There are few things as audacious as attempting to continue writing books in a beloved series after the original author has passed on, but more and more we are seeing the estates of legendary writers reaching out to contemporary authors to do just that. The beauty in this is when those authors are able to find that balance between paying homage to the past while still bringing something of themselves to the page. Sophie Hannah has done just this with her continuations of Hercule Poirot’s adventures by using a new character of her own creation—Inspector Catchpool—as the entry point into the existing series. With the launch of his new series linked to Ian Fleming’s James Bond books, Vaseem Khan takes a different route, elevating a secondary character—Q—to leading player status, and instantly creates a classic in the process. Sometimes when devoted readers encounter something new they can immediately sense that the formula works, the execution sings, and that the resulting novel will live a life of literary renown. That is exactly the feeling of reading the first few chapters of Q: Quantum of Menace.
Q is such a fan favorite—garnering a more robust existence from the Bond movies than he is actually afforded in the 007 Fleming novels themselves—that spinning him off into his own series of books was an inspired idea. One might even say genius. However, give that particular task to ten different authors and each resulting work would represent vastly different takes on that same assignment. It is the “bond” between Vaseem Khan’s writing style and the existing 007 universe that allows for true magic to occur.
Imagine if you will: a retired George Smiley walks into St Mary Mead and opens a PI firm. This is a bit like what Q: Quantum of Menace feels like. It begins after Q has been released from service at MI6. He’s floundering—unsure of what civilian life holds for him—when he receives a letter from Peter Napier, a childhood friend with whom he has lost contact. The only problem is Napier died shortly before the letter was delivered and now Q is forced to return to his hometown of Wickstone-on-Water to figure out what Peter was trying to tell him.
The authorities believe that Napier took his own life, but Q isn’t buying it. Even though it’s been years since he communicated with the man, that behavior doesn’t seem consistent with his image of Peter Napier. After all, Napier owns the largest and most successful business in Wickston-on-Water—a cutting-edge factory doing work on quantum computing. Clues hidden in the letter soon have Q off and running on an independent, “amateur” investigation.
Vaseem Khan takes the necessary time to allow readers to adjust to this new version of Q. Bits of his past are revealed much like layers of an onion being peeled for a complex bouillabaisse. In the end, Q’s skills, contacts, and intuition will be needed to solve this mystery—assuming he stays alive that long. Taking the high-tech world of the 007 novels and moving it to a quaint and cozy British village captures the readers attention and ensures a long night of reading. What’s most unexpected is the dry humor on display throughout the novel. Q: Quantum of Menace never takes itself too seriously—despite a plot that eventually portends a Global crisis—making it the perfect read for our stressful times.
Bond fans will rejoice to know his larger-than-life presence is felt throughout Q: Quantum of Menace without ever dominating, and many other familiar folks from the 007 universe make appearances. But it is the new cast of characters Vaseem Khan has invented that provide the real impact here.
Q: Quantum of Menace is the type of book readers can’t stop reading, even as they deliberately try to slow down to prolong the experience as long as possible. Fortunately, a second Q novel is already on the schedule for 2026 and all signs point to a long, retired life for this man—a legend—on the printed page.
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(Unfortunately, Q: Quantum of Menace is not yet scheduled to publish in the States, so readers wanting to experience this exciting new adventure will need to order from the United Kingdom.)
BUY LINKS: Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan
