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Forever and a Day

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Forever and a Day

By: Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by: Matthew Goode
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz, read by Matthew Goode.

A spy is dead. A legend is born. This is how it all began. The explosive prequel to Casino Royale, from bestselling author Anthony Horowitz.

M laid down his pipe and stared at it tetchily. 'We have no choice. We’re just going to bring forward this other chap you’ve been preparing. But you didn’t tell me his name.'

'It’s Bond, sir,' the Chief of Staff replied. 'James Bond.'

The sea keeps its secrets. But not this time.

One body. Three bullets. 007 floats in the waters of Marseille, killed by an unknown hand.

It’s time for a new agent to step up. Time for a new weapon in the war against organised crime.

It’s time for James Bond to earn his licence to kill.

This is the story of the birth of a legend, in the brutal underworld of the French Riviera.

 Action & Adventure Espionage Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Romance Fiction Suspense Mystery

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Critic reviews

The super spy is back, with a fresh injection from novelist and screenwriter extraordinaire, Anthony Horowitz. The expert in suspense takes us back to the beginning of James Bond’s story… the story rips along with plenty of familiar Bond staples: evil villains, fast cars and women falling for young Bond’s charms. Ian Fleming would be proud.
Horowitz is a worthy successor to Ian Fleming, putting 007 back in his true domain… This New Bond is up there with the better Old Bonds… The denouement is a very fine piece of action writing… Horowitz has done splendidly.
Straight away Horowitz is able to capture Fleming’s flowing style and intricate details from how Bond likes his eggs in the morning to the cars he drives... He’s just as faithfully suave as in the original novels.
A novel that feels very like a film… fast-paced, skilfully written… leaves you wanting more, and for serious Bond junkies [it] is the next fix in a long tale of addiction.
Even better than Trigger Mortis… it is tremendous fun. Anthony Horowitz has the discipline and skill of a first-class action writer.
Exciting high drama… Horowitz stays loyal to the fabulous Fleming formula. And for that he surely deserves another mission guiding the fortunes of the world’s favourite superspy.
[Horowitz's Bond] is once again in safe hands, not departing much from Fleming’s entertaining formula... Horowitz’s light touch and smooth plotting create something close to the ideal holiday read.
Anthony Horowitz writes Bond in the style of Fleming... Total brain candy in the best possible fashion. (Rick O'Shea)
Anthony Horowitz's second James Bond book will keep 007 obsessives happy with martinis, beautiful women and an enormously fat Corsican gangster.
Horowitz shows that he knows the Fleming books backwards, offering plot twists that are homages to the master's novels. This nicely imagined book... is an amusing and thought-provoking addition to the post-Fleming bond canon.
All stars
Most relevant
Horowitz is an author that has taken us on an incredible journey in recent years. He's brought us Moriarty, he's channeled his inner Agatha Christie and even just been himself! He has also of course been the latest author to be trusted with the James Bond franchise. In each case he has shown a great sympathy for the style and substance of the characters and period in which the stories were set. So, he was probably an ideal candidate to deal with the birth of the James Bond 007 legend.

There were once again a lot of traps he could have fallen into which he cleverly skirts around such as upgrading this to modern sensibilities. For example while I have never been a smoker I cannot imagine an early James Bond who wasn't one! Horowitz writes with a similar style and cleverness to Fleming's books while appearing to retain that glorious naivete of the period. To this reader at least it really did feel similar to reading one of Fleming's creations and this is the skill of Horowitz when he takes on these legendary characters.

The story itself is original but to a similar formula. There is a dastardly plot, genuinely evil intent on the part of the villains who behave like classic Bond villains and of course plenty of signature Bond action, investigation and no little mayhem. The girls are of course cool and sexy . . . well what did we expect? In this case I'd say one comes close to stealing the show from Bond . . . handing him one of his classic motifs in the process.

Matthew Goode making his Audible UK debut is highly competent as a narrator and his voicing rounds off a thoroughly polished package. With Forever and a Day Horowitz has depicted a crucial chapter in the Bond story covering the birth of a literary icon and he was clearly the right choice to do it.

An Iconic Legend is Born

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That was absolutely delightful and beautifully written !
Horowitz showed the love of poetic language combined with fast muscular plot.

Brilliant !

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A refreshing tale of a newly promoted Bond and his first assignment in the south of France. Well written and thought out for the time period it is set in. An easy read/listen.

James Bond fans will not be disappointed!

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Never read any Bond books, only seen the films which I’ve always loved. Listened to this and now hooked, making my way through the whole collection.

Great novel

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This is Horowitz’s second Bond continuation novel, the first was Trigger Mortis. Probably the most successful of the authors who have taken on the Bond franchise with the blessing of the Fleming estate as he captures the original novels’ eccentricities and the sheer ruthlessness of the literary Bond who was a ‘blunt instrument’ - ostensibly an assassin. The challenge is to produce an original storyline that works in the contemporary world within the strict constraints of the Bond ‘formula’ and Horowitz handles the brief with ease. As with most of the modern Bond titles, this one is set in the past - in effect it’s Bond’s ‘origin story’ - how he became 007. The narration is spot on, beautifully done. Worth looking at Horowitz’s Sherlock Holmes continuation novels, The House of Silk and Moriarty, if you liked this, they’re similarly excellent.

A Bond origin story true fans will love

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