Customer Reviews

Bloodfever (Young Bond)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For this old 007 fan, Charlie Higson's first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, was a mixed bag. Clearly a book written for a preteen target audience, it too often seemed to mimic a Harry Potter adventure. I'm happy to report this is NOT the case with Young Bond Book 2: Blood Fever, which takes a confident quantum leap into maturity and gives Bond fans of all ages one of the very best James Bond novels yet written.

The key difference seems to be that SilverFin was written as a children's book (which could still be enjoyed by adults), while Blood Fever appears to have been written with a more mature (even adult) readership in mind. This is a tougher, darker, much more violent book than SilverFin. It even includes a classic Bondian torture scene (but don't panic, parents, the torture is more about endurance than person-to-person sadism). But because Blood Fever chronicles the adventures of a 14 year old, it's still very much a novel young readers will find thrilling--even dangerous. This one may need to be smuggled beneath the sheets and read by flashlight--which is precisely where a James Bond book SHOULD be read. Ian Fleming would be proud.

The villain in Blood Fever, Count Ugo Carnifex, is a true Bond baddie in the most classic sense, with a lair and scheme reflecting every inch of his megalomania. This is the best drawn Bond villain, book or film, we've encountered in some time. Secondary characters are also marvelously conceived, but it's the character of young Bond who stands head and shoulders above all others. The timid, apologetic youngster of SilverFin is long gone. Here, we have a teenage James with all the skills and swagger of Ian Fleming's secret agent. He coolly defies the villain, finds kinship with bandits, and gets visceral excitement by diving off high cliffs and driving fast cars. This Bond is no Harry Potter clone. This is the boy who will become 007 and who could kick the pixy dust out of any character in the Potter universe.

One thing that is still not a part of the Young Bond universe, even in this more mature version, is sex. However, there is some simmering eroticism in how Ugo's decrepit sister leers at handsome young James, and clearly, the animalistic Vendetta has some carnal curiosity. Bond even delivers his first "hard kiss on the mouth" in Blood Fever. But that's as far as Higson takes it. Bond's resistance to his female admirers seems more rooted in chivalry than nervous preadolescence (as in SilverFin), and besides, danger is always too close for such "distractions."

Some Bond fans have resisted the Young Bond series based on concept alone. Even I admitted that SilverFin wouldn't change the minds of the most entrenched fans. However, with Blood Fever, that resistance is now foolish. Bond fans are denying themselves a better Bond adventure than most of the recent James Bond films. There has been much talk lately about bringing Bond back to basics. Well, those basics are being practiced right here in the Young Bond series.

So for you holdouts, my advice would be to take the plunge with Blood Fever. Young or old, this is James Bond at his very best!

With one of the most ardent critics of the Young Bond idea recently stating on a fan-run Web site that author Charlie Higson's second foray into the world of a teenage James Bond was so good that he read it twice. Higson certainly seems to have come a long way since the initial announcement of his assignment was received with an equal mixture of curiosity and horror by the fan community.

Certainly the author seems more settled and sure-footed in his sophomore effort, perhaps due to the plaudits his first Young Bond novel SILVERFIN received from critics and Bond fans alike and the impressive sales that it managed in the United Kingdom. Or the fact that it was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel of 2005.

The second novel BLOOD FEVER also benefits from what I feel is a more compelling plot. To be honest the first novel with its tale of an American millionaire injecting eel serum into humans seemed a little too much like Fu Manchu for a Bond thriller and was saved in large part by Higson's wonderful prose. Here, he combines that writing style with a plot surrounding an effort by a Sardininan count to resurrect the Holy Roman Empire in a vibrant concoction that includes pirates, art theft, secret societies, seaplanes, intrigue and a mermaid. Well, okay so the lead female character is referred to as a mermaid, but more on her later.

It can be argued that Higson mimics certain trademark components of the movie series. Each novel has what is essentially a pretitles sequence and here we have a very exciting account of pirates overrunning a private yacht off the coast of Greece and the kidnapping of the two female passengers. We then join James at Eton who has become part of a society addicted to danger. Soon the young Bond comes into contact with some shadowy figures and stumbles upon a plot by a group to bring back the former glory of Italy.

