The James Bond Chronology and Genealogy

by Win Scott Eckert

The Authors:

Ian Fleming (NOTE: all titles by Fleming are in bold type)

Robert Markham (pseudonym for author Kingsley Amis)

James D. Lawrence, Jack Sutter, Peter Sparring, Sverre Arnes, Bill Harrington, and Ian Mennell (original stories in comic strips)

John Pearson

Christopher Wood

Lin Carter

John Gardner

Mike Grell, Doug Moench, Don McGregor, Das Petrou, and Simon Jowett (graphic novels and comics mini-series)

Raymond Benson

Charlie Higson

Kate Westbrook

Win Scott Eckert

Legend :

F-n/c = Fleming novel & its comic strip adaptation (some comic strip adaptations contain an introductory story by Jim Lawrence)

F-ss = Fleming short story

F-ss/c = Fleming short story & its comic strip adaptation (some comic strip adaptations contain an introductory story by Jim Lawrence)

M-n/c = novel by Markham & its comic strip adaptation

P-n = novel by Pearson

W-n = novel by Wood

C-n = novel by Carter

G-n = novel by Gardner

G-n/grn = novel by Gardner & its graphic novel adaptation

B-n = novel by Benson

B-ss = short story by Benson

H-n = novel by Higson

WB-n - novel by Westbrook

E-ss = short story by Eckert

co = comic strip original story, not based on any novels or short stories

(NOTE: Information on these comic strips is derived from The Bond Files, Andy Lane & Paul Simpson, Virgin Publishing, 1998, as well as the original strips which are slowly being republished by Titan Books. For the strips I have not yet read, the placement of these tales in the Chronology is based on the publication dates of the strips.)

grn = graphic novel original story, not based on any novels or short stories

dhc = Dark Horse Comics' James Bond original story in Dark Horse Comics anthology series, not based on any novels or short stories

This is a chronology of the James Bond novel continuity, not of the films. Film novelizations have been included where they do not severely conflict with the novel continuity. See Alternate Universes for Clive Cussler's take on the Bond character.

Generally recurring characters are M, Chief of Staff Bill Tanner, Miss Moneypenny and Major Boothroyd (aka Q, the Armourer). Other recurring characters are listed in parentheses.

November 11, 1920

Birth of James Bond in Wattenscheid, or Vienna.

July 1932

Deaths of Bond's parents, Andrew Bond and Monique Delacroix, in an Alpine climbing accident.

January 1934 - 1936

James Bond at Eton.

H-n

January-April 1934

SilverFin ( Aunt Charmian, Uncle Max, May (Bond's future housekeeper). Thirteen year-old James Bond enters Eton mid-term. A short while later, on holiday at his Uncle Max cottage in Scotland, Bond becomes embroiled in a quest to defeat the plans of the sinister Lord Hellebore, and receives the distinctive scar on his cheek. James also sees "The Mighty Donovan" lifting weights with his teeth at the circus. Years later, in Ian Fleming's From Russia With Love, it is revealed that the father of Bond's antagonist, Donovan "Red" Grant, was a German professional weight-lifter who billed himself as "The Mighty O'Donovan." It should be observed that Charlie Higsons account of young Bonds life in SilverFin differs slightly from that of John Pearsons James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007. Pearson states that James had a brother one year older, named Henry Bond, while Higson portrays James as an only child. Pearson also explains that Bond entered Eton in Autumn 1933, while Higson has Bond entering Eton mid-term in January 1934. And Pearson states that Bond was born in Wattenscheid, while SilverFin establishes that Bond was born in Vienna. Finally, it bears note that young Bond was the victim of some relentless harassment upon his entry to Eton, whereas Tim Healds John Steed: An Authorized Biography, Volume 1: Jealous In Honour has it that Bond was the bully.)

H-n

May-August 1934

BloodFever ( Aunt Charmian,, James' cousin Victor Delacroix.)

1937

Bond is first recruited by the British Secret Service. Shortly thereafter, he works with René Mathis, of the French Deuxième Bureau, for the first time.

Autumn 1938

Bond meets Ian Fleming in Kitzbühel. He also meets the ski instructor Oberhauser, who is something of a father-figure to Bond.

January 1946

Admiral Sir Miles Messervy is appointed Head of the British Secret Service.

February-May 1946

Bond is posted to Washington, D.C., as a liaison to the OSS. A few months later he leaves Washington, following his his involvement in a scandal involving the accidental death of a Congressman's wife.

May 1946

Back in London, Bond has a brief liaison with Violet Holmes, wife of fellow agent Charles Reston. (See The Shang Chi Chronology ).

