James Bond Books in Order: How to read Ian Fleming’s series?

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Created by the British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953, James Bond has been immortalized on the big screen by Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. The handsome secret agent, and maybe the least discreet agent working for Her Majesty, enjoys food, drinking, smoking, cars, and women — in no order in particular. He fights rich megalomaniacs and evil organizations and saves regularly the world.

It is said that women want him, and men want to be him. James is not the most respectful human being on this earth, but with time some of his traits have been diminished on screen, like his more than questionable treatment of women and his smoking habits. He is, no doubt about that, one of the most famous spies ever, fictional or not, still living new adventures on screen, and even on paper, more than fifty years after the publication of Ian Fleming’s last book about him. Let’s explore James Bond’s bibliography!

How to read the James Bond Series in Order?

Classic Bond or Ian Fleming’s original series (Publication Order)

1. Casino Royale (1953) – One of SMERSH’s most deadly operatives, the man known only as “Le Chiffre,” has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be “retired” by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won’t cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd.
2. Live and Let Die (1954) – James Bond is not a superstitious man, but it’s hard not to feel unnerved in the presence of Mr. Big. A ruthless Harlem gangster who uses voodoo to control his criminal empire, he’s also one of SMERSH’s top American operatives. Mr. Big has been smuggling British pirate treasure to New York from a remote Jamaican island―and funneling the proceeds to Moscow. With help from Solitaire, Mr. Big’s beautiful and enigmatic Creole fortune-teller, and his old friend Felix Leiter, 007 must locate the crime lord’s hideout, sabotage his operation, and reclaim the pirate hoard for England.
3. Moonraker (1955) – As the super patriot and war veteran who’s bankrolling Britain’s top-secret Moonraker rocket program, Sir Hugo Drax should be above reproach. But there’s more to this enigmatic millionaire than he lets on. When M suspects Drax of cheating at cards in an exclusive gentleman’s club, he sends Bond in to investigate. But exposing the deception only enrages Drax―and now 007 must outwit an angry man with the power to lose a nuclear warhead on London.
4. Diamonds Are Forever (1956) – An international diamond-smuggling pipeline has opened up and the British Treasury wants to know who’s controlling it. Impersonating a captured courier named Peter Franks, Bond infiltrates the criminal ring and finds an unlikely ally in Tiffany Case, a gorgeous American with a dark past. As the ring’s stateside go-between, she may be just another link in the chain, but Tiffany is also Bond’s best shot at finding the elusive figure at the head of the operation―a syndicate boss known only by the initials “ABC.” But if Bond’s cover gets blown, he’ll find that the only thing harder than a diamond is surviving the payback of a pair of murderous henchmen.

5. From Russia, with Love (1957) – SMERSH stands for “Death to Spies” and there’s no secret agent they’d like to disgrace and destroy more than 007, James Bond. But ensnaring the British Secret Service’s most lethal operative will require a lure so tempting even he can’t resist. Enter Tatiana Romanova, a ravishing Russian spy whose “defection” springs a trap designed with clockwork precision. Her mission: seduce Bond, then flee to the West on the Orient Express. Waiting in the shadows are two of Ian Fleming’s most vividly drawn villains: Red Grant, SMERSH’s deadliest assassin, and the sinister operations chief Rosa Klebb―five feet four inches of pure killing power.
6. Doctor No (1958) – Dispatched by M to investigate the mysterious disappearance of MI6’s Jamaica station chief, Bond was expecting a holiday in the sun. But when he discovers a deadly centipede placed in his hotel room, the vacation is over. On this island, all suspicious activity leads inexorably to Dr. Julius No, a reclusive megalomaniac with steel pincers for hands. To find out what the good doctor is hiding, 007 must enlist the aid of local fisherman Quarrel and alluring beachcomber Honeychile Rider. Together they will combat a local legend the natives call “the Dragon,” before Bond alone must face the most punishing test of all: an obstacle course―designed by the sadistic Dr. No himself―that measures the limits of the human body’s capacity for agony.
7. Goldfinger (1959) – Auric Goldfinger is the richest man in England―though his wealth can’t be found in banks. He’s been hoarding vast stockpiles of his namesake metal, and it’s attracted the suspicion of 007’s superiors at MI6. Sent to investigate, Bond uncovers an ingenious gold-smuggling scheme, as well as Goldfinger’s most daring caper yet: Operation Grand Slam, a gold heist so audacious it could bring down the world economy and put the fate of the West in the hands of SMERSH. To stop Goldfinger, Bond will have to survive a showdown with the sinister millionaire’s henchman, Oddjob, a tenacious karate master who can kill with one well-aimed toss of his razor-rimmed bowler hat.
8. For Your Eyes Only (1959) – A collection of five stories that sends 007 to Bermuda, Berlin, and beyond, and places him in the dangerous company of adversaries of all varieties.

