Historian Dan Jones has been commissioned to write a new James Bond novella in celebration of the National Year of Reading.
Titled All In, the story honours Ian Fleming’s fourth book, Diamonds Are Forever, 70 years after it was published in 1956.
The project was revealed on 5 October, known as "James Bond Day" to mark the 1962 premiere of Dr No.
The action of the new adventure finds Bond in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1954 as the British are leaving.
Alongside his work as a television presenter and journalist, Jones has penned a number of books including Henry V: The Astonishing Rise of England's Greatest Warrior King and The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England, the latter of which was a New York Times bestseller.
The historian said: “Being asked to write a James Bond story is one of the greatest honours in contemporary fiction.
“I’m very excited to take Bond to Ceylon at such a pivotal moment in world history – and thrilled that Ian Fleming Publications are trusting me to pay tribute to Diamonds Are Forever, which is one of the great books in the Bond canon.
“But happiest of all is my inner child – the little boy who was such an avid reader that he went to the library twice on a Saturday, who would read the back of the breakfast cereal box if he ran out of books, and who scarcely dared to dream that he would grow up to be a writer, let alone one who has been asked to Go All In for the National Year of Reading.”
Fleming’s debut Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953, with the author eventually writing a total of 12 Bond novels and two short story collections.
Notable instalments in the Bond series include Live and Let Die (1954), Goldfinger (1959) and You Only Live Twice (1964).
Several different authors have continued the series – the most recent being Charlie Higson with King Zero, which was released in September.
All In is set to be published as a special edition via ianflemingshop.com on 3 December.
Read MoreWho is the best James Bond? Every 007 actor from worst to best
New James Bond film ‘wants House of the Dragon star’ for huge role
Bookies’ outsider named as Danny Boyle’s pick for the new James Bond