E-ss

June-July 1946

The Eye of Oran (Bond escorts Violet Holmes back to Britain after the death of her husband, agent Charles Reston, at the hands of Fu Manchu (aka Dr. Natas).)

February 1947

Clive Reston, the illegitimate son of James Bond, is born. Reston's mother is "Shrinking" Violet Holmes. (See The Shang Chi Chronology ). Reston is the grandson of Mycroft Holmes and thus the great-nephew of Sherlock Holmes.

July 1950

James Bond is assigned to the Double-O section of the British Secret Service and granted a "license to kill."

F-n/c

June-July 1951

Casino Royale (Felix Leiter, René Mathis, Junius DuPont, SMERSH. Year 1951 established in Goldfinger.)

F-n/c

January-February 1952

Live and Let Die (Felix Leiter, Strangways, Quarrel, SMERSH.)

F-n/c

May 1952

Moonraker (Ronnie Vallence, Loelia Ponsonby (Bonds secretary), Sir Hugo Drax.)

F-n/c

July-August 1954

Diamonds Are Forever (Loelia Ponsonby, Ronnie Vallence, Felix Leiter.)

F-n/c

June-August 1955

From Russia, With Love (Darko Kerim Bey, Tatiana Romanova, Col. Rosa Klebb, René Mathis, May (Bonds housekeeper), Loelia Ponsonby, SMERSH. Death of Kerim Bey.)

F-n/c

February-March 1956

Doctor No (Deaths of Strangways and Quarrel. Honeychile Rider, Sir James Molony.)

F-ss/c

March-April 1957

The Hildebrand Rarity (After death of actor Humphry Bogart in January 1957. Milton Krest. Short story published in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only.)

F-ss/c

May 1957

From a View to a Kill (Short story published in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only.)

F-ss

1958

Quantum of Solace (During Cuban Revolution. Short story published in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only.)

F-n/c

May-June 1958

Goldfinger (Felix Leiter, Junius DuPont.)

F-ss/c

September-October 1958

For Your Eyes Only (During Cuban Revolution. Short story published in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only.)

F-ss/c

October 1958

Risico (After Goldfinger. Short story published in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only.)

F-n/c

May-June 1959

Thunderball (Felix Leiter; Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE.)

F-ss

Late September 1959

007 in New York (Short story published in Ian Fleming's Thrilling Cities.)

F-ss/c

Late Summer 1960

The Living Daylights (Short story published in Ian Fleming's Octopussy.)

F-n/c

October 1960

The Spy Who Loved Me (The novel was co-written by Fleming and the novels narrator, Vivienne Michel.)

dhc 8-11

Early September 1961

Light of My Death (By Das Petrou. Features Tatiana Romanova. Takes place one year after the laser's invention. Kennedy is President and it's early September: it can only be 1961.)

F-n/c

September 1961-January 1, 1962

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Blofeld, Irma Bunt, Mary Goodnight (Bonds new secretary), the Hammonds (M.s housekeepers), Marc-Ange Draco. Death of Bonds new wife, Tracy Bond.)

WB-n

January-December 1962

The Moneypenny Diaries: Intended For Her Eyes Only aka The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel (Bond and Jane Moneypenny share an adventure in Cuba immediately before the Cuban Missile Crisis in October. The diaries, written by Miss Moneypenny, claim that certain dates in the Fleming books (such as, presumably, You Only Live Twice) were altered for publication. However, the authenticity of this information is somewhat questionable, and dates that correspond to Fleming's original writings are being maintained in this chronology.)

F-ss

June 1962

The Property of a Lady (Short story published in Ian Fleming's Octopussy.)

F-n/c

August 31, 1962-Spring 1963

You Only Live Twice (Death of Blofeld. Irma Bunt, Mary Goodnight, Sir James Molony, Tiger Tanaka.)

F-n/c

November 1963-June 1964

The Man With the Golden Gun (Mary Goodnight, Felix Leiter.)

Early 1964

Birth of Bonds son, James Suzuki (see You Only Live Twice, James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 and Blast From the Past.)

F-ss/c

1964

Octopussy (Bond exacts vengeance for the death of Oberhauser. Short story published in Ian Fleming's Octopussy.)

1965

Bond briefly encounters fellow secret agent Derek Flint and SPECTRE is mentioned (see Our Man Flint.)