9. Thunderball (1961) – Upon M’s insistence, James Bond takes a two-week respite in a secluded natural health spa. But amid the bland teas, tasteless yogurts, and the spine stretcher the guests lovingly call “The Rack,” Bond stumbles onto the trail of a lethal man with ties to a new secret organization called SPECTRE. When SPECTRE hijacks two A-bombs, a frantic global search for the weapons ensues, and M’s hunch that the plane containing the bombs will make a clean drop into the ocean sends Bond to the Bahamas to investigate. On the island paradise, 007 finds a wealthy pleasure seeker’s treasure hunt and meets Domino Vitali, the gorgeous mistress of Emilio Largo, otherwise known as SPECTRE’s Number 1. But as powerful as Number 1 is, he works for someone else: Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a peculiar man with a deadly creative mind.
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) – Vivienne Michel is a troubled young woman on the run. Fleeing England she comes to a deserted motel in the Adirondack Mountains where she thinks she has finally escaped her past. Sluggsy and Horror are ruthless mobsters on a mission of their own. Holding a terrified Viv hostage in the motel, they plot death and destruction. Bond has just one night to take on the gangsters. But with two hardened killers to outwit, and time running out, can he save Vivienne – and himself?
11. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963) – Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of the terrorist organization SPECTRE, is holed up in his Alpine base, researching a terrifying biological weapon. 007’s mission is to gain access to Blofeld’s icy retreat and gather information vital to guaranteeing world safety. A new alliance with the troubled daughter of the head of the French mafia offers 007 the chance to bring down his nemesis once and for all – but will Bond be prepared to pay the ultimate price for victory?
12. You Only Live Twice (1964) – Bond is shattered by the murder of his wife at the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld but M. gives him one last chance. To save his job, James Bond needs to infiltrate and destroy the Castle of Death in exchange for top-secret Japanese intelligence. 007 must learn the skills of ninja warriors and face his ultimate enemy in a battle to the death.

13. The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) – A brainwashed James Bond tried, and failed, to kill his boss, M. It’s time for him to prove he can be trusted again. Bond finds his man in the sweltering heat of Jamaica. He plans to infiltrate Scaramanga’s gang of criminals to get close to the man himself. But if he fails, Bond will be the next target for the golden gun.
14. Octopussy & The Living Daylights (1966) – Four tales of intrigue that push 007 to the limit and find the secret agent questioning where he can go from there…

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Read the Continuation of the James Bond series

