Raymond Benson back in action!

© Dorchester Publishing

If you have a taste for good-ol’-fashion two-fisted adventure stories — that means pulp fiction, kids, then the Gabriel Hunt saga may be just for you. Making his debut this month At The Well of Eternity, Hunt is a globetrotting adventurer of the old school. A man on a mission, living by his wits, fists, and trusty Colt revolver. He pursues treasure and glory, and finds danger and romance as well. He’s a literary cousin to Allan Quatermain, Doc Savage, Dirk Pitt, and, yes, James Bond.

And here’s why HMSS is excited about it (besides the fact that we dig this kind of entertainment, anyway)… our good pal Raymond Benson has “assisted” the titular Mr. Hunt in penning his latest adventure.
Hunt Through Napoleon’s Web. This is what we know of the story:

Of all the priceless treasures Gabriel Hunt has sought, none means more to him than the one drawing him to the rugged terrain of Corsica and the exotic streets of Marrakesh: his own sister’s life. To save her, Hunt will have to challenge the mind of a tyrant two centuries dead—the calculating, ingenious Napoleon Bonaparte…

Sounds cool!

Raymond Benson is the author of six original James Bond novels and three 007 Film novelizations. No stranger to the headlong-paced traditions of pulp adventure writing, he’s also done two of the immensely popular Tom Clancy Splinter Cell novels.

Hunt Through Napoleon’s Web will be published by Dorchester Publishing and is scheduled for release August 2010. You can read more about it, including a sample chapter, RIGHT HERE.

Happy 100th, Cubby Broccoli

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of James Bond producer Albert Romolo “Cubby” Broccoli.

Broccoli’s life, as has been chronicled in various media, was not one of fast, or easy, success. He was a salesman of everything from Christmas trees to coffins. Eventually, he got into show business and began to have an impact as a producer after World War II in partnership with Irving Allen by making movies in the U.K.

As Bond fans know, that partnership would eventually dissolve and one major point of disagreement was Ian Fleming’s 007 series of novels, which Broccoli very much wanted to make and Allen didn’t. Allen later saw the error in his ways and eventually got into the 1960s spy game himself.

There’s a tendency to either elevate Broccoli to a kind of sainthood or trash him. He made his share of mistakes or questionable decisions, like passing over Julie Christie because of her breast size. On the other hand, he saved the title song for Diamonds Are Forever when then-partner Harry Saltzman wanted to junk it. And Broccoli’s instincts spurred the Goldfinger creative crew to take viewers inside Fort Knox, where Fleming’s novel did not.

The 47-year-old (and counting) Bond series of films that bears his name is the bottom line of his life’s work. In 1977, during an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show, (Roger Moore was the co-host) Broccoli correctly predicted Bond would be around long after “I’m gone.”