40 replies to this topic

[Jim]

Is there much breadth of character left for Young Bond? Incident aside.

[zencat]

Is there much breadth of character left for Young Bond? Incident aside.

Well, they way I see it, Charlie Higson created five excellent books out of single line in the M/Fleming obit. Young Bond's Fettes years got a full paragraph in that same obit. Take that and mix with Charlie's imagination...we've only just begun.

[Jim]

Is there much breadth of character left for Young Bond? Incident aside.

Well, they way I see it, Charlie Higson created five excellent books out of single line in the M/Fleming obit. Young Bond's Fettes years got a full paragraph in that same obit. Take that and mix with Charlie's imagination...we've only just begun.

Yeah, but the way I read the (excellent) By Royal Command is that in his mindset, cynicism and general all-round worldview, James Bond could have walked down that mountain into the pages of Casino Royale - albeit twenty years later.

Fettes, starting to kill people, WWII etc - all doubtless exciting events but he'd be James Bond at the start of them and James Bond at the end of them. There would be stories and there would be adventures - plenty of incident - but I'm not sure the main character would be quite as compelling again.

I'm actually wanting to pay a compliment to By Royal Command - its success is that it's a James Bond novel - but it may look a bit backhanded when I wonder if the book hasn't written Young Bond into a bit of a corner as a character. I'm not too sure there's anywhere further to go with him, at least at that age. Fast forward a few years to War Bond, who at least can indulge in some .. um ... adult escapades.

[David Schofield]

Is there much breadth of character left for Young Bond? Incident aside.

Well, they way I see it, Charlie Higson created five excellent books out of single line in the M/Fleming obit. Young Bond's Fettes years got a full paragraph in that same obit. Take that and mix with Charlie's imagination...we've only just begun.

Yeah, but the way I read the (excellent) By Royal Command is that in his mindset, cynicism and general all-round worldview, James Bond could have walked down that mountain into the pages of Casino Royale - albeit twenty years later.

Fettes, starting to kill people, WWII etc - all doubtless exciting events but he'd be James Bond at the start of them and James Bond at the end of them. There would be stories and there would be adventures - plenty of incident - but I'm not sure the main character would be quite as compelling again.

I'm actually wanting to pay a compliment to By Royal Command - its success is that it's a James Bond novel - but it may look a bit backhanded when I wonder if the book hasn't written Young Bond into a bit of a corner as a character. I'm not too sure there's anywhere further to go with him, at least at that age. Fast forward a few years to War Bond, who at least can indulge in some .. um ... adult escapades.

Na. Young Bond still needs to learn what to do with his cock from that Parisian tart before he becomes James Bond....

But, of course, you are quite right: the weariness that Fleming implies as a result of WW2 (1939-45, for our American readers)and early years with MI6 IS replaced by the trials Bond has been through in the five Higson tales.

Indeed, you can see WHY Bond mouths-off to Mathis in CR.

"Playing Red Indians! I've been ing playing Red Indians since I was 13. And they were using real arrows! And then those damn Nazis! I'm ing knackered.

And now Le Chiffre gives my goolies a whacking!!! Sod that lot. I'm off."

"Ah, James", Mathis sighed. "If only you'd learned to put you hands in the air like a good Frenchman.(You'd have still been invited to the D Day celebrations 65 years later)"

[Double-Oh Agent]

I think it's a mistake not to do a Bond novel set in contemporary times but that's my opinion.

I agree with that. The period Bond continuation novels are a good thing, but there's no need to limit Bond to the 50s/60s. It would 1) deny Bond the status of timeless spy he acquired thanks to the success of the film franchise 2) cut the literary Bond too drastically from the fanbase who came to Bond from the films, and think of him as a contemporary figure....I believe IFP should commission contemporary continuation novels. They shouldn't abandon completely period novels, but it seems to me rather difficult to have another long series of period Bond novels tying in with Fleming, given the chronology of the character.

My vote goes for continuation novels in the present day. Bond has always been timeless and should continue to be so. While Bond works great as a Cold War warrior, he also lives five minutes into the future--a trait that would not be applicable if he is placed back in the '60s.

As for the thread's choices, however, I would go with an adult continuation one-off, although I would rather keep an author around for longer than one novel (but not Sebastian Faulks).

[zencat]

Is there much breadth of character left for Young Bond? Incident aside.

Well, they way I see it, Charlie Higson created five excellent books out of single line in the M/Fleming obit. Young Bond's Fettes years got a full paragraph in that same obit. Take that and mix with Charlie's imagination...we've only just begun.

Yeah, but the way I read the (excellent) By Royal Command is that in his mindset, cynicism and general all-round worldview, James Bond could have walked down that mountain into the pages of Casino Royale - albeit twenty years later.

Fettes, starting to kill people, WWII etc - all doubtless exciting events but he'd be James Bond at the start of them and James Bond at the end of them. There would be stories and there would be adventures - plenty of incident - but I'm not sure the main character would be quite as compelling again.

I'm actually wanting to pay a compliment to By Royal Command - its success is that it's a James Bond novel - but it may look a bit backhanded when I wonder if the book hasn't written Young Bond into a bit of a corner as a character. I'm not too sure there's anywhere further to go with him, at least at that age. Fast forward a few years to War Bond, who at least can indulge in some .. um ... adult escapades.

