Anthony Horowitz's Bond novel - Forever and a Day

edited June 2018 in Literary 007 Posts: 520
Literary Aficionados,

The TM thread is morphing into news about Anthony's new 007 novel.

To avoid confusion I've opened this thread posts - both news and opinions and wishes about the new book.

Here's what we know so fare:

1) IFP have announced that Horowitz will be doing a second Bond to be published by Ian Fleming's original publisher, JC, in
spring 2018.

2) TR007 has intelligence that it will be a prequel to CR.

3) Like TM, the new novel will continue the trend of using unpublished Fleming material as part of the story.

PussyNoMore is delighted by the news. TM was the best Bond continuation novel since CS and he has the highest of hopes for the new one.
Furthermore the fact that it will be a prequel to CR will give Anthony a creative freedom to do something really interesting.
It is also exciting that JC will be publishing and hope that they have the wisdom to do some great original cover art (Gerry Wadsworth would be a PussyMoMore's choice) and that they do a special edition (a la CR) with Bentley.

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Comments

  • Posts: 7,653
    Why another thread when there is already an Anthony Horowitz thread which is good enough as we will not learn anything new for easily another year. This is pollution in my humble view and makes life more difficult fro folks following a certain subject.

    Please close this one and continue in the other thread dedicated so far to Trigger Mortis.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    I don't see much harm in a new thread myself, but I'll leave it up to others.
  • Posts: 7,653
    I find that too many threads clutters up the site, as there isn't any real news forthcoming why another thread? - Or is it an ego thing about opening new threads?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    I've no ego in the matter or nothing to declare either. I'll leave the judgement to close or let stay open up to the mods, though.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    We all so hungry for news on anything ..but this follow up despite having to wait a lifetime my excitement is increasing.
  • Posts: 1,296
    If we can have a 500 page thread on a Bond film that isn't even announced, this one's ok too.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    IGUANNA wrote: »
    If we can have a 500 page thread on a Bond film that isn't even announced, this one's ok too.

    +1 ...seriously once news on anything is announced then the threads will trend back to topic. Almost impossible to stay on point if there's no points to discuss.
  • SaintMark wrote: »
    Why another thread when there is already an Anthony Horowitz thread which is good enough as we will not learn anything new for easily another year. This is pollution in my humble view and makes life more difficult fro folks following a certain subject.

    Please close this one and continue in the other thread dedicated so far to Trigger Mortis.

    Frankly, if we followed this logic there would be one post for Dr.No the movie and all the others would just morph into that !

    Perhaps for the literary fans there should be one post for CR and we should all just work around that ?

    Thankfully the film fans are a little more strategic and sorry, and given that PussyNoMore is a Bond book fan through and through he would like a thread devoted to this particular novel in order that news is not lost.

    There has already been significant news on this project.
    The publishing rights are back with JC and TR007 has discovered that it will be a prequel to CR and contains original Fleming material.

    These, for those of us that care, are incredible developments and there will be many more announcements over the next two years - that is the purpose of this thread.

    As for the accretion that opening a new thread for a new book may be ego driven. I would like to reassure SaintMark that this is definitely not the case and to suggest otherwise is just disingenuous blowhard stuff.

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    IGUANNA wrote: »
    If we can have a 500 page thread on a Bond film that isn't even announced, this one's ok too.

    My thoughts to the letter! It's just the usual discrimination against literary Bond fans. The lion's share of threads here are on the Bond films after all. Just saying...
  • Posts: 1,296
    I for one am blown to the chuff to hear of a new Horowitz Bond Novel in the works. Craig and friends can take their time with their sequel to Spectre, the production diary thread for that was opened in Jan 2015 and will still be running on fumes all through 2017. This book will be written and released and flying off the shelves before we even have a title for the next Bond film.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Looking forward to learn more about this.
  • IGUANNA wrote: »
    I for one am blown to the chuff to hear of a new Horowitz Bond Novel in the works... This book will be written and released and flying off the shelves before we even have a title for the next Bond film.

    I know how you feel. It is absolutely the best news that Horowitz is back. After the triumph that is TM. It would have been sad indeed had they recruited another member of the celebrity literati.

    The fact that it looks to be a prequel to CR I also find super interesting. It will allow Horowitz a huge amount of creative latitude.

    Will he cover the start of the post war "Universal Export' ? The creation of the '00 section ? The recruitment of the first '00s ? Will the novel start with the appointment of 'M' himself ? The possibilities are endless.

    If IFP have allowed a prequel they have really taken the shackles off Horowitz and have given him the possibility to do something special. Fleming himself wrote precious little about Bond's history so it really is a green field opportunity.
  • Posts: 1,296
    I am quite excited too. Trigger Mortis was a great time and I want more. I may even craft a potential speculatory opening chapter to the prequel, wrap it in ribbons and send it to Horowitz in tiny twitter bites.
  • Posts: 1,296
    Well TM must of had its' fans somewhere because it sold quite well, I guess they're just not posting here today.
  • IGUANNA wrote: »
    Well TM must of had its' fans somewhere because it sold quite well, I guess they're just not posting here today.

