Between 1965, when the events in Kingsley Amis' James Bond novel Colonel Sun took place, and 1981, when the John Gardner-authored books began with Licence Renewed, the literary Bond saw a distinct lack of active service. In an updated and expanded version of one of his editorials, Richard McGinlay wonders what 007 might have been up to during this period, and asks whether the Bond movies could provide some answers...

Only two James Bond novels were published during the literary lull that exists between Colonel Sun (published in 1968 but set in 1965) and Licence Renewed (1981). Screenwriter Christopher Wood penned two adaptations of movie scripts: James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and James Bond and Moonraker (1979).

More recently, between 1989 and 2002, each new Bond film - from Licence to Kill to Die Another Day - has been novelised. This leads me to wonder why no one has thought to go back and adapt some of the other movies. Apart from Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and arguably the new version of Casino Royale, all of which closely resemble Fleming's original works, the films are sufficiently far removed from their source materials to be adapted into novels in their own right.

If you think the plots to such movies as Diamonds Are Forever and Octopussy are too far-fetched or comical for the literary Bond to inhabit (a fair point), it's well worth tracking down the aforementioned Wood novelisations, which ably demonstrate how the transition can be achieved. For example, in James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me, the quip: "All those feathers and he still can't fly," becomes a cynical muttered comment. In James Bond and Moonraker, the outlandish plot development of a journey into space is offset by 007's very realistic terror at entering this new and hostile environment.

Admittedly, James Bond and Moonraker in its current form cannot truly inhabit the same universe as Ian Fleming's Moonraker because, presumably under pressure from his publishers, Wood retains the names of the villain Drax and the titular spacecraft. By contrast, the author changed the name of the KGB's General Gogol in James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me to Nikitin, thus establishing a point of continuity by making him the same character who appeared in Ian Fleming's From Russia, With Love.

However, with a simple change of designation for the shuttles, such as Starseeker, and a change of name and appearance for the villain, James Bond and Moonraker could be fully integrated into the literary canon. Wood reuses Fleming's description of the red-haired, scarred Drax, rather than reflect the visage of the actor Michael Lonsdale. This description could easily be changed to a different but suitably Fleming-style likeness, along the lines of: "With his slicked-back dark hair and Van Dyke beard, Drax might have appeared satanic, had the man not been so grossly overweight."

John Gardner's adaptation of Licence to Kill comes similarly "close but no cigar", by almost but not quite fitting into the canon. This is because the author retains script elements that had been lifted from Fleming's books: the stingray whip, the names of Milton Krest and his vessel, the Wavekrest, from the short story The Hildebrand Rarity; and Felix Leiter getting fed to a shark, from Live and Let Die. Gardner seems to overlook the repetition of the Hildebrand elements entirely, and claims that the shark attack is an unlikely coincidence, a case of "lightning striking twice".

With slight editing, though, these problems could have been ironed out. Krest could become the son of the character in Fleming's short story. He could have inherited the Wavekrest and whip from his father, and given the latter to Sanchez as a gift when it took the drug lord's fancy. Instead of being a coincidence, the shark attack could be a punishment deliberately and cruelly selected by Sanchez with Leiter's personal history in mind. Sanchez's men could leave behind a note that reads: "We tried to make a matching set of stumps."

Editorial processes such as these could be applied just as effectively to the remaining Bond films, if they were to be novelised.

Reused Fleming characters could either be renamed or changed into those characters' descendents. For example, Blofeld in You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and the opening sequence of For Your Eyes Only could become some new member of SPECTRE - or indeed a succession of them, since the characterisation and even the nationality of Blofeld seems to vary from one movie to the next. The gap of almost 20 years that exists between the literary Live and Let Die and its cinematic counterpart means that Solitaire in the latter version could actually be the daughter of the original tarot reader - though not, I hasten to add, a daughter by Bond, because of course he ends up sleeping with her!

Some repeated characters could simply be the same person meeting Bond once more. Bond's dealings with "Tiger" Tanaka in the cinematic You Only Live Twice could become their second encounter, taking place a few years after events in the original novel.

Those few and far between plot elements that significantly resemble Fleming's works could be played down to avoid unlikely repetition. For instance, the smuggled diamonds in Diamonds Are Forever could be exchanged for some other precious jewels, while Melina's crossbow in For Your Eyes Only could become a rifle.

