The adventures of secret service agent 007 are legendary. He has appeared in countless iterations across the decades. Reading the James Bond books in order will reveal to you each imagining of the spy, from the original mind of Ian Fleming to the most recent version by Anthony Horowitz.
Each author who has picked up the mantle of James Bond has lent something unique to the franchise. However, each book retains the taut, tense, and effortlessly stylish atmosphere of the first book.
Bond is admired for his lavish, elegant lifestyle and one-liners — who hasn’t uttered the line, “Shaken, not stirred” or “The name is Bond. James Bond.” at least once? The series is also enticing with Bond’s globe-trotting pursuits.
Jump to:
- Ian Fleming’s James Bond Books in Publication Order
- Ian Fleming’s James Bond Books in Chronological Order
- Continuation of James Bond Series
- About the James Bond Series
Ian Fleming’s James Bond Books in Publication Order
Once again, it is best to read the Jams Bond books in order of publication if you are reading this series for the first time.
According to Ian Fleming Publications, this is the recommending reading order. Most important is to begin with Casino Royale. This is because it will give readers a sense of the author, the character, and the setting of mid-century Britain.
However, there is also the recommendation to read The Spy Who Loved Me out of order, as it disrupts the flow of Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and the subsequent books. This is because it shifts from Bond’s perspective to the point-of-view of a femme fatale: Vivienne Michel.
Another recommendation from Ian Fleming Publications is that the short story collections can be read whenever you wish after you read the original first 12 books. That is because the short stories are not necessary reading material to understand the canon.
- Casino Royale (1953)
- Live and Let Die (1954)
- Moonraker (1955)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1956)
- From Russia, with Love (1957)
- Doctor No (1958)
- Goldfinger (1959)
- For Your Eyes Only (1959) (Short Story Collection)
- Thunderball (1961)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1962)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963)
- You Only Live Twice (1964)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1966)
- Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) (Short Story Collection)
Ian Fleming’s James Bond Books in Chronological Order
There is a second way to read the James Bond books in order, although, this is not the recommended reading order if you haven’t read the books before. However, that reading order is by following the chronological timeline, which is contested.
Again, this reading order begins with Casino Royale, which is the best place to begin the series, and this list uses the chronological order put forth by John Griswold.
- Casino Royale
- Live and Let Die
- Moonraker
- Diamonds are Forever
- From Russia, with Love
- Dr. No
- Goldfinger
- Risico (Short Story)
- Quantum of Solace (Short Story)
- The Hildebrand Rarity (Short Story)
- From a View to a Kill (Short Story)
- For Your Eyes Only (Short Story)
- Thunderball
- Octopussy (Short Story)
- The Living Daylights (Short Story)
- The Property of a Lady (Short Story)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Chapters 1-5)
- 007 in New York (Short Story)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (Chapters 10-14)
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Chapters 6-20)
- You Only Live Twice
- The Man With the Golden Gun
Continuation of James Bond Series
Following Ian Fleming’s death in 1964, the James Bond series was continued by his estate through different authors. As previously mentioned, each author brought something a little bit different to the series. Some continued in the same vein as Fleming, while others brought the iconic character into a new era for a new audience.
The chronology per author is important if you are looking to read the James Bond books in order; however, as with many spy thrillers, each book does focus on one particular mission.
- Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis (1968)
- Licence Renewed by John Gardner (1981)
- For Special Services by John Gardner (1982)
- Icebreaker by John Gardner (1983)
- Role of Honour by John Gardner (1984)
- Nobody Lives Forever by John Gardner (1986)
- No Deals, Mr. Bond by John Gardner (1987)
- Scorpius by John Gardner (1988)
- Win, Lose or Die by John Gardner (1989)
- Brokenclaw by John Gardner (1990)
- The Man from Barbarossa by John Gardner (1991)
- Death is Forever by John Gardner (1992)
- Never Send Flowers by John Gardner (1993)
- SeaFire by John Gardner (1994)
- Cold by John Gardner (1996)
- Zero Minus Ten by Raymond Benson (1997)
- The Facts of Death by Raymond Benson (1998)
- High Time to Kill by Raymond Benson (1999)
- Doubleshot by Raymond Benson (2000)
- Never Dream of Dying by Raymond Benson (2001)
- The Man With the Red Tattoo by Raymond Benson (2002)
- Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks (2008)
- Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver (2011)
- Solo by William Boyd (2013)
- Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz (2015)
- Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz (2018)
- With a Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz (2022)
- On His Majesty’s Secret Service by Charlie Higson (2023)
- The Hook and the Eye by Raymond Benson (2025)
James Bond Movie Novelizations
In addition to the books which inspired movies, there have also been several novelizations of the James Bond movies.
- James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me by Christopher Wood (1977)
- James Bond and Moonraker by Christopher Wood (1979)
- Licence to Kill by John Gardner (1989)
- Goldeneye by John Gardner (1995)
- Tomorrow Never Dies by Raymond Benson (1997)
- The World is Not Enough by Raymond Benson (1999)
- Die Another Day by Raymond Benson (2002)
Young Bond Series
Another continuation of the James Bond books in order by the estate is the reimagining of the character for a younger audience. This young adult series was written first by Charlie Higson, then continued more recently by Steve Cole.
- Silverfin by Charlie Higson (2005)
- BloodFever by Charlie Higson (2006)
- Double or Die by Charlie Higson (2007)
- Hurricane Gold by Charlie Higson (2007)
- By Royal Command by Charlie Higson (2008)
- Danger Society by Charlie Higson (2009) (Short Story Collection)
- Shoot to Kill by Steve Cole (2014)
- Heads You Die by Steve Cole (2016)
- Strike Lightning by Steve Cole (2016)
- Red Nemesis by Steve Cole (2017)
- A Hard Man To Kill by Charlie Higson (2018) (Short Story)
The Moneypenny Diaries
There is also another spin-off series set within this world which was written long after Ian Fleming’s death. That is The Moneypenny Diaries series, which was written by Kate Westbrook. It is from the perspective of Miss Jane Moneypenny, who is the personal secretary to James Bond’s boss, Secret Service Chief M, and also Bond’s colleague and confidante.
- Guardian Angel by Kate Westbrook (2005)
- Secret Servant by Kate Westbrook (2006)
- Final Fling by Kate Westbrook (2008)
- Secret Chapters (2020) (Short Story Collection)
Double O Books
The newest series within the world of James Bond is a planned trilogy by Kim Sherwood. The trilogy follows James Bond as well as other MI6 Double O agents including Johanna Harwood, 003; Joseph Dryden, 004; and Sid Bashir, 009.
- Double or Nothing (2023)
- A Spy Like Me (2024)
- Hurricane Room (2026)
About the James Bond Series
In total, Ian Fleming wrote 12 James Bond novels and nine short stories. Following his death, the torch has been passed to several different authors penning more than an additional 40 novels.
Kingsley Amis was the first author to write a James Bond novel following Fleming’s death and his addition follows the chronology set up by Fleming.
Next, John Gardner wrote the subsequent 14 novels and two novelizations of James Bond movies, but he didn’t pick up the torch until the 1980s. Consequently, his interpretation of the character is a bit different from the original as it also brings Bond that era. Gardner also wrote novelizations of Bond films.
Then, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Raymond Benson brought his spin to the character. He wrote novels, short stories, and novelizations. Benson kept Bond in a modern setting, but harkened back to Ian Fleming’s flair of writing with his mix of short stories and longer works.
There was then a period where many different authors wrote for the estate and broke with the continuity throughout the series up to this point. This period began with Sebastian Faulks contribution of Devil May Care in 2008. The six most recent books by Faulks, Jeffrey Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz take place in a variety of eras.
Horowitz has written the latest three books and is set to continue on with the series. His Bond books harken back to Fleming’s by being set in the 1950s.
What order should I read the James Bond books?
If you have never read the James Bond books before, you should absolutely read the books in order of publication. This means you will begin with Casino Royale, which is the best introduction to the character.
Reading the books in order of publication also means you will begin by reading the books written by Ian Fleming. This will show you the canon of the original character by the creator, Fleming, before the various iterations of Bond that followed.
What was the last James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming?
As mentioned, Ian Fleming died of a heart attack in 1964 at the age of 56. The last James Bond novel that Ian Fleming wrote was The Man with the Golden Gun, which was published posthumously in 1966. That same year a short story collection was also published: Octopussy and The Living Daylights.
Following these two publications, Kingsley Amis was the first author who began writing in Fleming’s stead. Since then, as we’ve said, numerous authors have written adventures for the iconic spy throughout the decades.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.