Colonel Sun was the first continuation James Bond novel published after the 1964 death of Ian Fleming. Published in 1968 by Glidrose Productions, it was written by "Robert Markham", a pseudonym created by Glidrose for British novelist Kingsley Amis. Glidrose had intended publishing a series of James Bond novels written by different authors under the Robert Markham name, but Colonel Sun was the only novel published.
Discounting the two screenplay novelisations by Christopher Wood, and James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 (1973), by John Pearson, Colonel Sun was the last, new James Bond novel published until Licence Renewed, by John Gardner in 1981.
It is often claimed that Amis requested Colonel Sun not be filmed, however an introductory chapter to the Titan Books 2005 reprint of the Colonel Sun comic strip reveals that, quite the contrary, Amis approached EON Productions (home production company of the Bond film franchise) in 1976-77 with the idea of his novel being adapted as a future Bond film. According to Titan Books, however, Amis was told that Harry Saltzman (co-producer of the Bond series up until 1974) had "blackballed" any use of Colonel Sun as a Bond film, apparently in response to Glidrose having rejected the publication of another post-Fleming Bond novel, Per Fine Ounce, which Saltzman had championed.
Nonetheless, the novel may have inspired elements of several James Bond films, such as the Greek setting of For Your Eyes Only (1981), and the kidnapping of M in The World Is Not Enough (1999). The name of the North Korean villain of Die Another Day (2002), Colonel Tan-Sun Moon, is acknowledged on the film's DVD release as having been a nod to Colonel Sun. However the most significant reference occurs in 2015's Spectre which directly adapted a torture sequence from the novel, resulting in a screen credit for Amis' estate. As such, as of 2022, Colonel Sun remains the only non-Fleming Bond novel to be acknowledged as having provided material for the EON films series.
Amis' identity as Robert Markham was never kept secret; the very first UK hardcover and US paperback editions (though not the Pan Books paperback) identify him on the cover, and several recent editions solely credit Amis with no mention of the Markham pseudonym.
The 1970 Pan Books paperback edition featured a photograph of a model portraying the titular villain; according to 007 Magazine, the model was actor Vincent Wong, who appeared in seven James Bond films in supporting roles, most notably as General Li in Die Another Day, a film that, as noted above, took some character inspiration from this novel.
Plot summary[]
When M is violently kidnapped from his house, the Quarterdeck, James Bond follows the tracks to Vrakonisi, an island in the Aegean Sea. M's kidnapper is a Chinese Colonel Sun Liang-tan who intends to destabilize the peace talks in the Middle East and pin the blame on the British. Teaming up with Greek spy Ariadne Alexandrou, who works for the Soviet Union, Bond hatches a plan to rescue M.
Plot summary[]
England, M's kidnapping[]
The novel begins with a game of golf between Bill Tanner and James Bond, during which Bond ponders about himself and the world affairs. Subsequently, Bond decides to visit M who is convalescing at Quarterdeck, the latter's home. However, Bond is being followed, without him realizing it.
Arriving at the villa, he finds no one, not even the Hammonds. A man comes up behind Bond and holds him at gunpoint with a Luger pistol. They take Bond to M in a different floor, and try to drug Bond to kidnap him as well. However, Bond manages to struggle enough and manages to escape, although he effectively leaves M in the hands of the kidnappers. Bond continues escape, until he loses consciousness.
The next day, he finds himself in a police station and is joined by Tanner. Afterwards, a meeting is held by the British high command regarding the incident. A paper with Greek names and telephone numbers was found in the wallet of a killed kidnapper. Sensing the trap, Bond decides to go to Athens, where he is almost sure that the thugs will try to kidnap him again.
Athens & GRU hideout[]
At the Athens, Bond meets a young woman named Ariadne Alexandrou and helps get rid of a man harassing her. The two bond and spend a lot of time together and feelings start to surface. Yet, Bond is still waiting for her to trap him.
When by a monument, Bond is ambushed by men, who attempt to take him away. However, Ariadne repels them and forces her and Bond to escape them. After losing them, she explains to Bond that her mission was is kidnap him, but the men who arrived were obviously not hers.
She takes him to a hideout where there are some members of her organization and Bond is informed on what's happening. Ariadne is part of the GRU, the intelligence service of the Russian army. She had to kidnap him and take him to the hideout for a few days, because Russia is preparing for important "event" and Bond's presence in Athens is considered highly detrimental to this event -- considering Bond's service record.
The hideout is soon raided by assailants from an unknown party and the the place is caught in a firefight. Only Bond and Ariadne escape the battle.
Litsas[]
The next day, 007 tries to contact his local contact, a certain Thomas, but Thomas' shop has just been destroyed in a fire. Ariadne then suggests contacting a former friend of her sailor father, a man named Litsas, with whom the latter had fought the war.
Litsas is hesitant to help the two. But after Ariadne mentions one Von Richter, a Nazi officer to whom Litsas wishes revenge for his World War II atrocities, Litsas changes his mind.
They go to sea for Vrakonisi, where the aforementioned "event" is to take place, on a boat called the Altaïr and plenty of ammunition. Ariadne then explains what the event is. Several important members of her country must meet discreetly with leaders of other European and African countries on the island, in order to influence them to become allies in the framework of the Cold War.
