The Q Mysteries: A Literary Spinoff Series (2025).

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  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 16 Posts: 16,211
    I wonder if IFP meant for this news to come out: all they've done is retweet it rather than announce it.

    Quantum of Menace eh? Quite fun. Sounds like it's a murder mystery rather than anything; is Q the new Marple for the 007 universe? I guess rural mysteries are all the rage so why not. They seem to be subtitling the series 'The Q Mysteries'.
    And yes Max, it's set in the present day.

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    I would have thought the only slight problem is that 'Q' is an invention of Eon's movies rather than Fleming's books so not quite sure how the licence works there, but obviously they feel there's wiggle room.

    I also don't quite understand why it's being published by Zaffre; I thought IFP had become their own publisher? Has there been a problem with that?
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,489
    Missed opportunity to call it Quantum of Quentin.

    Sounds interesting, author is a gadget guy too so looking forward to seeing what toys Q uses to solve his crimes.

    So who takes over at MI6? R? Q'ute? Miss Nagai? Sharon?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 16 Posts: 16,211
    Yes you'd imagine there would have to be a gadget/inventor angle to his method of solving crimes otherwise there's no point using Q. Seems like Khan has written two series of detective novels before so obviously he's very capable.

    I guess you could say it's perhaps a little cynical of IFP to turn 007 into a cosy rural murder mystery series as those are so popular, but hey: they need to make money like everyone else! Even Pierce Brosnan himself is doing it :D
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,629
    There is plenty of opportunity here. How does Bond get his briefings? Q has to figure it all out first, that's how. This can be how Q solves those mysteries and does his research etc. like an investigator. Could be a lot of fun. I'm interested.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 16 Posts: 16,211
    LucknFate wrote: »
    There is plenty of opportunity here. How does Bond get his briefings? Q has to figure it all out first, that's how.

    I'm not sure how you mean? Do you mean that's something we'll see in these books?


    I was thinking, as IFP have to licence James Bond from Eon/MGM, is it at all possible that Eon have decided there should be a gap in 007 himself appearing in the public eye for a while, to create a bit of hunger for him while they prepare the next film? Hence they may have not licensed the character to IFP for the time being (with OHiMSS being a one-off for the coronation), and so why we're seeing Bond-free spinoffs. The comics have a small audience comparatively, and the video game is still a way off.
    Probably a conspiracy theory(!) but you never know.

    Here's the IFP story:
    https://www.ianfleming.com/announcing-the-q-mysteries/
  • CharmianBondCharmianBond Pett Bottom, Kent
    Posts: 557
    The spin-offs have always been an attempt to chase trends whether it be Alex Rider or Bridget Jones but I still think it's produced some if not amazing then interesting additions to the Bond canon and I'm sure this'll be no different. Although I'll be honest I'm not much of a cozy crime fan, Sherlock & Co. is about my limit so I'll have to see if Q being the detective changes that.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,074
    QBranch wrote: »
    Missed opportunity to call it Quantum of Quentin.

    Sounds interesting, author is a gadget guy too so looking forward to seeing what toys Q uses to solve his crimes.

    So who takes over at MI6? R? Q'ute? Miss Nagai? Sharon?

    Don't forget Z and her capable hands from Agent Under Fire ;)
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,629
    mtm wrote: »
    LucknFate wrote: »
    There is plenty of opportunity here. How does Bond get his briefings? Q has to figure it all out first, that's how.

    I'm not sure how you mean? Do you mean that's something we'll see in these books?

    I just meant, as a proposal and not me knowing anything, that it would be cool to see how Q sleuths ahead of a mission assignment for an agent like Bond. The intel collection, Q following digital threads etc. to build up an story and assignment for agents. I don't know, just riffing.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,211
    Ah okay, yeah that's fun. I guess we'll see into Q's head a bit so may well get some of that thought process.
  • Posts: 9,841
    So can we get bond novels about Bond or is On his majesty’s secret service the last bond novel
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,489
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    QBranch wrote: »
    Missed opportunity to call it Quantum of Quentin.

    Sounds interesting, author is a gadget guy too so looking forward to seeing what toys Q uses to solve his crimes.

    So who takes over at MI6? R? Q'ute? Miss Nagai? Sharon?
    Don't forget Z and her capable hands from Agent Under Fire ;)
    I did forget about Z! Surely a nod to Jack Wade in GE.
  • Informe_James_BondInforme_James_Bond Dominican Republic
    Posts: 111
    Ian Fleming Publications has a mistake, promoting the book as the first spin-off. Remember that Samantha Weinberg has already written "The Miss Moneypenny Diaries".

