I’m curious as if anyone has read books that aren’t Bond books by the continuation novel authors. Did you enjoy their work outside of Bond? State the book and their author. Ian Fleming up to the most recent author, Bond or Spinoff Series are welcome! I’ve read Anthony Horowitz’s Sherlock Holmes novel The House of Silk (2011). Personally commissioned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate. A classic! Horowitz really understands both Holmes and Bond. That’s a rarity for a lot of people.
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Horowitz’s follow up Moriarty was spot on perfect. I’ve posted here and on other sites that he should have examined the possible family relationship between James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. It’s been hinted/implied on others medias but never actually fleshed out. Horowitz would most likely excel.
Before and during his series of James Bond continuation novels John Gardner wrote 3 novels on Professor Moriarty. They fit in well with the classic Sherlock Holmes Victoria Age tone.
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Moriarty is brilliant, as is House Of Silk. His Hawthorne books are equally as good, Horowitz does have a nack for plot reveals you didn’t see coming, but seems obvious in hindsight. I did get the murderer in The Sentence is Death and The Twist Of A Knife (I caught the bad cover up in the former, and knowing what Horowitz wife does for a living does give away the killer in the latter) but with the Hawthorne series and the Magpie murders series you, generally, aren’t going to get it till the end then it seems really obvious.
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I’ve read Ordinary thunderstorms by William boyd, that was a brilliant thriller!
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Now that IFP and EON both have the legal rights, I hope IFP does for Blofeld what Doyle’s estate did for Moriarty. He is the Bond villain (other than maybe Goldfinger or Trevelyan from a marketing standpoint), who could headline a book or two. I think it’d be better if it was set in modern times, the character, Irma Bunt and Spectre do need a modern literary book comeback.
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Yes, there’s lots of good stuff in the backgrounds of most of the Bond villains to follow through with their adventures “up to”. Dr No’s history is fecund, to say the least.
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Considering how many people are happy with Anthony Horowitz, here’s an idea. He made Sherlock Holmes and James Bond fans and their estates happy. I think he should be given a chance to bring another character back from literary sleep: Indiana Jones. I imagine that Disney and Lucasfilm want more merchandise with Indy, particularly if the new movie is a hit. It’s been over a decade since there’s been a new adult Indy novel. I would trust him to bring the characters back in a positive way. In particular Sallah. Lucasfilm will definitely bring the character back for the long term, particularly with Disney in charge. Anthony Horowitz should be the one to lead the next Indiana Jones book(s) for the time being. Lucasfilm should do with literary Indy what IFP does with Bond: a new author in charge of writing books. Indy always will have a adult audience akin to Bond, Jack Ryan or Jack Reacher. I also want to put Jeffery Deaver, Raymond Benson Sophie Hannah and Kim Sherwood in as possible names for the series.