Friday, February 17, 2006

Past character to return in YOUNG BOND 3

The Young Bond Dossier has scored its first EXCLUSIVE with new details of Charlie Higson's third Young Bond novel.

As previously reported, the yet untitled Young Bond Book 3 will be set almost entirely in the darkest corners of 1930s London where young Bond battles Russian spies who are attempting to build an early computer. Now we have the additional plot details that part of the climax will be set on the old London docks, and that the book will take place over the course of only two days.

But what will most intrigue Young Bond fans is news that a character from an earlier Young Bond novel will be making a return appearance. The identity of that character is, for the moment, classified.

Who could this mystery character be? Wilder Lawless? George Hellebore? Vendetta (I hope)? Young Bond fans will just have to wait until the book is released in January 2007 to find out.

Author Higson has completed Book 3 and is now starting work on Book 4. Check back here next week for an exclusive bit of news about THAT novel as well.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

U.S. BLOOD FEVER to be unedited

Good news today for U.S. Young Bond fans. The U.S. edition of Charlie Higson’s second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever, will NOT be edited for content.

Aside from some UK to U.S. grammatical changes, the full text of the U.S. edition, which will be released by Miramax/Hyperion on June 1, 2006, will match the UK edition released by Puffin Books earlier this year.

Fans complained that the U.S. hardcover edition of SilverFin was somewhat prudishly edited by Disney-owned publisher Miramax/Hyperion. Some scenes of violence were trimmed, as was a mention of smoking and even a reference to Wilder Lawless’ “powerful thighs.” Most U.S. fans opted to purchase the Puffin edition over the Hyperion book for this reason.

There was a fear that Blood Fever -- a far more violent book -- might be edited down to just its chapter titles and punctuation marks. But it looks like the good folks at Miramax/Hyperion are giving the people what they want, and both sides of the Atlantic will get to enjoy the novel just as author Higson wrote it.

Bravo!