Sherwood describes her new 00-book

U.K. cover for A Spy Like Me

Ian Fleming Publications, in an email, published a statement from author Kim Sherwood about her new 00-agent book, A Spy Like Me.

A few highlights:

–Plot synopsis: The book concerns “a Breguet montre à tract, otherwise known as a ‘blind man’s watch’ and the agents in my story follow it into the heart of a terrorist plot that could not only cripple the Western world but potentially spell the ruin of the Double O section.”

–Agent lineup:

Joseph Dryden, 004, is following the money, tracking the sale of rare artifacts that funnels money to the terrorist organization. (snip)

Johanna Harwood, 003, has been sidelined following the events of her last mission. But now she has a new mission of her own: find James Bond. (snip)

Conrad Harthrop-Vane, 000, the blue-eyed boy, is dispatched to Oman to track the blind man’s watch and navigate a world of luxury and deception.

–Difference compared with Sherwood’s first 00-agent book: “Unlike the first part of the trilogy, Double or Nothing, this book is written in present tense. I wanted to communicate a feeling that everything is constantly in motion.”

A Spy Like Me went on sale in the U.K. today, April 25. It went on sale in the U.S. on April 23.

Sherwood’s second Bond universe book debuts

Cover to A Spy Like Me

Kim Sherwood’s second Double O universe novel, A Spy Like Me, officially went on sale in the U.S. today. It’s scheduled to go on sale in the U.K. on April 25.

“Johanna Harwood, Agent 003, is on the hunt – for revenge and for James Bond…,” Ian Fleming Publications said in a Jan. 29 list of its publication plans for this year.

The author has been promoting the new book on social media. Here is an example:

Jumping for joy! #aspylikeme is out in America today. Only in my wildest dreams could I have imagined writing #jamesbond & publishing in 🇺🇸 – that today brings both those things is absolutely amazing 🤩 Thank you @WmMorrowBooks & @TheIanFleming If you see it in stores take a pic! pic.twitter.com/52hli9qS4d

— Kim Sherwood (@kimtsherwood) April 23, 2024

Cover for Sherwood’s second 00-novel unveiled

Ian Fleming Publications unveiled the second U.S. cover for author Kim Sherwood’s “James Bond novels without James Bond” series, A Spy Like Me.

Here’s part of the promotional copy:

In April 2024 the next book in Kim Sherwood’s Double O series will be released in the US and UK. It is a stunning, globe-spanning adventure filled with deception, diamonds and deadly consequences. Agent Sherwood masterfully examines what it takes to be a spy and what it means to have your finger on the trigger when time is running out. Being a spy isn’t a job, it is a way of life.

The first in the Sherwood series, Double Or Nothing, was published in 2022. Bond is missing and other 00-agents are featured. One was named after Johanna Harwood, a screenwriter on Dr. No and From Russia With Love, the first two 007 films made by Eon Productions. Another character was named after Bob Simmons, stunt arranger on various Eon Bond movies.

Title of Sherwood’s 2nd 00-novel announced

A Spy Like Me is the title of Kim Sherwood’s second 00-novel, the author announced today in a post on Twitter.

The book will be released on April 25, 2024, according to a listing on Amazon UK.

“An elite team of MI6 agents go undercover to unravel a smuggling network funding violent terror,” according to the Twitter post. “Six days. Three agents. One chance to find James Bond.”

In Sherwood’s first novel, Double or Nothing, Bond is missing and other 00 agents were featured. A cover for A Spy Like Me is to be revealed later.

Here is Sherwood’s post:

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 👀

I’m thrilled to lift the curtain on the next Double O novel…

A SPY LIKE ME

An elite team of MI6 agents go undercover to unravel a smuggling network funding violent terror.

Six days. Three agents. One chance to find James Bond.https://t.co/XOAzbW4xdk pic.twitter.com/z6fAPex4Dz

— Kim Sherwood (@kimtsherwood) July 25, 2023

Higson delivers a James Bond oasis in 2023

Charlie Higson, with his On His Majesty’s Secret Service book, has delivered a James Bond oasis for 2023.

The cinematic Bond isn’t close to another movie adventure. Ian Fleming Publications, overseen by the heirs of the author, is mostly dealing with Kim Sherwood’s “James Bond without James Bond” trilogy.

Higson’s novella — written and published quickly to coincide with the coronation of King Charles III — is what James Bond fans get for now.

Higson’s book is both modestly sized (noticeably smaller than current continuation novels) and a modest page count (161 pages).

Yet, Higson captures many of the Bond memes. A villain with an outrageous speech. A villain with an outsized plan.

Higson also provides long (relatively speaking) action sequences. His version of Bond observes a lot of about the world of 2023, the way Fleming’s Bond made observations about the world of Stalin, Kruschev, and U.S. leaders such as John F. Kennedy.

Higson uses Fleming’s Bond as a vehicle to comment about the 21st century in Europe and the U.S. I’ve seen some Bond fans on social media object to that.

