Article by Revelator 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s novel Diamonds Are Forever. During what’s left of the year Artistic Licence Renewed wishes to pay tribute to its heroine, Tiffany Case, arguably Fleming’s best female character. Diamonds Are Forever suffers from weak plotting and its main villains–the Spang twins–appear too briefly to join…
Article by David Craggs. As a sexagenarian espionage aficionado who had first-hand experience of the 1960s, this particular ‘Field Agent’ has long been as obsessed with the literary phenomena brought about by ‘Bond Mania’. As with most things ‘60s, you had to have been there to appreciate it. The absolute tsunami of literary spies that…
On this Bastille Day, we are delighted to welcome our French cousins commander007.net at Station F, to contribute their thoughts on James Bond in France. Profitez! In 11 novels and 9 short stories, Bond travels five times through 1950’s France. While Bond is now famous for being a great globe-trotting spy, it is surprising that Fleming, an author…
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s 1956 novel Diamonds Are Forever on March 26, 1956, we asked American artist and Bond fan Gerry Wadsworth, to take us on a tour of some of the Americana found in the novel. *** Ian Fleming was a master of description with an ability to convince the…
This month The Folio Society, in conjunction with Ian Fleming publications, release a lavish edition of Ian Fleming’s classic début novel ‘Casino Royale‘. The beautiful artwork was commissioned for acclaimed illustrator Fay Dalton with an introduction by Booker-Prize winning author John Banville. Another must-have item for devoted literary James Bond collectors! We spoke with Sheri Gee, the…
In the last few months, the James Bond universe has given us some new ‘Bond Women’ to the canon from Trigger Mortis to Spectre. On the fifth anniversary of his ground breaking book about feminism and the representations of women in the 007 novels and films, we checked in with Robert Caplen to get his opinions. What are your reactions to…
In conjunction with the suitably named New Bond Street Pawnbrokers, who specialise in brokering luxury assets, we have culled some of the top brands from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels in a handy infographic!
Article by Matthew Woodcock ‘This organisation – do you know what it’s called?’, asks Bond in his latest screen appearance. ‘Its name is SPECTRE’, answers Dr Madeleine Swann. Later in Spectre, the head of this shadowy organisation, Franz Oberhauser, as he is named at this point (played by Christoph Waltz), reveals to Bond that they…
Review by Craig Arthur © 2015 The previous three James Bond continuation novels prior to Anthony Horowitz’s Trigger Mortis did not elevate the literary Bond brand. Sebastian Faulks’s Devil May Care showed contempt for actual Fleming aficionados, evident in the hubris of his assertion that he was ‘writing as Ian Fleming’. Every aspect of Devil May Care is…
Article by Craig Arthur *** A quirk of the combination of Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy story collections in the new Quantum Of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories, is that the book begins and ends with Bond day-dreaming about a woman named Solange. In the opening story, From a View…
Additional quotes by Michael May; Illustrations ©George Almond where indicated courtesy of http://www.007magazine.co.uk/ Last month we ran down 10-6 in our series on literary Bond that deserves more screen time. This week, we wrap up our list with 5-1. Let us know if you agree or would suggest more? 5. The Havelock murders in Jamaica and Vermont shoot-out scene…
While working for The Sunday Times, Ian Fleming came up with the idea to have a variety of esteemed writers to write about The Seven Deadly Sins, with each choosing the sin of their choice. This never materialized while Fleming was working there, but in 1962 the idea flowered and The Seven Deadly Sins was published featuring contributions…
Article by Craig Arthur with permission, originally published in 2007 James Bond was not the first fictional secret agent with a liking for martinis. W. Somerset Maugham’s Ashenden also drank them. “I move with the times,” Ashenden explains in Maugham’s story ‘His Excellency’. “To drink a glass of sherry when you can get a dry…
On this day in 1962, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, the ninth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series is published. To celebrate this event, film journalist and screenwriter Matthew Chernov reviews the latest audio book version – read by Rosamund Pike — and explains why this book holds a very special place for him.…
Article by Benjamin Welton Although the Bond novels officially began with Casino Royale, 1954’s Live and Let Die is the true beginning of the Bond canon. The novel has all the right elements — Jamaica, a whiff of Caribbean culture and superstitions, a larger-than-life villain, and an enchanting female who is Bond’s equal in more…
The legacy of the ‘Bond continuation novel’ began in 1968 with Kingsley Amis‘ ‘Colonel Sun’, published by Jonathan Cape on this day – March 28th. Kingsley had been a Bond fan “ever since he discovered the first paperback, ‘Casino Royale’, on a railway bookstall” (The Times Educational Supplement) and had already written the seminal The James Bond Dossier, and…
Article by Dr. Wesley Britton Most fans of the literary 007 know something about the history of the lost James Bond continuation novel, PER FINE OUNCE. Without question, the researcher who’s provided us with the most credible background information is writer and novelist Jeremy Duns. But now that we have Peter Vollmer’s new PER FINE…
Words by Edward Biddulph There are two books that represent the holy grails for fans of Ian Fleming. One is Ian Fleming’s account of Kuwait and its oil industry, State of Excitement, which was suppressed by the Kuwait government. The other is what might have been the first continuation Bond novel, Per Fine Ounce, by…
Words by Benjamin Welton Born Frank Morrison Spillane in Brooklyn, Mickey Spillane cultivated a type of working-class snarl that was always directed at those numerous critics who frequently labeled him popular culture’s chief cheerleader for Fascism. In turn, Spillane took potshots at his supposed betters, and once quipped that: “Those big-shot writers … could never…
Words by Edward Biddulph My ambition is to own every Bond-related book that exists, but I realise the task will be unending, as there is a constant flow of new books, and a deluge with the release of each new Bond film. There are books to suit every cultural standpoint, and books that examine the…
Artistic Licence Renewed 