Bond understands that if an unwanted incident were to happen during this meeting, the prestige of the USSR would take a hit. Also that M was kidnapped in a effort to pin the blame on the British. He understands that all this will benefit the new emerging global power; China.
After being attacked at sea, they arrive at the edge of the island.
Vrakonisi[]
Once on the island, Ariadne goes to where the meeting is to take place, in order to notify her superior, General Igor Arenski. However Arenski doesn't believe a word of it and thinks that it must be a set-up to sabotage the meeting. He orders her to bring Bond back here using her charms, as Arenski wants to become "The man who killed James Bond".
Back on the Altaïr, instead of bringing Bond to meet Arenski, Ariadne explains to him that her superior thinks it's a trap and therefore that her help will be of no use. They then start looking for Von Richter among the population. Because Von Richter's face bears numerous scars, Bond spots him with little difficulty and follows him to a house in the reefs of Vrakonisi.
There, a Chinese man reveals himself to Von Richter, confirming Bond's theory. Bond hears them talk and eventually mention about something about "fairly flat terrain", where they look to place a device -- which Bond thinks is likely a atomic one.
James Bond returns to the boat and explains his plan to Lithias and Ariadne, which is that he is to launch a stealthy assault in the early next morning. However, while at sea, they are spotted and chased by a Russian boat and must swim to shore. The noise and light produced by the chase alarms the occupants of the house. As soon as Bond reaches the beach, he is knocked unconscious.
Colonel Sun's torture[]
When he wakes up, Bond recognizes M's attackers, Von Richter and the Chinese man he had seen the day before. He introduces himself as Colonel Sun Liang-tan of the Chinese People's Army.
Colonel Sun is frank, and confirms that his plan is essentially what Bond has imagined. To achieve it, he has Von Richter's teams install British mortars near the house tomorrow morning, and begin bombing the Russian house. Then they engineer an accident, due to the known volatile design of the shells used for the mortar, in which an explosion will occur. It will kill Bond and M, and then when Russians come to search for the perpetrators, they find their bodies and presume them to be behind the attack.
Sun tells Bond that he is going to torture Bond. Not to obtain information, but to experiment with new, very painful techniques that Sun has come up with.
After seeing M in his cell, Bond is taken down to the cellar and is tied to a chair. A violent and horrible torture scene then ensues, where Colonel Sun inserts various metal objects into Bond's skull, his ears and his nose.
As the torture goes on, Sun calls one of his two servants. Knowing that Bond gets "a lot of pleasure from women", Sun wants Bond to look helplessly at naked Ariadne to make the pain last. She refuses but Sun threatens to kill her, so she goes Bond and climbs on top of him. However, she had snatched a knife from the instrument table and after cutting the ties, she places the knife in Bond's hand.
Gathering all his strength, Bond raises the knife and strikes it twice into Sun's back. With Colonel Sun on the ground, the doctor who was in the room, Lohmann, comes to help Bond instead of Sun. He says that he could no longer bear the torture and that he knew that he was going to be taken down like everyone else as, soon as the operation was over.
He gives him the knife, gives him a shot, which partially revives him and orally provides him with the map of the place and the position of the last men. There is also on only twenty minutes left before the first mortar shots are fired.
Stopping Von Richter[]
Armed only with a knife, Bond frees Litsas held in a room of the house, then Ariadne, who has apparently been raped, and then follows a furtive elimination of Sun's accomplices.
However, Bond is spotted by Von Richter. He runs to the mortar, but fails to fire. He is stop and captured, with Litsas taking him out on a sea and executing him with a revolver.
When he thinks that there was no one left, Bond enters the building to find Ariadne and M. However, he sees several blood stains on the floor and runs to the cellar.
He sees the corpse of the girl he had helped, as well as Lohmann dying, holes on all sides still conscious under the effect of the morphine he had administered. He reveals to Bond that, despite his fatal injuries, Sun managed to get up and flee.
007 follows the blood trail to a rock outside where Sun is leaning, a shell in his hand which he tries to throw at Bond, without success. Bond then plunges the knife into his heart, which marks the end of Colonel Sun.
Epilogue[]
The novel ends in a hall where Bond, in the presence of M, discusses with a politician from England whose job is to sort out the mess they have caused with Greece. They have the thanks of the Russians for saving their conference. They have also sent General Arenski to a gulag.
Bond thanks Litsas one last time and comes to speak to Ariadne and tries to talk her into coming with him. Ultimately, she is unwilling, due to political differences.
Characters[]
Comic strip adaptation[]
- Main article: James Bond comic strips
Colonel Sun has the distinction of being the only non-Fleming James Bond novel adapted as a comic strip by the British newspaper, the Daily Express, and also syndicated worldwide. The strip ran from December 1, 1969 to August 20, 1970; adapted by Jim Lawrence with artwork by Yaroslav Horak. A notable difference between the novel and the strip is that the main villain, Colonel Sun, is an agent of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. in the strip.
Colonel Sun was reprinted by Titan Books in December 2005. Included in the collection, also titled Colonel Sun was River Of Death, an original James Bond strip published prior to Colonel Sun strip in 1969.
Illustrations[]
Covers[]
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