JamesInge-Bond007review

BOOK REVIEW

Written by James Inge

Bond...

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STORY AND PLOT

STYLE AND OPINION

Click on the Young Bond image to see the official website!

Dear readers, I'm sure most, if not all, of you know who James Bond is. The Young Bond series is a collection of books about James' early life as a teenager, written by Charlie Higson. The last book, 'By Royal Command' is the book I will be going to review. This book is written in 3rd person. It is also written in three parts: 'Kitzbuhel', 'Eton' and 'Fugitives'. The main characters are: James Bond - after his adventures in Mexico (Hurricane Gold), James is glad to be back at Eton (boarding school). But when his school skiing trip goes dangerously awry, James finds himself yet again in a deadly adventure. Graf von Schlick - the thrill-seeking cousin of King George enjoys riding fast cars and the cool air of his native home Austria. But when James sees him in the mountains while on a skiing trip, things do not look like they seem. Has James seen the Graf somewhere before? Roan Power - The new maid at Eton, Roan is a tough, witty and beautiful girl and she soon makes an impression on James and his school friends. Dandy O' Keefe - A friend of the new boy's maid, Roan, James Bond is both wondering and suspicious of the rogue-like and charming Dandy... Mr Merriot - He is James' classical tutor who is responsible for overseeing James' 'educational curriculum' while at Eton. Who would have known that this man played a far more important role than just teaching... Colonel Irena Sedova aka Babushka, 'The Grandmother' - A spy from the OGPU, Sedova was last seen in 'Double or Die' , and now she's back, trying to find out what has been happening in her 'spy cell', which leads to one name - James Bond. BY ROYAL COMMAND Following a nearly impossible rescue mission high in the freezing Alps, James Bond is preparing for life back at Eton. But James is under surveillance; his every move is being watched. Only he knows the vital clue to a sinister plot that will bring chaos and bloodshed to his school - and his country. Forced to flee from Eton to Austria, James must leave behind everything he knows, with only a beautiful - and - dangerous girl by his side. He soon finds himself trapped in a shadowy war of secrets and lies, as a nightmare-come-true reunion with a deadly enemy puts him in the face of death. Will James Bond once again escape death?

The Series

Before the name became a legend. Before the boy became the man. Meet Bond. James Bond.

I chose this book because I have read all the others, and also because I didn't know how James Bond spent his teenage years, as all the movies show him when he is an adult. I think this novel shows that James Bond is coming of age, not just a young boy playing with danger, but a more mature person. He is not only saving his skin, but other people's lives as well, including loved ones - and facing all the consequences... Reading this book, and the rest of the series, Mr. Higson has really shown and exaggerated that James Bond was born with the blood of a spy, like his father before him. Always looking for action and adventure, the teenage spy is rarely in his room studying in the whole course of the book! I think Charlie Higson was the right person to write this series, like Ian Fleming was for the original James Bond series. He has the knack of being very imaginative, describing everything in exhausting detail. Even though his ideas are very imaginative, he keeps all of them under the line of being totally impossible. For this book, Mr. Higson has also researched on a great deal of things. Reading the book, you could see that he had studied a lot about secret operations between World War I & II. He also went to the Alps to study the mountains, helping him describe them in greater detail in the book. He even went skiing! As well as this he also learnt quite a lot about Eton, the boarding school James Bond was at (in the book), from a book called 'Eton Portrait'. This shows how much effort was put into this book and the rest in the Young Bond Series. I would recommend this book (and the whole series) to anyone who likes thrillers and enjoy action-packed adventures! I would also recommend this book because the story line is excellent and the action just keeps on coming, getting faster and faster. Overall, I would rate this book A* and it is a must-read, you can't put the book down until you finish it!

With thanks to Charlie Higson and Ian Fleming, Mr. Higson for writig one of the best series ever, Mr. Fleming for creating James Bond for all of us. Thank You!

FACTS about the book: Set in 1934, when James Bond is 14 years old. Locations in the story: the Alps (Kitzbuhel), Austria; London, England; France, Lisbon and Vienna.

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