SilverFin

Puffin Books 2005 British paperback edition.
Author	Charlie Higson
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	James Bond / Young Bond
Genre(s)	Spy fiction
Publisher	Ian Fleming Publications
Released	2005
Media Type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Preceded by	Die Another Day
Followed by	Blood Fever

SilverFin is the first novel in the Young Bond series that depicts Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. It was written by Charlie Higson and released in the UK on March 3, 2005 by Puffin Books in conjunction with a large marketing campaign; a Canadian release of the same edition occurred in late March. The U.S. edition was released on April 27, 2005 by Miramax Books, however this edition was edited. 007 - SilverFin book cover This image is a book cover. ... Charlie Higson (born, 1958) is a British television writer, actor, an author, and a comedy performer. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced double-oh seven), is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... Illustration of a young James Bond by Kev Walker Young Bond is a series of novels featuring Ian Flemings superspy James Bond as a young teenage boy attending school at Eton College. ... The genre of spy fiction — sometimes called political thriller or spy thriller or sometimes shortened simply to SpyFi — arose before World War I at about the same time that the first modern intelligence agencies were formed. ... Ian Fleming Publications is the production company formerly known as both Glidrose Productions Limited and Glidrose Publications Limited, named after its founders John Gliddon and Norman Rose. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... Paperback may refer to a kind of book binding by which papers are simply folded without cloth or leather and bound - usually with glue rather than stitches or staples - into a thick paper cover; or to a book with this type of binding. ... Die Another Day is the twentieth James Bond film made by EON Productions and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Flemings James Bond. ... Blood Fever is the second novel in the Young Bond series depicting Ian Flemings superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. ... Illustration of a young James Bond by Kev Walker Young Bond is a series of novels featuring Ian Flemings superspy James Bond as a young teenage boy attending school at Eton College. ... Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was an English author and journalist, best remembered for writing the James Bond series of novels as well as the childrens story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced double-oh seven), is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. ... Charlie Higson (born, 1958) is a British television writer, actor, an author, and a comedy performer. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... This article is about the country in North America. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

SilverFin's success spawned a mobile game published by PlayerOne on January 5, 2006 in conjunction with the release of the second novel in the Young Bond series, Blood Fever. The game features 3 locations, 15 levels, and a variety of enemies that the player must avoid. A graphic novel adaptation of SilverFin is still in the works and set for a release in 2008. A mobile game is a computer software game played on a mobile phone. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blood Fever is the second novel in the Young Bond series depicting Ian Flemings superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ...

Because Ian Fleming never explicitly said when James Bond was born, Ian Fleming Publications and Charlie Higson chose the year 1920 as his birth year. SilverFin takes place in 1933. Ian Fleming Publications is the production company formerly known as both Glidrose Productions Limited and Glidrose Publications Limited, named after its founders John Gliddon and Norman Rose. ...

Plot summary

SilverFin is broken up into three parts in addition to a prologue. During the prologue an un-named boy attempts to catch a legendary fish at Loch Silverfin, a loch in Scotland. This part is left on a cliff-hanger - the boy is about to perhaps be rescued - but by what or whom?

The first part of the book chronicles Bond's starting attendance at Eton College. There he meets Pritpal, a boy from India and the son of a maharajah. The two become good friends and live together in the dorms. Bond also comes into contact with George Hellebore, an American bully two years older than James. George's father, Lord Randolph Hellebore is an armament dealer who sold weapons to various countries after World War I. It's later revealed that Lord Hellebore knew Bond's father, Andrew Bond, who also sold arms for a company named Vickers post-World War I. Lord Hellebore arrives at Eton to direct and host a tournament cup ("Hellebore Cup") for the boys. The cup is broken up into three competitions; shooting, swimming, and running. Bond places seventh in shooting, third in his heat as a swimming (which wasn't good enough to qualify for the final race), and first in <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=24&k=cross%20country" onmouseover="window.status='cross country'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=; return true;">cross country</a> running. During the running sequence Lord Hellebore attempted to help his son cheat so that he could win the tournament, however, Bond after watching George take a shortcut a first time decided to follow George the next time, which allowed Bond to take first place being the superior runner. Because Bond won first in running George Hellebore won second place in the cup overall, which was unacceptable by his father's standards. The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a prestigious and internationally known Public School for boys. ... 1. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire French Empire Italy Russian Empire Kingdom of Serbia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria German Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Nikolay II Nikolay Yudenich Radomir Putnik Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar...

