There might be a canon-adhering point if Bond is timetabled to give career advice, thinks it’s Korea advice, and delivers lessons spittled with his particularly well-spiced views about the population of that peninsula. Could work. Gets banned, but could work.
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M.W. Craven has said that his book contract is for two books. He says he’d like to extend it to 007! Sounds like he wants to match up with Gardner and Benson as a Bond author.
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From IFP’s 5/10/25 newsletter:
Take note that much is currently happening behind closed doors, in the corridors of both power and publishing. I’ll have some very exciting things to share with you soon…
Well, we can only speculate what that’s supposed to mean. But at a guess I would assume new brooms start making themselves noticeable…
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With them saying that they have announcements coming soon, there may still be some more Bond news this year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows something to come or he’s writing a Bond project. He was approached twice for Fleming’s 100th birthday. Maybe he has had a change of heart.
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There might be some Bond-adjacent news this year, but I doubt there will be any news about James Bond himself. We’ll hear something about a Moneypenny series or a new reality show featuring a Q-like character, but I doubt we’ll hear anything about that side character named Bond.
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Yeah, I think it’s going to be radio silence until the final Sherwood book is out. We’ll see.
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One assumes this to be the final IFP newsletter under the Q Branch Memorandum monicker…
Memorandum sent 14/10/2025
Classification: Gold level (For Your Eyes Only)
Dear colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of my imminent departure from Q Branch. After almost three decades at MI6, I find myself ‘moving on’. I will draw a discreet veil over the precise reason for my exit, but let us, in the interests of expediency, employ that comforting euphemism ‘personal reasons’. Instead of dwelling on the matter, I shall instead use this moment to thank you for your support over the years and to reflect on my time in the Secret Intelligence Service.
Where do I begin? As a young army engineer scouted by the redoubtable M – the man that recruited me? Suffice to say that M made me an offer I could not refuse – the opportunity to apply my love of science and technology to the defence of my country. He neglected, of course, to inform me that the fruits of my labours would be placed into the hands of field agents whose idea of ‘handle with care’ would put a psychotic toddler to shame.
Having said that, it would be churlish of me not to acknowledge the work of said agents, in particular 007, a man whose daredevil missions have defined my own life. When all is said and done, Bond is a man willing to lay down his life for others – and that is no small thing. Yet 007 and his fellow agents will never be feted. They may die in the line of duty, but their sacrifice will never be properly acknowledged. Instead, their lot – and ours – is to suffer the brickbats of self-serving politicians and lickspittle bureaucrats. Our budgets are cut on mindless whims; we are censured for actions sanctioned by civil servants; we are accused of failing to care. Through it all, we persevere. For king and country, for democracy, for a way of life we hold dear. In the words of William Ernest Henley’s Invictus, we remain bloody, but unbowed.
And where next for me, the artist formerly known as Q? For now, I am contemplating a return to my home town, Wickstone-on-Water, a small place less than two hours from London. I am drawn back by the sudden death of a childhood friend. I have not been home for nigh on three decades. I am uncertain what awaits me, but I know that, like a lost salmon, I must now return to my beginnings.
I leave you now with a final thought: trust no one and believe nothing, except in yourself.
Finally, congratulations to JAMES B. for correctly ascertaining the answer to the puzzle in my previous memo, and for being fortunate enough to be picked at random from all the correct entries. The answer, of course, was 1940 – the year that Captain America Comics #1was published (though the cover date was March 1941 – apparently that sort of thing was common!). Below you will find this edition’s puzzle. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Major Boothroyd
Head of Q Branch
P.S. Here is this edition’s puzzle. One ‘winner’ shall be picked at random from all correct entries and will be mentioned in my following memo. MI6 Archives shall rustle up a book to send to you* Pot luck, I’m afraid! Fill in this formto enter… This month’s puzzle is as follows:
What does MI6’s motto mean?
*UK entrants only, alas!
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You UK folks are lucky. In America, we don’t have a release date yet!