    ;)
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,236
    Risico007 wrote: »
    So can we get bond novels about Bond or is On his majesty’s secret service the last bond novel

    That's how I feel too but then I'm very much a traditionalist when it comes to the Bond continuation novels.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,120
    I'm not sure this is something I want to read. In my opinion, characters like Q are only interesting when they are a small part of Bond's mission. What else they've got going on in life is something I rather just speculate on. Such books strike me as part fanfic, part trying to milk sections of the cow that were never meant to be touched. Next up: Tanner's high-school days? Forgive the sarcasm, I'm just not interested. If it were a comic, maybe.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited July 16 Posts: 1,629
    I'm all for any clue into the mechanism of MI6, and this hits that on the head for me. Very intrigued. I'm not one to be interested in the other 00 stuff of late, nor the Miss Moneypenny stuff, but Q is close enough to Bond's "mission" to interest me.

    Hopefully it's more like TSWLM novel, where Bond shows up at the end to save the day, maybe just after Q does most of the research. We'll see.
  • Posts: 5,971
    I would have thought the only slight problem is that 'Q' is an invention of Eon's movies rather than Fleming's books so not quite sure how the licence works there, but obviously they feel there's wiggle room.

    I don't want to rain on your parade... No, wait, I do. But Q and Q Branch are Fleming's creation, being mentioned in Casino Royale :
    Have a talk to Q about rooms and trains, and any equipment you want.

    (Casino Royale, Chapter 3 : "Number 007".

    As for the book itself, I don't know. I liked The Moneypenny Diaries, but mostly because it gave us another point of view about Bond's "dark times". Here, I'll have to wait and see.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    edited July 16 Posts: 4,547
    My opinions after thinking about it all day.

    Pros:

    A least we’re getting a new book! And one that for sure has Bond in it!
    Modern day setting. Just like Fleming did in his time.
    An interesting choice for a character to follow. I wouldn’t have thought of it.
    It seems like IFP might be taking that survey more importantly than we thought. Even if this was planned far before that.
    While Bond is the main character, and one that want to see most, I love the idea of expanding his universe. Samantha Weinberg, Kim Sherwood, and Dynamite Comics have proven this. There’s a lot of characters that could probably drive a full book, on their own.

    Cons:

    As I said before, I’d rather have a villain spinoff book. Another MI6 regular gets a heavy spotlight. The last 2 movies really overdid their screen time.
    Now Q is on the run? EON probably has a say in this.
    Hopefully it’s a physical copy eventually.
    Classic character cameos that are written as fan fiction.
    Only one writer can apparently write Bond at a time. I hope that doesn’t include spinoff characters.

    So, I’m excited but cautious. Hopefully Blofeld isn’t behind it all! IFP, don’t forget about James Bond. He is your main money maker.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 16 Posts: 16,211
    Gerard wrote: »
    I would have thought the only slight problem is that 'Q' is an invention of Eon's movies rather than Fleming's books so not quite sure how the licence works there, but obviously they feel there's wiggle room.

    I don't want to rain on your parade... No, wait, I do. But Q and Q Branch are Fleming's creation, being mentioned in Casino Royale :
    Have a talk to Q about rooms and trains, and any equipment you want.

    (Casino Royale, Chapter 3 : "Number 007".

    Ah excellent; of course I knew about Q Branch coming from Fleming but hadn't spotted that little line before, thank you. Brief and slightly inconclusive though it is (it's just about possible M was referring to Q Branch rather than a person), it's certainly enough to say that a character called Q comes from Fleming, yes.

    I guess whether Q and Boothroyd are the same person is something Fleming doesn't confirm, but there's still enough there for them to say it comes from the books and not the films.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    edited July 16 Posts: 4,547
    I wonder if Q will have a romantic interest.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,211
    You'd think there would be a sidekick or team of some kind, that's fairly standard in these sort of cosy detective mysteries. A spirited old lady or mismatched streetwise youngster feel kind of likely, don't they.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,120
    @MaxCasino
    Do you think the author might consider portraying 'Q' as gay?
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,547
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @MaxCasino
    Do you think the author might consider portraying 'Q' as gay?

    Maybe, but I was thinking of the trademark woman.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,120
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @MaxCasino
    Do you think the author might consider portraying 'Q' as gay?