15. Colonel Sun (1968) – written by Kingsley Amis, as Robert Markham. The life of secret agent James Bond has begun to fall into a pattern that threatens complacency…until the sunny afternoon when M is kidnapped. The action ricochets across the globe to a volcanic Greek island, where Colonel Sun Liang-tan of the People’s Liberation Army of China collaborates with an ex-Nazi atrocity expert in a world-menacing conspiracy. Stripped of all professional aids, Bond faces, unarmed, the monstrous devices of Colonel Sun in a test that brings him to the verge of his physical endurance.
16. License Renewed (1981) – written by John Gardner. The most famous secret agent in the world pits his nerve and cunning against a dangerously deranged opponent-one prepared to sacrifice most of the Western world to prove that only he can make it safe from accidental holocaust. As the seconds tick away on the valued Rolex Oyster Perpetual, the world comes nearer this ironic annihilation; Bond comes nearer a frightful death and ever nearer Miss Lavender Peacock.
17. For Special Services (1982) – written by John Gardner. Bond is on loan to the United States government, his partner none other than the tough and beautiful Cedar, daughter of 007’s old friend Felix Leiter. Their enemy? An old adversary, the legendary SPECTRE has reappeared. Bond and Cedar find themselves in some deadly and terrifying situations-from skyjack to plunging elevator, from armies of killer ants in the Midwest to horror on a private monorail-before they come face to face with the heir to Blofeld’s iniquitous empire.
18. Icebreaker (1983) – written by John Gardner. Bond reluctantly finds himself recruited into a dangerous mission involving an equally dangerous and treacherous alliance of agents from the CIA, the KGB, and Israel’s Mossad. The team dubbed “Icebreaker” wastes no time double-crossing each other, as they try to root out the leader of the murderous National Socialist Action Army, Count Konrad von Gloda, a one-time SS officer, who now perceives himself as the New Adolf Hitler.

19. Role of Honour (1984) – written by John Gardner. Following scandal and his shock resignation from Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, James Bond becomes a gun for hire; able, and willing, to sell his lethal skills to the highest bidder. And SPECTRE, it seems, are eager to have the disgraced British super spy on their payroll. But before he can be fully embraced by his new employer – and deadliest enemy – 007 must first prove his loyalty. And in doing so he must threaten with nuclear annihilation everything he has fought his whole life to defend. Until honor is fully restored…
20. Nobody Lives Forever (1986) – written by John Gardner. Bond was supposed to be on leave. But SPECTRE leader Tamil Rahani, dying from injuries suffered at Bond’s hand, is determined to make it the holiday to die for. With a price on his head, Bond must evade the world’s greatest assassins in a ruthless game of cat-and-mouse across Europe, while trying to save the lives of the two women who matter to him most, his housekeeper May and Miss Moneypenny. But Bond has been a target before. And when it comes to staying alive, nobody does it better than 007.
21. No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) – written by John Gardner. Two female agents of Operation Cream Cake – double agents and honey traps against the KGB – are murdered. Bond must find the others and conduct them to safety before they meet a similar fate. In a race against time, Bond travels to Ireland and the KGB is soon on the scene. But all is not as it seems and soon Bond finds he needs all his wits to negotiate a labyrinth of double-crossing that is to lead him to a bewildering showdown in a remote corner of the Kowloon province of Hong Kong, where, weaponless, he is hunted by four assassins.
22. Scorpius (1988) – written by John Gardner. When the body of a mysterious woman is found to be carrying the phone number of James Bond, Bond is called in by M to help the investigation. But before he can even reach headquarters he is nearly run off the road in a high-speed motorway chase. Someone wants Bond dead. Then Bond discovers that the woman was a member of a cult society known as “The Meek Ones”, with murky links to a wealthy arms dealer. Soon, hideous acts of terrorism begin to roll out across Britain and Bond finds himself in a race against time to track down the faceless criminal behind the horror …

23. Win, Lose Or Die (1989) – written by John Gardner. When M receives word that a known terrorist organization is planning to infiltrate and destroy a top-secret British Royal Navy aircraft carrier-based summit of world leaders, James Bond is returned to active duty in the Royal Navy. Promoted from Commander to Captain, Bond is expected to infiltrate the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible and identify potential sleeper agents. As he struggles to complete his mission, a massive war game is being carried out between the American, British, and Soviet Navies. And when Bond gets caught up in a murder investigation the safety of the most powerful leaders on the planet hangs in the balance…
24. Licence to Kill (1989, novelization) – written by John Gardner. Bond has lost his licence to kill. After he took revenge on the CIA agent who handed his friend over to the master criminal, Sanchez, M revoked his double 0 status and he’s considered a rogue agent. With MI6 trying to bring him in and only the support of Q behind him Bond goes after Sanchez. Boarding his ship, Bond tricks his way into Sanchez’s inner circle and discovers the secret of his wealth. But Bond is walking a tightrope and it is surely only a matter of time before he slips …
25. Brokenclaw (1990) – written by John Gardner. On holiday in Victoria, British Columbia, Bond becomes by intrigued Lee Fu-Chu, a half-Blackfoot, half-Chinese philanthropist who is known as “Brokenclaw” because of a deformed hand. On his return to the UK Bond is tasked to investigate the kidnapping of several scientists who have been working on a new submarine detection system. It becomes clear that Brokenclaw is behind the kidnapping and worse, he has a devastating plan to cause an economic meltdown through the collapse of the dollar. Bond has no choice but to enter his lair.…
26. The Man from Barbarossa (1991) – written by John Gardner. James Bond has been partnered with an Israeli Mossad agent, Pete Natkowitz, and assigned to work with the KGB to infiltrate a terrorist group. The group, The Scales of Justice, are demanding the trial of a suspected Nazi war criminal, and each day of delay brings another death. Posing as a TV crew, Bond and the other agents attempt to discover the group’s real motive. When Bond realises that the real aim is to supply Iraq with nuclear weapons just before the United Nations-led coalition invades he faces the most crucial mission of his life.

