Charlie Higson reveals next James Bond novel is already halfway written – and teases Italy and Caribbean settings

Charlie Higson might be gearing up for the release of his new James Bond novel King Zero, but his time with 007 is far from over.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Higson revealed that he is already halfway through the follow-up to King Zero, having signed a two-book deal.

"I'm about halfway through the follow-up," he revealed. "It was a two-book deal, so I can't sit back and enjoy doing all the publicity for the first one whilst actually thinking about the second one."

Indeed, King Zero itself closes with that most familiar of promises – James Bond will return – though Higson admitted that he originally included the line as something of a joke.

"I wrote that at the end of the manuscript as a sort of in-joke, really," he explained. "But everyone said, 'No, let's keep it,' and it is true.

"I don't know what it will say at the end of the next one!”

Exactly what awaits Bond in that follow-up remains largely under wraps, but Higson's approach to King Zero offers some indication of the sort of 007 we can expect to return.

King Zero sees Bond called into action following the murder of an MI6 agent in the Saudi desert, with the circumstances suggesting that a traitor may be operating within British intelligence.

As Bond follows the trail across the globe, he finds himself caught up in a far-reaching conspiracy and facing a mysterious new adversary with extraordinary power – while a countdown to an unknown threat is already under way.

Having previously written the Young Bond series and 2023 novella On His Majesty's Secret Service, Higson was determined that his first new full-length adult adventure shouldn't simply recreate the Bond of Ian Fleming's original novels.

"While I wanted it true to the spirit of Fleming, I didn't want to write a historical novel, and I didn't want to write a Fleming pastiche," he said.

"I wanted very much to try and write a contemporary action thriller that would sit happily on the shelves next to any other contemporary action thrillers.

"So many of those contemporary action heroes, let's face it, are based on James Bond anyway, one way or another."

That means Higson's 007 draws not only on Fleming's original books, but also the enormously influential film series.

"I wanted there to be enough of Fleming, but I wanted it also to reflect the films and the sort of stories and action that we expect from the films," he explained.

"I think most people, most Bond fans today, would say they were Bond fans because they were fans of the films, and most of them haven't read the books.

"A contemporary Bond fan is more likely to be a fan of the films. So I did want to make sure there was more of that cinematic Bond."

The result, Higson said, is a version of 007 that draws from several different iterations of the character while being firmly rooted in the present day.

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"Really, my Bond is a mix of Fleming, of the films, of the sort of stuff that I liked writing about in Young Bond," he said.

"I've tried to create a young man somewhere in his mid-30s who is shaped by the modern world.

"I think that's the big difference between doing a contemporary Bond and an old-school historical Fleming Bond, because Fleming's Bond was very much shaped by the Second World War, as Fleming was.

"My Bond is more shaped by what's happened in the last 20 years."

That modernisation extends to Bond's relationships with women. "I didn't want him to be a callous womaniser who just takes what he wants from a woman and then, you know, that's it."

When it came to writing his own Bond, Higson wanted those relationships to feel more equal.

"In my books, certainly, he sleeps with women who understand who he is and understand the situation, and so it's on an equal footing, which I thought was important," he said.

"You need to find women who are his equal and want the same things that he does."

That determination to move Bond forward rather than attempt to preserve the character in Fleming's era is also reflected in the themes of King Zero itself.

"I thought it would be good if it was about something, if it was about dangers to our world and particularly to Britain, because he's a British agent and that's his main concern, to protect Britain," Higson explained.

"It's about people being scared of change, and it's about this warped idea that things were better in the past, that it was a golden age, the 1950s.

"It is fascinating how every generation is convinced that there was a golden age. Often, it's when they were kids. You think, ‘well, that was a wonderful time’ – but as a kid, you don't know what's going on in the world."

While Higson isn't yet revealing the story that will follow King Zero, he did reveal where the story will take 007 next.

"I'd say half of it is set in Italy and half of it is set in the Caribbean."

And for anyone concerned that a contemporary Bond might be leaving too much of the classic formula behind, Higson offered a reassuringly traditional checklist of what's to come.

"A Bond girl, a car, guns, chases, people who get killed…”

King Zero by Charlie Higson is published on Thursday 24 September.

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