12 replies to this topic

[bleary_25]

"A Whisper of Love, A Whisper of Hate" is a Young James Bond short story. My reason behind writing the story is also at the above link.

Discussions would be greatly appreciated here. Thanks.

Edited by Qwerty, 09 February 2005 - 04:38 PM.

[Jim]

Sorry, I answered in the wrong place. (See the other thread).

[bleary_25]

Sorry, I answered in the wrong place. (See the other thread).

I saw your comments in the other thread - but I'm still getting the hang of what is the right place and what isn't.

Glad you like the title. I didn't write the story with a title in mind, but then this reference to "Casino Royale" seemed perfect!

And CBn did seem like the best place to post about it!

[Jim]

Sorry, I answered in the wrong place. (See the other thread).

I saw your comments in the other thread - but I'm still getting the hang of what is the right place and what isn't.

Wouldn't worry; I've been here ages and I still don't know!

[Xenobia]

I also feel your title is perfect, and it certainly serves as the beginning of the voices that will guide Bond's life.

If CH follows in this pattern, he will do alright.

Well done Bleary, though I can't see why you call yourself that. There is nothing bleary about this writing.

-- Xenobia

[Ry]

Bleary,
Excellent short story. I felt completely a part of young Bond's world with his aunt Charmian in just those few pages. What a great beginning to some hopefully more interesting stories of young Bond.

[Tanger]

Wow. Excellent Bleary. If Higson's is only half as good then he's on to a winner. This is a brilliant piece, very well done.
And welcome to CBn!

[bleary_25]

I'm glad everyone enjoyed it so much.

And I hope Higson is allowed to really get into the young Bond's mind. Fleming was able to get under Bond's skin and into his thoughts a lot in his later books.

The biggest problem, I feel, that Higson will have is the type of adventures he'll send young Bond on. They'll have to compare - in some ways - to the adventures we expect a grown up 007 to have. Perhaps they'll be smaller in scale, but there will be a nemesis that needs to be defeated.

My short story side-steps the need for anything approaching a novel-size plot, just because I wanted to see how a Young James Bond might have thought.

Thanks for your comments - and glad to be here!

(There might be a follow-up to this story eventually - something set at Eton or surrounding Bond being expelled from there.)

[Tarl_Cabot]

OK, I hate to be a snot but.... the notion of a 'Young' James Bond story just annoys me-having said that I haven't read yours so I probably should before I comment. I just think George Lucas made a terrible mistake by giving us the total dismantlement of Indianna Jones's mystery by his creating of that contrived Young Indianna Jone$ series. We now have Smallville too. Our classic heroes are being exploited by the youth facists(the youth market industry).Our heroes have to be identifiable by teens/kids? Do we really need to see Bond as a lad? The first 15 minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark told me everything I wanted to know about Indiana Jones.The early James Bond films did the same for me too.I really don't care about James Bond, the boy. I really didn't care for Darth Vader as a 9 year old either.I'd hate to see Bond's universe get too invaded the way Star Wars/Trek did.

[bleary_25]

OK, I hate to be a snot but.... the notion of a 'Young' James Bond story just annoys me-having said that I haven't read yours so I probably should before I comment. I just think George Lucas made a terrible mistake by giving us the total dismantlement of Indianna Jones's mystery by his creating of that contrived Young Indianna Jone$ series. We now have Smallville too. Our classic heroes are being exploited by the youth facists(the youth market industry).Our heroes have to be identifiable by teens/kids? Do we really need to see Bond as a lad? The first 15 minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark told me everything I wanted to know about Indiana Jones.The early James Bond films did the same for me too.I really don't care about James Bond, the boy. I really didn't care for Darth Vader as a 9 year old either.I'd hate to see Bond's universe get too invaded the way Star Wars/Trek did.

Well I don't take any personal offence at the notion.

Prequels are almost universally bad. Some have merit. Mostly they are cheap and unnecessary.

But it's all personal opinion. David Lynch's greatest film is "Fire Walk With Me" - the prequel to his TV series Twin Peaks. Many people call "Godfather, Part II" superior to the original and much of Part II is set prior to Part I, with Robert DeNiro exploring Vito Corleone's youth.

The notion of a Young James Bond story sent my hackles up at first mention because I thought "Harry Potter"! Not that Harry Potter is bad, mind you, just that this is the model Higson seems to be basing his novels on - ie. James Bond begins at Eton in Book 1.

Much of my dismay comes from the idea that Bond in these new books will have adventures - a 13 year old version of his adult 007 adventures. The implication is that the character has always had a life that looks the same - filled with missions and villains and girls in tight dresses. Like some proto-Cody Banks. <shudder>

But then it occured to me that much of Fleming's Bond backstory is interesting and *could* make the subject of interesting stories - not necessarily ones that IFP will publish and market for children, though.

So with that in mind, I wanted to create something that spoke to my notion of the character as a child. What was he like back then? How does a young boy cope with the death of his parents? How does he feel about being packed off to boarding school by the only member of the family he has left?

Okay, it's not villains and gadgets and martinis - but it is the character.

The notion of seeing grown up characters as children sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I have no trouble imagining Indiana Jones having adventures as a child - so the YIJ series never worried me.

I never particularly wanted to see Anakin Skywalker as a 7 year old... but "The Phantom Menace" isn't all bad.

Yes, I realise Young James Bond is a marketing exercie. Yes, I think we all know there will be compromises made to the character and the backstory - which I won't forgive. But I still maintain looking at the character's past - to see what makes them them - is valid.

My story is an attempt to do that without the shackles of giving people much of what they *expect* from a James Bond novel or short story.

[Tarl_Cabot]

I did like 'Fire walk with me'.

Good luck with your Bond novel then.Too each his own.

[Icephoenix]

Wow, very nice writing Bleary! . Sure, I HATE the idea of a young Bond series, but you've done a very cool piece. If only it all stays at that.

[bleary_25]

Wow, very nice writing Bleary! . Sure, I HATE the idea of a young Bond series, but you've done a very cool piece. If only it all stays at that.

I'm glad you liked it. I will be writing another story soon, I just have this itch that needs to be scratched it seems.

More and more it makes me interested in seeing what Charlie Higson brings to the stories. But even if his suck, at least I'll have mine to keep me warm at night ;-)