One of Higson's many strengths is painting unusual and interesting villains. During his book tour in 2005 to promote his first book he spoke of the difficulty of coming up with such characters and remaining politically correct at the same time. Gone are the days when a physical handicap can be used to describe a villain. Whereas the main villain in SILVERFIN was drawn as a near perfect human specimen, here the main villain has an abject fear of dirt and is constantly witnessed screaming at people (including young Bond) as he attempts to keep himself and the area around him pristine.

There is also an eclectic group of supporting characters, from the stammering friend of James', Perry to the Sardinian teenage rogues of Mauro and Stefano and from James' cousin Victor to the pirate Zoltan. It's certainly a colorful cast of characters and they help elevate this work into one of the more enjoyable teen thrillers of the past decade.

Another particular strength for Higson appears to be his ability to create strong modern female characters despite the stories being set in the 1930s. Here we not only have Amy Goodenough but also Vendetta. Although Amy is clearly meant to be the lead female character, the far more interesting character for me was the young bandit girl Vendetta who is out for revenge for the murder of her brother as well as more than a casual romantic interest for the stand-offish Bond. I would hope that she appears in one of Higson's later novels though I suspect that the English girl Amy has a better chance of appearing later with her brother being a school friend of Bond's.

And Higson seems particularly adept at action scenes - which is a skill that few Bond continuation authors have been able to master. Here we have everything from a rooftop chase to a boxing match between James and the Eton bully. It is here that we see Higson's chief villain employ another trademark trait - ie the need to cheat at sports. Certainly in the movies from Goldfinger at cards and golf to Kamal Khan at blackgammon, some of the best moments in the film series have come from Bond using the villains own tactics against him and this match-up is no exception here. With weights in his gloves each blow from the bully feels like (as James puts it) being hit by a motor car, but it also makes the bully tire faster and eventually unable to protect himself.

On a sidenote, Higson's first outing was censored slightly (and inexplicably) for its U.S. release. And even though it has been reported that there are no cuts included in this novel it's hard to imagine that as the case since this is perhaps even more adult a Young Bond novel than its predecessor.

This novel really is a great read and a real bona fide page-turner. It's been a long time since I could honestly say that a book was one I simply "couldn't put down," but this is definitely the case here. My only real complaint is that although it was 371 pages long I wished it was longer because I was having such a good time reading it.

Charlie Higgins has produced another winner in this second installment of his "Young James Bond" series. His grasp of the character and traditional style make these novels, arguably, the best Bond stories since Ian Fleming's death. Don't let the "young readers" tag fool you; these adventure yarns rank on a par with Harry Potter in terms of rollicking enjoyment for readers of all ages.

I consider myself a well read Bond person, even used the early Bond films in the classroom, and have had the opportunity to meet many of those connected with the films at various conventions and gatherings. Author Charlie Higson has done the impossible. He has restored the flavor that the better Ian Fleming books had, the special touch that made one read a Fleming novel more than once to recapture the joy.

Not to take anything away from John Gardner who frankly is a great writer, however his many books beyond the Bond ones were better done as he was not restricted. Raymond Benson means well and I can enjoy his stories, but it is not James Bond. It is just that Ian Fleming had a special way of handling his super spy that has up til now not been equalled.

In Blood Fever, as in the first book in the series, Silverfin, the author has gone to the young Bond. At the appropriate age as Fleming had Bond in his mid thirties in the early 1950's. The young James Bond series is placed in the proper time in history for realism and the author has done a beautiful job in describing places and settings. He has taken the few facts given by Fleming about Bond's beginnings and has weaved them into a beautful tapestry of stories true to the character. As in the first book, Blood Fever gives you an insight into things that later would mark Bond as a man and it is fascinating to watch his development.

The plotting is excellent and you feel as though the real father of Bond, Fleming, is alive and well and at his best. You have super villains, young ladies appropriate to the age, (James is not into girls yet), and very tight and careful plotting. If anything the flow is better than some of Fleming's last books.

Now comes the long wait for the next one. It would be hoped that Charlie Higson would not end the series with Bond becoming a man. Certainly there are great stories that could be told about Bond during the World War Two years, Fleming gave some hints about what Bond was doing then.

