Forever and a Day

A James Bond Novel

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Matthew Goode

A spy is dead. A legend is born. This is how it all began. The explosive prequel to Casino Royale, from best-selling author Anthony Horowitz.

Forever and a Day is the story of the birth of a legend, in the brutal underworld of the French Riviera, taking listeners into the very beginning of James Bond’s illustrious career and the formation of his identity.

M laid down his pipe and stared at it tetchily. “We have no choice. We’re just going to bring forward this other chap you’ve been preparing. But you didn’t tell me his name.”

“‘It’s Bond, sir,'” the Chief of Staff replied. “James Bond.”

The sea keeps its secrets. But not this time.

One body. Three bullets. 007 floats in the waters of Marseille, 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.

©2018 Copyright 2018 Ian Fleming Publications Limited and The Ian Fleming Estate (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Narrator Matthew Goode does a sterling job of taking the listener back to the 1950s and helps paint a picture of a postwar world full of steely spies, truly evil villains, and, of course, a beautiful woman... His narration helps create the feel of a traditional James Bond story, full of adventure combined with the reassurance of a predictable outcome. His pacing is a perfect match for this latest take on Ian Fleming's legacy." (AudioFile)

James Bond lives again

this book is a wonderful continuation to the James Bond franchise although it is a quick read it is full of twist and turns

True to cold-war Bond. even to the chauvinism .

Eerily in line with Fleming's original Bond novels, even down to the sexism, love of cards and quick wit.

A great novel

This novel really does channel Ian Flemings novels! Highly recommend it. The narrator does an amazing job with all the voices and accents. Really puts you into the middle of the story! A must read and listen! Have listened to it twice and bought the hard copy. Going to read it for myself now!

Write Another Day

Pretty good novel. Liked exploring some of the pre-Casino Royale Bond that Fleming had not presented.

Goode is excellent as a narrator, but would prefer he leaves the non-007 voices to other actors. Sounds strange for him to do every role.

Plot was a letdown after much buildup. Basically a reworking of Live And Let Die. Would like to see more from Horowitz though.

A Bond to Remember

This book was everything you could ask for in a prequel to the Bond stories of Ian Fleming. The settings presented put me right there in the South of France. There was intrigue from start to finish. Matthew Goode’s reading of the book was perfection. Of course Anthony Horowitz did a spectacular job writing the novel.

Fantastic Prequel!

Excellent writing, story, and an overall great start to the Bond books. Fantastic action and a great villain with excellent narration to boot.

Classic Bond story!

Very enjoyable story. Such a good time witnessing the birth of an icon on his first mission as a 00 agent. Great job from the writer as well as the performer.

Outstanding Story

This may be my favorite Bond novel. Set in the mid 50’s - Horowitz spins the story of Bond’s first mission as 007.

What a story it is! While it includes a necessary freak Bond adversary and a beautiful woman, Horowitz’s Bond is not super human by any means. He’s resourceful, perceptive, intelligent.

Great narrator, but for the first time ever, I actually slowed the narration speed to .95, in order to improve comprehension.

Fleming would be proud.

One of the better Bond books in a long time. hope he does more going forward!

Matthew Goode’s performance is extraordinary

I bought this book solely because Matthew Goode was the narrator. I was not disappointed. He could read the phone book and it would be captivating. His narration is excellent and I must say I love James Bond and this story was very entertaining. I enjoyed the story and would love to listen to more if Matthew Goode is narrating.