Posted 16 December 2003 - 11:00 AM
I've never heard the prequel story. I do remember reading an interview with Amis where he stated that he had an idea for a second Bond novel that concerned Honduras. Unfortunately he didn't provide any other details and Ann Fleming nixed any future Amis books due to their political differences and mutual hatred of each other.
While Colonel Sun is hands down the best post-Fleming Bond, people do get a little too excited about it. It reads a little too much like a convential crime thriller sometimes (too many gun fights and chases). Another myth is that Colonel Sun was actually started by Fleming and finished by Amis. In reality CS is entirely Amis...in fact Amis actually had to finish The Man with the Golden Gun after Fleming's death.
I also recollect some ideas extracted from Fleming's notebook that were considered potential ideas for future Fleming Bond novels, including the title "My Enemy's Enemy" and a villain called Zagros (he actually wrote a paragraph with Zagros and Bond gambling). It would be great to see his notebook published so we can all take a look at his thoughts, nascent ideas, etc. He had already written Golden Gun the previous year and typically he was already plotting his next book so surely there must be some inkling of what the next Bond adventure would have been??