'Devil May Care' Is #1

On the first day of its release, Devil May Care is currently topping the charts at Amazon.co.uk.

According to a BBC News report, the numerous advanced pre-orders of the Sebastian Faulks’ James Bond novel quickly propelled it to the top spot and made it Amazon’s biggest fiction pre-order of 2008 so far.

‘It’s doing extremely well,’ said Amazon.co.uk spokesman Damian Peachey. ‘Even with books that are currently available, it’s topping our charts.’

The novel, which went on sale this morning, also had some fans waiting since yesterday afternoon to get their hands on a copy.

Housing manager and longtime 007 fan Steve Norris waited until 4:00pm yesterday to be first in line when the book went on sale at Waterstone’s at 8:00am today. He managed to obtain copy #007 of the limited edition signed and slipcased Devil May Care (of which only 500 will be printed worldwide–200 of these were quickly sold at this location).

‘It feels absolutely brilliant,’ he said. ‘It was worth the wait.’

Jo James, events and local marketing manager for Waterstone’s, said: ‘We’re really excited. We knew it would be big. We were expecting people to arrive early but we weren’t expecting people to arrive overnight.’

Keep your eyes glued to the CommanderBond.net main page for complete coverage of Devil May Care and all the Ian Fleming centenary events.

Ian Fleming's James Bond Is Back In Action

‘Welcome back, Mr. Bond’ is a pretty fitting statement for today–the centenary of Ian Fleming.

In addition to the highly publicized launch of the brand new James Bond novel by Sebastian Faulks, Devil May Care (keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for a forthcoming report on the event), 007 fans also have a nearly endless selection of other Bond book releases to choose from.

As earlier reported today, the paperback edition of Charlie Higson’s fourth Young Bond adventure, Hurricane Gold, has been released in the UK. Various signed copies of the book are also making their way online for collectors.

• Charlie Higson’s Hurricane Gold – Amazon.co.uk

Furthermore, all the new centenary hardback editions of all 14 of Fleming’s Bond adventures are now available to order from Amazon.co.uk. Featuring brand new cover art designed by Michael Gillette and published as part of the new Penguin 007 imprint, each title retails for £14.99.

Ian Fleming – Centenary James Bond Novels

Another Fleming title now available is the brand new Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories collection, which brings together the nine stories that make up For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy & The Living Daylights into one single volume. Released as a tie-in of sorts to the Quantum of Solace film due out later this year, the collection retails for £8.99.

• Ian Fleming’s Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories – Amazon.co.uk

Lastly, Fleming’s non-Bond children’s classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is also available to order online from Amazon. This new gift edition hardback features the original illustrations by John Burningham. Retail price is £14.99.

• Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Amazon.co.uk

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest literary James Bond news and coverage.

To keep track of all the upcoming 007 releases, events, television shows, and more–just keep your eyes on the CBn Calendar, located on the right panel of our main page.

'Devil May Care' Launched In High Style

As earlier reported, the launch of Devil May Care was given the all-star treatment as the first copies of the new James Bond novel made their way down the Thames.

The books, secured in a specially commissioned Samsonite case and carried by cover model Tuuli Shipster, were given a Royal Navy escort by the HMS Exeter and its crew.

Photographs of the event, including the arrival of the Devil May Care with Tuuli Shipster, author Sebastian Faulks posing with the book and related photos of the launch can now be viewed online:

‘Devil May Care’ Launch

A one-minute long video filming the arrival of Devil May Care can also be viewed online here on the BBC News website.

In addition, Faulks has posted his own account of the event in an article posted at The Telegraph–click here to read.

Keep your eyes glued to the CommanderBond.net main page for complete coverage of Devil May Care and all the Ian Fleming centenary events.

'Hurricane Gold' Paperback Published

Devil May Care wasn’t the only James Bond novel published to mark the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth. Today also brings Bond fans the paperback edition of Charlie Higson’s fourth Young Bond novel, Hurricane Gold.

First published in September 2007, Hurricane Gold finds James in storm-ravaged Mexico as he comes face-to-face with a group of ruthless bandits.

What should make this a particularly exciting purchase for Young Bond fans is the inclusion of an exclusive extract from the forthcoming By Royal Command and, The Young Bond Dossier notes, a five-page preview of the highly-anticipated graphic novel adaptation of SilverFin.

As part of the Hurricane Gold paperback launch, a solid gold copy of the book was crafted – the book is the centrepiece of the Young Bond section of the For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming And James Bond exhibition at London’s Imperial War Museum.

Charlie Higson will also be embarking on a tour to promote the novel. Dates and locations can be found here.

Hurricane Gold is the final part of May’s Bond book trifecta, which began with the release of Samantha Weinberg’s The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling and continued with today’s launch of Devil May Care.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.

