Bryant & May Are Coming Back
Hopefully this will put a smile on your faces. Some of them, anyway.
The next book from me will be ‘Hot Water’ from Titan in March 2022. However, in July it will be followed by a new Bryant & May book – although not a novel.
‘Bryant & May’s Peculiar London’ is a rather unusual guide book. It’s a bit like the comments sections on this blog. I’ve let Raymond Land explain in the book’s foreword;
‘I thought it was a guide book but it’s nothing of a kind. There’s bugger-all in here about what ordinary people want to do when they visit London, viz; go to the London Eye, Big Ben and M&M World before sitting through the first half of ‘Les Miz’. Instead it’s full of annoying conversations and weird historical connections no-one’s interested in. Half of them have no point and the other half go wandering off at a tangent, like Mr Bryant’s mind. There are hundreds of perfectly acceptable London books knocking about and this isn’t one of them. It’s just someone randomly banging on about a lot of pointless forgotten stuff.’
But ‘pointless forgotten stuff’ is precisely the point. Most books that discuss London do so from a historical or political perspective, or they compile random curiosities. You’d expect ‘Bryant & May’s Peculiar London’ to look at the city from a crime perspective but too many other excellent volumes do that. Instead it explores the way in which the past is curiously linked to the present, via the kind of freeform thinking that shapes Mr Bryant’s deranged mindset.
Hopefully it will delight and surprise you as much as the editor enjoyed it.
‘Bryant & May’s Peculiar London’ features all the PCU staff arguing with each other and waxing lyrical (or just complaining) about London. It will fit into the B&M canon as Book 21, same size and design, not as a separate volume. I think it’s going to be great fun.
63 comments on “Bryant & May Are Coming Back”
Comments are closed.
Oh frabjous day, callooh,callay! Christopher you really are spoiling us and it’s not even ( insert the c word here).
Here is yet another offering to look forward to, instead of looking out on a sky that someone has thrown an old grey army blanket over. I hope your sojourn in Spain has been restful and invigorating to your brain. Take care both of you.x
Hurrah!!!!
Definitely something to look forward to.
Long may it continue.
pre-ordered Hot Water – thanks for letting us know
@admin Three hips and a hooray (although I was hoping for at least the usual body or two) but “beggars can’t be choosers.” Anyway, a good way to ease yourself into ‘The House That Jack Built’ (the lad just doesn’t give up, does he ?). Since there is already a ‘guidebook’ titled ‘ A London Peculiar: The London You Shouldn’t Miss” with  what is purported to be ‘London’s most bizarre, curious and intriguing sights,’ mayhap the B&M title should be ‘Bryant and May’s More Peculiar London Than Yours’ or ‘Bryant and May’s You Think That’s Peculiar London, Do You ?’ or some such. Congrats and one more hooray.
I regret to say that I find myself in agreement, if only on one point, with Raymondo. My wife and I went to Les Miz when it opened on Broadway in 1987 to see what the fuss was about (we then lived in New York). At the interval we discussed walking out but decided to stay just to see if it could get any worse. It did. Ever since, this show has become a shibboleth for us: everyone we like and admire hated it and everyone else…
Ace!
Yeah, horooow horay. Jumping with joy (well, raising shoulders in a sort of rhythmic way).
The best news! (well, almost the best.) Loud cheers.
Hooray! I love that stuff. It’s what makes the world (or at least my world) go round..
Christmas has come early, wonderful.
Helen, just to let you know that our thoughts are with you out on the Coast! Terrible situation, frightening rainfall and flooding.
As ever, Raymondo seems to miss the point completely. Very much looking forward to delving into this next year!
Excellent news!
Excellent!
So wonderful. The landscape of London has always been very much a part of your books that I love. And banter with the staff is always fun. I am so happy you’re feeling better and back in the Bryant and May mode!
Completely delighted! Thank you, Chris. I’m thrilled for all of us who love you and I’m thrilled for you as well.
Huzzah!!
“… it’s full of annoying conversations and weird historical connections no-one’s interested in. Half of them have no point and the other half go wandering off at a tangent”
Just like life, then.
Ohhhhhhhh, you’ve made my day…several of them! You’ve also made me smile & that’s a first for a few, too. Muchas mercis!
Thank you.
I plan to be in England next July! Can’t wait to get my hands on this book!
Thank you, Joan. We’re fine, but Hope has 1200 people sheltering there because there are no roads open either east or west and the railroads are broken in a couple of places. Canada is cut off from us. The rescue stories are starting to surface. Consider the horse herd that took 3 hours to be willing to swim the Coquihalla River.
@Helen + Martin Record-breaking heat, third worst wildfire season, monsoon rains and high water. Nothing to do with man-induced climate change of course.Just Ma Nature getting a little bored. /s
Happy, happy news!
Just in time for my birthday next year? Why thank you! Was worried that my annual birthday treat to myself of a Bryant and May novel was going to have to end…
Grinning like the Cheshire Cat at this super dooper news. Am suffering withdrawal symptoms from lack of fresh Bryant and May … many thanks.
Can’t wait! It’s the volume we’ve all been longing for.
Looking forward to reading your new book and happily awaiting London Bridge available here soon.
Huzzah! These books will cure COVID—or at least make your fans feel a good deal better about life.