    It sold VERY well.
    I don't think it quite achieved DMC's numbers but Faulks had the centenary and novelty on his side but it arrested the decline started by CB and which accelerated with SOLO.
    With regard to this site, I do think it's primarily for the movie buffs. Thats fair enough but I do sometimes wish IFP would open a forum on their site. It would be more likely to attract literary aficionados who have actually read the novels and give them somewhere to hang out.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    IGUANNA wrote: »
    Well TM must of had its' fans somewhere because it sold quite well, I guess they're just not posting here today.

    It sold VERY well.
    I don't think it quite achieved DMC's numbers but Faulks had the centenary and novelty on his side but it arrested the decline started by CB and which accelerated with SOLO.
    With regard to this site, I do think it's primarily for the movie buffs. Thats fair enough but I do sometimes wish IFP would open a forum on their site. It would be more likely to attract literary aficionados who have actually read the novels and give them somewhere to hang out.

    That's actually a really good idea.
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    edited November 2016 Posts: 1,053
    mcdonbb wrote: »
    IGUANNA wrote: »
    Well TM must of had its' fans somewhere because it sold quite well, I guess they're just not posting here today.

    It sold VERY well.
    I don't think it quite achieved DMC's numbers but Faulks had the centenary and novelty on his side but it arrested the decline started by CB and which accelerated with SOLO.
    With regard to this site, I do think it's primarily for the movie buffs. Thats fair enough but I do sometimes wish IFP would open a forum on their site. It would be more likely to attract literary aficionados who have actually read the novels and give them somewhere to hang out.

    That's actually a really good idea.

    Seconded.

    There is nothing wrong with this thread at all. Those with no interest in it don't have to read it.
    IGUANNA wrote: »
    I for one am blown to the chuff to hear of a new Horowitz Bond Novel in the works... This book will be written and released and flying off the shelves before we even have a title for the next Bond film.

    I know how you feel. It is absolutely the best news that Horowitz is back. After the triumph that is TM. It would have been sad indeed had they recruited another member of the celebrity literati.

    The fact that it looks to be a prequel to CR I also find super interesting. It will allow Horowitz a huge amount of creative latitude.

    Will he cover the start of the post war "Universal Export' ? The creation of the '00 section ? The recruitment of the first '00s ? Will the novel start with the appointment of 'M' himself ? The possibilities are endless.

    If IFP have allowed a prequel they have really taken the shackles off Horowitz and have given him the possibility to do something special. Fleming himself wrote precious little about Bond's history so it really is a green field opportunity.

    Good post. Hopefully exciting times lay ahead for the Horowitz Bond.

  • Posts: 4,622
    This is cracking good news , and new book as prequel to CR- that is double-plus awesome!
    With Steve Cole cranking out very excellent new Young Bonds and Horowitz again firmed up, Bond lit is in quite excellent shape, I dare say.
    Too bad I can't say the same for the stuck-in-the-mud film series. Let's get off the potty Babs! But I'll save that rant for another day. Grrrr.
  • timmer wrote: »
    This is cracking good news , and new book as prequel to CR- that is double-plus awesome!

    It is and the possibilities are endless.
    It will be interesting to see if Horowitz takes some distance from CR to allow himself the flexibility of re-visiting the period or if he bumps up right against it as he did with TM & GF.
    Personally I'd like to see him start it with the post war consolidation of Mi6 under 'M', the transition of Bond from Naval Intelligence and his recruitment into the 00section.
    That said, given that the books are always set over a condensed time frame so maybe all of this will be just background.

  • Posts: 676
    I wonder if the new book will be in continuity with Pearson.
  • edited November 2016 Posts: 2,593
    timmer wrote: »
    This is cracking good news , and new book as prequel to CR- that is double-plus awesome!
    With Steve Cole cranking out very excellent new Young Bonds and Horowitz again firmed up, Bond lit is in quite excellent shape, I dare say.
    Too bad I can't say the same for the stuck-in-the-mud film series. Let's get off the potty Babs! But I'll save that rant for another day. Grrrr.

    As Q would say: "yes, I concur!"

    Cole is doing a great job. I have read the first one and have almost finished 'Heads You Die'. I am looking forward to 'Strike Lightning' and one reviewer said that Bond spends less time with his friends in this yarn which is good. That's my only niggle with the first two along with the fact that possibly there isn't as much inner monologue on Bond's behalf as there is in Higson's books but still, Cole is doing splendidly. Better than atleast a couple of Higson's books and probably almost as good or equivalent to the rest. I would have to re-read the Higson books to accurately judge though. Aside for 'By Royal Command' which is fantastic, I have only read the others once, when they were first released.
  • Posts: 2,593
    Milovy wrote: »
    I wonder if the new book will be in continuity with Pearson.