M-n/c

Sept. 1965

Colonel Sun (Deaths of the Hammonds.)

co

1966

The Harpies

co

February 1966

River of Death (The evil Doctor Cat. Takes place during Carnival in Rio.)

co

1966

The Golden Ghost (Madam Spectra and SPECTRE.)

co

1967

Fear Face

co

1967

Double Jeopardy (SPECTRE.)

co

1967

Star Fire (SPECTRE.)

co

1968

Trouble Spot

co

1968

Isle of Condors

co

1968

The League of Vampires

co

1969

Die With My Boots On

co

1969

The Girl Machine

co

1969

Beware of Butterflies (Double-O agent Suzi Kew.)

co

1970

The Nevsky Nude (SMERSH.)

co

1970

The Phoenix Project

co

1970

The Black Ruby Caper (Double-O agent Suzi Kew.)

co

1971

Till Death Do Us Part

co

1971

The Torch-Time Affair (Double-O agent Suzi Kew, SMERSH.)

co

1971

Hot Shot (The villainous Doctor No reappears, although it is never explained how he escaped being buried under the pile of guano at the end of Doctor No.)

co

1972

Nightbird (Double-O agent Suzi Kew.)

co

1972

Ape of Diamonds

co

1972

When the Wizard Wakes (SPECTRE.)

P-n

January-February 1973

James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 (Honeychile Rider, Sir James Molony. After a few weeks of interviews with biographer John Pearson in Bermuda, Bond sets off to track down Irma Bunt. There is an unrecorded adventure here, but apparently he didn't find Bunt (see Blast From the Past).

During his discussions with biographer Pearson, Bond revealed that the first James Bond novels were the result of a project concocted by Ian Fleming and M, to protect Bond from assassination by SMERSH. The novels were part of a grand scheme designed to mislead the Russians into believing that their prior intelligence was incorrect, and in fact there was no real British agent named James Bond. And, in fact, this fantastic plan did succeed for several years in the early 1950s before the Russians got wise; for a long time, they didn't know what to believe. They only knew that their projects were foiled on many occasions, but by whom? Now, let us jump ahead to early 1973. Bond is in Bermuda, recovering from a months-long illness. Pearson is sent to Bermuda in the hopes that if Bond opens up about his life story, it will lift his melancholy and aid his recovery. By late January 1973, Bond is feeling back in top form, and ready to return to active duty. He cables M and Tanner several times indicating just that, but the only response is silence. As this situation progresses into February, Bond is becoming more and more resentful. After a few weeks of this treatment, Bond is ready to resign from the Service and marry into the good life, represented by Honey Rider. At the last minute, Tanner arrives, without explanation as to the long silence, and tells Bond of a diabolical scheme in Australia. Bond, still resentful, initially refuses the assignment, but the next day jets off in pursuit of Irma Bunt. There are two points raised by this scenario which beg explanation. 1) What was the real reason Pearson was sent to Bermuda, and why did M allow the biography, compiled from the notes of the interviews with Bond, to be published? 2) Why did Headquarters inexplicably go incommunicado? Conjecture: As a start to answering both of these questions, it must be remembered that, in February 1973, Bond was 52 years old. Despite being in top form, he was starting to feel and show his age. The recovery period between each mission was just a bit longer. And he had gone well past the standard mandatory retirement age for a Double-O field agent; only M's great need for his services had taken precedence over compliance with this particular regulation. Bond's major illness in late 1972 prompted M to reconsider; in fact, he was very close to imposing a desk job upon Bond, and retirement upon himself (M would have been about 76 years old at this time). It was at this critical juncture that M, and indeed the British Secret Service, was presented with an extraordinary proposition. Not only was the proposition extraordinary, but so was the man who presented it: former Secret Service head Mycroft Holmes. In a nutshell, Holmes explained that he had access to a treatment which could significantly extend one's lifetime, that he was personally a beneficiary of this treatment, and that he was willing to share it with selected members of the British Secret Service. Holmes' presence and proposal lead to the several weeks of silence that Bond experienced, as M and Tanner investigated both Holmes and the Royal Jelly bee pollen elixir (developed by Holmes' brother Sherlock in 1921). Also, if the scheme was to succeed, the world would have to be convinced that any sightings of James Bond, from this point forward, were totally fictional. Thus, Pearson's visit to Bermuda, and the subsequent publication of the biography, served a hidden purpose in that it revealed Bond's age and readiness for retirement to the world; any further Bond adventures must be regarded as complete fiction, as the man was just too old. Of course Mycroft's bona fides were established, and the Royal Jelly was authentic. It was decided that the Royal Jelly would be shared amongst M, Tanner, Bond, and naturally, Miss Moneypenny. When Tanner finally broke the silence and came to Bond in Bermuda, it was not just to give him the Irma Bunt assignment, but to offer him the opportunity to remain in the Service for many years to come. It took quite a bit longer than expected to find another author to participate in stage two of the original Fleming-novel scheme (although newspaper comic strip adventures also were part of the plan during this period), but finally John Gardner was selected and the novel License Renewed saw publication several years later. It is a testament to the success of the plot concocted by M, Tanner, and Mycroft Holmes, that the James Bond novels from this point forward are widely regarded as fictional.

co

1973

Sea Dragon

co

1973

Death Wing (Double-O agent Suzi Kew.)