The titles of the novelisations could also do with changing, to give them identities distinct from Fleming's originals. The same principle could apply to reprints of the Christopher Wood novelisations. These titles should reflect their movie origins, in order to highlight their tie-in status.

The lyrics of many James Bond theme songs provide inspiration for titles that would evoke the movies. For example, a novelisation of Live and Let Die could be called Give the Other Fellow Hell; The Man with the Golden Gun might become A Million A Shot; James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me could be retitled Nobody Does it Better; and A View to a Kill could be published as Dance into the Fire or That Fatal Kiss.

Certain names and situations from the movies also offer up suitably "Bondian" titles. The novelisation of Live and Let Die could also be called Fillet of Soul, after the chain of restaurants in the film; For Your Eyes Only might be renamed Operation: Undertow or just Undertow, after the designation of Bond's assignment; and A View to a Kill could alternatively be titled Mainstrike, after the mine that Zorin exploits.

A tagline or flash on the cover of each book could explain its nature as an adaptation of a movie script. The cover design could depict scenes from the movie in question, or even duplicate the packaging of the recent DVD release, for added tie-in value.

Below, in more specific detail, is how each novelisation could work:

You Only Live Thrice
Based on the screenplay You Only Live Twice
Dateline: 1967

As discussed above, the character of "Tiger" Tanaka could be reprised from the Ian Fleming novel, making this his second meeting with 007. Bond's initial wariness of Tiger could be attributed to awkwardness resulting from the circumstances of their last encounter, in which Tiger was arguably a party to Kissy Suzuki's deception of the amnesiac Bond.

Kissy herself could also reappear, with Tiger deciding that 007 should resume his ready-made cover as the girl's fiancé. Kissy's initial frostiness in the film could be transferred to Bond in the novelisation, as he might understandably harbour some bitterness towards the woman who took advantage of his memory loss. Bond could also be shocked to learn about the birth of his son, James Suzuki (a character mentioned in John Pearson's The Authorised Biography of 007 and the Raymond Benson short story Blast from the Past), and angry that Kissy didn't tell him sooner.

On the other hand, the Henderson of the movie is so far removed from Fleming's "Dikko" Henderson that the character's dialogue would have to be significantly rewritten. It would be far simpler to just rename him as a different character.

Since the proposed novelisation is very much a sequel to Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, I have emphasised this factor in its suggested title, You Only Live Thrice. Following Bond's apparent death in Ian Fleming's novel, and the agent's faked demise at the start of the novelisation, 007 is now therefore on to his third life. Dialogue between Bond and the (renamed) villain, SPECTRE's new Number 1, could read something like this:

The bald man inspected Bond intently. "James Bond," he intoned. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am [insert new name here]. They told me you were assassinated in Hong Kong."

"Yes," replied Bond, "this is actually my third life."

"It will prove to be your last, Mr Bond."

The involvement of this new Number 1 need not negate the original stories that were told in the syndicated James Bond newspaper strips, which established a woman called Spectra as the head of a regenerated SPECTRE. Number 1 could be a field commander who serves Madam Spectra, just as Largo bore the designation Number 1 while serving under Blofeld in the novel Thunderball. (See appendix 001 for a guide to how the newspaper strips might fit in with these novelisations.)

Though the screenplay of From Russia With Love differs insufficiently from its source material to warrant a novelisation of its own, bits of it could be incorporated into You Only Live Thrice (and into other stories, but more on that later). The notion of SPECTRE stirring up East/West hostilities is a major plot point here too, so certain dialogue exchanges between the villains could be relocated. In particular, the fighting fish scene with Blofeld, Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen would work just as well using the characters of the new Number 1, Helga Brandt and Osato. The villain's love of fish would tie in well with his infamous pool of piranhas.

Priceless
(or Stockpile, or Death by Diamonds)
Based on the screenplay Diamonds Are Forever
Dateline: 1969

Since the movie version of OHMSS is very faithful to its source, and therefore not suitable for novelisation, the next adaptation would be of the screenplay to Diamonds Are Forever. To avoid having a four-year gap between Bond's literary assignments, I have brought the dateline of this story forward by two years.