    I would like it if it was, because Higson pretty much nailed this biography but I won't be surprised if it isn't. Hisgon and I think Cole too, refused to read Pearson's book.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    Bounine wrote: »
    Milovy wrote: »
    I wonder if the new book will be in continuity with Pearson.

    I would like it if it was, because Higson pretty much nailed this biography but I won't be surprised if it isn't. Hisgon and I think Cole too, refused to read Pearson's book.

    Previous adult Bond continuation authors John Gardner and Raymond Benson certainly did read Pearson's biography of Bond though and used it as a source in some of their stories. It's unclear whether Anthony Horowitz will follow suit but my gut feeling is that he will not and will rely solely on Fleming's writings.
  • Dragonpol wrote: »
    Bounine wrote: »
    Milovy wrote: »
    I wonder if the new book will be in continuity with Pearson.

    I would like it if it was, because Higson pretty much nailed this biography but I won't be surprised if it isn't. Hisgon and I think Cole too, refused to read Pearson's book.

    Previous adult Bond continuation authors John Gardner and Raymond Benson certainly did read Pearson's biography of Bond though and used it as a source in some of their stories. It's unclear whether Anthony Horowitz will follow suit but my gut feeling is that he will not and will rely solely on Fleming's writings.

    Higson revealed in a recent interview that he was specifically told by IFP NOT to read Pearson's biography or any of the continuation authors as they wanted his only influence to be Fleming's works. Wether he adhered to that doctrine at the time or not, only he knows but he has looked at it since because he was quite disparaging about it later in the same interview. He just didn't rate it as a book.

    I know it has its fans but personally I concur with Higson. I just think it's a bad book.

    Regarding Horowitz, at the launch of TM, he did mention that he'd read CS, DMC, CB, SOLO and of course, all the Flemings. The only continuation novel he was publicly complementary about was CS. He told me privately that he didn't care for the others and had found Boyd's particularly disappointing.

    I do hope Anthony does a few Bonds. Although I loved TM, I did leave it thinking that his next could be an absolute classic. I seriously think he's got a FRWL, MR or OHMSS in him.

    I base that not only on TM but also what he did with the Holmes franchise with 'House Of Silk'. That book was up there with the absolute best of Doyle.


  • edited November 2016 Posts: 2,593
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Bounine wrote: »
    Milovy wrote: »
    I wonder if the new book will be in continuity with Pearson.

    I would like it if it was, because Higson pretty much nailed this biography but I won't be surprised if it isn't. Hisgon and I think Cole too, refused to read Pearson's book.

    Previous adult Bond continuation authors John Gardner and Raymond Benson certainly did read Pearson's biography of Bond though and used it as a source in some of their stories. It's unclear whether Anthony Horowitz will follow suit but my gut feeling is that he will not and will rely solely on Fleming's writings.

    Oh, that's interesting. Thanks. Didn't know this. I think many of the stories that Bond relates to Pearson read like Fleming short stories. I adore this book and it's still my favourite continuation.
  • edited November 2016 Posts: 2,593
    Can anyone remember any of the references Benson and Gardner made to Pearson's Bond biography? Unfortunately, I can't remember any so it would be great to find out what some of them are.

    My only two real problems with Trigger Mortis were that the racing scene was a bit short albeit wonderfully written and Horowtiz being a tad light on the descriptions of locations. This leads to a lack of atmosphere. I would say that Cole is also guilty of the latter. I hope that both these authors become a bit more descriptive. I accept the fact that modern thrillers must be faster paced than the long since past golden days of literature but a tad more description would be fantastic.
  • edited November 2016 Posts: 2,593
    It would have been great if the whole novel had have revolved around the racing world.
  • Bounine wrote: »

    My only two real problems with Trigger Mortis were that the racing scene was a bit short albeit wonderfully written and Horowtiz being a tad light on the descriptions of locations. This leads to a lack of atmosphere.......... I accept the fact that modern thrillers must be faster paced than the long since past golden days of literature but a tad more description would be fantastic.

    Bounine makes a very interesting point - if Horowitz can keep the pace whilst injecting more descriptive detail he will be going for gold.
    I also think - as I may have said elsewhere - that both he and his editor need to be more rigorous regarding period detail. I love that he is writing in Fleming's timeline but that creates an obligation to get it right.

  • edited November 2016 Posts: 2,593
    Yeah, like when Bond and the lady drive from the hotel to Jason's Sin's site, the description of the scenery really is lacking. Modern thrillers may have to be fast paced but a bit more description wouldn't hurt anyone. This is a major facet of the Fleming novels that I love. The man really makes me feel like I'm actually there.
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