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You’re welcome.
Yeah, I was thinking about getting the book for the same reason. One would think that one would be able to download the entire e book at some stage. I do prefer reading actual books, though.
Cover reveal. One more week!
I'll just repost it so it shows up here:
Or, as a friend of mine used to say: "Is this really a relevant contribution?"
IFP really do make some odd decisions nowadays... I guess I can see what they're going for with the serialisation thing though...
Yes, ebooks are popular, I guess. And yes, IFP is making some unique decisions, for a while now. As I've said before, this proves that IFP can have multiple writers working on spinoffs, at one time.
Fair. I guess I just don't know anyone personally who reads a lot buying ebooks. The serialisation is genuinely quite a nice touch though (gives it a vintage touch. I do suspect it'll result in Benson trying his best to replicate what he calls 'the Fleming sweep' though, for better or worse).
It feels a bit like IFP are unsure of what they want to do creatively so are going ahead with all these minor spin offs. Whether that's the case or not I don't know. I'd say this definitely sounds better than a series of murder mysteries involving Q, but I also feel this has a very similar issue - who exactly is it for, and what's the point?
Maybe there's some sort of logic to all this though...
Classification: Gold level (For Your Eyes Only)
To our agents in the field,
It is a cause for much celebration when one of our own returns to the fold – we know well in our line of work that there is no substitute for the wisdom that comes with experience – and today we’re pleased to welcome back Agent Raymond Benson, whose excellent novels kept many of us company throughout the long missions of the mid-nineties, and into the early 2000s.
Today, Benson is back, with the start of an adventure that sees our dear American friend Felix Leiter embark on a thrilling road trip across 1950s America. Full of mystery and romance, The Hook and the Eye has been the talk of the powder-vine. Publishing as a digital serialisation over the course of the summer, Episode 1 is out now, and new episodes will follow every two weeks, before a paperback publication of the full novel in October. For a taste of what’s in store, read the first chapter here, or you can listen to Benson himself reading it aloud here.
In other news, Talk of the Devil: The Collected Writings of Ian Fleming is now out in both the UK and US. This fascinating collection of rarely seen journalism and other writings includes a new introduction by Adam Gopnik, the short stories ‘The Shameful Dream’ and ‘A Poor Man Escapes’, in addition to a selection of archival black-and-white photographs. A must-read for fans of Fleming’s work, I understand that M’s copy has acquired several annotations in the section on Soviet espionage…
Sincerely,
Miss Moneypenny
I'd like a set of Bond books set during WW2 when Bond was in the Navy followed by him being recruited to the service. Damn, I hope we get more adult Bond.
Happy Birthday Mr. Fleming!
An interesting start. I like the first-person narration for Felix. I think I'm going to wait for the full book.
I like Raymond Benson's sharing of his ideas and viewpoints. Has anyone read the released chapters yet?
Set up's fine, very much in the mould of his idea of the 'Fleming sweep', although I think Fleming (or indeed the likes of Chandler) would have set up and revealed a bit more about the plot/story rather than keeping it as vague as Benson does. Again, that's a writing habit I've noticed from Benson in the past. I'm in two minds about it. On the one hand it keeps a sense of atmosphere in that first chapter. Personally I'd prefer a bit more set up to get more invested, and this style of constant 'cliffhangers' might get a bit tiresome if you're not reading this in its serialised form, as seemingly no one will after a point! But it may just be a style you have to adapt to as a reader.
So I'd say I'm mixed on it, although it's definitely not bad. I'll get the paper version whenever that's out if I remember to pick it up.
Because it takes time to print books?
But does it takes 3.5 months ?
If the printer has a full schedule and the initial plan was October, they likely aren't going to stop production of other books to satisfy this technical error that is otherwise unrelated to the printer.
Chapters 5-7 now available.
Full e-book now available. Physical copy is still planned for October 7th, 2025. I hope some other Bond fans don't forget about this adventure.
Let us know what you think! Also, a great interview with Raymond Benson.
https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/interview-raymond-benson-felix-leiter-june-2025?id=05370