Bond books: even more to come in 2022. (Curtis Cronn, ‘Ian Fleming, James Bond Books, Seattle’,  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 , via Flickr)

A few weeks back we rounded up the printed exploits of Ian Fleming’s fictional spy James Bond, who recently returned to the big screen in No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s final outing in the role. That article looked ahead to Anthony Horowitz’s new as-yet-untitled Bond novel, which will hit shelves in May next year. But wait, there’s more!

It was announced, via The Guardian and elsewhere, that the series will welcome its first female author for three original Bond-related books, the first of which arrives later in 2022. Kim Sherwood—who was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year in 2019, and won the Bath Novel Award for her debut Testament in 2016—has written the first of “three contemporary thrillers set in the world of James Bond but where the original 007 is missing, presumed captured or even killed,” for HarperCollins.

Quoted in The Guardian, Sherwood expressed her delight at taking up Fleming’s mantle:

“It’s rare that dreams come true, and I am grateful to the Fleming family for this incredible opportunity. I feel honoured to be the first novelist to expand the Bond universe through the Double O sector, bringing new life to old favourites and fresh characters to the canon.”

Corinne Turner of Ian Fleming Publications sees Sherwood as the right person to move the franchise on:

“In her first novel, Testament, Kim showed a rare gift for characterisation, time and place. She drew readers into a journey that unfolded in unexpected ways … These talents, and her near lifelong passion for Fleming and Bond, make her the perfect choice … I can’t wait for readers to see what she’s created.”

As the “new 007” Nomi – played brilliantly by Lashana Lynch—says to Craig in No Time to Die: “The world’s moved on, Commander Bond.” So with the original superspy nowhere to be seen in this new sequence, could Sherwood’s novels be the beginning of an expanded “James Bond Universe”? We can’t wait to find out…