Third 'Devil May Care' Extract In Vanity Fair

WARNING: Spoilers

With the launch of Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks only hours away, Vanity Fair has published a third extract online. This extract is illustrated and details Bond and Scarlett Papava driving to see Dr. Julius Gorner where he and Bond will face off playing tennis.

Two previous extracts were published by the Times. (Extract 1, Extract 2)

Doubleday’s James Bond website has also been slighty updated with a little information on the Bentley Limited Edition including a photo journey with a look inside the making of the edition. See PDF here.

Devil May Care hits bookshelves Wednesday 28 May. Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest news in the lead-up to the Ian Fleming Centenary and the release of Sebastian Faulks’ novel.

"One tribute, one centenary, one book."

On the eve of the publication of the literary event of the year – Devil May Care – author Sebastian Faulks has ruled out writing a second James Bond novel.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Faulks said: “One tribute, one centenary, one book.”

Should Faulks stay true to his word, he’ll join the likes of Kingsley Amis and John Pearson, who each penned a single 007 adventure.

Faulks was quoted as the first seven copies of Devil May Care made their way to Waterstone’s Piccadilly as part of a lavish publishing event.

Ian Fleming’s niece, Lucy said, “I can remember Uncle Ian’s books being delivered wrapped in brown paper and string by a postman on a bicycle. The Royal Navy has upped the ante a little.”

The navy loaned the HMS Exeter and its 250-strong crew for the extravagant launch.

“We didn’t want a thriller writer,” said Lucy Fleming on choosing the centenary novelist. “We wanted someone who would read Ian’s books and see how he did it … [Faulks] has thought himself into Ian’s mind.”

Faulks told Reuters: “I found writing this light-hearted book more thrilling than I had expected. I hope people will enjoy reading it and that Ian Fleming would consider it to be in the cavalier spirit of his own novels and therefore an acceptable addition to the line.”

After much hype, Devil May Care will be published worldwide tomorrow.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #10

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond 007 film: Tim De Zeeuw, Director General of Chile’s European Southern Observatory.

‘I’m Tim De Zeeuw, the Director General of the European Southern Observatory.

‘This part [in the Atacama Desert] is the driest desert on the planet. There is no electricity here. There is no water. There’s basically nothing’–making the location an intriguing choice for the finale of Quantum of Solace.

‘Many of our guests, when they walk into the hotel and see the central area–which is very green–they exclaim “Hey, this looks just like a James Bond set”, so we were extremely pleased when we got a letter from the Bond company asking if they could film here.’

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Turning James Bond Into A Technical Exercise

The BBC News carries a new article centering on how Sebastian Faulks followed Ian Fleming’s footsteps in his approach to writing Devil May Care.

As the British novelist has stated several times before, he was initially intrigued by the direction the Fleming family and Ian Fleming Publications (IFP) wanted to take with this new James Bond novel.

‘What Ian Fleming’s family wanted was a centenary book,’ he said. ‘They didn’t want a conventional thriller writer. They wanted to cast against type.’

‘My last book [2005’s Human Traces] was a 650-page novel about psychiatry, set in a lunatic asylum. It was quite a weird choice, but I think a good choice.’

I viewed the whole thing as a technical exercise,” he says. “I wrote the whole thing in six weeks.

I tried to go inside Bond’s head,’ Faulks revealed, ‘to create an inner life for him, and I realised he didn’t have one.’

‘There were bedroom scenes where I thought it might help to show him being reflective, but it was like being in the bedroom with a stranger. It was very embarrassing.’

While the plot elements of Devil May Care remain relatively underwraps (some snippets have shined the light on a bit of what can be expected), Faulks did say that he chose the Middle East as one of the novel’s locations because it hadn’t previously appeared in a Fleming Bond novel.

‘Fleming was very forthright in his prejudices–anything between Marseilles and Delhi was viewed with great suspicion. I was very happy to tread in territory he chose to avoid.’

‘The focus is on an individual bad guy but there are political ramifications,’ he added.

And while Faulks is ‘writing as’ Fleming, there are some differences that will set his story apart. ‘I had written about him eating breakfast washed down with spirits, but it was giving me indigestion. So I have compelled him to drink wine.’

Humour will also play a role. ‘I wanted to be witty without being arch,’ Faulks explained.

‘When situations presented themselves, I wanted to be able to make people laugh. But I didn’t want the humour to be groan-worthy.’

Devil May Care is released tomorrow.

For a full round-up of the numerous events going on this week to mark the Ian Fleming centenary and the release of Devil May Care, visit CommanderBond.net’s Literary 007 section.

Stay tuned to the CBn main page for complete coverage of Devil May Care.

