One body. Three bullets. 007 is found dead in the waters of Marseille. It is time for a new hero to step forward. It is time for James Bond to earn his license to kill.
In his novel Forever and a Day, Anthony Horowitz returns us to the early days of the Cold War to witness the birth of a legend. After the death of 007, James Bond is promoted to Double-O status and sent on his first mission. In the French Riviera, Bond is tasked with discovering who killed his predecessor and why.
Forever and a Day is based on unpublished material from James Bond creator Ian Fleming. Horowitz, writing in the style of Fleming, truly captures the essence of the original James Bond series. This novel--set before the events of the first Fleming book, Casino Royale--contains the "origins" of such Bond staples as his Moreland cigarettes, his iconic gunmetal cigarette case, and the "shaken, not stirred" catchphrase.
Over the years, there have been a number of authors who have taken up the reins of the James Bond series after Fleming's death. In many cases, those authors have attempted to "update" Bond and bring the character into alignment with the cinematic version. In Forever and a Day, Horowitz takes James Bond back to his roots and presents him in a manner fitting of Fleming himself.
Forever and a Day is a magnificent piece of writing and must read for any fan of the Ian Fleming books. However, if your only exposure to the Bond series is through the movies, you may find this book a bit disappointing. It contains all the elements of the classic Ian Fleming books without the nonsense of the Hollywood adaptations. Overall, Forever and a Day is fabulous prequel and origin story for the James Bond literary franchise.
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