BOOK BOND REVIEW: SILVERFIN by Charlie Higson

Contains mild spoilers.

SilverFin, the debut Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson, is a well-written “boy’s adventure”-type book that will please its pre-teen target audience. It should get glowing reviews, and Ian Fleming Publications should be very happy with author Higson’s hard work. While there is some gruesome violence in SilverFin, mothers can rest assured that there is not a whiff of sexuality within its 372 pages (the longest James Bond novel yet written). In these regards, Young Bond #1 is a resounding success.

However, this is a James Bond site run by fans for fans. We know our Bond and we know our Fleming. The juggernaut of SilverFin publicity has promised the book will "appeal to new readers and James Bond fans alike."

Well…

While Bond fans can certainly enjoy SilverFin as a well-written adventure book, they may have a slightly harder time embracing it as “A James Bond Adventure.” But make sure you read this review to the end because there IS a twist.

Critics complained that John Gardner and Raymond Benson could never step free of the shadow of Ian Fleming in their 007 “continuation novels.” The good news is Charlie Higson has finally stepped clear of that shadow…the bad news is he’s landed squarely in the shadow of J.K. Rowling. Far too much of SilverFin reads like a Harry Potter clone, and this will initially be the most difficult aspect for Bond fans to get past.

After a thrilling opening prologue that would not be out of place in a legitimate…err, I mean, adult James Bond novel, we meet young James (Higson’s elects to call him “James” instead of the traditional “Bond”) as he arrives at Eton in the 1930s. James is polite and self-effacing, gets lost “at least twice a day” on his way to class, and feels fear when confronted by bullies. Even though he’s described as tall for his age and athletic, he lacks competitive drive (not to mention killer instinct). James loses almost every Eton sporting competition he enters — which doesn’t seem to trouble him in the least. In fact, he is quite pleased to place 7th (get it?) in a shooting competition. While James is supposed to be 13 in this book, he reads much younger. Are “monsters in the dark” still a concern of 13-year-olds? In short, the James Bond of the first two thirds of SilverFin is a bit of a wimp. This is clearly NOT Fleming’s Bond. It’s not even Roger Moore’s Bond. But keep reading…

SilverFin is divided into three parts. Part I chronicles Bond’s life at Eton and involves a series of confrontations and competitions with brutish blonde American George Hellebore. At Eton the agreeable James quickly gathers a collection of colorful and diverse friends: an Indian boy, a German-Jewish boy, a boy from Hong Kong, a lovable chubby tuba player… Maybe it’s a foretelling of James’s amazing gambling luck that he would draw the only living quarters that didn’t contain a single Englishman. On the one hand, this works as a motivator of Bond’s future worldliness; on the other, it feels like pandering to a “politically correct” mentality and, again, to the Harry Potter crowd. While clearly very well researched, and despite the highlight of an exciting chapter-long foot race, this first section of SilverFin is a bit tedious and one hopes Higson will get young Bond bounced out of Eton sooner than later.

Bond breaks free of the Eton section and heads to Scotland in Part II, where the real SilverFin adventure begins. But just when you thought you were free of the Potter formula, Bond is instantly teamed with a talkative red-haired Irish companion ("Red") and the spunky girl of the story, Wilder Lawless. In what is certainly a low point of young Bond’s masculine development, upon meeting James, Wilder wrestles him to the ground and shoves leaves into his mouth. (There’s talk of this bizarrely humiliating moment being cut from the U.S. version.)

On a more positive note, the villain of the story, Lord Randolph Hellebore, is well drawn and his caper is teased out very effectively. (It’s a curious feature of SilverFin that, when Higson is free of young James, the book improves dramatically. One of the best chapters in the novel is told entirely from the point of view of Hellebore’s abused son, George.) Hellebore is American and shares a worldview consistent with the recently empowered Nazis. He makes bizarre speeches and could give Hugo Drax a run for his money in a debate on master race theory.

Many of Higson’s Bondian biographical touches, found mainly in this second section, may come off as a bit too cute for hardcore James Bond fans. Bond’s uncle Max teaches young James to drive in an early model Aston Martin (a Bamford & Martin Sidevalve Short Chassis Tourer). Bond’s love of Bentley motorcars, we discover, is rooted in the fact that his Aunt Charmian drives a 4.5 litre (the same car Bond drives in Casino Royale). Bond’s attraction to martinis (shaken, not stirred) has, apparently, nothing to do with the need to dull the guilt and fear that comes with being a paid assassin. Now, when we see 007 order his signature drink, we can assume his mind is drifting back to the memory of Wilder Lawless and her horse named, yep, “Martini.”

