New James Bond novel hits the shelves

By Staff

Saturday, May 31, 2008, 14:49

The first novel in 40 years to chronicle the adventures of James Bond has been launched onboard HMS Exeter in central London.

Devil May Care, by Sebastian Faulks, has been published to mark the centenary of Bond creator Ian Fleming's birth, and features 007 travelling to Paris, London and the Middle East during 1967.

The book's plot is being kept under wraps, though it is known the story is set in 1967 during the Cold War. Speaking a little about the book, Lucy Fleming, Fleming's niece, revealed that Bond's love interest was named Poppy.

She also said the villain, named Gormah, was "a bit like Blofeld or Dr No - really sinister". Faulks, who was chosen to write the novel at the request of Fleming's family, added it was a "pleasure to be aboard the ship Bond himself sailed on". Lucy said her uncle would be "terribly amused that somebody like Sebastian is keeping his legacy going". "We wanted it to be a celebration of Ian's writing, so to get somebody of his calibre says a lot about Ian and James Bond,' BBC quoted her as saying.

Faulks is famous for the war trilogy "Birdsong", "The Girl at the Lion D'Or" and "Charlotte Gray.