The Q Mysteries: A Literary Spinoff Series (2025)

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Well, for one thing, The Moneypenny Diaries series did include James Bond in it. He was sprinkled throughout the book in Guardian Angel, not quite so much (understandably under the circumstances) in Secret Servant, and unfortunately not enough in Final Fling.

Guardian Angel did a good job of filling in the gaps in the aftermath of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service before leading up to You Only Live Twice. Secret Servant fills in the gaps a bit at MI6 before and after Bond’s return from Russia after YOLT and before The Man With The Golden Gun. Bond doesn’t do much, however, as he is largely being deprogrammed, but Moneypenny does have a pretty interesting mission to do, herself. In Final Fling, Bond has one mission assigned to him, but most of the book focuses on Moneypenny’s and her niece’s actions.

Guardian Angel started the series out well, but the it gradually starts losing its luster. I’d rank them as Novels: 1) Guardian Angel, 2) Secret Servant, 3) Final Fling. If you just went by the stuff about 007 then it would be: 1) Guardian Angel, 2) Final Fling, 3) Secret Servant.

But ultimately, no, The Moneypenny Diaries didn’t kill the franchise. Did it dilute it? Maybe a little, but I think there are enough tidbits in between Ian Fleming’s Bond missions that makes it worthwhile (though I have some issues with Final Fling).

Will Quantum Of Menace dilute or kill the franchise? I seriously doubt kill, but dilute? Yes, I think so. The problem I see is that Q will no longer be associated with MI6 and likely have no interaction with Bond either. What worked with The Moneypenny Diaries is that it still had James Bond, AND it was the 007 and MI6 we all know and love. QOM doesn’t seem to have that. And that is the biggest problem with Kim Sherwood’s series. I’m halfway through A Spy Like Me, and while she obviously is a fan of the series and is knowledgeable, there is just too much change and rebooting going on that keeps me from fully enjoying the book. (That, and a lack of James Bond as well.)

So, in short, James Bond is the draw. When he is present, the stories pick up and get more interesting. When he isn’t, something is lacking–although I think Moneypenny did carry her story in Secret Servant. But, overall, nothing can top a James Bond-centric story.

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42

Sherwood’s Double O novels have the advantage that they are at least centered around Bond-like characters doing Bond-like things within a variation of the usual formula. The protagonists are all ‘alter egos’ of Bond in a sense - Johanna Harwood, 003, for instance, is the ‘female Bond’ who comes from a medical background.

The next Captain America movie is out in early 2025, but it features Sam Wilson rather than Steve Rogers. However, it is still a Captain America, or at any rate his former sidekick taking up the mantle, and we’ll be getting a story that’s a variation of the usual Captain America story on-screen. That’s what the Kim Sherwood Double O novels are, conceptually.

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43

Apart from this awful title and its weird use of Quantum (or have they retreated to a small English town?), the difference between Moneypenny Diaries and other spin-offs and new ones is simple: back then the Bond films were an ongoing enterprise, with its lead character alive and well. Now, it hangs in a balance. Sure, they want to do a new one, but nobody says when or how. Right now, the general public, not us fans, thinks: yeah, that dude died.

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44

Then there is a - perhaps too obvious? - question: If you want to break into that currently very popular genre of cozy crime with a spy angle (not exactly an original thought; Thursday Murders already has that, as do a couple of others), why ever tack it onto an - obscure at best - name from the Fleming canon? Instead of doing it with an original creation and convincing readers with quality, suspense and wit of that creation?

For all I know this guy Vaseem Khan‘s book may turn out to be as fantastic as IFP‘s press release claims it will be. I‘d still prefer it didn’t employ this marketing gimmick. If it’s worth the praise it should easily work without forced namedropping of one kind or another.

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45

I suspect not. Right now, I bet the general public has forgotten the last movie and is not even thinking about Bond. My hunch is that will likely be the case until a new Bond is announces and a new movie comes out. Then, they will think about him for a little bit and then stop until the next movie comes out.

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46

Could be. But I bet every review of the next film will mention Bond’s death.

If there is a new film produced by EON. I am increasingly getting the feeling that the constant delay means they will sell Bond. MGW is retiring for sure, and BB has lost her interest.

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47

I don’t know if EON will sell James Bond in the near future, but I agree that it would not be surprising when and if they do.

