007 in Verse: James Bond Returns in New Book... of Poetry

This one kind of slipped under the radar. In February, a new James Bond book was published! And it's the first one to be written in verse. Canadian poet Kimmy Beach has concocted an epic poem about 007 entitled The Last Temptation of Bond, published by the University of Alberta Press. On her blog, Beach calls the project "in part — my take on Nikos Kazantzakis’ 1960 novel, The Last Temptation of Christ." Here's the publisher's full description:

Kimmy Beach’s The Last Temptation of Bond is a frisky and erudite romp into the world of pop culture icon, James Bond. As 007 comes to terms with his own mortality, the women in his life (and there are many), circle in for the kill. For once, they will influence the narrative of his life. Parodies of pop culture have long been Beach’s trademark territory, but what sets The Last Temptation of Bond apart from her previous work is the ease with which she straddles the perceived divide between contemporary pop culture and modernist literature. Raunchy and irreverent, The Last Temptation of Bond will appeal to the rabble and the literary aesthetes.

Beach is apparently a Bond fan. Among the many interesting insights into "her Bond" that Beach provides on her blog is the fact that she had a longstanding Saturday ritual of watching Casino Royale (I'm guessing she means the Craig version) with a steady supply of Vesper martinis and quoting along, sometimes rewriting it as she went! Clearly, she knows how to spend a Saturday afternoon. The Last Temptation of Bond is available on Amazon.