27. Death Is Forever (1992) – written by John Gardner. The Cold War is over. After two British agents die under mysterious and strangely old-fashioned circumstances in Germany, Bond is paired up with beautiful CIA agent ‘Easy’ St John. He’s been assigned to track down the surviving members of “Cabal”, a Cold War-era intelligence network that received a mysterious and unauthorised signal to disband. It’s not long before Bond and Easy find themselves playing a life-or-death game as they try to figure out who they can trust. All the while, Cabal agents are dying one by one …
28. Never Send Flowers (1993) – written by John Gardner. The legendary 007 discovers a link between four assassinations, and Bond’s investigation takes him on a wild intercontinental chase culminating in a chilling pursuit through EuroDisney.
29. Seafire (1994) – written by John Gardner. James Bond and his gorgeous partner, Freddie von Gru+a5sse, investigate the disappearance of self-made billionaire Sir Maxwell Lustig and become caught up in a deadly international arms trade and an ecological disaster that threatens the entire globe.
30. GoldenEye (1995, novelization) – written by John Gardner. Once Xenia worked for the KGB. But her new master is Janus, a powerful and ambitious Russian leader who no longer cares about ideology. Janus’s ambitions are money and power: his normal business methods include theft and murder. And he has just acquired Goldeneye, a piece of high-tech space technology with the power to destroy or corrupt the West’s financial markets. But Janus has underestimated his most determined enemy: James Bond.

31. Cold (1996) – written by John Gardner. James Bond is on a mission that will become an obsession. It starts the night Flight 229 is torn apart at Washington airport, killing 435 passengers. But the victim who matters to Bond is the Principessa Sukie Tempesta: once his lover, still his friend. The search for Sukie’s killers will turn out to be the most complex and demanding assignment of Bond’s career. Across continents and through ever-changing labyrinths of evil, he follows the traces of clues into the center of a fanatical society more deadly than any terrorist army. Its code name is COLD.
32. Blast From the Past (1997, short story) – written by Raymond Benson. included in the 2008 omnibus release The Union Trilogy.
33. Zero Minus Ten (1997) – written by Raymond Benson. When Agent 007 is sent to Hong Kong to investigate the infamous Chinese underworld called Triad, he uncovers a diabolical plot of revenge that threatens to derail the return of the former British colony to China.
34. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997, novelization) – written by Raymond Benson. Elliot Carver – the ultra-rich media mogul – has found a way to “create” news and broadcast it all over the world as it happens. Now he has devised the ultimate plan: to start a war between Great Britain and China. The conflict will reach every television in the world and garner the highest ratings in history. A man who can start a war anytime and anywhere he pleases – and then profit from it – will be the most powerful man in the world. But Carver didn’t count on James Bond.
35. The Facts of Death (1998) – written by Raymond Benson. The murder of Britain’s “Goodwill Ambassador to the World” leads James Bond on a desperate search for the Number Killer, a mysterious assassin, a quest that leads him to a fanatical cult and its mad leader.

