Silverfin

It's James Bond's first term (or rather, his first half) at Eton and things take a bit of getting used to. Odd rules and customs seem incompressible and some of the older pupils can be, well, bullies. Soon, however, it's the Easter holidays and a chance to rest at the home of his Uncle in the highlands of Scotland, near Loch Silverfin. Little does he know that things are about to take a dark twist and he will find himself drawn into an adventure he never expected...

This is the first of Charlie Higson's Young Bond novels, which are fully authorised by Ian Fleming Publications. In it he begins to construct a back story for Bond' and his early life as a child in post World War I Britain. 

Higson has cleverly taken the essence of Bond's character  - grit, courage and determination - and transposed it to into a younger, more naive vessel. He has also taken the best loved elements of the films - the manic villain, the chases, the Bond girl - and worked them into the plot, thus enhancing the authenticity of this as a part of the Bond canon. 

Despite being set between the wars, he has given the characters - and their dialogue - a current feel in keeping with his young audience. Although slightly odd, from the perspective of an older reader, this approach does work and the target audience (11-13 year old boys, I'd say) will take it for granted.

There are a couple of places where, for me, he does misses the mark, though. For instance, I thought naming the girl Wilder Lawless was fun but naming her horse Martini was a bit much. Such squabbles were minor though and did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Indeed, I liked it so much I have already added the next, Blood Fever, to my Amazon wish list.

I'd thoroughly recommend Silverfin to any fan of James Bond, young or old.

Andrew

Iconic Images 11

Following on from Marilyn Monroe last time, I've decided to feature two more Screen Sirens. First up: Ursula Andress in Dr. No.

My second choice, rather obviously, is Halle Berry in Die Another Day with a homage to Andress:

Andrew

Devil May Care

Today I finished my latest book - Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming. I should preface my remarks by saying I hadn't previously read any Faulks and only 1 previous Bond - Casino Royale.

Set in 1967, the plot centres around a pharmaceutical magnate, Dr Julius Gorner, who has a sideline in pure Heroin production and a pathological hatred of Britain. Not content with seeking only to destroy British society, he seems to have acquired some military hardware too. Bond is employed to investigate further - not only on the instructions of M but also on behalf of a woman he meets while on sabbatical at the start of the novel.

This is a book of contrasts in which some elements are extremely good and others less so. As far as I can tell, Faulks manages, for the most part, to capture Flemings' style. Allusions to previous books, references to fine food, cars and Bond's various interests and a ripping yarn are all present and correct. Some of the passages are also very filmic - I could see Connery/Moore/Craig etc in my mind's eye as they unfolded.

Less successful, I thought, was the central plot. Without wanting to give anything away, I found that the suspension of disbelief required with regards the motive and method of Gorner's plan a little too much at times. I also thought that some of the violence may have been more extreme than Fleming would have written - although this is subject to my caveat above. Although a gripping read, some passages were less so - in particular those where Gorner lectures Bond on the evils of the Brits and a whole chapter dedicated to a description of a Tennis match.

These quibbles aside, however, this is a good read which I would happily recommend, especially to those who are fans of the film franchise.

Andrew