Regardless, Higson’s book is what James Bond fans are going to get for the foreseeable future. Sherwood’s trilogy features new 00-agents. Who knows when Eon will be ready to get on with things after the end of the Daniel Craig era?

Higson has also transitioned an analog Bond into the digital era. On His Majesty’s Secret Service references YouTube, bitcoin, social media, etc.

Other Bond continuation authors “timeshifted” Fleming’s creation. But in recent years, Ian Fleming Publications has mostly emphasized period pieces. Perhaps Higson really does show the old boy still has a place in modern times.

Bond (and his rights holders) try to decide what’s next

Image for the official James Bond feed on Twitter

It’s a weird time to be a James Bond fan.

In terms of the films, we are — yet again — in another hiatus. This time, it’s entirely voluntary on the part of Eon Productions. Eon killed off the Daniel Craig version of Bond in No Time to Die. Where does it go from here?

The message from Eon: Don’t call us. We’ll call you.

Put another way: Bond 26? What’s that?

In the literary Bond world, Ian Fleming Publications wrapped up a trilogy written by Anthony Horowitz anchored in the Ian Fleming timeline. It’s now emphasizing a timeshifted “James Bond is missing” trilogy by Kim Sherwood with a quickly done timeshifted Charlie Higson story. The Sherwood and Higson stories have nothing to do with each other.

Higson’s tale, On His Majesty’s Secret Service, was connected to the recent coronation of King Charles III, the long-in-waiting monarch. Meanwhile, Sherwood’s trilogy still has two parts to go. More James Bond without James Bond.

For now, Bond overall is in neutral. Aside from Higson’s story, there’s not much actual Bond.

All of this, you might say, is obvious. And so it is. Regardless, it’s one of the oddest periods for Bond fans.

About continuity in James Bond continuation novels

To listen to an audio version of this post, CLICK HERE.

This probably doesn’t need to be said, but apparently, it does….continuation in the 007 continuation novels DOESN’T EXIST.

Let’s take a look.

Colonel Sun (1968, by Kingley Amis, writing as Robert Markham): This novel by an Ian Fleming admirer, seeks to be tied closely to Fleming’s originals.

The Fleming heirs (at least then) wanted to keep the Bond novels going. The Robert Markham pen name was intended for future Bond literary stories.

But this initial effort didn’t get beyond Colonel Sun. Anne Fleming, the author’s widow, wasn’t that interested.

Licensed Renewed-Cold: John Gardner was commissioned by Fleming’s heirs to restart the Bond literary series. His novels were published starting in 1981 through the mid-1990s. The books were “timeshifted” from Fleming’s originals with references to the creator’s works. Gardner’s books included novelizations for the Licence to Kill and Goldeneye films made by Eon Productions.

Zero Minus Ten-The Man With the Red Tatoo: Raymond Benson, who penned the James Bond Bedside Companion, was hired to take over from Gardner. In addition to the novels cited here, Benson wrote short stories that first appeared in Playboy and TV Guide. Like Gardner, Benson’s stories were timeshifted. Benson also did novelizations based on Eon movies.

Sebastian Faulks (2008): Years after Benson’s exit, the Fleming heirs hired celebrated author Faulks to do a Bond novel for the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth. Supposedly, Faulks was “writing as Ian Fleming.”

Jeffery Deaver (2011): The American author was hired by the Fleming heirs to write Carte Blanche. It was intended as the start of a new timeshifted series. But nothing happened after publication.

William Boyd (2013): The Fleming estate hired another established novelist to do a period piece, set in 1969. Amusingly, the title came from a TV project Ian Fleming was involved with that would be retitled The Man From U.N.C.L.E. None of the publicity mentioned this. Perhaps the heirs didn’t appreciate that Fleming sold his U.N.C.L.E. rights for 1 British pound.

Anthony Horowitz (2015-2022): The Fleming estate hired Horowitz for what would be a trilogy set in the Ian Feming timeline. The first book, Trigger Mortis takes place after the events of Fleming’s Goldfinger novel. Forever and a Day takes place before Casino Royale. Horwitz’s final Bond effort, With a Mind to a Kill, occurs after The Man with the Golden Gun novel.

Since then, Kim Sherwood and Charlie Higson have done timeshifted novels. There is no way to tie all of this to a continuity.

If any fan thinks they’re being clever pointing out discrepancies, forget it. It’s like pointing out time differences in comic books and comic strips. It’s fiction. Ian Fleming himself changed Bond’s timeline while doing his novels and short stories. The likes of Superman, Batman, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, etc., etc. don’t hold up to a firm timeline.

It’s fiction. That’s how it works.

Higson says his and Sherwood’s 007 stories are separate

Charlie Higson, author of the upcoming James Bond novel On His Majesty’s Secret Service, says his book and Kim Sherwood’s 007 universe trilogy exist in separate universes.

“My book and Kim’s book exist in 2 separate universes. They don’t relate,” Higson wrote on Twitter. “Kim’s book and world are her own creation. I’ve tried to do a tweak/update of Fleming’s world.”

