Charlie Higson Tweets Fleming’s Original Bond Novels In 140 Characters

As Bond-mania reaches fever pitch in the UK, Twitter (@TwitterUK) has teamed up with Young Bond author Charlie Higson (@monstroso) to remind us where it all began.

Taking Ian Fleming’s original 12 James Bond novels, Higson, author of the Young Bond series and of Fast Show fame, has described the books in a series of twelve 140-character Tweets, one per book.

photo by Jason Wain

Bond is a hugely popular topic on Twitter with over one million Bond-related Tweets appearing over the last month alone.

Higson hopes his Tweets will introduce a whole new audience to the books that started his love affair with Bond.

The Tweets
Higson will tweet a synopsis of the first novel to feature Bond, Casino Royale, on the morning of the 23rd, with the other 11 novels following in chronological order. The Tweets will read as follows:

Casino Royale:
“007 burns SMERSH paymaster in casino who takes revenge with carpet beater to manhood. Double agent Vesper gives Bond TLC & walks into ocean.”

Live and Let Die:
“Bond wins Solitaire & takes on Mr Big, black Napoleon of crime & SMERSH agent. Leiter loses arm & leg in shark tank but Big is eaten whole.”

Moonraker:
“Hugo Drax. Card cheat. Maybe worse? Missile site. Sexy cop. Gala Brand. Both caught. Tied up. Launch pad. Get away. Save London. Kill Drax.”

Diamonds Are Forever:
“With the help of Tiffany Case Bond follows diamond smuggling route from Africa to Las Vegas & The Spangled Mob. Guns, girls, gambling & gays.”

From Russia With Love:
“007 lured to honey trap in Istanbul. Is killer Red the better agent? No. Murder on the Orient Express but 007 stabbed by Klebb’s deadly shoe.”

Dr No:
“Jamaica? Yes. Dead agent? Yes. Honeychile Rider like a naked Venus from the sea? Yes? Steel hands? Yes. Radioactive pool? No. Death by guano.”

Goldfinger:
“1 007 beats card cheat Goldfinger at his own game. 2 Beats golf cheat ditto. 3 Foils plan to rob Fort Knox. An odd job with pussy galore.”

Thunderball:
“SPECTRE. NATO. Domino. Largo. Oh-oh, it’s 007! Subs, scuba, spies & stolen nukes. Hi-tech plot but lo-tech end for Largo - harpoon in chest.”

The Spy Who Loved Me:
“Me- Hi I'm Viv & this is my story. Unhappy lovelife now work in a motel. Them- 2 gangsters with dirty minds. Him- The name's Bond. Job done.”

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service:
“007's rule. Never fall in love. But Tracy's different. 1st mess up Blofeld in Alps then we have all the time in the world. Blofeld disagrees.”

You Only Live Twice:
“007 follows semi-naked diving girl to volcanic island. Who is the tall samurai in his garden of death? Blofeld again. Apocalypse now.”

The Man With The Golden Gun:
“Bond brainwashed! Back from the dead he tries to kill M. Punishment? Mission Impossible to kill 3-nippled assassin Scaramanga. Bye-bye Bond.”

Bringing Bond fans closer to the action, Higson will also host a live Q&A session over Twitter on the 23rd between 1-2pm for Bond fans to ask him any questions they may have about Bond, the books, the films, the Tweets, to questions about being a writer. Simply sign on to Twitter and follow @monstroso and the hashtag #BondTweets to get involved.

Bond fan Charlie Higson said: “Obviously I’m a massive Bond fan, so I relished the chance to be involved in this project. It’s amazing to think that these books were published almost 60 years ago and I’m delighted to have had the chance to bring these amazing novels to life for a new audience via Twitter.

“I hope that, by describing the novels in 140 character Tweets, I have been able to give people enough of a flavour of Fleming’s original works to inspire them to go away and read the full versions, without giving too much away.

“Twitter is a great platform for connecting with people who share your passions. When writing I used to spend a lot of time locked away in a room by myself with no one to talk to. Twitter has changed that - I can now get instant feedback on things I’m working on as well as interact with people who inspire me or make me laugh on a daily basis which is exactly what I need when writing.”

David Black from the James Bond international Fan Club (@007fanclub) added: “Twitter’s activity with Charlie is a fantastic way of bringing the original books to a younger generation, many of whom many not realise that Bond was originally a literary sensation before becoming the film sensation he is today.”

Get involved
Bond fans who are already on Twitter simply need to follow @monstroso to watch the action unfold from 7.30am onwards. You can also follow the hashtag #BondTweets to see what other Twitter users are saying and get involved in the live Q&A over Twitter between 1-2pm on the day.

If you’re not already signed up to Twitter, it couldn’t be easier. All you need to get started is an email address and a username - just head to www.twitter.com to get started.