On The Eve Of 'Devil May Care'

On the eve of publication, Sebastian Faulks’ Devil May Care has arrived in London. The first seven copies of the centenary James Bond novel have been delivered to Waterstone’s Piccadilly with the help of the Royal Navy and Bentley Motors…

Devil May Care, the new James Bond book by Sebastian Faulks, is delivered on the eve of publication with help from the Royal Navy and Bentley Motors

On Tuesday 27th May 2008, the first seven copies of Devil May Care, the brand new James Bond book written by Sebastian Faulks, will be delivered with the assistance of the Royal Navy and Bentley Motors to Waterstone’s Piccadilly in London.

Details of the plot of Devil May Care have been kept under wraps since the book was announced in July 2007 to great excitement.

Tuuli Shipster, the model featured on the front cover of the book, will be delivering these exclusive first 007 copies from the printers by hand, under a full military escort care of the Royal Navy. The books will be secured in a specially commissioned Samsonite case, and Tuuli will accompany the case as it is brought down the Thames by a Royal Navy ‘Pacific 24’ sea-boat – under the watchful eye of the Royal Navy Black Cat Lynx helicopters. They will rendezvous with HMS Exeter, which will be moored in the Pool of London. Here Tuuli and the books will be received on board by the Captain of HMS Exeter, the book’s author Sebastian Faulks and members of the Fleming family. The final stage of the journey sees the books taken to Waterstone’s Piccadilly in a cavalcade of Bentleys, including a custom-built 1950’s S 1 continental convertible.

James Bond has always been defined by his Royal Navy training. He served on HMS Exeter as Intelligence Officer, finally holding the rank of Commander in the Service. Ian Fleming, the author of the original books, was the personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence during World War II – and drew much of the inspiration for his novels from his experiences at the Admiralty. He remained in this role throughout the war, privy to many secrets and rising to the rank of Commander. Cars and Bond have always had a strong association and his personal preference in the original Fleming novels was for Bentley. Over the course of the fourteen books he owned three and in Devil May Care he is found once again behind the wheel of his much loved Bentley. To mark to occasion Bentley Motors have designed an exclusive limited edition of Devil May Care.

HMS Exeter is a Type 42 Destroyer now over 30 years old and a veteran of the Falklands Campaign of 1982. She is the fifth ship to hold the name Exeter and one of 11 Type 42s remaining in service in the Royal Navy. These destroyers will be replaced by the technologically advanced and state of the art Type 45s, the first of which, HMS DARING, is currently undergoing her sea trials. HMS Exeter is currently in London on an informal visit, during which the Ship’s Company will take part in the high profile ‘Constable of the Dues’ ceremony at the Tower of London as well as hosting the Devil May Care launch.

On the evening of Tuesday 27th, Penguin hosts a glamorous launch party for Devil May Care at the exclusive private members’ club, FIFTY on St James’s Street in Mayfair. The party will be attended by Sebastian Faulks, members of the Fleming family, celebrity VIPs and many more. Savile Row tailors Gieves & Hawkes have dressed Sebastian Faulks for the night, as they dressed Ian Fleming in his day. Sebastian will be wearing a classic charcoal wool/cashmere worsted two piece single breasted suit.

Devil May Care is published by Penguin the following day, Wednesday 28th May, which is the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming. Devil May Care will go on sale that day for the first time and Waterstone’s Piccadilly will be opening at the earlier time of 8am.

For further information please go to www.penguin007.com.

For a full round-up of the numerous events going on this week to mark the Ian Fleming centenary and the release of Devil May Care, visit CommanderBond.net’s Literary 007 section.

Stay tuned to the CBn main page for complete coverage of Devil May Care.

Samantha Weinberg Book Signing At The 'Bond Bound' Exhibition

007 Magazine reports that Samantha Weinberg will appear at the Bond Bound: Ian Fleming And The Art Of Cover Design exhibition on 11 June. The author will be signing copies of her brand new novel, The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling.

To attend, or to reserve a signed copy of the book, contact The Fleming Collection:

13 Berkeley Street
London W1J 8DU
Tel: 020 7409 5730
Fax: 020 7409 5601

The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling, published earlier this month, concludes the adventures of James Bond’s right-hand woman, which began in The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel and The Moneypenny Diaries: Secret Servant.

The news comes two weeks after Weinberg attended Calcot Manor’s Meet-The-Author lunch in the Cotswolds.

Meanwhile, 007 Magazine also reports that UK grocery store Tesco is now offering the 14-book Penguin 007 Collection (containing all of Ian Fleming’s Bond novels) in-store for a mere £15. The set contains the paperback editions of Fleming’s novels featuring cover art by Richie Fahey.

The chain is also carrying copies of The James Bond Encyclopaedia by John Cork and Collin Stutz for only £10.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.