1974

Bond faces the master of robotics and assassination named Mordillo. (See The Shang Chi Chronology ).

co

1974

The Xanadu Connection

co

1974

Shark Bait

co

1975

The Scent of Danger

co

1975

Snake Goddess

co

1975

Double Eagle

co

1976

Doomcrack (The end of Madam Spectra and SPECTRE?)

co

1976

The Paradise Plot (Double-O agent Suzi Kew.)

co

1976

Deathmask (Double-O agent Suzi Kew.)

co

1977

Flittermouse (Double-O agent Suzi Kew, Doctor Cat.)

co

1977

Polestar

W-n

July-August 1977

James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (SMERSH.)

co

1977

Codename: Nemesis (Felix Leiter.)

co

1978

Operation: Little (Felix Leiter.)

co

1978

Operation: UFO

co

1978

Operation: Blucher

W-n

November-December 1978

James Bond and Moonraker (Bond goes up against Hugo Drax, Jr., in a modern replay of his father's deadly schemes.)

co

1979

Codename: Romeo

co

1979

Data Terror

co

1979

Experiment Z

C-n

1979

Horror Wears Blue (Bond meets Prince Zarkon at the Cobalt Club's London location. Also appearing are George Gideon of Scotland Yard; Sir Denis Nayland Smith and his old friend Dr. Petrie's son, Val Petrie; Bulldog Drummond; Doc Savage's aide Monk Mayfair; and Simon Templar (The Saint).)

co

1980

Spy Traps

G-n

Early June-Late Summer 1980

License Renewed (Bond, M, Tanner and Moneypenny must have undergone Sherlock Holmes' royal jelly life-extension treatment by this point (see William S. Baring-Gould's Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street, pp. 288-290). This is entirely likely, as Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes was the first M. (see John T. Lescroats Son of Holmes). Ann Reilly (aka Qute), assistant to the Armouror.)

G-n

1981

For Special Services (Felix Leiter and his daughter, Cedar Leiter. Ann Reilly, SPECTRE. Death of Nena Blofeld, Blofelds daughter.)

co

1981

Deadly Double (Felix Leiter.)

co

1981

Greek Idol

1982

Bond does some undercover work during the Falkland Islands war (see Icebreaker) .

co

1982

Cuba Commandos

July 1982

Bond, on assignment with Felix Leiter, sees the first signs of the Cerberus organization (see A Silent Armageddon) .

November 1982

Bond receives a great legacy from his Uncle Bruce (see Role of Honor) .

G-n

January 1983

Icebreaker

co

1983

The Mad Emperor (Takes place after the Falkland Islands War.)

1983

Bond gives U.N.C.L.E. agent Napoleon Solo some assistance in Las Vegas (see The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair) .

co

1984

The Amazons

G-n

March-July 1984

Role of Honor (Ann Reilly, Tamil Rahani, SPECTRE.)

co

1984

Lethal Dose

co

1985

Deadly Desert

co

1985

Terror Time

G-n

1985

Nobody Lives Forever (Sukie Tempesta, May, SPECTRE. Death of Tamil Rahani.)

G-n

Spring 1986

No Deals, Mr. Bond (May, Ann Reilly.)

grn

Late Spring 1986

Permission to Die (By Mike Grell. Features Botanee Bey, daughter of Kerim Bey.)

1986

Operation Cowslip takes place (see GoldenEye) .

co

1987

The Vanishing Judges

G-n

May-June 1987

Scorpius (Ann Reilly.)

G-n/grn

Late 1987

License to Kill (Milton Krest must be the son or nephew of the Milton Krest from The Hildebrand Rarity, and must have inherited the Wavekrest. Felix Leiter.)

co

1987

Flights From Vietnam

co

1988

The Undead

1988

Bond helps a Soviet skater defect (see Live at Five).