The names of Blofeld, Wint, Kidd, Tiffany Case and Shady Tree would all need to be changed, as their characters are very different from their counterparts in Fleming's books. Blofeld could be replaced by the new Number 1 from You Only Live Thrice - 007 could be chasing him at the outset to exact revenge for his role in the murder of Aki. Alternatively, since Charles Gray's characterisation in Diamonds Are Forever was almost completely at odds with that of Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice, he could be an entirely different villain.

The smuggled diamonds could be replaced by any kind of precious stone, and the dentist could be removed from the smuggling scenes.

A prose adaptation of the movie, by Vic Davis, appeared in the Daily Express newspaper during December 1971 (but was prematurely curtailed). This could be used as a starting point for the novelisation.

Give the Other Fellow Hell
(or Fillet of Soul)
Based on the screenplay Live and Let Die
Dateline: 1972

To avoid having a four-year gap between Bond's assignments, I have brought the date of this story forward by one year.

As discussed above, the novelisation's version of Solitaire could be the daughter of the tarot reader from Fleming's Live and Let Die novel. She would be about 16 or 17 by now. This would tie in well with the screenplay's references to how Solitaire's mother fulfilled a similar role until she lost her power to read the cards.

"Mr Big" could be a title that has been held by a succession of gangland bosses, a position that Kanaga has now adopted as an alias. The names Tee Hee and Whisper would need to be changed, though Quarrel junior could remain the same character.

A Million A Shot
(or Silvershot, or Solex)
Based on the screenplay The Man with the Golden Gun
Dateline: 1974

Apart from the name Francisco Scaramanga, his nickname "the Man with the Golden Gun", and the presence of Mary Goodnight, the movie version of Golden Gun has little in common with Fleming's original novel. Goodnight is a recurring character in the books anyway, so there would be no problem with her keeping her name in this novelisation.

Therefore, the only major changes that would be necessary to incorporate this story into the literary canon would be to the villain's names. He could use silver bullets and/or a silver-plated gun - hence the nickname "Silvershot" suggested by my alternative title, above - or some other gimmick instead of gold. The villain's personal history would also need slight alteration to avoid duplicating that of Fleming's Scaramanga.

Back to weaponry, according to page 48 of John Gardner's Licence Renewed, Bond stopped using his Walther PPK in 1974, in favour of the Colt .45 and the .38 Cobra. This development could be written into the novelisation, and applied to all subsequent adaptations.

As with Diamonds Are Forever, Vic Davis penned a prose adaptation of The Man with the Golden Gun for the Daily Express, which appeared during December 1974 (and was allowed to run its course this time). Again, this version could be used as a basis for the novelisation.

Nobody Does It Better
Based on the screenplay The Spy Who Loved Me
Dateline: 1976

This would be a retitled reprint of the movie novelisation James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me by Christopher Wood. This book fits in very well with the Fleming novels, though subsequent revelations in the Gardner books mean that it might be worth amending references to Bond's choice of gun.

To make room for the first few Gardner books, and the slack period that Bond is supposed to experience prior to Licence Renewed, the datelines of this and subsequent stories have been brought forward by a year or more.

Undertow
(or Operation: Undertow, or ATAC)
Based on the screenplay For Your Eyes Only
Dateline: 1977

The end of the Spy Who Loved Me movie claimed that James Bond would return in For Your Eyes Only, even though Moonraker ended up being the next movie made. However, For Your Eyes Only is a more suitable follow-up to Spy, for a couple of reasons. Bond's use of a Lotus Esprit in both movies suggests strong continuity between the two stories. More importantly, the villain's scheme in Moonraker is very similar to that in Spy: the destruction of the supposedly decadent human race, a massacre from which the villain's base, situated in a hostile environment (the sea in Spy, space in Moonraker), would be protected. The placement of Undertow immediately after Nobody Does It Better would make for better variety.

The movie For Your Eyes Only uses characters and situations from the short story of the same name (the Havelocks and Gonzales), the short story Risico (the rivalry between Kristatos and Colombo) and the novel Live and Let Die (the villain dragging Bond and the heroine across a coral reef).

Characters' surnames would obviously have to be changed. Otherwise, the For Your Eyes Only segment would need very little adjustment, since it is structured quite differently from the short story. The name Melina could be retained, since the character in the short story is called Judy, and her weapon of choice could be changed from a crossbow to a more conventional rifle.