Yeah, I see your point. But I'm perfectly happy with just "plenty of incident." And I expect Charlie would find a new and compelling multi-book arc, even if it's more of a plot artifice than character transformation.

[Jim]

Is there much breadth of character left for Young Bond? Incident aside.

Well, they way I see it, Charlie Higson created five excellent books out of single line in the M/Fleming obit. Young Bond's Fettes years got a full paragraph in that same obit. Take that and mix with Charlie's imagination...we've only just begun.

Yeah, but the way I read the (excellent) By Royal Command is that in his mindset, cynicism and general all-round worldview, James Bond could have walked down that mountain into the pages of Casino Royale - albeit twenty years later.

Fettes, starting to kill people, WWII etc - all doubtless exciting events but he'd be James Bond at the start of them and James Bond at the end of them. There would be stories and there would be adventures - plenty of incident - but I'm not sure the main character would be quite as compelling again.

I'm actually wanting to pay a compliment to By Royal Command - its success is that it's a James Bond novel - but it may look a bit backhanded when I wonder if the book hasn't written Young Bond into a bit of a corner as a character. I'm not too sure there's anywhere further to go with him, at least at that age. Fast forward a few years to War Bond, who at least can indulge in some .. um ... adult escapades.

Yeah, I see your point. But I'm perfectly happy with just "plenty of incident." And I expect Charlie would find a new and compelling multi-book arc, even if it's more of a plot artifice than character transformation.

True, I'm sure he could! Still, they're a nice little bubble of sustained and consistent brilliance (although I'm still not a great fan of Silverfin, the other four are splendid and more than outweigh its frailties). I worry that one may just go that once too often to the well. Wouldn't want it just to happen for the sake of it. I'm just not convinced there's much more "Young Bond" to tell. A slightly older Bond, say another decade on mid-WWII, would offer up opportunities for killing and drinking and smoking and knobbing and all that sort of exciting stuff, and offer up some new character points with those additional features. I would prefer that Young Bond had run its course. Still, not my decision.

[DAN LIGHTER]

I would quite like to see more Young Bond by Charlie. But if he cant do it then drop the Young Bond thing as someone else would no doubt it up a little.

Having said that, you could get a new author in to bring Young Bond into the 00s like Gardner did to Bond in the 80s. Bond could wear a hoddy, hang around in a gang and stab you to death if you tried to stand up to the little yobs.

[marktmurphy]

True, I'm sure he could! Still, they're a nice little bubble of sustained and consistent brilliance (although I'm still not a great fan of Silverfin, the other four are splendid and more than outweigh its frailties). I worry that one may just go that once too often to the well. Wouldn't want it just to happen for the sake of it. I'm just not convinced there's much more "Young Bond" to tell. A slightly older Bond, say another decade on mid-WWII, would offer up opportunities for killing and drinking and smoking and knobbing and all that sort of exciting stuff, and offer up some new character points with those additional features. I would prefer that Young Bond had run its course. Still, not my decision.

Yes, I'm also not that worried about a series kept aloft by nothing but incident (that's what Bond always was, after all- it shows how successful Young Bond has been, I think, for us to be talking about how it should be something more than the original was) but perhaps there could be a way of spicing up the Fettes years- have Bond experience his Empire Strikes Back moment and fall to the dark side for a bit; have him recruited by nefarious peoples (perhaps some sort of school political club), turn him into a bully... not sure. The obit says it was a Calvinistic atmosphere there.. perhaps Bond loses his faith in controlling his own destiny and falls in with a bad lot?
I don't know, I'm just thinking aloud, and it probably just brings his state of mind back to where we left it at the end of By Royal Command as you say, but if they're anywhere near the standard of the previous serious that wouldn't put me off reading them. War Bond (love how that pun of yours has stuck, Jim!) would be my preference though, yes.

[Thunderball302]

I now I'm not with the mainstream of this website, but I'd appreciate a "present days" Bond continuation novel (but no novelisation, please): let's not restrain Bond to the 50s/60s! IMO, there is room for parallel series of Bond continuations, as period pieces like DMC, or as contemporary spy novels. And no, because it's set nowadays it doesn't have to be crap (and vice versa...)!

I'd also like Sam Weinberg to give another try at the Bond universe. I don't think there's room for another Moneypenny book, since she brilliantly concluded the trilogy, but she did such an amazing job with her series that I would like to see what she'd come up with, had she the possibility to have another take on Bond. I'd be really interested if she were to pen an official adult Bond continuation novel!

i agree - it is time for a new Bond series set in today's world!

i would like to see Higson have a go at the adult Bond in a series set in this century.

i would also like to see matthew Reilly try his hand at Bond.

[clinkeroo]

Indeed, you can see WHY Bond mouths-off to Mathis in CR.

"Playing Red Indians! I've been ing playing Red Indians since I was 13. And they were using real arrows! And then those damn Nazis! I'm ing knackered.

And now Le Chiffre gives my goolies a whacking!!! Sod that lot. I'm off."

"Ah, James", Mathis sighed. "If only you'd learned to put you hands in the air like a good Frenchman.(You'd have still been invited to the D Day celebrations 65 years later)"

Priceless.

Needed a good laugh tonight. Thanks, David.