 30 years ago. During Solo, James Bond drinks his Martini to a particular recipe: “ice in the shaker, add a slurp of vermouth, pour out the vermouth, add the gin, shake well, strain into a chilled glass, and add a slice of lemon peel, no pith”.

English breakfast at The Grill at The Dorchester is priced at £32 excluding discretionary service charge. For further information or to make a booking, please contact reservations on+44 20 7629 8888 or send an email to restaurants.[email protected].

For ‘Breakfast with Bond’, available until 30 November 2013, book English Breakfast priced at £32 and quote ‘SOLO’ to receive a complimentary copy of the book. For tickets to the Saturday 28 September ‘Breakfast with Bond’ William Boyd reading priced at £69 per person, please quote ‘BOYD’. Seasonal room rates for bed and breakfast start from £315 including VAT, please quote ‘007 room service’ for complimentary use of the Ian Fleming Library, and Martini nightcap priced at £14 per person.

 

Goldeneye 64 Orchestrated

The soundtrack to the legendary hit game, Goldeneye 64 has been orchestrated and released online by long time Bond fan music contributor, Rich Douglas.

The album, to be released by Joypad Records, has received praise from the original composer, Grant Kirkhope. It features 15 tracks that include music from levels such as Facility, Surface and Caverns – and not excluding the excellent cues from the Watch/Pause screen, the Logos and Briefing screens, and a supurb James Bond theme.

We sat down with Douglas so we could discuss the album, his thoughts on the game, and what he has planned for the future.

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007th Minute Dies Another Day

Aston Martin in stealth-mode chasing a Mini Cooper with caravan (image (c) Mrs Suzie Cue)

Blah.

Blahblah,

blahblahblah.

Blah.

Blah.

Blah.

Now that the usual formalities are out of the way we finally approach the 007th Minute I’ve been waiting for since this project started. Without further ado you now get opinionated, articulate, fine-tuned-to-the-point-of-irony observations  by Jacques Stewart.  

Your own observations, comments, your personal defence or damnation of the film is welcome here.

I’m forty this year.

 

The… Mrs Jim (I struggle for an adjective adequate) has asked/told me how I want this marked. My initial answer – “not”, can’t make me, you’re not the boss of me (that’s a lie) – was met with her patented benev-iolence because the children want to “do something”. My wishes and “incidental” are in the same bit of the Venn diagram; whatever emerges has to involve the offspring in its organising (doubtless not in the “paying”) meaning they’re invited too. What utter bottom.

 

Therefore, a choice of:

• a family holiday away from “it all”, the brood ignoring their presence as a permanent feature of that bracket. Favoured suggestion is a bivouac in mid-Wales (where?) without telephone, television or internet. It has board games, meaning arguments, and books, meaning my sons won’t read them, and opportunities for mud, meaning I bet the boiler bursts. Straw Dogs beckons. I suppose we could pretend it was a temple in South Korea; or

 

• a New-Age retreat where one can detox the body and soul (it says here) and commune with one’s future through paradigms of guided holistic meditation (it also says here), perceptions of the developing One becoming a springboard into the next stage of life (it does go on a bit) and embracing the sort of inner peace and smug self-satisfaction that usually arises five minutes after a really satisfying vomit (it doesn’t say, but means); or

 

• sodding that for a load of old halleberries, blowing a stack of (my) cash and inviting everyone who’s ever heard of me around and spending far too long revisiting tired anecdotes of past glories, tales they’ve already heard n million times before, perhaps with a few flourishes to pretend they’re new, in the hope that it comes together as a unified whole but will probably spiral totally beyond control and fizzle out well before its end, leaving all those who witnessed it in denial, upset and dissatisfied.

None are fitly defined by the phrase “a good idea”. The first is boring and I know we’ll end up cannibalising each other. It’ll be “Devon 2005” all over again: tchoh! The second is patently going to involve scented candles and is probably a front for pushing “relaxation herbs”. The third is Die Another Day and not so much a fortieth birthday party as a wake.

 

Which it is.

 

They were killing off the “James Bond” we knew/they were bored of making, and inviting us to the world’s most outrageously gem-dripped post-dispatch piss-up. Mix me a mojito, pass round the individual pork pies and let’s reminisce with a moistened eye about how fine it used to be. Self-indulgence excused because we’re still in shock about witnessing it collapse in front of us last time out, overstretched, wheezy and attempting things way beyond its strength and ability, painful exertions it wouldn’t have dared try (or needed to) at half its age.

 

140 gazillion dollars spent on (at best) questionable artistic decisions, DAD is a costly public euthanasia solution (I would have gone for the pillow and/or canine bolt-gun option) but disappearing up its own AFRICAN CONFLICT DIAMOND-encrusted backside is possibly still cheaper than disappearing into a warehouse on a Swiss industrial estate. Plumping for Indignitas instead, it’s not a celebration, it’s a commemoration. Commiseration, maybe.

 

The series had keeled over and its damp corpse was being nimbly – if jitteringly – stepped over by The Bourne Improvement. With this sort of rubbish, Eon left the door wide open for it to do so.  Barbara Broccoli is on record that September 11^th 2001 changed everything, but DAD was filmed after that. I know these things take years to develop but questionable not to reconsider the approach whilst filming; the “Making of” indicates that much outlandish stuff came about as they went along. Whilst it’s noble of Ms Broccoli to react, I suspect it’s the events of June 14^th 2002 that really made them wonder, waking to the realisation that it was too late to reverse decisions on the DNA replacement therapy, Bond stopping his heart, the dialogue, the invisible car and the CGI kite-surfing, all that money blown and Matt Damon in an old Mini had just driven right through the whole sorry circus. Why bother? So they didn’t. DAD’s lasting impression is as a series end filler clip show where, surprised that it’s gone on so long, they forgot to commission a script and just have people sit around foreshadowing “best bits” by saying “D’you remember that time when…”, mould passed off as fresh. There was nothing left to chivvy from the bottom of the barrel.

 

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