New Fleming Short Story Collection Coming

CBN has a ton of interesting news today that's worth checking out, but foremost amongst it is the revelation that Penguin will issue a new collection this spring entitled Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories. It's in their Modern Classics line, and in keeping with the rest of the Modern Classics Bond editions, sports an appealing photographic cover. I think this is a good idea. A complete collection of Fleming's 007 short stories is long overdue, and it makes sense to have a book on the shelves for people who are curious about what the hell the title of the new movie means. (If it weren't for the movie title, though, QoS would make no sense whatsoever as the title for such a collection though!) Will there be an American edition down the line? I would assume so, and I hope it comes with some new Richie Fahey artwork to match the rest of the current American editions. I'd like to see another Fahey cover!

On the downside, this publication would seem to dash hopes of a movie novelization of Quantum of Solace this fall. I understand why IFP wouldn't want to flood the market with Bond books in a year when they're trying to make the new one (Devil May Care) something special, but I was still hoping for one. This will be the first time since the producers started filming wholly original stories (with Licence To Kill, nearly two decades ago) that there hasn't been a novelization for one of those original films. (Yes, the title is Fleming's, but according to producers nothing in the film is.) Oh well.