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Well, one assumed wrongly…
Memorandum sent 11/11/2025
Classification: Gold level (For My Eyes Only)
Dear… diary?
It feels strange penning this memo knowing that it will go no further than this journal. Having left MI6, I cannot quite leave behind the habits of the past three decades. At least not yet. Perhaps I write this memo merely to remind myself of who I once was? The head of Q Branch, a man of science, tasked to help defend our nation from the evils of this world.
And now? Who am I? We shall have to see. I have returned to my hometown of Wickstone-on-Water, drawn back by a cryptic letter that I received from my childhood friend, Peter Napier. Peter is – was – one of the world’s preeminent quantum computer scientists. His recent death - drowned in the River Wickstone, a stretch of water we both knew as boys – has been ruled as misadventure. But I am not so sure. The Pete I knew would never have been so careless. His letter, too, implies something more sinister. And so here I am, returning to unpick a tragedy the police have already laid to rest. God only knows the reception that awaits me.
Before I begin to investigate in earnest, I have had to reacquaint myself with this medieval market town, the town I grew up in. Everything is the same – and yet nothing is the same. I have rented a house and, somehow, inherited a dog. His name is Bastard. Long story.
In the meantime, I tread cautiously. Landmines from my past await. I cannot say for sure how this will all end. In tears, I suspect. But I cannot let it go. The circumstances of Pete’s death are mysterious, to me, if not to the police. I am compelled by that same sense of justice that stood me in good stead during three decades at MI6. (Talking of which: I have received a message from James Bond. I don’t know what he wants, but he’s just about the only one at MI6 still talking to me.) I am not looking forward to what comes next. But on I must go.
Sincerely,
Major Boothroyd
Former Head of Q Branch
P.S. Finally, congratulations to GEOFF A. for correctly ascertaining the answer to the puzzle in my previous memo, and for being fortunate enough to be picked at random from all the correct entries. The answer, of course was ‘Always Secret’, the motto of MI6. Below you will find this edition’s puzzle. Good luck!
P.P.S. Here is this edition’s puzzle. One ‘winner’ shall be picked at random from all correct entries and will be mentioned in my following memo. MI6 Archives shall rustle up a book to send to you* Pot luck, I’m afraid! Fill in this formto enter… This month’s puzzle is as follows:
Right hand to an important he
A woman of considered charms I be
My name is largesse often plundered
And from which a fool is swiftly sundered
*UK entrants only, alas
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News again…
THE
BRIEFING
13th November 2025
THIS EDITION
- New website reveal
- Need to know
- Ian Fleming shop launch
- Hurricane Room preview
- Quantum of Menace contest
‘I always make it a rule never to look back’
Ian Fleming
With eyes to the future, we are delighted to announce our new website is live. Visit ianfleming.com to dive deeper into Fleming’s world and the 007 literary universe. Discover new sections on books-to-films, events, character profiles, authors, artists and more.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
NEED TO KNOW
The Booker Prize is launching a Children’s Booker Prize in 2026 - with a jury led by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author of our Chitty Chitty Bang Bang continuation books.
The title of the second book in Vaseem Khan’s Q Mysteries series has been revealed. The Man With the Golden Compass will hit shelves in October 2026, and sees Q investigating the unsolved murder of a tech millionaire turned online antique dealer, whose body was found with a mysterious golden object…
Mark Gatiss is up for the Best Narrator prize for his performance on our From Russia with Love audiobook at the 2025 British Audio Awards.
A NEW PLACE TO BROWSE…
Visit our new global online shop to find signed and special editions, all the releases from Ian Fleming Publications, classic Bond in hardback, paperback, audiobook and eBook formats, the Hummingbird Notebook, 007 socks and Chitty books. Enjoy international shipping and pre-orders on future releases. We’re busy working on new product lines, so watch out for more.
