Q ONLY LIVES TWICE

James Bond's legendary gadget master has been given his own backstory by one of our finest crime writers in new 007 spin-off Quantum Of Menace

- By Jane Warren

T IS A brand new James Bond series, but not as readers know it. While Vaseem Khan’s first Bond novel, Quantum Of Menace, does feature the famous tuxedoed secret agent, his sole mission this time is as a side character seen through the amused, analytical eyes of another man — Q, MI6’s eccentric quarter master who usually arms 007 with gadgets and engages him in witty asides.

Commissioned by the powerful Ian Fleming Estate, the second in the series is already at draft stage and, if sales are strong, more will follow.

At first glance, the invitation from the trustees and descendents of the James Bond creator, via its publishing arm, could have been the ultimate dream gig.

But Vaseem, 51, knew there were traps embedded within the opportunity.

The character of Q carries fan loyalties that are split sharply between actor Desmond Llewellyn’s avuncular traditionalist and more recently, actor Ben Whishaw’s younger, tech-savvy successor in the Bond movie franchise.

To tamper recklessly with such an iconic character could end in disaster.

Vaseem’s solution was bold and conditional. He said he would accept the challenge only if he could reimagine Q. After all, in Ian Fleming’s own novels, the much-loved character barely appears, with most of his mythology coming from the big screen interpretations.

“The character of Q is iconic, and people are wedded to Llewellyn or Whishaw. I didn’t want to make a mess of that, so I agreed on the condition that I was allowed to invent Q practically from scratch,” he explains. The estate agreed, giving Vaseem extraordinary creative latitude.

“They said, ‘Crack on’. And so, my Q is somewhere in between the two screen depictions, because I didn’t want to be lynched by fans of either, basically.