36. Midsummer Night’s Doom (1999, short story) – written by Raymond Benson. included in the omnibus Choice of Weapons.
37. High Time to Kill (1999) – written by Raymond Benson. During a dinner party with an old friend, James Bond encounters a vicious new criminal organization called “The Union,” an international group that may be responsible for the theft of information vital to Britain’s national security.
38. Live at Five (1999, short story) – written by Raymond Benson. reprinted in the 2010 omnibus release, Choice of Weapons.
39. The World Is Not Enough (1999, novelization) – written by Raymond Benson. After an oil tycoon is murdered at the London headquarters of M16, James Bond is assigned to protect the dead man’s daughter from her father’s killer, who once tried to kidnap her for ransom
40. Double Shot (2000) – written by Raymond Benson. An intricately organized criminal organization has vowed revenge on the man who thwarted their last coup. Their method for getting revenge is ingenious, to force 007 into believing that he’s going mad.

41. Never Dream of Dying (2001) – written by Raymond Benson. James Bond, 007, finally comes face to face with his most cunning nemesis-the enigmatic blind criminal mastermind behind the sinister organization known only as the Union.
42. The Man With the Red Tattoo (2002) – written by Raymond Benson. In Tokyo, a fatal strain of West Nile virus has infected-and killed-the head of the world’s largest genetic research company and his family. Whoever is behind the murders is far more dangerous than the average assassin-dangerous enough to send in James Bond. Teamed with a beautiful Japanese agent, 007 must predict the next attack-and stop a weapon powerful enough to destroy the Western world.
43. Die Another Day (2002, novelization) – written by Raymond Benson. From North Korea to Iceland, Bond circles the world in his quest to unmask a traitor and prevent a war of catastrophic proportions. Crossing paths with beautiful allies and deadly assassins in a high-octane, action adventure of intrigue, revenge and betrayal. Never has Bond been so vulnerable, nor so dangerous….

44. Devil May Care (2008) – written by Sebastian Faulks. An Algerian drug runner is brutally executed on the desolate outskirts of Paris and 007 is assigned a new task; to shadow the mysterious Dr. Julius Gorner, a power-crazed pharmaceutical magnate. Alongside a glamorous Parisian named Scarlett Papava, Bond must stop a chain of events that will lead to global catastrophe.
45. Carte Blanche (2011) – written by Jeffery Deaver. James Bond, in his early thirties and already a veteran of the Afghan War, has been recruited to a new organization. Conceived in the post-9/11 world, it operates independent of MI5, MI6, and the Ministry of Defense, its very existence deniable. Its aim: to protect the Realm, by any means necessary. And Agent 007 has been given carte blanche to do whatever it takes to fulfill his mission…
46. Solo (2013) – written by William Boyd. It is 1969 and James Bond is about to go solo, recklessly motivated by revenge. A seasoned veteran of the service, 007 is sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in the small West African nation of Zanzarim. Aided by a beautiful accomplice and hindered by the local militia, he undergoes a scarring experience which compels him to ignore M’s orders in pursuit of his own brand of justice. Bond’s renegade action leads him to Washington, D.C., where he discovers a web of intrigue and witnesses fresh horrors. Even if Bond succeeds in exacting his revenge, a man with two faces will come to stalk his every waking moment.

47. Trigger Mortis (2015) – written by Anthony Horowitz. It’s 1957 and James Bond has only just survived his showdown with Auric Goldfinger at Fort Knox. By his side is Pussy Galore, who was with him at the end. Unknown to either of them, the USSR and the West are in a deadly struggle for technological superiority. And SMERSH is back. The Soviet counter-intelligence agency plans to sabotage a Grand Prix race at the most dangerous track in Europe. But it’s Bond who finds himself in the driving seat and events take an unexpected turn when he observes a suspicious meeting between SMERSH’s driver and a sinister Korean millionaire, Jai Seong Sin. Soon Bond is pitched into an entirely different race uncovering a plan that could bring the West to its knees.
48. Forever and a Day (2018) – written by Anthony Horowitz. A prequel to Casino Royale. The sea keeps its secrets. But not this time. One body. Three bullets. 007 floats in the waters of Marseilles, killed by an unknown hand. It’s time for a new agent to step up. Time for a new weapon in the war against organized crime. It’s time for James Bond to earn his license to kill. This is the story of the birth of a legend, in the brutal underworld of the French Riviera.
49. With a Mind to Kill (2022) – written by Anthony Horowitz. It is M’s funeral. One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M’s murder – James Bond. Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion’s den – but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives? In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.
50. On His Majesty’s Secret Service (2023) – written by Charlie Higson. It is the 4th of May, two days before the coronation of King Charles III and the world’s favourite spy has his work cut out for him.Bond is sent at the last minute to thwart an attempt to disrupt the Coronation by the wealthy, eccentric and self-styled Athelstan of Wessex, who is on a deadly mission of his own to teach the United Kingdom a lesson. Can Bond dismantle his shady plans and defeat his privately hired team of mercenaries?
    
