USA Today: ★★★½ out of four: “Horowitz’s trademark is a kind of gorgeous competence; a reader always feels utterly secure in the credibility of his narratives, however outlandish they get. Here, again, he handles a complicated plot with aplomb (and blessedly few explosions). Does he find a human being inside James Bond? He tries, and Sixtine is one of the best Bond girls ever written. The fact that such a well-populated class exists, though, cuts against the very idea of the redemption Horowitz proposes.”
Robert Allen Papinchak, Los Angeles Review of Books: “…fast-paced… Forever and a Day pushes all the Bond buttons. The requisite staccato sentences, the larger-than-life characters, the vivid details of geography, and the action-packed chase episodes. He also justifies cold-blooded murder in the performance of duty to stop crime and save democracy. […] In Scipio, Horowitz has created a proper Bond villain. […] Like most Bond novels, Forever and a Day is heavily plot driven, with dollops of character, and hefty action sequences. Reading any of Fleming’s novels underscores how closely Horowitz adheres to the sense and the style of the original texts. The brisk pacing of Casino Royale is replicated here in each of the brief chapters. Action sequences exist not only for the sake of dramatic tension but also to move the plot along. […] Horowitz’s exact images of regional details echo Fleming’s keen eye for setting. […] Throughout the novel, Sixtine threatens to steal the spotlight from Bond.”
HotPress (Ireland): 4th best novel of the year (just behind books by Julian Barnes and Michael Ondaatje): “Horowitz proves himself so adept at getting inside the iconic character, and Fleming’s writing style, that it’s difficult to see the join. Rip-roaringly recommended.”
As someone whose geographical location in the world means that the book’s release has eventuated into the slightly historical sense, it is good to see these reviews and wonder how they might shape the literary future. I.e., a further addition.
I think there definitely will be further entries - though if Horowitz will be doing them is anybody’s guess. He’s a very busy writer and usually has several projects of his own lined up. Could well be it will take a little while before he’s got the time for another Bond.
How well are Horowitz’ Bond novels really doing? That’s difficult to guess. Trigger Mortis was the last one that got a German translation and up to now it doesn’t look as if Forever would be published in German. And the German language market traditionally used to be a strong one for most of the novels. So strong German publisher Cross Cult even commissioned new translations of the entire Fleming canon.
Then there’s been the question of the e-reader editions, which could potentially sell much better than print. Currently the only people who really know how good Horowitz’ Bond is doing are his publishers and IFP obviously. I think it’s safe to guess they will want to continue the run as long as they are making a profit from it.
I can’t imagine IFP will miss the chance to tap into the BOND 25 buzz when that film hits theatres. My guess is we should hear soon about the follow up to Forever.
Paul Davis, Washington Times: “I don’t believe Mr. Horowitz captured the Fleming Effect, but he comes close. Forever and a Day is a well-written, fast-paced and action-packed thriller. It is not Ian Fleming, but it is perhaps the next best thing.”
Evidence enough for Horowitz to come back for a third book? Or to have him adapt his book for a screenplay for the next Bond actor’s first outing? Considering it’s a origin story, this is where EON should go next.
I think they’d do anything to avoid opening the Pandora’s box of continuation novels.
But in regards to the award nomination, that is good to hear. FAAD was a good step up from the previous continuation novels, so it is nice to see it being rewarded for it.
Same story here in Poland. Trigger Mortis was published a little over one month after British publication and there are still no plans for Forever and a Day. Pity.
Maybe - mind you, just maybe - the publishers wait till they can slip in FAAD with the buzz surrounding BOND 25. Since film tie-ins are pretty much dead maybe this could help the book getting some attention on foreign markets.
That’s true. Actually I asked Polish publisher about their plans regarding Forever and a Day back in December. I was told there were no plans, but they hadn’t given up publishing rights. Polish market is a difficult one for Bond novels. There is a dramatically low readership in general. Fleming books were last published over a decade ago as an attachment to the newspaper, so you can’t just walk into a bookstore and buy one these days. Benson’s adaptations and every novel since Devil May Care had been published thought. But with literally no promotional campaign. Strangely, Dynamite Entertainment comic books are being published, but only Vargr and Eidolon so far. James Bond is known and popular but mosty movie premieres are gaining any attention. There is only a small handful of fans – fans like us here.
Finally got around to reading Forever and a Day and I must say I really enjoyed it, definitely one of the better continuation novels. I think Horowitz has done excellent ones now with FaaD and Trigger Mortis. There are some minor gripes like naming Wilson instead of FDR for signing the Neutrality Acts, but it doesn’t ruin the experience for me. It was an easy and fast read, something that the Fleming novels aren’t at times and certainly far less tedious than the Gardner or Benson efforts. I liked learning the origins of some of the Bond tropes, though learning a new origin for the Vesper martini is odd. But overall, a superb effort and I look forward to a possible 3rd Horowitz entry.
Nowadays you’ve got a fairly good market analysis tool so publishers can tailor their print runs exactly to the titles. E-reader copies sell themselves for literally no extra cost.
Even if the books are now a niche product and don’t see the translations former entries used to, they are still good business that sells reliably to a fan base. If Horowitz doesn’t insist on getting regular raises this can go on for a long long time.
The Gardners ran for so long and it’s reasonable to assume at least after No Deals they did so practically exclusively for the benefit of hardcore fans. Horowitz doesn’t have to deliver one per year, more like one every three, four years. That can be a nice little sideshow to the big business and keeps fans invested during the droughts.
Not to mention, people can self-publish on platforms like Amazon, making it easier than ever to write and publish a book (selling the book is another matter entirely).
I believe Horowitz will continue for at least one more, but I would be utterly shocked if we get one more than every 3-ish years. Horowitz Bond 3 will release in 2021 at the earliest and then who knows after that.
Also, it’s not as if there was really a pressing need to do more. Outside the hardcore fans few people actually wait for a new Bond novel. The thriller market is today densely populated by countless series and one-off releases, many of them vastly more popular with the ‘average’ airport reader.
Keeping new Bond books a rarity helps setting them apart. And every once in a while there’s going to be a little feature in newspapers/websites, maybe even a review or an interview. That wouldn’t be the case if a new continuation was released every year like a clockwork.
The headline is out of context; he’s referring to the books when you’re working as a continuation author, and actually praises the films for having the right Bond for each decade they were made.
He also confirms he’s talking with IFP about doing a third, and suggests he’d do more if it came up.