Ah…but now it’s time for our twist.

While the first two thirds of SilverFin may shake and stir old guard Bond fans, know that it is also by design. It’s no spoiler to say Young Bond #1 is a story of transformation and that, by the end of the novel, the timid boy has via his experience found his 007 steel and menace. If nothing else, this book HAD to be that. And when Bond finally shakes off his yammering Potteresque companions, the action of the final third of the book is downright thrilling! Higson knows how to write, and he weaves horror and sci-fi elements into the story very effectively. You’ll never look at an eel the same way again after reading SilverFin.

It’s in this final section that Higson shows us the true potential of a Young Bond series. Age becomes far less of a factor when Bond is facing off with a madman, or on his own battling for his life in the waters beneath a Scottish Castle. It’s here Higson begins to channel Fleming at his best, and it’s here that SilverFin becomes, yep, A JAMES BOND ADVENTURE! (There is also an interesting twist to Bond’s transformation that could have Bond chat boards buzzing for some time to come.) For this reviewer, the final third was a last minute save; a rousing return to Bondian basics with a dash of sci-fi horror thrown in. And when the bullies back at Eton see something “cold and frightening” in young Bond’s eyes, I suddenly found myself looking forward to Book 2 in a major way. Like young Bond himself, I was transformed in the end by SilverFin.

Bond fans gave the concept of Young Bond series a pretty rough reception when it was announced last summer. Asking 007 fans to embrace a kid-safe revisionist history of our “sexist misogynist dinosaur” may be asking too much. So for those fans predisposed to not liking the Young Bond series, know that SilverFin will probably not change your mind and maybe it’s best to skip it. For fans curious about 007′s past, but wary of getting it from a children’s book, I recommend seeking out a secondhand copy of John Pearson’s superb James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007, which offers up a more interesting — or, at least more adult — version of young Bond’s upbringing.

But for those fans, like myself, who have enjoyed the various “continuation novels” and are willing to gamble on this Young Bond series, SilverFin will satisfy. It’s a good start. One just hopes Higson will shake off the Harry Potter contrivances and edge back toward that shadow of Ian Fleming in Book #2.

First Young Bond novel is SILVERFIN

Ian Fleming Publications as has today announced the title of their first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, and revealed the UK cover art.

The dark waters around a Scottish castle hold a sinister secret. One man with a thirst for power will use it - whatever the cost. SilverFin is dangerous. SilverFin is the future. 

SilverFin must be destroyed... 

Bond, James Bond. 

The legend begins with SilverFin.

SilverFin is due for release in March 2005 with a second yet untitled novel scheduled for November 2005. There are a total of five books planned in the Young Bond series.

Rumors that Orlando Bloom will be appearing in a movie adapted from the Higson novels are not true.

John Gardner on the current state of the BOND films

In an article in The Wall Street Journal ("Uh-Oh Seven" by Merissa Marr), former Bond continuation author John Gardner gave his opinion on the current state of the James Bond film franchise and Pierce Brosnan's 007 in particular. According to reliable sources, Brosnan is to be replaced in the next film with a new actor. Says Gardner:

"There's nothing wrong with Mr. Brosnan, he just hasn't been served terribly well by the scripts. The problem with the films at the moment is that they have nothing to do with the original Bond."

Hard to argue with that.

The Heart of Erzulie

Fant art.

In an exclusive interview on CommanderBond.net, former James Bond continuation author, Raymond Benson, revealed the existence of a never published James Bond short story, “The Heart of Erzulie.”

Says Benson, “There was another Bond short story I wrote in-between Never Dream of Dying and The Man With The Red Tattoo. It wasn’t very good. I did it on spec, just for something to do during the off months between the outline and research trip for Tattoo. It was called "The Heart of Erzulie," and it took place in Jamaica. IFP thought it was too much of a Fleming pastiche. I guess I agree. Oh well, it kept me busy for a month.”

