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10:38 GMT, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 11:38 UK

Fans snap-up new James Bond novel

The BBC's Neil Smith speed reads Devil May Care

Pile of books

James Bond fans have queued overnight to get their hands on the spy's latest adventure, Devil May Care.

The book, written by Sebastian Faulks, marks the centenary of the birth of 007's creator, Ian Fleming.

Faulks was chosen to write the novel by Fleming's estate, and read all the original stories in an attempt to capture his style.

Scores of fans queued at Waterstone's in central London where 200 luxury editions went on sale at £100 each.

'Worth the wait'

Steve Norris, 39, from east London, started queuing at 4pm on Tuesday and was the first person to get his hands on a signed edition, which had been locked in a safe overnight.

The housing manager said he had been a Bond fan "ever since I can remember".

He said: "It feels absolutely brilliant. It was worth the wait."

The Piccadilly store opened at the earlier time of 8am to Bond theme tunes which rang out across the shop.

Steve Norris

Jo James, events and local marketing manager for Waterstone's, said: "We're really excited. We knew it would be big.

"We were expecting people to arrive early but we weren't expecting people to arrive overnight."

Advance orders for Devil May Care have already helped the book shoot to the top of Amazon.co.uk's charts.

Amazon.co.uk spokesman Damian Peachey said it was the company's biggest fiction pre-order of 2008.

"It's doing extremely well," he said. "Even with books that are currently available, it's topping our charts."

Devil May Care takes 007 to London, Paris and the Middle East.

Plot details have been kept a closely-guarded secret, though it is known the story is set in 1967 during the Cold War.

Faulks - one of several authors to write Bond novels since Fleming's death in 1964 - is best known for his war novels Birdsong, The Girl at the Lion D'Or and Charlotte Gray.

He has said he has no plans to write another Bond novel.




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RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Penguin - Devil May Care
Sebastian Faulks
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