by Mark Cerulli
28 October 2018
As the next James Bond film, (placeholder title: Bond 25) preps for a December start, there is a way to get your 007 fix NOW – Anthony Horowitz’ new Bond novel, FOREVER AND A DAY, out November 6th from Harper Books.
Horowitz wrote the highly acclaimed 2015 Bond adventure, Trigger Mortis, and got the rare honor of being asked to write the next official book by the Fleming Estate. In Forever And A Day, Horowitz really delivers, working from original outlines Ian Fleming wrote for an un-filmed U.S. TV project.
This is an origins story, set before the Fleming’s first Bond novel, 1953’s Casino Royale. Taking place in the glittering French Riviera, Forever And A Day introduces many of Bond’s now-iconic trademarks – the vodka martini (“shaken not stirred”, of course), and earning the coveted 007 ranking.
The novel starts off with a spy known as 007 washing up dead. Time for a replacement, and M takes a chance on an untested young agent named James Bond. But before he can become the suave, sophisticated killer we all know, he has to learn his craft. As with any Bond film or novel, there are several “must haves” – a beautiful woman, and an enigmatic villain. Naturally, Forever And A Day has both – the novel’s leading lady is a beautiful temptress named Sixtine who, as the Author said in an interview with Penguin (the U.K. publisher), “is every bit his equal.” And for the villain, a monstrous Corsican mobster named Scipio, who understands how to inflict terror, both real and imagined.
Horowitz keeps the action moving at a fast clip, his writing crisp and authoritative – when Bond kills a traitor (in his very own bed), he does so with a knife, watching the man’s last few moments of life as his blood stains the sheets until, “Suddenly there was only one person breathing in the room.” That scene and others make an indelible impression on the reader.
The author states, “Ian Fleming has played a huge role in my life… he wrote the first adult books that I ever loved and the (Bond) films saved me from some of the darkest corners of my childhood.” Horowitz is a master storyteller and longtime Bond fans will appreciate the many touches that echo Fleming himself. For newer fans, this is an insightful look at how James Bond became 007.
MC
Photo Credit: HarperCollins Publishers
About the Author of “Forever and a Day”
Anthony Horowitz is one of the most prolific and successful writers working today. Author of the US bestselling Magpie Murders, The Word is Murder, two new Sherlock Holmes novels and, of course, the acclaimed Bond continuation novel, Trigger Mortis, published in 2015. His Alex Rider young adult series has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. He is also an accomplished British screenwriter, creating both Midsomer Murders and the BAFTA-winning Foyle’s War for PBS, among many other credits. Deciding on a writing career at the tender age of 8, Horowitz followed his dream, publishing his first book, The Sinister Secret of Frederick K. Bower in 1979. Over 40 other titles followed, and more are on the way.
The author lives in Middlesex, England where he writes up to ten hours a day, seven days a week. In January 2014 he was awarded an OBE for his distinguished service to British literature. We are not sure what Mr. Horowitz does in his spare time because, due to his abundant literary output, he can’t have much of it! His official website is: anthonyhorowitz.com.