The Risico aspects would be hard to play down, since they are so crucial to the rest of the screenplay's plot. We may have to live with the repetition of a very similar feud going on between the renamed characters. However, their respective crimes could be changed from smuggling to organised crime in general (perhaps one engages in contract killing whereas the other merely dabbles in money laundering) and the attack on the warehouse could be omitted.

Though the movie version of Dr. No is unsuitable for novelisation as a whole, bits of it could be incorporated here to replace certain Risico elements. Instead of waking up on board Colombo's yacht, as he does in the short story, Bond could find himself in the back of the renamed character's restaurant. Cue an altercation between 007 and the apparent villain's henchmen, which could be loosely based on the scene with Quarrel, Pussfeller and Leiter in Dr. No. The restaurant's chef could be given Pussfeller's memorable line, "Well, nobody died from my cooking... yet."

To replace the warehouse scene, Bond's newfound ally could help him prevent Locque from committing another murder. The cinematic Dr. No could be drawn upon once again, by basing Bond's confrontation with Locque upon 007's face-off with Professor Dent. However, on this occasion the opponent could escape after Bond has delivered his famous line: "It's a Smith and Wesson. And you've had your six." Bond gives chase of course, leading to the car-on-cliff-edge scene from the movie version of For Your Eyes Only.

The Live and Let Die keelhauling segment could be simplified so that the villain merely tries to run Bond and Melina down with the boat.

We would, of course, also want to lose the ridiculous Margaret Thatcher scene from the end! To compensate for the omitted material, script elements that never made it into the finished film could be reinstated, such as Melina's refusal to sleep with Bond until after she has fulfilled her vendetta, and Brink's sexual interest in Bibi.

When he wrote James Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me, Christopher Wood changed the name of General Gogol to Nikitin. However, he retained the name Gogol in James Bond and Moonraker. The General also appears in all of the Cubby Broccoli Bond movies of the 1980s. Undertow could, therefore, establish Gogol as Nikitin's successor. Alternatively, Gogol could be changed to Nikitin in each of the affected novelisations, including...

Starseeker
(or Heaven and Earth)
Based on the screenplay Moonraker
Dateline: 1978

This would be a retitled edition of Christopher Wood's movie novelisation, James Bond and Moonraker, with changes made to the names of Hugo Drax, his Moonraker shuttles (hence my suggested title of Starseeker), the description of the villain's appearance, and possibly (as with Nobody Does it Better) Bond's weapon of choice.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A collection of short stories

Although the movie versions of From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball are mostly faithful to the books that inspired them, they do contain elements - in particular their pre-titles sequences - that are largely original. These elements could be adapted into short stories. In addition, the pre-titles sequences of For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and the 2006 version of Casino Royale are either largely or entirely unconnected to the main plots of the respective films, so they would work better in isolation than at the beginning of each novelisation. In total, eight such stories could be presented in an anthology volume.

Double-0 Dateline: 1945. The pre-titles sequence to the 2006 movie Casino Royale depicts the first two kills carried out by Daniel Craig's 007. The original novel of the same name states that Bond earned his Double-0 status by killing a Japanese cipher expert and a Norwegian double agent, both during the Second World War. The incident from the movie could be adapted so as to tell the story of Bond's first two assassinations after having earned his number - in other words, his third and fourth licensed kills.

Grant Me Death Dateline: 1957. The pre-titles sequence to the movie From Russia With Love could be adapted to act as a short prequel to the novel of the same name, depicting Grant training for his execution of Bond.

In for a Shock Dateline: 1959. The pre-titles sequence to the movie Goldfinger is based on brief references in the novel to Bond's most recent mission. This sequence could, therefore, become a short story set immediately before the novel.

Buzzing and Boating Dateline: 1965. The helicopter buzzing and boat chase sequences in the movie From Russia With Love are not drawn from Fleming's novel. They could be adapted into a short story, with Bond being pursued for some newly concocted reason. His female companion could be changed to Sylvia Trench, the recurring character from the movie versions of Dr. No and From Russia. Her scenes from Dr. No could appear at the start of this tale. Her return appearance in From Russia could take place before Bond's assignment in the next story...

