On His Majesty’s Secret Service (James Bond 007)

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I loved Higson's Young James Bond novels. But I don't think his young James Bond was really the person that would become Fleming's Bond - too caring, good-natured and sympathetic - and with good reason for these books.

Some say that Fleming’s last novel was unpolished before he died, I find it a far better job than this Higson effort but recognize the time pressure he faced with this novel. And I applaud the content which was created in such a short time. I even enjoy the use of the word bitch used in 1953 and in this novel 70 years onwards, it is nice remembrance towards 007’s first and latest lady in a novel.Corinne Turner, managing director of Ian Fleming Publications, said the book would be the publisher’s own way of marking both the coronation of Charles, and 60 years since the publication of Fleming’s thriller Her Majesty's Secret Service, from which the new volume derives its name. Higson was educated at Sevenoaks School and at the University of East Anglia (where his brother has taught since 1986 and is now a professor of film studies) where he met Paul Whitehouse, David Cummings and Terry Edwards. Higson, Cummings and Edwards formed the band The Higsons of which Higson was the lead singer from 1980 to 1986. They released two singles on the Specials' 2-Tone label. Higson then became a plasterer before he turned to writing for Harry Enfield with Paul Whitehouse and performing comedy. He came to public attention as one of the main writers and performers of the BBC Two sketch show The Fast Show (1994-2000). He worked with Whitehouse on the radio comedy Down the Line and is to work with him again on a television project, designed to be a spoof of celebrity travel programmes.[1:]

Bizarrely Daniel Craig's incarnation in the films was probably the closest. Maybe it's just easier cinematically, because you don't have to try and describe Bond's thoughts, which is where it falls down - when Fleming did, they revealed a deeply flawed and at times quite nasty person. So Fleming's Bond was really an anti-hero and modern writers try to write him as a Hero. Much has been made of On His Majesty’s Secret Service being written in a hurry and I was, in truth, expecting a much slimmer volume. But, despite the need to get it written, edited and printed prior to the Coronation, this is a full length Bond novel. It’s also full bore and never for one second boring. Higson has written five novels in the Young Bond series, which are young adult spy novels featuring Bond as a teenage boy attending school at Eton College in the 1930s. The final novel in the series was published 15 years ago.Getting it written and turned around in such a short space of time was going to be as tense and heart-pounding as any Bond mission. Although, of course, nobody would actually be shooting at me.