G-n

March 1988-Summer 1989

Win, Lose or Die (Bond is temporarily promoted to captain for this operation. Beatrice Maria da Ricci.)

co

1989

Istanbul Intrigue

co

1989

With Death in Sight

co

1990

Dance Macabre

G-n

March 1990

Cold (Book One): Cold Front - 1990 (Sukie Tempesta. U.S. version entitled Cold Fall.)

G-n

Summer 1990

Brokenclaw

co

1990

Operation Uboki

G-n

January 1991

The Man from Barbarossa

grn

1991

Serpent's Tooth (By Doug Moench.)

G-n

October 1991

Death is Forever

co

1991

The Living Dead

co

1992

Codename: Mr. Blue

grn

March 1992

A Silent Armageddon (By Simon Jowett. Features Erik Klebb, son of Col. Rosa Klebb, and the Cerberus organization.)

grn

1992

Shattered Helix (By Simon Jowett. Features the Cerberus organization.)

dhc 25

1992

Minute of Midnight (By Doug Moench.)

grn

December 1992

The Quasimodo Gambit (By Don McGregor.)

co

1993

Goodbye, Mr. Bond

co

1993

Operation Yakuza

G-n

August 1993

Never Send Flowers (Bond contemplates engagement to Flicka von Grusse.)

G-n

February-April 1994

SeaFire (Bond and Flicka, who have been in training together for the new Two Zeros Section since Never Send Flowers, become engaged. Felix Leiter.)

G-n

April-November 1994

Cold (Book Two): Cold Conspiracy - 1994 (M retires. Death of Flicka. Death of Sukie Tempesta. Beatrice Maria da Ricci. U.S. version entitled Cold Fall.)

G-n/grn

Early Summer 1995

GoldenEye (A new female M is now the head of the Secret Service. CIA agent Jack Wade.)

B-ss

Spring 1996

Blast From the Past (Death of Irma Bunt. Death of Bonds son, James Suzuki. Short story published in January 1997 issue of Playboy.)

B-n

June 20-July 1, 1997

Zero Minus Ten (Helena Marksbury (Bonds new secretary).)

B-n

Late 1997

Tomorrow Never Dies (CIA agent Jack Wade.)

B-ss

Summer 1998

Midsummer Night's Doom (Short story published in January 1999 issue of Playboy.)

B-ss

Summer 1998

Live at Five (Flashback to 1988. Short story published in TV Guide, vol. 47, no. 46, 11/13/99.)

B-n

Late October-Mid November 1998

The Facts of Death (The former M, Sir Miles Messervy; Helena Marksbury; May; Sir James Molony; Stefan Tempo, son of Kerim Bey; and Felix Leiter. The new M's true name is Barbara Mawdsley.)

B-n

March-June 1999

High Time to Kill (Death of the former Governor of Jamaica (see Quantum of Solace). Death of Helena Marksbury. First appearance of the Union crime organization.)

B-n

August 1999

Doubleshot (Takes place two months after High Time to Kill. "Le Gérant," Sir James Molony and Felix Leiter.)

B-n

Late 1999

The World is Not Enough

B-n

January-June 2000

Never Dream of Dying ( "Le Gérant," René Mathis, and Marc-Ange Draco.)

B-n

Late 2001

The Man with the Red Tattoo (Tiger Tanaka.)

B-n

October 2001-December 2002

Die Another Day (Bond is captured in October 2001 and spends 14 months as a prisoner in North Korea.)

A James Bond Genealogy

compiled by Win Scott Eckert

Here is how the information was extracted and combined:

From Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice:

Andrew Bond

Monique Delacroix

Charmian Bond

Kissy Suzuki

James Suzuki (implied)

From John Pearson's James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 :

The first James Bond

Hew Bond

Ian Bond

Archibald Bond

Charmian Bond

Henry Bond

Gregor Bond

James Suzuki

From Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:

Campion Bond

From Philip José Farmer's Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life:

Brigadier Gerard

Sir William Clayton

Angela O'Shaughnessy

Angela Clayton

From John Gardner's Role of Honor:

Bruce Bond

From Raymond Benson's Blast From the Past:

James Suzuki

From Charlie Higson's SilverFin:

Charmian Bond

Max Bond

From Charlie Higson's BloodFever:

Victor Delacroix

From Doug Moench's Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu comic series:

Clive Reston (connection of Reston as grandson of Mycroft Holmes by Matthew Baugh; naming of Reston's mother, Violet Holmes, and her marriage to Charles Reston by Win Eckert)

See also Dennis Power's Shaken but not Stirred: Or Unblended Bonds

The James Bond Chronology and Genealogy was created for the sole purposes of entertainment and information.