Well that cheered me up! Hooray for B & M’s peculiar London. As someone who many years ago attempted to drive across London from the vicinity of King’s Cross on Christmas Eve, using only an A-Z, I shall look forward to reading it. It will definitely be more entertaining than my journey. (I did eventually make it to Cambridge, somewhat later than expected)
Wonderful news! Something to look forward to!
Universal education is a wonderful thing, Stu-I-am. We’ve had the CBC broadcasting for two days solid asking people in the hit areas to phone in and there’s been a steady stream of reasoned, appropriate comments with complaints about slow government action very mild under the circumstances and an almost universal suggestion that all of our practices have to change immediately. They realise that it is up to all of us to act with some guidance from government.
*Normal programming of rejoicing will now resume.*
@helen-it astounds me how seemingly rational canadians are in a crisis, and then you have us amuricans below you, mired in greed and selfishness and screw your neighborness (obviously not all, but the ones who are get a whole lot of air time)…I was listening to jann arden’s podcast from right after the quarantine started in 2020…the way she described canada and what people immediately started to do to help was amazing…makes me wish i had left the us 30 years ago when i would have…best of wishes to you
Joel, Canadians are basically unarmed North Americans that say Sorry all the time!
It is the book I have been salivating for since you first mentioned it a while back.
I figured it had gone to the wayside amidst the chaos. Thankee! You da bomb!
Any chance of a brief excerpt to whet our appetite please?
RAYMOND LAND:
‘We sold the new outsource unit on Mr Bryant’s name. Our lateral-thinking investigative mastermind used to come to work with the TV remote in his pocket and then stab at it trying to make calls while I was talking to him. Sadly, you lot have to soldier on without him. I know you won’t like me saying this, but it could work out in our favour.’
Cor! strike a light!
( dies anyone ever say that?)
Very happy you are feeling up to yet another Peculiar book. It hasn’t been easy for me all these years with the same first name as Mr. Land, but it is worth it to be able to read of his many humorous failings.
Oh joy…Santa really does exist
I can’t tell you just how happy this news makes me, mainly because you feel sufficiently fit and able to produce two more books (and let’s hope many more thereafter) but also because it will bring yet more B&M joy to so many of us.
The idea of there being an end to Arthur, John and the PCU is inconceivable but ultimately all good things must end. That led me to think, “what if their adventures could go on in some way, perhaps as a board or online gameâ€â€¦? With that in mind I began to pull a concept together which is fleshing out as I write. I’ll freely admit that I don’t have the coding skills to make it happen (though I’m sure there are plenty of fans out there who might collaborate) but I do have some exciting and quirky ideas for the concept. I’m most certainly not looking for a commercial opportunity here, rather to create something which would allow B&M to continue for us many fans who derive such enjoyment from these fantastic stories.
Malcolm: that would actually be a lot of fun, but it would have to have Chris on board.
Joel: Three cheers for Jan Arden, a very, very funny lady in spite of her small fluffy dog. She’s the image of a good Canadian, as opposed to the idiot anti-vaxxers protesting outside hospitals. No country is perfect.
Joan: I think the “sorry” business is one good thing we inherited from the Brits.
The best news!!
Helen+Martin: Absolutely- I wouldn’t go any further with that unless Chris were wholly on board with it. This comment section seemed to be the only way I could float it to him but I’ll fully understand if it’s something he’d prefer to decline.
@Malcolm Fowden & Helen+Martin An inexpensive and much easier (to me…) ‘toe in the water’ approach to keeping B&M alive with ‘fun and games’ might be to have CF use this blog for occasional contests — mayhap ‘The Fowler Invitational’ or ‘The Peculiar Competition.’ Obviously, CF would be the sole judge and might even be persuaded to award an autographed book or other CF memento as a prize from time to time. Also, of course, all entries would legally become the property of CF, if he so chose.
The fact that every blog comment has a timestamp should take care of any duplicate submission issues that may arise. Ideally submissions should be ‘blind,’ but then again that would probably require some site rejiggering and considering this is supposed to be fun, it makes little sense to pile on too many rules. So long, of course,as all participate in the right spirit. Anyway, some random and preliminary thoughts on possible contests: (1) A new member of the PCU with a brief character sketch; (2) Sketch for a B&M plot; (3) Find the key clue or some such (in an outline provided by CF); (4) Title for a new B&M novel (possibly with a plot sketch); (5) Arthur’s (or John’s) personal accessories etc. etc. All dependent, of course, on the time and inclination of Greenwich Man (one of the most highly evolved Homo sapiens).
Stu-I-Am: I like your thinking. Imaginative ways to involve aficionados yet further in the wonderful world of B&M. My wife reports that she has read some authors who run such competitions and in one case, the prize offered was for your name to appear as a character in their next book, albeit in a minor, transitory role, possibly even as a victim!
@helen+martin sadly, her pup, midi, died a few weeks back…she traveled with jann for over 10 years…i guess when you travel as much as she does, it makes sense to have a dog that fits in your bag
Yet another reason to visit London.
I am so happy!!!!!
When this modern plague is over, the husband and I are coming to visit London, with this volume in hand, with notes and maps and a plan! And sensible shoes.
London is not just another capitol city—it is a straight up, no kidding, character in this series. Someone younger than me should do a dissertation on how this series incorporates a city with some history to it in a mystery story the way that Mr. Fowler does. It would be an easy defense.
Wonderful news. So happy to hear it.