Higson added his novel “is a one off for charity so I don’t think it can be described as a cash in.”

Both On His Majesty’s Secret Service and Sherwood’s Double or Nothing (with two sequels to come) are timeshifted to the present day. Higson, who penned a series of “Young Bond” novels, sets his novel to coincide with next month’s coronation of King Charles III.

Since 2008, Ian Fleming Publications has come out with mostly period pieces, including novels by Sebastian Faulks, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. Jeffery Deaver had a timeshifted novel that amounted to a reboot of the literary Bond.

On His Majesty’s Secret Service is scheduled to be published May 4 in the U.K. The book is to be available in ebook and audio book form on that date in the U.S. It may be available in regular book form later in the U.S.

Bond 26’s delay spur other efforts

The James Bond film franchise is in the midst of another hiatus. It’s not known when the franchise will get going again. How is this affecting the spy genre?

Literary Bond gets a chance to shine: In 2022, Ian Fleming Publication came out with Double Or Nothing by Kim Sherwood, a modern-day tale featuring other 00-agents while James Bond is missing. The novel is just now coming to the U.S.

Also, Charlie Higson, who penned a series of “Young Bond’ novels is getting his chance to do an adult Bond novel with On His Majesty’s Secret Service, a story related to the coronation of King Charles III. That will be published in all forms in the U.K early next month. In the U.S., we’ll get an e-book version and an audiobook at the same time. A print version may be out shortly.

Other spies get a chance to shine: Amazon is coming out with a streaming series called Citadel featuring operatives of an independent spy agency. A movie titled Maude vs. Maude with Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry is in development, according to Deadline: Hollywood.

Jolie previously headlined the 2010 spy movie titled Salt. Berry had the lead female role in Die Another Day, the 2002 James Bond film. Richard Madden is one of the leads for Citadel. He has been part of speculation for playing 007 in Bond 26.

There are other spy-related projects, including Argylle (whose cast includes another would-be Bond, Henry Cavill).

Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible series gets a free run: Tom Cruise is coming out with a Mission: Impossible film(later this year, with a follow-up in 2024. This may be the finale for Cruise’s M:I movie series that began in 1996.

Bond fans note (with justification) that M:I stunts appear to be modeled after earlier stunt efforts in 007 films. But what makes the M:I series different is how Cruise seems all-in on the stunts.

We’ll see about all this. But nature abhors a vacuum. If the makers of the Bond franchise want a break, others clearly will take up the slack.

UPDATED: Reader Jack Lugo reminded me about this upcoming project, Ghosted, with Chris Evans and Ana De Armas. The latter was a memorable part of No Time to Die.

Temptations following in Fleming’s footsteps

Kim Sherwood’s James Bond continuation novel (without James Bond), Double or Nothing, is finally, officially available in the United States. I managed to get a copy last fall but haven’t finished it yet.

There is a temptation for authors who follow in the footsteps of Ian Fleming to show everyone they know their Fleming.

In 1998, British film historian Adrian Turner produced a book about the filming of Goldfinger, the third Bond film. It had many details, especially about different drafts of the script.

But Turner couldn’t resist playing James Bond author. He penned an introduction where he provided a parody of Fleming’s writing style where the historian sold his first-edition copy of Casino Royale. “Turner left the shop with a cheque for $6,000, which he folded and placed in his passport,” Turner wrote.

That was just the start. In chapter S, there was an entry titled “scarlet letter, the,” in which Turner engaged in pure fanfiction. The short story described an aging James Bond. He has received a letter from the daughter of Pussy Galore, who has recently died.

“My mother told me everything about you, about how you and she met and about Mr Goldfinger,” Turner wrote. “My mother was a very open and honest person who had no regrets about her past life.”

We’re eventually told that Pussy Galore married in 1967 Mark Rutland — the character Sean Connery played in the 1964 Alfred Hitchcock film Marnie. Mark Rutland died in a plane crash while Pussy Galore “started to decline immediately afterwards. I think she died of a broken heart.”

The daughter’s letter includes a note from Pussy Galore. It includes the Homer device that had been crushed with Mr. Solo in the film.

“Bond held the Homer and the piece of paper for a long time, staring into space and not resisting the tears which flooded into his eyes.”

In 1999, Bond continuation author Raymond Benson wrote a short story for Playboy where Bond traveled to Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion. The story ends with a Fleming line. “Then he brought his mouth ruthlessly down on hers.”

Kim Sherwood’s Bond novel, the first of three, has a double-O agent named Johanna Harwood, a screenwriter who worked on the first two Bond films, Dr. No and From Russia With Love. The novel also includes a character called Bob Simmons, presumably named after the long-time Bond film stuntman and stunt arranger.

To be sure, Fleming himself named characters after people he knew. So it’s understandable that continuation authors would perform similar wink-wink sort of things.

Still, those who follow Fleming can spot this sort of thing.