According to the website Encyclopedia Mythica, “Erzulie is the Voodoo love goddess and goddess of elemental forces, as well as of beauty, dancing, flowers, jewels, and pretty clothes. She lives in fabulous luxury and appears powdered and perfumed. She is as lavish with her love as with her gifts. On her fingers she wears three wedding rings, her three husbands being Damballa, the serpent god, Agwe, god of the sea and Ogoun the warrior hero. As Erzulie Ge-Rouge, she huddles together with her knees drawn up and her fists clenched, tears streaming from her eyes as she laments the shortness of life and the limitation of love. She is personified as a water snake. She is also called Ezili.”

“You’re correct,” says Benson. “The story had a voodoo theme to it. Believe me, it shouldn’t see the light of day!”

Benson also revealed that he’s written a book chronicling of his adventures in the world of 007. “Last fall I wrote my Bond memoirs, a small autobiography so to speak, that relates my lifelong experiences with 007. It’s called James Bond and Me–A Memoir for lack of a better title. I don’t know what I’ll do with it. I can’t imagine anyone really being that interested. It would probably have to be one of those limited edition books that private presses have done, like Richard Kiel’s book, or Syd Cain’s book. Maybe I can get a thousand copies printed and sold. I haven’t decided.”

Here’s hoping someday one, or both, of these unpublished Benson works will become available for Bond fans to read.

This article first appeared on CommanderBond.net.

IFP Announce New Series of Young Bond Books

PRESS RELEASE

The wait is over...
In Spring next year James Bond will return as we’ve never seen him before. Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is thrilled to announce that in March 2005 Charlie Higson will take us back to where it all began in the first of his novels introducing the teenage years of the boy who was to become 007.

Charlie Higson is co-creator of the hugely popular The Fast Show and is a successful film and adult thriller writer. He’s also a firm fan of the original Ian Fleming Bond novels and, with meticulous research, he has created an authentic 1930s world for Young James Bond that fits seamlessly with Fleming’s. Higson says of this new project ‘Ever since having children of my own I’ve wanted to write a thriller for kids, so when I was approached by the Fleming estate to work on a new James Bond series for younger readers it was too good an opportunity to turn down. I’ve grown up with Bond, and whilst I’ve had to finally accept that I’ll never play him in the films, writing about him is even more exciting.’ The Fleming family are delighted. Lucy Fleming, Ian’s niece, said yesterday 'Charlie’s done a wonderful job in capturing the essence of my uncle’s James Bond.'

The first adventure will be published in the UK by Puffin. Rebecca McNally, Fiction Publisher at Puffin says ' James Bond is the world's biggest spy brand and Charlie's writing is perfect - gripping, suspenseful and very true to the original Bond. We've had enough of wannabes - this is the real thing.' Aimed primarily at the 9-12 market, initial reactions suggest that these quintessential Bond stories will appeal to young and adult readers alike:

James Bond is thirteen and just about to start at Eton having been educated at home by his Aunt Charmian since the death of his parents. The first adventure takes James to a remote Scottish castle where a wealthy American has been conducting some very disturbing experiments...

So disturbing, in fact, that Miss Moneypenny stayed up all night reading about them, Mary Goodnight missed her stop on the train and M’s locked in the office with the do not disturb light on....

Please keep watching this news page for official information about the young James Bond novels over the coming months.

BOOK BOND REVIEW: Raymond Benson's all time high

As we approach the Five Year Anniversary of its publication, I thought it was time to look back at what many fans now consider to be one of Raymond Benson’s best James Bond novels, High Time To Kill.

In his third original Bond adventure, Benson is highly experimental in his use of a single setting for much of the story while, at the same time, still deftly adhering to the classic James Bond formula. No “continuation novel” demonstrates a better understanding of what makes a classic Bond thriller, and High Time To Kill surpasses even some of Fleming’s books in this regard.

The first half of the novel finds OO7 in familiar, glamorous settings: The Bahamas, Belgium, behind the wheel of the DB5. Yet it’s the realistic beating Bond takes at the hands of the obligatory oversized henchman that signals High Time To Kill is going to be veer off into new territory. And does it ever!

The villain’s ingenuous plan to smuggle a Top Secret formula (Skin 17) into China is waylaid by fate — a plane crash. Suddenly, the chess board is scrambled in a twist that is far more satisfying than any of the double or triple crosses that have been so overused. Bond joins a mountaineering team in the Himalayas, and races against the clock to reach the downed plane before the baddies. The remainder of the novel plays out on the rocky slops of Kangchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak.