RIP, JB Dateline: 1965. This would comprise the pre-titles sequence to the movie Thunderball. As it features the modified Aston Martin DB5, the story could be interspersed with flashbacks to Major Boothroyd briefing Bond on the car's use, which would be based on the Q's workshop scene in the Goldfinger film.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Dateline: 1965. This story would be based upon the Junkanoo sequence from the movie Thunderball. It could be preceded by some of Bond and Fiona's scenes from the film, including their first meeting and Fiona's famous "but not this one" speech. Fiona could even be changed to Sylvia Trench, who proves to be an enemy agent and is killed off in this tale.

In-Flight Fright Dateline: 1977. This would derive from the pre-titles sequence to the movie For Your Eyes Only, and would see Bond finally dispatching the villain from You Only Live Thrice and/or Priceless. The dateline reflects that of the novelisation Undertow.

All Time High Dateline: 1979. This would be based on the opening Acrostar jet sequence from the movie Octopussy. The dateline reflects that of the novelisation Octopussy's Women (see below). Interestingly, the Acrostar sequence was originally planned for the movie Moonraker, so the date of 1979 seems kind of appropriate.

Octopussy's Women
(or Octopussy's Circus, or The Legacy of Octopussy)
Based on the screenplay Octopussy
Dateline: 1979

The screenplay of this movie is, with minor tweaks to the timeframe, already a sequel to the short story of the same name, with the character of Octopussy revealed to be the daughter of Major Dexter Smythe. The novelisation could, therefore, with similarly minor tweaking, be made to function within the literary canon.

The sequence at Sotheby's is lifted fairly faithfully from the short story The Property of a Lady, but this could be glossed over as a second-hand account of the auction told by the character of Jim Fanning. The Fabergé egg could be replaced by some other Russian treasure.

Page 17 of Gardner's novel Licence Renewed implies that MI6's Double-0 section was abolished in 1979. The announcement could be made in Octopussy's Women, which would become Bond's last assignment as an official Double-0. This would add an extra layer of bitterness to Bond's vengeful line: "And that's for 009" as he kills the knife-thrower Griszka. He could be feeling hostile about the demise of the entire Double-0 section, not just about the murder of 009.

There follows a gap in the novelisations. This is to make room for the first four John Gardner novels. (See appendix 002 for a guide to how these novelisations might fit in with the Gardner and Benson novels.)

Never Say Never Again
Dateline: 1985

Yes, even Never Say Never Again could be novelised! If the tricky rights issues could be negotiated by Glidrose Productions (the owner of the literary copyright to James Bond), there are enough new elements here to distinguish the plot from that of the novel Thunderball. The villains' schemes are virtually identical in both plotlines, but the same can be said of Christopher Wood's two screenplays, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. With changes to locations and character names, a talented novelist could get away with it.

Thunderball makes much better use of the Bahamas than Never Say Never Again does. The latter could, therefore, easily be set elsewhere. The reuse of Shrublands need not pose a problem. When Bond says "Shrublands?" to M, it seems as if the health farm is already familiar to both of them.

Maximillian Largo's name would have to change: his given name because Zorin, the villain of A View to a Kill, is also a Max; his surname because it is the same as that of Thunderball's villain, Emilio. The Petachis would also require name changes - Derval, the equivalent surname used in the Thunderball movie, could be utilised instead. Their relationship could also be changed, from brother/sister to father/daughter. Blofeld could be replaced by SPECTRE leader Tamil Rahani, in line with Gardner's novels.

In fact, with its use of an active SPECTRE and an inactive Double-0 section, Never Say Never Again fits in rather well with the 1980s Gardner books. I have moved its dateline back by two years, to allow the inclusion of Tamil Rahani.

A good Bond historian could also augment the story with elements from the many abandoned drafts of Thunderball and Never Say Never Again.

Mainstrike
(or Dance into the Fire, or That Fatal Kiss)
Based on the screenplay A View to a Kill
Dateline: 1985

No changes would be necessary to this screenplay, except with regard to Bond's choice of gun, the decommissioning of the Double-0 section (so no references to fellow Double-0 numbers), and the fact that May Day and Max Zorin would no longer need to say: "What a view..." "...To a kill." (Which is no great loss!)

