SilverFin is the first of a series of novels depicting Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. The novel, written by Charlie Higson, was released in the UK on March 3, 2005 by Puffin Books (a Canadian release of this edition occurred in late March) and will be released on April 27, 2005 in the U.S by Miramax Books . The series was released with a large marketing campaign in the UK.
Young Bond
Prior to the release of SiverFin, the idea of a Young Bond series had not gone over too well with the fans of the more traditional Bond literature and has come under heavy fire, with some fans comparing it to an unsuccessful 1960s attempt by Bond's publishers to launch a youth-oriented line of fiction that resulted in only one book: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Jr. written by Arthur Calder Marshall under the psuedonym R.D. Mascott. There was also a moderately successful James Bond Jr. TV series in the early 1990s which was aimed at children. John Gardner, who had written fourteen novels featuring the adult Bond, stated:
- "It's just the last desperate attempt to draw in a new audience. The films have little to do with the Bond we used to know, and now the books are going the same way."
Higson, for his part, is on record as stating that he intends to stay true to the backstory Ian Fleming created for Bond, though this may contradict the popular James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 by John Pearson, which is considered canonical by some.
Currently, SilverFin has been released to good reviews.
Future releases
A second book in the Young James Bond series is currently planned for January 2006 having been delayed from an initial release in October 2005. Ian Fleming Publications has confirmed the date change and has also reported a typing error in the first printing of SilverFin in which the book shows Book 2 as being released in 2005. This edition, identifiable by a roman numeral one on the copyright page, has since become something of a collectors item for Bond fans.
Higson also confirmed that the series is planned out for five books. Higson was quoted as saying,
- "The second book takes place largely in Sardinia and involves bandits, art theft and people smuggling. My working title was Double M, but don’t expect it to be called this when it comes out. Book three will take place largely in the darker corners of London. Book four will be set in the Alps..."
Plot summary
The plot of SilverFin deals with a 13-year-old James Bond at a Scottish castle in the 1930s where he discovers that the owner is conducting ominous experiments in a secret lab.
Trivia
- SilverFin begins with a similar opening to Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.
- Fleming: "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning"
- Higson: "The smell and noise and confusion of a hallway full of schoolboys can be quite awful at twenty past seven in the morning."
References
External links
Last updated: 05-17-2005 17:15:45