    

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Read The Young Bond Series in Order

1. Silverfin (2005) – written by Charlie Higson. James Bond will one day become the world’s most famous spy, but right now his challenge is to fit in at his new school: making friends, learning the rules and standing up to bullies. However, unknown to James there is an even tougher challenge awaiting him on the remote shores of Loch Silverfin – a terrifying discovery that threatens to unleash a new breed of warfare. For something mysterious and deadly is lurking in the water . .
2. Blood Fever (2006) – written by Charlie Higson. An Eton boy’s family disappears at sea. A shadowy secret society meets in a hidden corner of James’ school. And far from England, in the bandit-infested interior of Sardinia, the sinister count Carnifex has built himself a mountain fortress. Is there a connection? Young Bond is about to find out – and face a lethal group of villains beneath the burning Mediterranean sun.
3. Double or Die (2007) – written by Charlie Higson. In a London cemetery a professor is kidnapped at gunpoint. A suspicious letter crammed with cryptic clues arrives at Eton. To decipher the deadly mystery, James Bond must take a series of dangerous gambles. Once the code is cracked, he has just 48 hours to save the professor from the dark forces that threaten to destroy both teacher and student – and the rest of the world . . .
4. Hurricane Gold (2007) – written by Charlie Higson. James Bond is vacationing in Mexico at the home of ex–flying ace Jack Stone when a hurricane hits. As the storm rages, a gang of thieves targets the contents of Stone’s safe. Stone’s children are kidnapped, and James embarks on a perilous rescue mission that leads him to Lágrimas Negras, a haven for deadly criminals. James will have to use all of his cunning to outwit their leader, El Huracán. But the only way off the island is through a treacherous maze, La Avenida de la Muerte. On this terrifying trail of greed and betrayal, only danger is guaranteed . . . survival is not.

5. By Royal Command (2008) – written by Charlie Higson. Following a treacherous rescue mission high in the freezing Alps, Bond hopes to return to a quiet life at Eton. But he won’t get his wish – his every move is being watched, and he is dragged into a sinister plot that will bring carnage to his school, and his country. Forced to flee to Austria, James is soon trapped in a deadly war of secrets and lies, as a nightmare reunion with an old enemy throws him once more into the path of death . . .
6. A Hard Man to Kill (2009, short story)- written by Charlie Higson. included in the companion book, Danger Society: The Young Bond Dossier.
7. Shoot to Kill (2014) – written by Steve Cole. Expelled from Eton and determined never to trust again, James Bond’s plans for a solitary summer are dashed by the discovery of a gruesome film reel – a reel someone is willing to kill for. Travelling from the English countryside to Los Angeles, James finds himself caught up in a sinister plot of blackmail, murder and revenge that goes way beyond any Hollywood gangster movie. His friends in danger, his life on the line, James must find a way out.
8. Heads You Die (2016) – written by Steve Cole. James’s Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save an old friend from a villain who has perfected 1,000 ways to kill. With corrupt cops and hired assassins hot on his heels, James must travel through Havana and brave Caribbean waters to stop a countdown to mass murder. Fates will be decided with the flip of a coin. Heads or tails. Live or die.