Yes, I will be reading both these books on the young Bond a second time. It is good to see the flavor of the original James Bond returned, something that has not really been accomplished by the film actors. I love Sean Connery, and consider him the best, but he was still so different from the Bond in the books.

Blood Fever is about a boy named James, that goes to the island of Sardinia on a class trip. On the island he starts to reveal a mystery about one of the most dangerous men in Europe. He will encounter many obstacles in his journey to stop him from ruling Europe.Will he stop him or not?
In my personal opinion Blood Fever was a better than the first book of this series,Silverfin. I still liked Silverfin and it was a great lead up to Blood Fever. The reason I liked Blood Fever more than Silver fin was because it had more action. The book was as I said action-packed and was also a mystery. James acts as a dare-devil and detective at the same time to solve the mystery. He will do some crazy stunts while trying to find out a "clue".of the mystery. Last of all people who loved Midnight Rider will love this book. I loved this book.

In this, the second Young James Bond novel BLOOD FEVER, British author Charlie Higson follows in the footsteps of Ian Fleming by introducing characters with names that give the reader some idea of who the heroes and villains are. For example, Fleming's characters were named Hugo Drax, Honey Rider, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Mary Goodnight, Rosa Kleb, Dr. No, et al. Higson's characters are named Count Ugo Carnifex, John Cooper-ffrench, Amy Goodenough, Peter Love-Haight, Zoltan the Magyar, a Sardinian girl named Vendetta, and many others (perhaps too many). You'll have to figure out who is good and who is bad and who is at times good and then bad (and vice versa) by reading the book. But...it isn't all that difficult and I figured out who the seemingly good-bad/bad-good guys were early on.

This book is, in my opinion, better than SILVERFIN, the first in the series. It's full of mystery, beginning when James, clinging to a climbing vine in the dead of night on the side of a house, overhears a conversation by two men...in Latin. This leads Young JB into an adventure that takes him from Eton College to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia in search of the reasons why a ghostly painting and a scary man he saw in England, who had the letter "M" tattooed on each hand, were connected. He later discovers that the letters MM together are the symbol of a secret Italian society called -the Millenaria - which stands for "two thousand years."

None of the unbelievable creatures or gastly experiments by mad scientists that were found in SILVERFIN pop up in BLOOD FEVER, thank goodness, though JB has a serious problem with bloodthirsty Sardinian mosquitoes and poisonous sea urchins.

I won't spoil the fun of reading this page turner by giving away too much info. I gave it only 4 stars, though, because it needed something that seemed to be missing to make it truly James Bondian (if there is such a term). I think it could have something to do with...well, you'll have to work that out for yourself. When/If you do, please let me know.

BLOOD FEVER is recommended for the teenage reader...or those of us who wish there were books as interesting as this to read when we were in our teens so many years ago.

Literary 007 fans are in for a real surprise with Charlie Higson's Blood Fever. A dark and intense story awaits readers and the result is thrilling and enjoyable. At first I was apprehensive about starting it. When I had obtained Higson's first novel, SilverFin, I had immediately jumped into it, excited and curious. With Blood Fever, I was worried that I would be slightly disappointed; that the success of SilverFin might have just been a one time deal. It turns out that I could not have been further wrong. Blood Fever is a fast-paced, exciting, well-crafted, and mature James Bond novel.

SilverFin started to clear up the many, many rumours that this new Young Bond series would only appeal to young readers or the Harry Potter crowd, but Blood Fever wipes the slate clean. This is a darker and tougher James Bond novel than anticipated. Where there were some decidedly cute aspects of SilverFin, such as the horse being called "Martini," Blood Fever is devoid of such moments. The maturity, both of Bond and overall, is much more pronounced in this story.

