"Hurricane Room" Advanced Proof Copy Arrives

Like his big screen counterpart the lterary James Bond has also evolved to remain relevant more than 70 years after Ian Fleming first struck a key on his golden typewriter for 'Casino Royale".  Kim Sherwood's interpretation of James Bond is no exception.  When the first installment of her "Double O" trilogy debuted in 2022, her Bond and his world of fellow agents became contemporary, inclusive and refreshingly current.

In her first act, "Double Or Nothing" (2022), Ms. Sherwood moulded (some may say redefined) the modern Bond universe by introducing a new generation of "00"s along with a revamped M16, and the mystery of a missing 007.

Act two, "A Spy Like Me" (2024), was a fast paced action adventure with a six day countdown to stop a terrorist group while simultaneously searching for Bond.

The final act, "Hurricane Room" (2026), was released in late May and promises an epic conclusion to the whole trilogy saga (the cover reads "James Bond is alive"... phew... after "No Time To Die" at the cinema !!!).

I was fortunate to acquire an advanced proof copy of Ms. Sherwood's "Hurricane Room" in the mail last week.  The cover looks great and matches the hardback edition from Harper Collins in the UK.

I've already added cover scans of  "Hurricane Room" to my Proof Copies page.  (Remember to click on the cover image if you go to this link to see the entire book image).  And here's some photos of the complete UK "Double O" trilogy proofs together from Harper Collins imprint Hemlock Press which I'm fortunate to own.

I know a lot of James Bond literary fans concern themselves with the modern version of James Bond.  Personally I think it's great.  Bond remaining current and in today's world will result in new readers and more new adventures.  

There are many literary characters that were once hugely popular, now only alive in old hardbacks on dusty book shelves.  That fate should never befall 007.  May the modern literary James Bond thrill readers for many years to come.  And who knows, maybe the "Double O" trilogy from Kim Sherwood will become "A trilogy in four parts" as Douglas Adams' "Hitchhikers" once was.  We can only hope.

A Parcel Awaits...

Upon returning from Europe I was pleased to find a parcel awaiting me.  

Inside was an "advance reader's edition" of Kim Sherwood's "Double Or Nothing".  The book was published by William Morrow in the U.S. in April 2023.

Seven weeks before our flight, I discovered this book for sale online.   Through much communication, and a great friend in America, I was able to get the book redirected from the seller to my friend and then to me in Australia.  Since when did purchasing books from the U.S. become so complicated ?!

This is the fourth proof edition I now own from Kim Sherwood's "Double O" series of books set in the James Bond universe.  All of the covers can be found on the Proof Copies page of PizGloria.com.

"A Spy Like Me" Paperback Released

Hot on the heels of the release in Australia of the latest edition of Ian Fleming's "From Russia With Love" comes the trade size paperback of Kim Sherwood's "A Spy Like Me".  Apart from advanced reading copies this is the first time "A Spy Like Me" has appeared in paperback.

I found this copy at QBD Books at Southland Shopping Centre.  The spine looks great next to the trade paperback of "Double Or Nothing" which was the first in this "Double O" series.   I didn't purchase this copy as I'm sure other books stores will have this title in stock now too.

Signed "Double Or "Nothing" Hardback

Here's yet another post about a Kim Sherwood James Bond (universe) novel.  I'm not sure how it happened but I acquired a signed hardback edition of "Double Or Nothing" published in the U.K. by Harper Collins in 2022 but forgot to add a post about it.  Well here's my post, although it's mainly images.

Front cover with dust jacket

Rear cover with jacket

Front cover sans jacket

Sprayed page edges

And front and rear jacket flaps featuring the author's photo

I think this hardback is a lovely addition to my James Bond collection.  It was the first novel in Kim Sherwood's "Double O" series.  The second novel, released this year (2024), was "A Spy Like Me", also published by Harper Collins.  The third and last in the series is set to be published next year.

A Kim Sherwood Week

Two parcels arrived in the post this week.  Tonight, while watching a game of footy (Australian Football League) on TV, I managed to open them both.

The pair were packed extremely well.  Not only were they in really tough cardboard packaging but within they were also covered in bubble wrap.  I know the bubble wrap seems an obvious addition however as most book collectors would be aware this is not the norm.  Many booksellers deem cardboard packaging enough protection leaving the book to slide around inside resulting in random damage during transit.  Perhaps they should take a leaf from these two booksellers; no damage occurred here.