Smiert Spionam
(or Death to Spies)
Based on the screenplay The Living Daylights
Dateline: 1987

The basic plot of the original Living Daylights short story forms the starting point of the screen plot (Bond's subsequent pursuit of Kara and various gags involving the cello and its case) and as such this element is practically impossible to remove. It would be best, therefore, to just go with the coincidence and make something of it. It could be that Koskov was inspired by stories of the assassin known as Trigger when he concocted plans for his phoney defection, though he might not have realised that Bond was the man who let Trigger live, otherwise he wouldn't have requested the agent as a marksman.

Saunders has a rather similar name to Sender, the analogous character in Fleming's short story, so it might be advisable to change his name. The role of Felix Leiter could perhaps instead be fulfilled by Cedar, Leiter's daughter in the Gardner novels.

Licence to Kill
Dateline: 1988

This would be an amended edition of John Gardner's novelisation of the movie.

As I have described, Milton Krest could become the son of the character in Fleming's short story The Hildebrand Rarity, who inherited the Wavekrest and the stingray whip from his father, then gave the latter to Sanchez. Instead of being a coincidence, the shark attack upon Leiter could be a punishment deliberately and cruelly selected by the villain.

I have brought the dateline forward by one year, so that Licence to Kill takes place before Bond's promotion to Captain in the Gardner novel Win, Lose or Die.

GoldenEye
Datelines: 1986, 1995

Given that Raymond Benson refers to Bond as a Commander throughout his novels, we must assume that 007 gets demoted for some reason between John Gardner's SeaFire and GoldenEye. Perhaps Bond accepts demotion for allowing Fredericka (Flicka) von Grüsse and Felix Leiter to get captured and tortured in SeaFire.

Similarly, the Watch Committee MicroGlobe One is never heard from again after Gardner's COLD. This could be connected to the fact that the ailing old M is replaced by the new female M.

Tomorrow Never Dies
Dateline: 1997

The World is Not Enough
Dateline: 1999

Die Another Day
Dateline: 2003-4

I have pushed the dateline of this novelisation back by a year or two, to help fill the gap between Bond's assignments.

You Know My Name
Based on the screenplay Casino Royale
Dateline: 2006

Though the latter half of the 2006 movie is a relatively faithful adaptation of Fleming's novel, the first half is an entirely original story. It could, therefore, be adapted into a novelisation or at the very least a novella.

The casino scenes could be pared down to the bare minimum and their similarities to Fleming's Casino Royale thus reduced. The character names of Le Chiffre, Vesper Lynd and Mathis could be changed and Felix Leiter removed from the plot altogether. The villain's torturing of Bond could be rendered sufficiently different from that of the original book if 007 were to be strapped down between two chairs or tables rather than seated on a cut-open chair. OK, so the plot still revolves around the agent beating the villain at a game of chance and then getting tortured, but this basic pattern is a recurring one in the Bond series anyway.

Rather than being newly promoted to the Double-0 section, Bond could instead be readjusting to his role following his lengthy captivity in Die Another Day. M's doubts about his abilities could stem from this factor.

Alternatively, the novelisation could depict an entirely new agent, one who is being trained up to operate under the assumed identity of James Bond. If so, the film's pre-titles sequence could be part of the novelisation rather than a separate short story as described earlier. This outlandish theory would add an extra layer of significance to the title (which is based on the song): we know the name but we don't know anything else about the man using it. It would also suggest an explanation for how Bond has managed to remain in active service for more than fifty years!

(An even more outlandish explanation, but one that fits the books better, is that Bond - and his colleagues M, Bill Tanner and Miss Moneypenny, and also his friend Felix Leiter - is given some kind of life-extending elixir. Win Scott Eckert theorises that this is royal jelly elixir, developed by Sherlock Holmes in 1921 and offered to MI6 by Holmes' brother Mycroft, a former M himself - as established in John Lescroart's novel Son of Holmes and Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series of graphic novels.)

So how about it, Glidrose? Wouldn't such a series of novelisations be a perfect way to cash in on the excitement that inevitably surrounds each new Bond film, especially given the current lack of adult Bond novels? (The only new prose being published at the moment is Charlie Higson's Young Bond range of books.) Will Bond live on in print to fight another day? I certainly hope so, because otherwise his world is not enough!

Appendix 001: Newspaper strip and novel/novelisation chronology

Appendix 002: Gardner and Benson novel/novelisation chronology

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