SilverFin
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
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 in conjunction with a large marketing campaign in the UK. A Canadian release of the same edition occurred in late March. The U.S. edition of SilverFin was released on April 27, 2005 by Miramax Books. The book is also set to be released in Germany in August 2005, retitled as "Silent Waters Are Deadly".
For SilverFin, Ian Fleming Publications and its author Charlie Higson chose the year 1920 as the birth year for James Bond. SilverFin takes place in 1933.
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Young Bond series
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 still 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. Ian Fleming Publications made the decision to delay the book after the latest Bond film, Casino Royale, was delayed from 2005 to 2006.
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 1960s. This plan, however, fell apart and Higson agreed to author future books in the series. So far 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..."
On April 23, 2005, Ian Fleming Publications released the first illustration of the thirteen year old Bond. It is currently expected that this illustration or one similar to it will appear on book two of the "Young James Bond" series. Additionally a graphic novel is expected at the end of 2006.
The idea of a Young James Bond film has been brought up with the success of SilverFin, however Ian Fleming Publications at this point is hoping to release a few more books before possibly considering it. It has been believed the film rights to James Bond on film reside exclusively with EON Productions, Danjaq, L.L.C., and MGM, however, according to Charlie Higson this is not exactly the case [1] (http://www.commanderbond.net/Public/Stories/2759-1.shtml).
Plot summary
SilverFin is broken up into three parts as well as a prologue. During the prologue a red headed kid named Alfie Kelly is mysteriously killed after attempting to fish at Loch Silverfin, a lake in Scotland.
The first part of the book chronicles Bond's starting attendance at Eton College. There he meets Pritpal, a boy from India and the son of a maharajah. The two become good friends and live together in the dorms. Bond also comes into contact with George Hellebore, an American bully two years older than James. George's father, Lord Randolph Hellebore is an armament dealer who sold weapons to various countries after World War I. It's later revealed that Lord Randolph knew Bond's father, Andrew Bond, who also sold arms for a company named Vickers post-World War I. Lord Randolph arrives at Eton to direct and host a tournament cup ("Hellebore Cup") for the boys. The cup is broken up into three competitions; shooting, swimming, and running. Bond places seventh in shooting, third in his heat as a swimming (which wasn't good enough to qualify for the final race), and first in cross country running. During the running sequence Lord Randolph attempted to help his son cheat so that he could win the tournament, however, Bond after watching George take a shortcut a first time decided to follow George the next time, which allowed Bond to take first place being the superior runner. Because Bond won first in running George Hellebore won second place in the cup overall, which was unacceptable by his father's standards.
The second part of the novel details Bond's Easter break. James travels to Scotland to meet up with his Aunt Charmain who is visiting Bond's ailing Uncle, Max. Both Charmain and Max are siblings of Bond's father, Andrew. It's also in this part of the novel that Bond reveals the details of his parents death that were first mentioned in Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice. While traveling to Scotland, Bond befriends an older boy named "Red" Kelly who is traveling to the same place in search for his missing cousin, Alfie. While staying at his Uncle's place Bond learns how to drive his Uncle's car and finds out that his Uncle was a spy during World War I. Bond also learns that Lord Randolph Hellebore owns a large stretch of land nearby that includes Loch Silverfin. He later meets back up with Red and ventures to Hellebore's estate where the two encounter Mike Moran ("the meatpacker"), a Pinkerton's detective from New York City sent to invesitgate Lord Randolph Hellebore at the behest of Hellebore's ex-wife who suspects Lord Randolph of having killed his brother, her lover, Algar. Days later the meatpacker goes missing and Bond along with Red infiltrate the Hellebore estate and finally attempt to gain access to the castle.
Prior to infiltrating the castle, Red fell out of a tree and broke his leg and was unable to continue on. James, however, climbed the tree and entered the castle. After snooping around Bond bumps his head and is captured. When Bond regains consciousness he is tied to a table and Lord Randolph begins to interrogate him. Hellebore explains to James that he and his brother set out to create better and stronger soldiers by manipulating the endocrine system. Because its difficult to find humans to test on, Algar tested the first "SilverFin serum" on himself. Initially it worked, however, it later failed and Algar was physically transformed into a half-man half-eel. Lord Randolph later perfected the serum and was able to turn it into a pill. The pill essentially acts a steroid making anyone who uses it more agile, stronger, etc. for a temporary set of time. Hellebore even tests this pill on his own son (James had actually witnessed this during the cross-country race). Lord Randolph reveals that he tested the SilverFin serum on Alfie Kelly, the boy whom Bond is searching for, however, Kelly couldn't handle it and died. Later Bond is drugged as well with the SilverFin serum and locked in a cell. Bond, however, escapes the cell and the estate only to return shortly later with George Hellbore as an ally to destroy Lord Randolph's lab. George has increasingly become upset with his dreadful father, his work, and secretly wishes to be with his mother more than anything. The two destroy the lab and are later confronted by Lord Randolph who intends to kill them both. He, however, is drowned by his brother, Algar, who Lord Randolph had imprisoned in the castle. Algar is also killed in the fight.
Bond collapses shortly after and for ten days goes unconscious due to the SilverFin serum, which doesn't appear to effect him after awakening. When Bond regains consciousness he learns that George moved back to America to be with his mother and that his Uncle Max had passed away.
| Author: | Publisher: | Hardback: | Paperback: | Alternate titles: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Higson | Ian Fleming Publications | (US) 2005 | (US) | |
| Preceded by: Die Another Day (film novelization) - Final book of adult Bond series | ||||
| Followed by: TBA (tentatively scheduled for release January 2006; working title Double M) | ||||
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."
- Bond's Aunt Charmain drives an identical Bentley to one Bond drives in Casino Royale and in subsequent books. Bond also inherits his Uncles 1.5 liter Bamford & Martin Sidevalue Short Chassis Tourer. Bamford & Martin later became Aston Martin.
- During a scene at a circus the announcer presents "The Mighty Donovan". "The Mighty O'Donovan" is Donovan "Red" Grant's father, referenced in From Russia With Love.
References
- "MI6.co.uk coverage and review (http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/literary/silverfin.php3?t=&s=)." Young Bond: SilverFin (2005). Accessed on April 27, 2005.
- "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang review (http://www.ianfleming.org/mt_content/000245.html)." Review: 'SilverFin' Debuts Young Bond. Accessed on April 27, 2005.
- "Young Bond graphic novel information (http://www.commanderbond.net/Public/Stories/2743-1.shtml)." Young Bond Gets Graphic. Accessed on April 27, 2005.
See also
- Alex Rider, a series of books by Anthony Horowitz about a fourteen year old boy working for MI6. Often referred as a 'youthful James Bond.'
External links
- Official Young Bond website (http://www.youngbond.com/)
