Penning Bond was a challenge, admits Faulks

AUTHOR Sebastian Faulks has admitted he found it a challenge to write a new James Bond story.

Faulks, best known for historic novels Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, said he had to change his style for the suave spy’s latest adventure.

The Bond novel, Devil May Care, was published yesterday to mark the centenary of the birth of 007’s creator Ian Fleming.

Faulks was selected to write the novel by Fleming’s estate, and read all the original stories in an attempt to capture the author’s style.

He said: “It was quite a challenge because people say these are simple, straightforward thrillers, but this is not the kind of book that I normally write.

“I normally write about people’s inner lives and thoughts and emotions, and so on, often set in a historical context.

“I suppose in a way it is like asking someone who normally writes complex symphonic music if they would like to write a three-minute pop song.”

Faulks said he copied the original books’ sparse, journalistic style.

The British author said he enjoyed writing it more than any other book he had written, but ruled out a second Bond novel.

Bond Trivia

* The name James Bond was appropriated from a celebrated ornithologist because it sounded “as ordinary as possible”. Fleming was familiar with Bond’s book, Birds of the West Indies.

* Actors reported to have been considered for the role of Bond over the years include Carry Grant, Clive Owen and Mel Gibson.

* Since coming to the silver screen in 1962 with Dr No, Bond has slept with 44 women. Three-quarters of them have also tried to kill him. Bond has killed more than 150 people.

* Daniel Craig is the smallest actor to play Bond at 5ft 11in. The tallest were Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton at 6ft 2in.