TAKE A LOOK
Take a sneak peak at Hurricane Room, Kim Sherwood’s third Double O mission coming in 2026…
‘He wore black trousers with no belt and a red-spattered evening shirt unbuttoned to show his hammering pulse. His looks, handsome in a dark, almost cruel way by his mid-forties, were now purely dark and cruel, exposed by hunger and pain. The faint scar that once showed whitely down his right cheek had disappeared as a bone disappears in a graveyard, his face so thin his gums had receded. Silver streaked the black comma of his fringe. Those grey-blue eyes were blanks. He was an abandoned ship.’
READ MORE
Have you dived into Vaseem Khan’s Quantum of Menace yet? Named Thriller of the Month by The Sunday Times, this new murder mystery is set in the 007 universe and is the first in a new series focusing on Q after MI6. The book contains a cryptic riddle and the chance to win exclusive Bond and Q collectables if you enter the associated contest by 31st March 2026.
READ MORE
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Evidently this is not ‘news’ - but in an ideal world IFP would concentrate on a single edition of the originals, annotated and expanded with essays, with covers as beautiful as this.
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Those covers alone made me seek out these books.
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Awww, look - It’s a new mail from IFP! Can’t wait to read what news they have for us…
Well, whatever it is, it looks horrible when I try to insert it here. So here’s the link and that will have to do:
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# THE
BRIEFING
3rd December 2025
THIS EDITION
- The James Bond Book Club launch
- The Lifeline
- Need to know
- The official Ian Fleming Christmas Gift Guide 2025
- 007 paperback boxset available now
- From Russia with Love audiobook win
‘Turn over the page’
Introducing the James Bond Book Club. As the home of spy fiction, we’re bringing you the best of the best of the genre, spotlighting the books that inspired Fleming, and the ones that carry his legacy forward. From foundation-laying classics to razor-sharp modern thrillers, each monthly pick will be chosen for its connection to the themes, style or spirit of James Bond.
READ MORE
Our first James Bond Book Club pick is The Lifeline (1946). Republished by Muswell Press in 2024, The Lifeline is the work of English writer Phyllis Bottome. Bottome mentored Ian Fleming in the 1930s and the book is often discussed as a key influence on Fleming’s own spy fiction. Find out more about why we picked it, and get your copy at our shop to experience it for yourself.
FIND IT IN OUR SHOP
NEED TO KNOW
Go behind the surreal cover art of the first Bond continuation book as we take a look at Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis here.
Discover Winston Churchill’s connection to the Fleming family here.
Bombs, baccarat and mandolins. Explore the real-life inspirations behind three of Fleming’s most vivid scenes from Casino Royale here.
THE FESTIVE GIFT GUIDE
Wishlist or gift list? The official 2025 Ian Fleming Christmas Gift Guide brings you inspiration for everyone on your shopping list - including yourself. Find our top present edit here.
TAKE A LOOK
Taking you from Casino Royale to Octopussy and The Living Daylights , our new 007 paperback boxset contains all fourteen of Ian Fleming’s Bond books. Featuring gold foil detailing, it’s a must for any collection, and is available exclusively at ianflemingshop.com.
DISCOVER
Audiobook news. Mark Gatiss has won Best Performance: Narrator at the 2025 British Audio Awards for his work on our new audiobook of From Russia with Love . They said: ‘His sharp, characterful delivery captures the wit, pace and atmosphere that helped cement 007 as a cultural icon.’ Find the audiobook at our shop, or on all good audiobook platforms.
FIND OUT MORE
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Still looks bizarrely formatted but I don’t trust my phone to edit that post. Anyway, there is it, a new James Bond Book Club, some background on the books themselves and a gift guide. It’s that time of the year again…
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And for 157 P. for the boxset they were not able to make the book spines one motive? 
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Guess not, but at least they’ve excised enough “objectionable material” that they can all squeeze into one box, now.
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So, do these books actually feature James Bond?
Or did they replace him with Q and Moneypenny?
Well, at least the character formerly known as Q stays in touch…
Classification: Gold level (For My Eyes Only)
Dear diary,
It is now three months since I was asked to leave MI6. Three months following on from almost three decades as the head of Q Branch. It has been quite an adjustment, one exacerbated by an unexpected return to my hometown of Wickstone-on-Water, drawn back – again after almost three decades away - by the mysterious death of my childhood friend, Peter Napier.
Peter’s lab, Napier Technologies, situated in a former nuclear bunker on the edge of town, is developing the world’s foremost quantum computer. The police have put Peter’s death to bed, chalking it down to misadventure. I suspect they will be a trifle miffed when they discover that I have returned with the intention of quietly unravelling their investigation.
It hasn’t been easy being back. Uncomfortable memories lurk around every corner, waiting to trip me up. Faces from my past that I had hoped to avoid are proving… unavoidable. In the meantime, I navigate my way around a medieval market town that has changed in ways that constantly surprise and disturb me. It feels a little like being in a hall of mirrors facing off against a litany of distorted reflections. (No doubt if Bond were here he’d just shoot all the mirrors – or people, if any were hiding in there. 007 has never been that discerning.)
This whole endeavour feels as if I am stepping into the future – my future – with one foot stuck firmly in the past. Can I turn the skills that I have accumulated at MI6 to the role of amateur detective? I don’t know. I wish I had Poirot’s supreme self-confidence or Marple’s ability to busybody her way into uncomfortable spaces. At any rate, there is a mysterious death here that demands resolution. I won’t – cannot – stop until I uncover the truth. Wish me luck!
Sincerely,
Major Boothroyd
Former Head of Q Branch
P.S. Finally, congratulations to MARK M. for correctly ascertaining the answer to the puzzle in my previous memo, and for being fortunate enough to be picked at random from all the correct entries. The answer, of course was ‘Miss Moneypenny’, the motto of MI6. Below you will find this edition’s puzzle. Good luck!
P.P.S. Here is this edition’s puzzle. One ‘winner’ shall be picked at random from all correct entries and will be mentioned in my following memo. MI6 Archives shall rustle up a book to send to you* Pot luck, I’m afraid! Fill in this formto enter… This month’s question is a test of your creativity – there is no right answer – so be inspired!
Christmas is usually a lonely time for Commander James Bond. If you were his Secret Santa what would you give him as a Christmas present and why?
*UK entrants only, alas!
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22nd January 2026
THIS EDITION
- January’s James Bond Book Club pick: Oxford Soju Club
- How to write a book - by Ian Fleming
- Need to know
- Breakfast is served
‘You got an order to kill me. Now I have an order to kill you.’
We’re starting the year with Oxford Soju Club by Korean Canadian author Jinwoo Park. A bold genre-blending debut, it reimagines the spy novel through the lens of identity, nationality, loyalty and belonging. Park’s debut follows a trio of Korean characters whose lives converge in the ancient university city of Oxford. It resonates with the Bond tradition not through tuxedos or glamour, but through psychological tension and international complexity. Pick up a copy and read along with us.
Find out more about the book’s themes and hear from the author himself by following the James Bond Book Club on our social channels and website.
DISCOVER MORE
# ‘I TOO AM LAZY…’
‘Probably rather lazier than you. The method I have devised is this…’
Want to progress a book idea of your own, or learn more about how Ian Fleming worked? Here he explains his writing process and how he managed to complete a book a year. Take notes.
READ MORE
NEED TO KNOW
Quantum of Menace is ‘A thrilling addition to the 007 universe… worthy of Fleming himself’ (The Express ), and one of the i Newspaper’s best crime/thrillers of 2025. Have you read it yet?
Find out more about Fleming’s formative time at the Tennerhof, Austria here.
It’s the UK National Year of Reading and we’re proud supporters. Aiming to get more people into books and libraries, find out how to get involved here.
# HUNGRY?
Grab your apron… it’s time for eggs. Ian Fleming included his recipe for Scrambled Eggs ‘James Bond’ in his short story, ‘007 in New York’ which was initially included in the New York section of his travel book, Thrilling Cities, and can now be found in Octopussy and the Living Daylights.
SEE RECIPE
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