The first book is a US paperback of Kim Sherwood's "Double Or Nothing" which was the opening novel in her Double-O trilogy.  I purchased this book through Reading's Books here in Australia.  Not the cheapest source of this edition but I knew I could trust them.  Published by William Morrow with an ISBN 9780063236523.

The second book is also by Kim Sherwood, a UK hardback of "A Spy Like Me" published by Hemlock Press.  This is the second and latest in her aforementioned trilogy.   I purchased this edition online from Topping & Company Books in the UK.  This edition is also signed by the author which makes it even more exciting.  It has an ISBN 9780008495435.  I think the cover looks fantastic too.

And finally, here's the two together:

I'm really pleased with these books.  And here's some links to a couple more UK editions of Kim's "Double Or Nothing" I own in hardback (also signed) and paperback in my collection.

One Bond Hunt Ends

I've been searching for the edition of Kim Sherwood's "Double Or Nothing" (shown below) for several months now.  I knew it was available in Australia but strangely there were few copies in book stores around Melbourne.

I first encountered a physical copy at Dymocks in the City, however only one copy existed on the shelves and it was damaged in the top left corner of the front cover.  So I visited many, many more book stores on the hunt for another elusive copy.  When I finally found one at Robinson's Bookshop in Frankston I was disappointed to discover it too was damaged in the top left corner of the cover.  I suspect the books were damaged in transit from the UK.

Tired of travelling book store to book store without success I decided it was time to take an alternate course.  Now I'm well aware I could order this book cheaper online but I'd rather go through the traditional methods when possible.  So I asked Robinson's to order another copy... and it arrived yesterday with a perfect cover.

Here's the existing copy on their shelves.  The cover damage (top left) really is very minor but as I've no plans to read this edition I'd prefer my copy to be in as perfect condition as possible.

Inside Robinson's Bookstore...

And a Bond related title in the sport's section...

I was pleased to finally knock this book off my wants list.  Another Bond hunt ends.

"James Bond Is Missing"

"James Bond is missing" it exclaims from the cover of this trade paperback size copy of Kim Sherwood's "Double Or Nothing" published by Harper Collins in the UK.  The reason the novel's title is absent from the cover is due to this being an uncorrected proof released in September 2022.  I was fortunate to purchase this copy over a month ago and it arrived in the mail last week.

The publisher details/copyright page contains the ISBN's for both the future hard back and trade paperback versions.  The final cover for the trade paperback edition looked like this which is certainly similar:

I don't own many uncorrected proofs or advanced reading copies, but here they all are.

The Hunt For James Bond Continues...

This afternoon my wife and I were in the City to experience the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform the soundtrack to "The Empire Strikes Back" while simultaneously screening the film.  It was fantastic !

Afterwards we visited Dymocks on Collins Street where I discovered the new paperback print of Kim Sherwood's "Double Or Nothing".  Unfortunately one cover corner of the book was slightly scuffed, and they only had one copy in store, but at least I know this printing is now available on Australian book shelves.  The hunt continues...

Here's some photos from my visit, including the new Ian Fleming biography by Nicholas Shakespeare, and some other James Bond related titles:

Book Store Visit And New Addition To The Collection

It's been a while but yesterday I visited Helena's Curiosity Shop in Bentleigh again.  As I entered the store Helena recognised me and said 'James Bond books' and I commented on her amazing memory.  Unfortunately she told me she had no Bond novels at the moment but I still had a hunt through her huge collection of paperbacks and hardbacks just in case.  No luck for me this time but I will be back.

Next my wife and I travelled to the City.  We visited Dymocks and I touched a copy of Kim Sherwood's novel "Double Or Nothing" for the first time.  This book is set in the world of James Bond and features other Double-O operatives.  I now have a new paperback title to add to the PizGloria.com website.

We also visited the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) to attend a Picasso Exhibition.  It was always intended to be a visit accompanied with my wife's sister but sadly it wasn't to be.  At least it felt like she was there with us and we knew she would have liked the art on show.

There were no direct James Bond references in the exhibition however there was a painting titled "Invisible sleeping woman, horse, lion" by Salvador Dali...

that reminded me of the dust jacket designed by Tom Adams for the Robert Markham (Kingsley Amis) hardback "Colonel Sun" published by Jonathan Cape in 1968.

And finally, here's a couple more photos from the Picasso exhibition: