Goodenough for Young Bond 5?

In our exclusive video clip of Charlie Higson dropping his bombshell piece of news that James will “fall in love” in Young Bond 5, Charlie also mentions that a “girl from his past” will return and complicate Bond’s new “obsession.”

So who will this returning character be?

While Charlie said he hadn’t yet entirely made up his mind, he did strongly hint that it would be Amy Goodenough from his second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever.

Said Charlie, “She might appear in the fifth book, I’m thinking about it. I want to bring back some characters, and some I know are definitely coming back...but, yes, I think I probably will bring back Amy Goodenough.”

Young Bond 5 will be released in hardcover in the UK on September 4, 2008.

Source: www.youngbonddossier.com

Double or Die Limited Collectors Edition in stores

The Double or Die Limited Collector’s Edition is available at participating Waterstone’s bookstores now. Limited to 999 copies, this Collector’s Edition is a slipcased hardcover signed and numbered by author Charlie Higson.

There has been a little confusion about availability and different versions of the book, so I’ve clarified the details with IFP and Puffin Books.

Despite it being listed on the Waterstone’s website and Amazon, the Double or Die Limited Collector’s Edition is a Waterstone’s in-store exclusive. That means you can only buy the book at a Waterstone’s bookstore. The online listings have been removed and pre-orders cancelled.

We also got a report from a fan who bought a copy that was unsigned and unnumbered. Turns out this was simply an anomaly (and a collectible one at that). All copies of Double or Die Limited Collector’s Edition should be signed and numbered.

Happy hunting!

Source: www.youngbonddossier.com

Young Bond short story a possibility

During his appearance at the Hurricane Gold launch party last month, Charlie Higson revealed an exciting piece of Young Bond news that has gone unreported...until now.

During the Q&A session, Charlie let slip that he is “toying” with the idea of writing a Young Bond short story set between Hurricane Gold and Young Bond 5.

The story would take place aboard an ocean liner bringing Bond and Aunt Charmain back to England from Mexico. Aboard ship, James would encounter Wilder Lawless (the heroine of SilverFIn) who is transporting horses.

Charlie didn’t elaborate beyond that and he did caution that it was “something that might happen or might not”...but it sure sounds like a good idea to me!

Source: www.youngbonddossier.com

The prince among shampoos...

No, this isn’t a commercial. This is Young (and old) Bond related.

As most fans know, Charlie Higson has been planting references to the original Ian Fleming James Bond novels throughout his Young Bond series. In SilverFin we meet the father of Red Grant (From Russia With Love), in Blood Fever it’s the father of Count Lippe (Thunderball), and in Double or Die we get a glimpse of Universal Exports. But in Hurricane Gold, the reference is a little more subtle.

In Chapter 24, James is able to shower after several days of trudging through the muddy jungles of a hurricane ravaged Mexico. Not only does he discover here how much he loves a good shower (Bond showers a lot in Fleming), but he also discovers Pinaud Elixir shampoo.

“...he promised himself that he would only ever use that brand from now on in memory of the best shower he had ever had.”

-Hurricane Gold, Chapter 24

One doesn’t need to be a Fleming scholar to know Charlie is pointing us toward a reference here. Heck, he even calls the chapter “Pinaud Elixir.” But where in Fleming can we find Bond’s favorite shampoo?

Thanks to our friends at CBn, we have the answer:

“His two battered suitcases came and he unpacked leisurely and then ordered from Room Service a bottle of the Taittinger Blanc de Blancs that he had made his traditional drink at Royale. When the bottle, in its frosted silver bucket, came, he drank a quarter of it rather fast and then went into the bathroom and had an ice-cold shower and washed his hair with Pinaud Elixir, that prince among shampoos, to get the dust of the roads out of it.”

-On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Chapter 2

Incredibly, one can still get a bottle of Pinaud Elixir shampoo from The Dutch Shaving Shop. You can even get one with the old style label.

Have you spotted any other Fleming references in Hurricane Gold? If so, drop us an email and tell us about it.

Thanks to doublenoughtspy and MkB over on the CBn Forum for the detective work and image.

Hurricane Gold #007 found in Lancashire, sells on eBay

The elusive Hurricane Gold #007 has sold on eBay. The seller discovered the book in a small bookshop in Lytham St Ann's in Lancashire and put the book up for auction with an opening bid of .99p. The auction ended today with 27 bids and final sale price of £156.50 ($319.82).

Charlie Higson signed and numbered 1500 copies of his fourth Young Bond novel on August 10, 2007. These copies were made available only to independent bookstores.

Other Hurricane Gold signed editions have appeared on eBay, including #2 which sold for £70. But #007 (the only single digit copy to receive a double-oh prefix) is unquestionably the “golden ticket” of the batch.

UPDATE: I didn’t want to say anything until I had the book in hand, but the winner of this auction was...me. 😀