James Bond meets Cliffhanger? Why not?

What unfolds is an adventure unlike anything we’ve ever seen Bond participate in before — yet all the Bondian ingredients are firmly in place: Villain, sidekick, Bond girl, breathtaking locales (literally this time), gadgets, exotic culture, set-piece showdown and coda. But every one of these “classic” elements (which in the movies have drifted toward clichés) feels 100% fresh because it’s all set within the context of a reality-based high concept idea: Mountain climbing. The overlaying believability of the concept elevates the characters and makes High Time To Kill truly suspenseful in a From Russia With Love sort of way. Benson has never fleshed out a location better — which is ironic seeing as Benson was unable to take a planned research trip to Nepal for this book.

Even the almost always fumbled “this time it’s personal” element works perfectly here. We understand that the villain is driven by his competitive masculine/sexual ego (a subtext of almost all Bond villains), but the possibility of altitude sickness motivates his megalomania in a completely believable way. The ice axe throwing competition is as gripping as any casino face off. Bond catching a glimpse of Hope Kendell undressing in her small pup-tent is much sexier than Halle Berry bursting from the sea like a Bond Girl Jack in the Box. Bond’s sidekick, a Sherpa, is indispensable in a way most Bond sidekicks are not. The “gadgets,” cutting edge climbing equipment, are real, but still exotic. And what better test of OO7′s stamina than a savage mountain climbing expedition? There is a return to the idea of OO7 as a master of the extreme sport in this book that is very much a part to the world of Ian Fleming’s James Bond. In fact, I think Fleming would have eventually written a book just like High Time To Kill.

This is also the book in which Benson begins what no Bond continuation novelist (or, of late, Eon) has ventured to do; develop a SPECTRE-like criminal organization, complete with Blofeld-like mastermind, that would return to menace Bond in subsequent adventures. High Time To Kill was the start of what became known as “The Union Trilogy,” an idea embraced by Bond fans and nicely fleshed out in Benson’s next two books, Doubleshot and Never Dream of Dying.

There’s more, but suffice to say High Time To Kill is the perfect fusion of the high-concept Bond formula and the completely believable and dangerous world of high-altitude mountain climbing. If you’re looking to sample a non-Fleming James Bond novel, THIS is the one to get. It’s truly Raymond Benson’s “all time high.”

Flawed print run makes DIE ANOTHER DAY novelization extra rare

Fans of collecting James Bond first editions will have hopefully snapped up a first printing of Raymond Benson’s Die Another Day novelisation in hardcover, because if you didn’t, you may be out of luck. Printed in small quantities anyway (due to the fact it was published simultaneously as a paperback) it’s come to light that the first print run of the Die Another Day hardcover was flawed.

Apparently, a production error produced a batch of copies, the exact number is unknown, that had pages cut short. These flawed copies were destroyed and the remains of the publisher’s stock double-checked. This is according to several online book dealers. Author Benson confirmed the production flaw, but confessed that he didn’t know if the short pages were the sole reason for the recall. Regardless, the book has already been issued in a second edition to meet demand. This means unflawed first editions are exceedingly rare!

It looks like Die Another Day could very well become one of the most difficult of the post-Fleming Bond books to find in a true first edition, rivaling Tomorrow Never Dies, GoldenEye, and COLD, all of which currently sell for $300 and up.

A true first edition of Die Another Day is identified by the number string of 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page. All the numbers must be there. If the “1″ is missing, it means the novelisation is a second edition.

BOOK BOND REVIEW: Welcome back to Japan, Mr. Bond

Having shown he can work outside the rules of convention in his brilliant Union Trilogy, Raymond Benson returns to the formula in his sixth book, The Man With The Red Tattoo, and delivers his most traditional Bond adventure since The Facts of Death. But this is a Benson with a much surer grasp on his skills than he had in his sophomore outing, and like the rocket ride it is, The Man With The Red Tattoo instantly achieves a pitch perfect mix of classic plot, action, and depth of character that recalls Fleming at his best. (In pace and tone, I’m reminded of Dr. No, coincidentally, Fleming’s sixth book as well). While I would still classify Never Dream of Dying as Benson’s best “novel,” The Man With The Red Tattoo is Benson’s most perfectly realized Bond “thriller” to date with a strong sense of location and the best caper of them all.

