Publisher’s pitch:

From the Kaiser to the Taliban Britain s real spooks are revealed in this intriguing biography of the country s most secretive of secret services. Six is the full story of 100 years of espionage by MI6, the organisation still seen as the model for the world s spies. This book tells the truth about the men and women who inspired fictional characters such as James Bond and George Smiley. It begins with the creation of the British Secret Service in 1909 as the First World War loomed, and comes right up to date, detailing the work of MI6 officers in Afghanistan. Six focuses on the human factor, recounting hitherto untold tales of derring-do and exposing villainous traitors whose identities have until now been closely guarded secrets. Using hundreds of previously unreleased files and interviews with key players, it exposes the truth behind the failures and successes, including the real story of the Iraq scandal, naming the heroes and villains alike.

Amazon.co.uk

Judges for this year’s panel consisted of Corinne B Turner (Chair and Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications), Sarah Fairbairn (Editorial Manager at Ian Fleming Publications), Philip Gooden, Samantha Weinberg (author of The Moneypenny Diaries), Rob Williams, and David Wilson (Head of Creative and Business Affairs at Eon Workshop; Michael G. Wilson’s son). About Hart’s winning novel, The Last Child, the judges said [it] “Accomplished and ambitious piece of southern gothic. It is beautifully rendered, with a cast of memorable characters – full of pathos, atmosphere and mystery. A cracking and original story.”

About The Last Child:

Thirteen-year-old Johnny Merrimon has to face things no boy his age should face. In the year since his twin sister’s abduction his world has fallen apart: his father has disappeared and his fragile mother is spiralling into ever deeper despair. Johnny keeps strong.

Armed with a map, a bike and a flashlight, he stalks the bad men of Raven County. The police might have given up on Alyssa; he never will. Someone, somewhere, knows something they’re not telling. Only one person looks out for Johnny. Detective Clyde Hunt shares his obsession with the case.

But when Johnny witnesses a hit-and-run and insists the victim was killed because he’d found Alyssa, even Hunt thinks he’s lost it. And then another young girl goes missing …

Other nominees for this award included:

• Michael Connelly: The Brass Verdict (Orion)
• Gillian Flynn: Dark Places (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
• Charlie Newton: Calumet City (Bantam Press)
• Daniel Silva: Moscow Rules (Michael Joseph)
• Olen Steinhauer: The Tourist (HarperCollins)
• Andrew Williams: The Interrogator (John Murray)

Choice of Weapons will include Zero Minus Ten (1997), The Facts of Death (1998) and The Man with the Red Tattoo (2002) as well as the short stories “Live at Five” and “Midsummer Night’s Doom”. The book clocks in at a hefty 864 pages. That’s 32 more pages over Volume I – The Union Trilogy which was released in October 2008.

Previously the book was said to be hitting shelves in “Spring 2010“, though now according to the listing it appears publication will be taking place in August instead.

Weird headline. I just thought it was kind of neat to point this out. If you watch ABC’s TV series Castle, you’d know the eponymous Richard Castle is an author of thriller novels and that he’s been following around Kate Beckett (an NYPD detective) as inspiration for a new character for a new string of books. Beckett is actually played by Stana Katic who played Corrinne in Quantum of Solace (otherwise known as the girl who was with Vesper’s old boyfriend). That’s the premise of the show, but in the latest episode “When the Bough Breaks” Castle is offered the job of reinvigorating a certain “British spy” literary series – you know the one with babes, gadgets and cars? That one. They never say his name, but we all know. Obviously he turns it down because if he accepts his relationship with Beckett – the Bond girl (as well as the show), is over.

Interestingly ABC went the extra step and actually commissioned a book to be written under the pseudonym Richard Castle. It dovetails the book that was written on the show. Heat Wave (Amazon.com) was just recently published and debuted at #26 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Just for fun, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks ranked #8 at one point.

I just thought this was interesting.

The Young Bond Dossier got a first-look scan of the US edition of SilverFin: The Graphic Novel. Pretty much the same as the UK edition with subtle differences. The US “A James Bond Adventure” tagline (seen on other US Young Bond novels) has been added under “SilverFin” and “The Graphic Novel” is now above the type. It replaced the text “Based on….” that included the Young Bond logo. The Young Bond logo is now in the upper left corner. Minor stuff, but still different enough. The biggest difference according to YBD is that the book will come in hardcover form with a paperback to be released at a later date.

As an added bonus, YBD also posted the back cover.

SilverFin: The Graphic Novel was published in the UK on October 2, 2008 by Puffin Books. It’ll be published in the US by Disney-Hyperion in July 2010 just after the fifth and final Young Bond novel, By Royal Command, hits these shores in April.

Periodically, Titan Books has been publishing these strips in smaller collections. Many of them are actually original too, like the latest: The Girl Machine which was published just this past July. The stories in The James Bond Omnibus Vol.1 are supposed to be strips based on the novels or short stories which inspired the movies. I suspect a Vol.2 will be on the way though I don’t think there are too many more that could fill a Vol.3.

Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed these strips. They’re pretty cool. Check it out. For American fans, the omnibus will be published on November 17th.

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

You can pick this up at Amazon.co.uk

And if you’re new to the world of the literary 007, well, not only should you read the others, but also The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) which takes place between Thunderball and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but doesn’t involve SPECTRE or Blofeld, though both are mentioned. Here.

I just want to mention this because I thought it was rather interesting. Sounds familiar, actually reminds me of 30 AU, but author Sean Longden writes about a group called T-Force (Target-Force). Essentially these men were sent into Germany to seize and secure highly developed Nazi military technology, key factories and scientists. Fleming apparently played a role in the creation of the group. Here’s part of the publisher’s pitch:

T-Force was born out of the chaos of war torn Europe in 1945, and it is no wonder the story reads like a spy thriller: the unit was top secret and originated from a plan belonging to the Naval intelligence officer, Ian Fleming, later the creator of James Bond. The unit was selected from the remnants of the infantry after Normandy and included drivers, sappers, bomb disposal experts, commandos and teams of expert scientists, specialists and engineers. What they discovered would not only shock the allied army but also play a huge role in the opening years of the Cold War.

T-Force: The Race for Nazi War Secrets 1945 was just published on 10 September in the UK.

Amazon.co.uk
Publisher’s page

Thanks to the YoungBondDossier, we’re now aware that Puffin has released an extract of the upcoming Danger Society: The Young Bond Dossier. You can download that in PDF form here. It shows off a 9mm Baretta, the dashboard of Bond’s Bentley, and a bio on Count Ugo Carnifax the villian of Blood Fever. You might also notice that they’ve slightly altered the book’s cover. (To see this, go to www.youngbond.com and click “Books”.) Now on the black strip the words “Top Secret” are much larger, color in the title’s logo is now gone and the title itself appears to have dropped “Danger Society”; an interesting move.

All in all, I think it looks great. The Young Bond Dossier will be published in the UK on 29 October and will include the original short story “A Hard Man to Kill” by Charlie Higson. Pre-order from Amazon.co.uk