Young Bond
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Young Bond is a series of novels featuring Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond as a young teenage boy attending school at Eton College. The series, currently planned out for five novels, is being written by Charlie Higson.
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[edit] Books in the series
According to Charlie Higson, Ian Fleming Publications initially planned for him to only write one novel and that every subsequent novel would be written by a rotating author, possibly similar to the defunct Robert Markham pseudonym of the late 1960s. This plan, however, fell apart and Higson agreed to author future books in the series, however, comments made by Higson in an interview could suggest that after Higson's five books are completed, the series may be continued by another author. <ref>Charlie Higson interview with CommanderBond.net. The Charlie Higson CBn Interview. Retrieved on February 23, 2005.</ref>
[edit] Currently released
- SilverFin (2005)
- In 1933, thirteen-year-old James Bond arrives at Eton College for the first time to continue his schooling. There he meets an American bully and his arms dealing father, Lord Randolph Hellebore. While on Easter break, Bond's adventure continues in the Highlands of Scotland where James investigates a local boys disappearance. Teaming up with Red Kelly, the boy's cousin, James finally reaches a castle and a loch which is home to the Hellebores and Lord Randolph's genetics project.
- Blood Fever (2006)
- In 1933, James Bond is back at Eton where he is now a member of a secret risk-taking club known as the Danger Society. When summer vacation arrives Bond goes on a field trip to the Italian island of Sardinia where he stays with his much older cousin Victor Delacroix. While there James investigates a Roman secret society known as the Millenaria that had plans throughout history to restore the Roman Empire. Thought to have been defunct, James learns that the Millenaria are still active and are led by the sinister Count Ugo Carnifex.
[edit] Future releases
- Young Bond Book 3
- Occurring over the course of one week in December 1933, Young Bond Book 3 finds James searching for a kidnapped Eton professor in the darkest corners of 1930s London. This book has been completed by Higson and will be released in the UK on January 4, 2007. <ref>Young Bond Book 3 page. The Young Bond Dossier. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.</ref> The title, to be announced on January 3, 2007 will be "Double or Die", "N.E.M.E.S.I.S.", or "The Deadlock Cipher". <ref>Fans to choose title of Young Bond Book 3. Retrieved on October 3, 2006.</ref>
- Young Bond Book 4
- Higson is currently writing Young Bond Book 4, which is set in Mexico and the Caribbean (not the Alps as first announced). <ref>Young Bond heads to Mexico in Book 4. Retrieved on April 14, 2006.</ref> The book is currently slated for released in January 2008 in the UK.
- Young Bond Book 5
- In an interview, Higson stated that Young Bond Book 5 will deal with Bond being forced to leave Eton College due to the incident with the maid, as mentioned in You Only Live Twice. It is believed the Royal Family and the British Secret Service (MI6) will also play a role in young Bond's final adventure. <ref>MI6.co.uk interview with Charlie Higson. In Conversation With Charlie Higson. Retrieved on March 8, 2006.</ref> The book is currently slated for released in January 2009 in the UK.
[edit] History and controversy
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Prior to the release of SilverFin, the idea of a Young Bond series had not gone over too well with the fans of the more traditional Bond literature and had 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 Junior written under the pseudonym R. D. Mascott. There was also a moderately successful James Bond Jr. television series in the early 1990s aimed at children that dealt with Bond's supposed nephew.
John Gardner, who had written fourteen original novels and two novelisations featuring the adult Bond, was also critical of the series prior to the release of the first book. He 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." <ref>John Gardner on Young Bond series. Boys' own James Bond. Retrieved on February 28, 2005.</ref>
Higson, for his part, has been on record as stating that he intends to stay true to the backstory Ian Fleming created for Bond, though this in many ways contradicts the popular James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 by John Pearson, which is considered canonical by some.
When SilverFin was published in March 2005, reviews of the novel were good. This, in addition to a large marketing campaign in the United Kingdom elevated SilverFin to the number eight spot on the The Booksellers list of bestselling children's books in the UK. <ref>'Blood Fever' sales. Blood Fever is #1 Bestseller. Retrieved on January 18, 2006.</ref> By November of 2005, SilverFin had already sold 500,000 copies worldwide.<ref>SilverFin sales. The name's Bond - Bond junior. Retrieved on September 05, 2006.</ref>
A second book in the Young Bond series, Blood Fever, was released on January 5, 2006 in the UK having been delayed from an initial release in October 2005. The book reached the number one spot on The Booksellers list of bestselling children's books in the UK in its second week of release and held the spot for eleven weeks. <ref>Young Bond sales and acclaim. Young Bond at IFP's official site. Retrieved on January 18, 2006.</ref>
[edit] Other media
On April 23, 2005, Ian Fleming Publications released the first illustration of the thirteen-year-old James Bond. Drawn by Kev Walker, there are plans to adapt SilverFin into a graphic novel. Further illustrations by Walker have been used on the official Young Bond website as well as the cover of the U.S. hardback edition of Blood Fever. The SilverFin graphic novel is expected to be released in the UK in Summer 2008, with further adaptations of the novels as well as possible original storylines (possibly written by Higson) on the way. <ref>SilverFin graphic novel information. SilverFin Graphic Novel in Summer 2008. Retrieved on June 8, 2006.</ref>
Due to the success of SilverFin and Blood Fever, Hollywood has been interested in adapting these novels to film, however, Ian Fleming Publications and Charlie Higson have said they hope to release a few more books before possibly considering it. <ref>Young Bond on film. Author resists Young Bond movie. Retrieved on May 30, 2006.</ref> It is generally believed the film rights to James Bond on film reside exclusively with Danjaq, LLC, the parent company of EON Productions, however, according to Charlie Higson this is not exactly the case. <ref>Young Bond film rights. Charlie Higson in Los Angeles. Retrieved on October 20, 2005.</ref>
To coincide with the release of Blood Fever in the UK, PlayerOne published a mobile game adaptation of SilverFin. The game features 3 locations, 15 levels, and a variety of enemies that the player must avoid.
[edit] References
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