Licence Expired
5January 20, 2015 by Laird
Fleming’s Bond novels were fixtures in my family’s library. During my early teens I came across License Renewed by John Gardner. It was difficult to wrap my head around the notion of a new author working in Fleming’s universe (I was yet innocent of Lin Carter’s and August Derleth’s literary incursions upon Howard and Lovecraft).
Then a light clicked on in my brain–maybe I’d write a Bond novel someday. Perhaps that’s in the cards, perhaps not. Meanwhile, I sure as hell plan to write a short story about 007.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ChiZine Publications to Publish Unauthorized James Bond Anthology
TORONTO, Ontario (January 19, 2015) — Independent Toronto publisher ChiZine Publications announces they will be publishing a new anthology of short stories featuring James Bond now that Ian Fleming’s work has entered the public domain in Canada. The anthology, titled Licence Expired: The Unauthorized James Bond, will be edited by Toronto authors Madeline Ashby (vN, iD; Company Town) and David Nickle (Knife Fight and Other Struggles,The ’Geisters, Eutopia).
“We want to feature original, transformative stories set in the world of Secret Agent 007,” says Nickle. “We’re hoping our contributors will combine the guilty-pleasure excitement of the vintage Fleming experience with a modern critique of it.”
“This is an opportunity to comment on the Bond universe from within it,” adds Ashby. “We’re specifically looking for writers and stories that would make Fleming roll in his grave.”
Since only Fleming’s Bond novels have entered the public domain, the stories won’t reference the films, subsequent novels written by others, or any media tie-ins. However, within Fleming’s works are well-known villains Rosa Klebb, Oddjob, Dr. No, SMERSH, Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE. Familiar allies include Moneypenny, Honey Rider, Pussy Galore, Felix Leiter and Quarrel. The story authors will be able to call on any of these characters and organizations along with the many others that have appeared in Fleming’s stories.
Authors who have confirmed their appearance in Licence Expired include:
Tony Burgess
Corey Redekop
Robert J. Wiersema
Laird Barron
Nathan Ballingrud
Kelly Robson
A.M. Dellamonica
Ian Rogers
Licence Expired is scheduled to be published in November 2015.
Contact
Sandra Kasturi, Co-Publisher
ChiZine Publications
http://www.chizinepub.com
sandra@chizinepub.com
About ChiZine Publications
ChiZine Publications (CZP) is British Fantasy Award-winning and three-time World Fantasy Award-nominated independent publisher of surreal, subtle, and disturbing dark literary fiction hand-picked by co-publishers Brett Alexander Savory and Sandra Kasturi, Bram Stoker Award-winning editors.
About the Editors
David Nickle is a journalist, co-editor of the forthcoming Exile Book of New Canadian Noir (with Claude Lalumière), the author of the cold-war novel of psychic espionage Rasputin’s Bastards and the eugenics horror novel, Eutopia. Madeline Ashby is a columnist for the Ottawa Citizen, a futurist, and the author of the Machine Dynasty series of science fiction novels, as well as Company Town, forthcoming from Tor Books. They live together in Toronto.
More info on public domain & Bond:
http://io9.com/what-does-it-mean-now-that-james-bonds-in-ca…
lairdbarron.wordpress.com 
Which incarnation of Bond do you have in your mind’s eye? I know you’ve said that you were moving away from the “carnivorous cosmos” mythology present in your early work, but something in the idea of an older, wizened 007 (Mr. Connery, I’m thinking of you) getting caught up in SPECTRE’s machinations with the Children of Old Leech is enough to imagine Fleming rolling over in his grave.
Heh. I have several ideas percolating and they revolve around the classic naturalistic Bond of the earliest novels. As for cosmic horror, I don’t envision abandoning those stories. I’m concentrating on other genres at moment.
That looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. Congrats!
Thanks. It should be an interesting project.
Congratulations, bro!!!