If they do keep control for the next film(s), I could see Michael G. Wilson staying on to help guide/usher in the new 007 in his (and Amazon’s) first film, but after that I think he would retire. He’s definitely not doing any more than one film.

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49

Quite entertaining chat, thanks for sharing.

Main takeaways: IFP approached Vaseem Khan with the concept, evidently some time before their recent market research. Bond will make a tiny cameo. And Q will be an amalgamation of Llewelyn and Whishaw.

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50

Sounds as delicious as New Coke.

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51

I have to admit this chap Khan sounds nice, knowledgeable and like a true fan. I certainly wish him and his series all the best and that many fans read and enjoy it, absolutely.

But the concept of a character whose literary heritage is one and a half pages*, whose cinematic function is that of a funny sidekick providing chuckles…turning this into a serious person, somewhere between the poles of Whishaw and Llewelyn strikes me as…not the easiest task, is it?

Well, whatever. As fans we’ll wait for the cake and then judge the proof.

*Mind you, one and a half pages where the topic is guns, where Boothroyd’s only interaction with Bond is that he touches his arm and Bond neither likes that nor Boothroyd’s blasé tone when he states they can do better than .25 Beretta/chamois leather. There literally is no ‘Major Boothroyd’ to speak of.

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52

That is the part that amazed me. I am all for continuums, but the exact shape of the one containing both Llewelyn and Whishaw escapes me.

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53

At the risk of being thrown out as a Bond fan from this site, I’ll give my controversial opinion. I’ll at least give it a chance, because I always like to hear from a new Bond writer. Sometimes seeing the names Richard Maibaum, Michael G Wilson, Tom Mankiewicz, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade or Bruce Feirstein means I know what to expect if they come back. Comparing books to movies isn’t fair sure, but I like a new writing style and voice for Bond and his world. We should accept change, because nothing in Bond’s future needs to change more than the writing.

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54

I’m just gonna say it, I don’t want a piece of Bond media without James Bond in it. I don’t want a non-Bond tv show. I don’t want non-Bond books. I want James Bond books or movies with James Bond.

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55

I don’t actually think this is hugely controversial. These things - Q; 00s; whatever else there might come - are aimed at exactly this part of the fan base, the ones open to different approaches and a broader set of protagonists. It’s not the main course - but evidently there exists enough interest in this kind of project to suggest they might be a success.

The forum is actually full of half-serious pitches in that vein of one kind or another. Members have written 00-section stories in the old forum with other, original characters when Kim Sherwood was still going to school. For all I know she might have written her own stories and published them here.

What many fans may feel though is that the main course, James Bond and his adventures, is increasingly treated like a side dish. That would certainly not be the case if we also got an announcement about a simple, straight Bond, James Bond novel soonish.

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56

… which is only an outlet heavily influenced by producers, directors, actors and all of their spouses and sometimes even kids.

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What really strikes me with this yet-another-spinoff thing, after the Amazon TV show and the other recent novels, is that they don’t seem interested in the James Bond character anymore.

They’re developing side-characters and side-fictions, but they sort of gave up on the main one. They’re only using the name as bait to lure readers/viewers into basically generic (and mostly pointless) cash-grab.

Part of me wants to stay enthusiastic and think that it’s because they’re keeping the good ideas for a great new movie or novel.
But the realistic part of me thinks that it’s most certainly because they have absolutely no idea what to do with him. And probably don’t care much anymore.

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58

I totally agree just hoping the universe will prove me wrong and surprise me with an announcement that EON has secretly planned the perfect director/star/shooting schedule package.

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59

Well, in all fairness: there has been Horowitz’ Bond trilogy, rather successful and pleasing many fans. And while they read at times more like fan service than thrillers in their own right they were certainly centred on Bond and the last one was even exploring Bond in ambiguous ways we haven’t seen before.

With a Mind to Kill only came out in 2022, so technically we’re still more or less within IFP’s slightly erratic schedule of ‘once every few years’. Also, there was Higson’s On His Majesty’s Service, the first ‘modern’ Bond story since 2011’s Carte Blanche. And while that came to be more like an accidental windfall thanks Higson’s creativity and rigorous writing regime more than anything else, it still shows IFP haven’t entirely discarded 007.

Yet.

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60

Quite; we have a relative abundance - an abondance!* - given what occurred and did not occur in the 1970s. Demand for Bond on Demand is regrettable.

*oh dear

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