Charlie Higson, Young Bond: Silverfin

Charlie Higson, Young Bond: Silverfin - Book #1 was a very good book which I would recommend to anyone who likes spy/adventure books. It isn't written like all the previous James Bond books by Ian Flemming because the book is written for children/teens (and even adults would joy it) and is very easy to read and the plot is easy to follow.

Charlie Higson, Young Bond: Silverfin - Book #1 - In the 1930s in the Scottish Highlands, fourteen-year-old Alphie Kelly sneaks under a fence that contain dead animals and other keep out trespassing notices to go fishing at Loch Silverfin. However, strange behaving eel attack the lad.

At the same time that Alphie vanishes, James Bond enters Eton after spending the last couple of years living with his Aunt Charmian following the deaths of his parents in a mountain-climbing incident. He runs into trouble from the start with an older student, American George Hellebore and the teen's father, weapons tycoon Randolph.

James heads to Keithly, Scotland, to spend the Easter holidays with his beloved aunt and his ailing Uncle Max. On the train, he befriends Red Kelly who is heading to the same area to search for his missing cousin. In Keithly, James and Red breech the perimeter fence, trespassing on Randolph's property where he is conducting experiments on a super soldier that will eliminate the frailty of those he observed during the last Great War.

SILVERFIN is a fine young James Bond tale in which the lad shows glimpses of the cool spy, but just as often displays young teen bravado to hide a lack of confidence. Thus the middle school audience that this novel targets can believe that this is indeed James during his school years. The investigation is intriguing and Randolph is a solid Bond villain. The Eton chapters set the tone for James and his allies vs. the father and son Hellebores. Fans will enjoy their altercation that makes up Part Two of the fine novel.

Harriet Klausner