One way this new level of maturity is obtained is in the development of the characters. Many of them are standouts in this novel, starting first with the villain, Count Ugo Carnifex. Villains, both in the Bond novels and films, have to be above par to create an interesting enough challenge for Bond, and Carnifex meets the requirements. He is ruthless and cruel; Higson's characterization of this villain is full of details; and...of course, where would a good villain be without a well-designed and dangerous lair? An improvement over Lord Randolph Hellebore of the previous novel, SilverFin. The other obligatory character is the Bond girl--in this case, the determined and efficient Amy Goodenough. Again, as in the case of the villains, the improvement from SilverFin to Blood Fever is clearly evident. Amy is introduced early on in the story and Higson allows the character plenty of time to develop and become someone that readers actually care about. She is the perfect candidate to be the girl who needs rescuing. Her interaction with James is handled wonderfully and very believable for the reader.

The darkness of Blood Fever is accented by the violence, which seems to have been increased for this second novel. James Bond is much more agent 007 than Young Bond in Blood Fever. In SilverFin, he was unsure, but determined and not willing to give up. Even with those qualities, it was evident that this character was clearly no 007...yet. Blood Fever now takes James Bond on the path to 007. Even the first line, 'James Bond hated feeling trapped,' shows that this boy is restless and one that does not take the common path in life. He must know that there is an exit where ever he may be, and his real ambition is to be free. He realizes that he does not fit in with Eton, the so-called common path. This boy is different from the others. All of this essential information about the back round to this character is presented on the first page describing him alone (pg 15 UK first edition paperback).

One standout scene of Blood Fever (and one that was certainly anticipated before the release of the novel) is the torture sequence involving James Bond. The form of torture is the deadliest animal in the world: mosquitoes. As Ugo Carnifex says, 'they are a nuisance, aren't they?' The scene is written magnificently, from the lack of mutual respect between James Bond and Ugo Carnifex to the sense of hopelessness James feels after he is left alone. Blood drips from the uncountable bites on his body and the creatures are relentless and ruthless in their mass attack. Help eventually comes, but not after James experiences a world of agony and pain. In a way, this scene (which succeeds wonderfully) represents a transition from young Bond to the adult 007. Charlie Higson proves he can make a scene like this work very well. The violence is increased, but sex still remains very PG. Bond tries to resist Vendetta's uncontrollable attempts to kiss him, thinking the action to be embarrassing. He does however kiss her 'hard on the mouth' when trying to get a point across, but the idea of Amy as a girlfriend is 'nonsense' to him.

Do not resist this second Young Bond novel if you did of SilverFin because the idea seemed too childish or silly. Charlie Higson is an accomplished writer and his work on Blood Fever is definitely deserving of praise. This is the best kind of Bond novels--young or old. It grips you from the start and truly does not let go until the conclusion. The characterization is deep and rich, the settings described in detail, and the plot interesting and exciting. Equally as important, there is a point: Blood Fever continues young James Bond on the road to 007. Both James Bond and the readers are in for quite the journey.

commanderbond.net

Blood Fever

By: Charlie Higson

The main character in the story is James Bond and he is a boy who is very adventurous and likes to be sneaky at school. He also likes to be in secret clubs and also likes to get out at night.

When James Bond goes on a field trip he is on a exploration with a friend from school and on the trip with enemies. He encounters a group of men and gets knocked out. He also meets a big criminal who wants to kill him and watch him suffer. In the end James finds a way out of the criminals grasp and saves a girl that was trapped in the criminals mansion.

The setting of the story is in a school, in a carnival, in a mansion and they were all in the middle east.

The theme was about bravery, greed, and death. The story was about bravery because James had to be brave to save the girl that was trapped. It was about greed because two big criminals were fighting for a big treasure. The story was about death because one of James's friends died and that was very big for James.

I liked the story because I like action/ adventure type books and this book is very good and once I started reading I couldn't stop. Another reason I liked the book is because it had some parts that were very sad witch quickly changed into anger.

Literary 007 fans are in for a real surprise with Charlie Higson's Blood Fever. A dark and intense story awaits readers and the result is thrilling and enjoyable. At first I was apprehensive about starting it. When I had obtained Higson's first novel, SilverFin, I had immediately jumped into it, excited and curious. With Blood Fever, I was worried that I would be slightly disappointed; that the success of SilverFin might have just been a one time deal. It turns out that I could not have been further wrong. Blood Fever is a fast-paced, exciting, well-crafted, and mature James Bond novel.

