A new Bond novel, written in the style of Ian Fleming by top writer Sebastian Faulks, is out on Wednesday to commemorate the centenary of the 007 creator.
“Devil May Care” is being hailed as the closest thing to vintage Fleming ever written and is set during the Cold War.
Agent 007 has recently lost his wife and is portrayed as an older man than the central character in classics such as Moonraker or Casino Royale.
He is investigating a series of events surrounding the smuggling of opium in a number of glamorous locations.
Mr Faulks has often spoken of his admiration for Ian Fleming.
“The writing was very clear, swift journalistic,” he said.
“I liked the elegance of the style as well as a certain playfulness – not the heavy camp groaning jokes of the Roger Moore films, but the feeling that Fleming occasionally winks at you and isn’t taking it all too seriously.
“In his house in Jamaica Ian Fleming used to write a thousand words in the morning, then go snorkelling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another thousand words in late afternoon, then more Martinis and glamorous women.
“In my house in London I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkelling.”
POSTED: 25/05/2008 06:15:00