9. Strike Lightning (2016) – written by Steve Cole. When James stumbles upon a horrific sight, he knows things are not what they seem. His school is determined to make him believe what happened was an accident, but James believes what he saw was murder. The significance of the events at school only come to light in the course of an adventure that takes James across Europe and puts him within range of a warmongering villain. Has James got what it takes to triumph over this man, the worst kind of enemy, who boasts a new kind of weapon?
10. Red Nemesis (2017) – written by Steve Cole. James is on home soil when he receives a package with a message from beyond the grave. The package’s mysterious contents put James at the heart of a long-running plot that, if it runs its course, will paint London’s streets red with blood. Not only will James have to fight to stay alive and save the country he loves, but to clear the Bond family name, which he holds so dear. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and James doesn’t know who he can trust . . .

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Read The Moneypenny Diaries in Order

1. Guardian Angel (2005) – When Miss Moneypenny hears that her favourite agent James Bond’s secret Cuban mission is jeopardised and his life in danger, she impulsively plunges into the glamorous, dangerous world of espionage to save his skin.
2. For Her Eyes Only, James (2005, short story) – collected in The Moneypenny Diaries: Secret Chapters.
3. Secret Servant (2006) – In the grip of an uncertain love affair and haunted by a dark family secret, the last thing Jane Moneypenny needs is a crisis at work. But the Secret Intelligence Service is in chaos. One senior officer is on trial for treason, another has defected to Moscow . . . and worst of all, her beloved James Bond has been brainwashed by the KGB. Only a woman’s touch can save them.
4. Moneypenny’s First Date With Bond (2006, short story) – collected in The Moneypenny Diaries: Secret Chapters.
5. Final Fling (2008) – It’s the mid-1960s and the British secret intelligence service has been hit by a series of defection scandals. Facing considerable personal danger, Jane Moneypenny joins forces with 007 to try to smoke out a mole that she is convinced is buried deep in the heart of MI6. But when Bond is sacked and M forced into retirement, Moneypenny may have to find him alone. Forty-two years later, Miss Moneypenny’s niece and heir, Kate Westbrook, begins to suspect that her aunt’s death was not an accident. She is sure the answers to what happened lie in the search for the mole – somewhere between the glamour of Jamaica to the treacherous beaches of the Outer Hebrides. But as she pieces the clues together, she realises that there are significant forces determined to prevent her learning the truth . . .

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Ian Fleming’s James Bond Books in Chronological Order

What is the best way to read James Bond, after the publication order? And, what is, actually, the series’s chronological order? Bond scholars John Griswold and Henry Chancellor both tried to offer an answer to that question. Both of them are in agreement for the first eight novels and five short stories, but their opinions diverge after that. Let’s take a look:

1. Casino Royale
2. Live and Let Die
3. Moonraker
4. Diamonds Are Forever
5. From Russia, with Love
6. Doctor No
7. Goldfinger
8. Risico – short story from For Your Eyes Only
9. Quantum of Solace – short story from For Your Eyes Only
10. The Hildebrand Rarity – short story from For Your Eyes Only
11. From a View to a Kill – short story from For Your Eyes Only
12. For Your Eyes Only – short story from For Your Eyes Only
13. Thunderball

Following is Griswold’s chronological order for the rest of James Bond’s adventures:

14. Octopussy – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
15. The Living Daylights – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
16. The Property of a Lady – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
17. Chapters one to five of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
18. 007 in New York – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
19. Chapters 10 to 14 of The Spy Who Loved Me (Bond is totally absent from chapters 1–9 and 15 of The Spy Who Loved Me)
20. Chapters 6 to 20 of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
21. You Only Live Twice
22. The Man with the Golden Gun

Following is Chancellor’s chronological order for the rest of James Bond’s adventures:

14. The Living Daylights – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
15. Octopussy – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
16. Chapters 10 to 14 of The Spy Who Loved Me
17. Chapters one to five of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
18. 007 in New York – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
19. Chapters 6 to 20 of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
20. The Property of a Lady – short story from Octopussy & The Living Daylights
21. You Only Live Twice
22. The Man with the Golden Gun

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If you like the James Bond reading, you may also want to see our guide to Clive Cussler’s series or the Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.