Charlie Higson returns to 007 with a modern story rooted in Fleming’s world.
Charlie Higson is to write his first full-length adult James Bond novel, King Zero, in a move that reflects a shifting approach to Ian Fleming’s creation as the wider franchise continues to evolve.
The novel, commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications and published by Penguin Michael Joseph, will be released on 24th September 2026. Higson, who introduced Bond’s early years in the Young Bond series between 2005 and 2008, previously revisited the character in the 2023 novella On His Majesty’s Secret Service, written to coincide with the coronation of King Charles III.
This new book marks his first sustained attempt at the adult 007, and it does so with a clear sense of direction. Higson has stated that King Zero is set in the modern day and centres on a 35-year-old Bond, rather than continuing the historical framework of his earlier work.
The story begins with the murder of a British agent in the Saudi desert, killed by a weapon unknown to the Secret Service. The circumstances point to betrayal. As Bond follows the trail across multiple countries, he is drawn into a wider conspiracy shaped by shifting global power, with the suggestion that the world which produced him is beginning to give way to something less familiar.
The title refers to the novel’s antagonist, in keeping with a tradition established in Dr No, Goldfinger and The Man With the Golden Gun. The publisher has described the villain as the most distinctive since Goldfinger, while Higson has indicated that the character will retain recognisable traits of a classic Bond adversary, albeit with an unexpected variation. Sharks will also feature in the narrative, a detail that places the book within a recognisable line of Bond imagery.
Higson has been open about his intention to balance influences. He has said that the novel draws on both Fleming’s original voice and the tone of the film series, acknowledging that many readers first encounter Bond on screen. The result, he suggests, is a story designed to sit alongside contemporary thrillers while remaining consistent with the character’s origins.
Since Amazon assumed creative control of the Bond film franchise in 2025, the character has entered a period of adjustment across multiple formats. Alongside King Zero, 2026 will see the publication of Kim Sherwood’s Hurricane Room, as well as new ventures in gaming and audio storytelling.
Within that landscape, King Zero appears to offer continuity rather than reinvention. Higson’s familiarity with the character, combined with a modern setting, places the novel between two traditions: the detail and authority of Fleming’s writing, and the broader appeal established by the films.
Pre-orders for King Zero are now open ahead of its September 2026 release.