    Maybe, but I was thinking of the trademark woman.

    I'm sure we'll find out. Ah well, I've got so much reading still to do, I doubt I'll ever find the time for this book. I haven't read any of the novels outside of Fleming (with Colonel Sun included) and two novelizations (GE and TWINE). Especially things like Young Bond or MP Diaries can hardly keep my interest, so...
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,236
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @MaxCasino
    Do you think the author might consider portraying 'Q' as gay?

    Maybe, but I was thinking of the trademark woman.

    I'm sure we'll find out. Ah well, I've got so much reading still to do, I doubt I'll ever find the time for this book. I haven't read any of the novels outside of Fleming (with Colonel Sun included) and two novelizations (GE and TWINE). Especially things like Young Bond or MP Diaries can hardly keep my interest, so...

    We're very much on the same page on this matter. That's exactly how I feel about these spin-offs too. I'd highly recommend you read Colonel Sun though. It's a classic and the best Bond continuation novel of the lot that can proudly sit alongside the Fleming originals.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,120
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    @MaxCasino
    Do you think the author might consider portraying 'Q' as gay?

    Maybe, but I was thinking of the trademark woman.

    I'm sure we'll find out. Ah well, I've got so much reading still to do, I doubt I'll ever find the time for this book. I haven't read any of the novels outside of Fleming (with Colonel Sun included) and two novelizations (GE and TWINE). Especially things like Young Bond or MP Diaries can hardly keep my interest, so...

    We're very much on the same page on this matter. That's exactly how I feel about these spin-offs too. I'd highly recommend you read Colonel Sun though. It's a classic and the best Bond continuation novel of the lot that can proudly sit alongside the Fleming originals.

    @Dragonpol
    I must have been unclear. I apologize. I have read Colonel Sun. When I mention Fleming's books, I automatically include that one in the list.

    And yes, spin-offs have a way of "diluting" my enthusiasm for the original stuff, like adding water to good wine. Eventually, some things start to feel like homework. One has to read these books because they are "part of the world of James Bond", but I'm not sure the perspective of Moneypenny, for example, adds anything useful to it. Now, if these books are good fun, and reading them is entertaining to people, who am I to say there's anything wrong with that? I've ploughed through tons of EU Star Wars novels myself. But when life happens, and your spare time is suddenly in shorter supply, you start making more focused choices. And then it's easy for me to dismiss spin-off books to the world of James Bond as simply not worth my time. The comics are a different thing because reading a few issues of a comic hardly consumes as much time as diving into an entire book.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,236
    Ah, I see. Apologies, @DarthDimi. I took you up wrong regarding Colonel Sun. I agree that as we get older our priorities change and we have to be more selective in our choices. It seems that you can have too much of a good thing.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,715
    I don't have interest in Young Bond but will read those eventually.

    Tried Double or Nothing by Sherwood a couple times, will eventually read that.

    I read and enjoyed The Moneypenny Diaries, Westbrook. And the (free Kindle) stories in Secret Chapters ("First Date" and "For Your Eyes Only, James"). When I have the time I expect to like the other two books.

    Q as a sleuth has potential, given his abilities and alongside weakness for that role. I'm of the mind Fleming's mentions of "Q" were not to a person and that was "Q Branch" for mission support. So I do wonder what (film) Q will be represented, surely it can't be that so much time passed for Desmond Llewelyn's character to be forgotten.

    Anyway I'll buy the Q spinoff novel, looking forward to it.

  • NoTimeToLiveNoTimeToLive Jamaica
    Posts: 94
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I'm not sure this is something I want to read. In my opinion, characters like Q are only interesting when they are a small part of Bond's mission. What else they've got going on in life is something I rather just speculate on. Such books strike me as part fanfic, part trying to milk sections of the cow that were never meant to be touched. Next up: Tanner's high-school days? Forgive the sarcasm, I'm just not interested. If it were a comic, maybe.

    +1. Plus, the title sounds like a parody, rather than a spin-off set in the main canon.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,120
    @NoTimeToLive
    I get that sense too. Intentional or not, a spin-off like this feels not that far removed from mocking Bond. I'm not even sure Q, however likeable, qualified as a full character for me, before Wishaw that is. He's always been more a rest stop in the films, useful for supplying Bond with his gadgets, and for giving us a few funny moments. He was never given an 'arc', though, no evolution as a 'character'. So again, the appeal of this novel is somewhat lost on me.
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