Ranking James Bond Authors
3. Kingsley Amis
Tenure – 1968, Novels –
1, Short Stories – 0
After Fleming’s death, the original intention of his estate was to continue releasing novels using a rotation of different authors, all of whom would use the pseudonym of Robert Markham for the purposes of consistency. This approach was also taken for The Moneypenny Diaries, a mid-2000s spin-off series, though all four of those ended up being penned by the same individual.
Renowned novelist Kingsley Amis was the first author employed for this ambitious new project. Depicting Bond brutally and humourlessly, he crafted a Greek-set story that more than holds its own against all but Fleming’s stronger efforts, with titular antagonist Colonel Sun a worthy addition to the pantheon of larger-than-life series villains.
Though it would ultimately be a one-and-done experiment with no further novels released under the Markham persona, Colonel Sun has the distinction of being the only non-Fleming novel adapted in some way for the films, with M’s kidnapping made a significant element of The World Is Not Enough.
It could be argued as a result that his effort is held in far higher regard by the producers of the film series than any of his counterparts, though it does also have its fair share of critical detractors.