Zero Minus Ten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| 1998 British paperback edition. | |
| Author | Raymond Benson |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | James Bond |
| Genre(s) | Spy novel |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Released | 3 April 1997 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 259 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-340-68448-8 (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | "Blast from the Past" |
| Followed by | Tomorrow Never Dies |
Zero Minus Ten, published in 1997, was the first James Bond novel by Raymond Benson, picking up where Ian Fleming and John Gardner left off. It is set in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and some parts of Australia.
Benson's approach to the character was more in keeping with the film version of 007 than the literary version of Fleming and Gardner. Continuity with the Gardner books was also, for the most part, not maintained. For example, Gardner had promoted Bond to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy in previous books, but Benson demoted him back to commander. Benson later stated in interviews that, as far as character continuity was concerned, he had been given free lease by his publishers to follow or ignore other continuation authors as he saw fit.
The book was first published in Britain by Hodder & Stoughton and in America by Putnam.
Benson's working title for the novel was No Tears for Hong Kong; this was eventually used as the title for the last chapter in the book.
[edit] Plot summary
The plot of Zero Minus Ten involves a wealthy British shipping magnate who, as a result of the exchange of Hong Kong from the British to the Chinese, loses his business, EurAsia Enterprises. Bond is first alerted to the case after a chain of events that culminate in a nuclear blast in the Australian outback. 007 is sent to Hong Kong to determine the cause of these events. He gains the trust of local triad leaders, who in turn inform him about a shady business man, Guy Thackeray -- founder of EurAsia Enterprises. Through the sort of espionage that can only be performed by Bond, we learn that Guy Thackeray has obtained a nuclear bomb and plans to destroy Hong Kong. Bond determines the specifics of Thackeray's scheme. He confronts Thackeray and then drowns him in Victoria Harbor after a brutal fight, then stopping the nuclear bomb.
[edit] Locations
Locations where the book takes place include:
[edit] Release details
- 1997, UK, Hodder & Stoughton (ISBN 0-340-68448-8),Pub date 3 April 1997, hardback edition (first edition)
- 1997, USA, Putnam (ISBN 0-399-14257-6), Pub date May 5, 1997, hardback edition (U.S. first edition)
- 1998, UK, Coronet Books (ISBN 0-340-68449-6), Pub date 5 March 1998, paperback edition
- 1998, USA, Jove Books (ISBN 0-515-12336-6), Pub date ? August 1998, paperback edition
Ian Fleming
Casino Royale (1953) • Live and Let Die (1954) • Moonraker (1955) • Diamonds Are Forever (1956) • From Russia with Love (1957) • Dr. No (1958) • Goldfinger (1959) • For Your Eyes Only (1960) • Thunderball (1961) • The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) • On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) • You Only Live Twice (1964) • The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) • Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
Kingsley Amis (writing as Robert Markham)
Colonel Sun (1968)
John Pearson
James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 (1973)
Christopher Wood (novelisations)
James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) • James Bond and Moonraker (1979)
John Gardner
Licence Renewed (1981) • For Special Services (1982) • Icebreaker (1983) • Role of Honour (1984) • Nobody Lives For Ever (1986) • No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) • Scorpius (1988) • Win, Lose or Die (1989) • Licence to Kill (1989) • Brokenclaw (1990) • The Man from Barbarossa (1991) • Death is Forever (1992) • Never Send Flowers (1993) • SeaFire (1994) • GoldenEye (1995) • COLD (a.k.a. Cold Fall) (1996)
Raymond Benson
"Blast From the Past" (1997) • Zero Minus Ten (1997) • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) • The Facts of Death (1998) • "Midsummer Night's Doom" (1999) • High Time to Kill (1999) • The World is Not Enough (1999) • "Live at Five" (1999) • Doubleshot (2000) • Never Dream of Dying (2001) • The Man with the Red Tattoo (2002) • Die Another Day (2002)
Charlie Higson (Young Bond series)
SilverFin (2005) • Blood Fever (2006) • Young Bond Book 3 (2007) • Young Bond Book 4 (2008) • Young Bond Book 5 (2009)
Samantha Weinberg (writing as Kate Westbrook) (The Moneypenny Diaries series)
The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel (2005) • "For Your Eyes Only, James" (2006) • Secret Servant: The Moneypenny Diaries (2006) • "Moneypenny's First Date With Bond" (2006) • The Moneypenny Diaries Book 3 (TBA) (2007)
R.D. Mascott
003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior (1967)
Unofficial/Unpublished
Per Fine Ounce (1966) • The Killing Zone (1985) • "The Heart of Erzulie" (2001-02)
Related works
The James Bond Dossier (1965) The Book of Bond (1965) The James Bond Bedside Companion (1984)