Some may fault Benson for following convention a little too closely this time out, but I don’t. In an era of contrived attempts to “personalize” Bond’s missions or “peel back the layers” of Bond’s psyche, it’s refreshing to have a straightforward Bond-on-a-dangerous-assignment-in-an-exotic-locale adventure. This time, Mr. Bond, it isn’t personal. Halleluiah! Even the return of the Walther PPK seems to be Benson’s way of saying, “Let’s just use what has always worked and enough with the self-conscious ‘updating’ of the character.” In this way, I think Red Tattoo is well ahead of the curve. (Of course, this has been true of the Benson books and is one of the reasons I look forward to the books as much as I do the films.)

But this doesn’t mean Red Tattoo is lacking in character depth. Just the opposite is true. Japan holds dark memories for Bond, and that aspect is not ignored. Whereas John Gardner might have given a passing reference to Bond’s legendary ordeal in You Only Live Twice (if even that), Benson uses the “ghosts” of Bond’s past as a full-fledged complication. Fans will not be disappointed in how Benson weaves elements of the Fleming masterpiece into this current book. The end of chapter 17 will certainly move Bond fans.

Benson always referred to this book as “The Japan Book,” and now I see why. Japan is very much a character in this novel–in many ways, the main character–both ally and nemesis to 007. After so long, it’s thrilling to have a Bond story take place in one locale instead of globetrotting from one scenic set piece to the next. Anchoring Bond in one locale gives Benson a chance to flesh out the country with wonderful cultural details. It’s Benson’s attention to these details and his ability to weave them into the plot in highly entertaining ways that make his books the best of all the post-Fleming adventures. It’s where Red Tattoo excels.

As far as flesh and blood characters go, Bond girl Reiko Tamura is highly appealing in her role as Bond’s agent partner (definitely a traditional role here). Her performance in the spectacular Seikan Tunnel sequence is particularly memorable. Wayward wild child Mayumi is less appealing, especially in contrast to the more mature Reiko. Goro Yoshida (the man with the red tattoo) is a Blofeld-type villain who remains mostly off screen until the end. Yoshida’s henchman, “Kappa,” is Benson’s most delightfully bizarre killer since Margarita Piel in Doubleshot. Bond’s ally, Tiger Tanaka, makes a wonderful addition from the past although one does note the absence of the hyper-masculinity and sexism that so codified their friendship in the Fleming book. And–and this is as close to a *SPOILER* as I will come–fans who worry about another Never Dream of Dying type “twist” to the character… need not worry.

Fans of action will not be disappointed as gunfights and fistfights abound in Red Tattoo. It’s probably Benson’s most violent book to date–the body count is quite high–but this seems to be in keeping with the Asian action movie milieu the book frequently evokes. Surprisingly, Benson has retreated to an almost Gardneresque modesty in his sex scenes, possibly due to the unfair drubbing he’s taken by the more puritanical factions of fandom for trying to return a measure of kinky sexuality to the books. The methodology of the villain’s master plan is ingenious and is the best conceived caper we’ve had, book or film, in quite some time. The use of Yoshida’s deadly “assassins” throughout the book is pure Bond. And speaking of films, have I mentioned that Red Tattoo would make an amazing Bond movie? Well, it would.

My one complaint would be that the Major Boothroyd scene seems a bit labored. But “Q,” a creation of the films, has never been a comfortable fit in the world of the literary Bond, and one gets the feeling that Benson is forced to include him. In the same vein but on a more positive note, having thoroughly explored Bond’s relationship with “M” and her cohorts in the past few books, Benson wisely blasts past these obligatory scenes and gets Bond right into action. Again, Benson is bang on target with his choices here. I for one don’t need another dramatic conflict between Bond and “M” for quite a while.

Publisher Hodder & Stoughton did not exactly burden themselves in coming up with an overly creative dust jacket design this time, but it will do. As always, the U.S. edition published by Putnam is better bound and printed on better paper with superior typeset.

For the seasoned Bond fan, The Man With The Red Tattoo is the perfect book at the perfect time. For those who have yet to read a Bond book and are looking for a classic cocktail of Bondian action, suspense, and exotic locales, you would be well advised to start right here.

NEVER DREAM OF DYING large print released in UK

A large print Edition of Raymond Benson’s latest James Bond adventure, Never Dream of Dying, has been released in the UK. The large print edition is published by Chivers Press is available from amazon.co.uk.