SilverFin started to clear up the many, many rumours that this new Young Bond series would only appeal to young readers or the Harry Potter crowd, but Blood Fever wipes the slate clean. This is a darker and tougher James Bond novel than anticipated. Where there were some decidedly cute aspects of SilverFin, such as the horse being called "Martini," Blood Fever is devoid of such moments. The maturity, both of Bond and overall, is much more pronounced in this story.

One way this new level of maturity is obtained is in the development of the characters. Many of them are standouts in this novel, starting first with the villain, Count Ugo Carnifex. Villains, both in the Bond novels and films, have to be above par to create an interesting enough challenge for Bond, and Carnifex meets the requirements. He is ruthless and cruel; Higson's characterization of this villain is full of details; and...of course, where would a good villain be without a well-designed and dangerous lair? An improvement over Lord Randolph Hellebore of the previous novel, SilverFin. The other obligatory character is the Bond girl--in this case, the determined and efficient Amy Goodenough. Again, as in the case of the villains, the improvement from SilverFin to Blood Fever is clearly evident. Amy is introduced early on in the story and Higson allows the character plenty of time to develop and become someone that readers actually care about. She is the perfect candidate to be the girl who needs rescuing. Her interaction with James is handled wonderfully and very believable for the reader.

The darkness of Blood Fever is accented by the violence, which seems to have been increased for this second novel. James Bond is much more agent 007 than Young Bond in Blood Fever. In SilverFin, he was unsure, but determined and not willing to give up. Even with those qualities, it was evident that this character was clearly no 007...yet. Blood Fever now takes James Bond on the path to 007. Even the first line, 'James Bond hated feeling trapped,' shows that this boy is restless and one that does not take the common path in life. He must know that there is an exit where ever he may be, and his real ambition is to be free. He realizes that he does not fit in with Eton, the so-called common path. This boy is different from the others. All of this essential information about the back round to this character is presented on the first page describing him alone (pg 15 UK first edition paperback).

One standout scene of Blood Fever (and one that was certainly anticipated before the release of the novel) is the torture sequence involving James Bond. The form of torture is the deadliest animal in the world: mosquitoes. As Ugo Carnifex says, 'they are a nuisance, aren't they?' The scene is written magnificently, from the lack of mutual respect between James Bond and Ugo Carnifex to the sense of hopelessness James feels after he is left alone. Blood drips from the uncountable bites on his body and the creatures are relentless and ruthless in their mass attack. Help eventually comes, but not after James experiences a world of agony and pain. In a way, this scene (which succeeds wonderfully) represents a transition from young Bond to the adult 007. Charlie Higson proves he can make a scene like this work very well. The violence is increased, but sex still remains very PG. Bond tries to resist Vendetta's uncontrollable attempts to kiss him, thinking the action to be embarrassing. He does however kiss her 'hard on the mouth' when trying to get a point across, but the idea of Amy as a girlfriend is 'nonsense' to him.

Do not resist this second Young Bond novel if you did of SilverFin because the idea seemed too childish or silly. Charlie Higson is an accomplished writer and his work on Blood Fever is definitely deserving of praise. This is the best kind of Bond novels--young or old. It grips you from the start and truly does not let go until the conclusion. The characterization is deep and rich, the settings described in detail, and the plot interesting and exciting. Equally as important, there is a point: Blood Fever continues young James Bond on the road to 007. Both James Bond and the readers are in for quite the journey.

commanderbond.net

Thirteen year-old James Bond is pulled into another adventure. This time, James stumbles upon a dangerous secret society at his own school. When his teacher and some of his classmates decide to visit Sardinia over a break, James tags along. He has a nearly takes a fatal fall at their archeological dig site, and James suspects one of his professors. James then leaves his group to stay with his uncle who lives nearby. But danger soon follows, and James discovers a conspiracy involving the secret society, pirates, and a power-hungry monarch.

In this second Young Bond adventure, there is even more action and suspense. Blood Fever definitely has the feel of a true James Bond story. James gets captured, (mildly) tortured, and even has a girl to save. Higson has done a wonderful job of staying true to Bond's character, while making him a much more innocent young man. And the secondary characters are remarkably vivid and exciting. Both children and adults who love action and adventure will love this series.