The second part of the novel details Bond's Easter break. James travels to Scotland to meet up with his Aunt Charmian who is visiting Bond's ailing uncle, Max. Both Charmian and Max are siblings of Bond's father, Andrew. It's also in this part of the novel that Bond reveals the details of his parents death that were first mentioned in Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice. While travelling to Scotland, Bond befriends an older boy named "Red" Kelly who is travelling to the same place in search for his missing cousin, Alfie - who disappeared whilst out fishing (thus tying in with the prologue). While staying at his Uncle's place Bond learns how to drive his Uncle's car and finds out that his Uncle was a spy during World War I. Bond also learns that Lord Randolph Hellebore owns a large stretch of land nearby that includes Loch Silverfin. He later meets back up with Red and ventures to Hellebore's estate where the two encounter Mike Moran ("the meatpacker"), a Pinkerton's detective from New York City sent to investigate Lord Randolph Hellebore at the behest of Hellebore's ex-wife who suspects Lord Randolph of having killed his brother, her lover, Algar. Days later the meatpacker goes missing and Bond along with Red infiltrate the Hellebore estate and finally attempt to gain access to the castle. 2003 Penguin Books paperback edition You Only Live Twice is the twelfth novel by Ian Fleming featuring James Bond, secret agent 007; it was published in 1964, around the time Fleming died. ... Pinkerton guards escort strikebreakers in Buchtel, Ohio, 1884 The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a security guard and detective agency, established in the United States, in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ...

Prior to infiltrating the castle, Red fell out of a tree and broke his leg and was unable to continue on. James, however, climbed the tree and entered the castle. After snooping around Bond bumps his head and is captured. When Bond regains consciousness he is tied to a table and Lord Hellebore begins to interrogate him. Hellebore explains to James that he and his brother set out to create better and stronger soldiers by manipulating the endocrine system. Because its difficult to find humans to test on, Algar tested the first "SilverFin serum" on himself. Initially it worked, however, it later failed and Algar was physically transformed into a half-man half-eel. Lord Hellebore later perfected the serum and was able to turn it into a pill. The pill essentially acts a steroid making anyone who uses it more agile, stronger, etc. for a temporary set of time. Hellebore even tests this pill on his own son (James had actually witnessed this during the cross-country race). Lord Hellebore reveals that he tested the SilverFin serum on Alfie Kelly, the boy whom Bond is searching for, however, Kelly couldn't handle it and died. Later Bond is drugged as well with the SilverFin serum and locked in a cell. Bond, however, escapes the cell and the estate only to return shortly later with George Hellbore as an ally to destroy Lord Randolph's lab. George has increasingly become upset with his dreadful father, his work, and secretly wishes to be with his mother more than anything. The two destroy the lab and are later confronted by Lord Hellebore who intends to kill them both. He, however, is drowned by his brother, Algar, who Lord Hellebore had imprisoned in the castle. Algar is also killed in the fight. Major endocrine glands. ... Steroid skeleton. ...

Bond collapses due to a lung infection and exhaustion shortly after and for ten days goes unconscious. When Bond regains consciousness he learns that George moved back to America to be with his mother and that his Uncle Max had died.

Trivia

• SilverFin begins with a similar opening to Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.

Fleming: "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning"

Higson: "The smell and noise and confusion of a hallway full of schoolboys can be quite awful at twenty past seven in the morning."

• Bond's Aunt Charmian drives an identical Bentley to one Bond drives in Casino Royale and in subsequent books. Bond also inherits his Uncle's 1.5 liter Bamford & Martin Sidevalve Short Chassis Tourer. Bamford & Martin later became Aston Martin.
• During a scene at a circus the announcer presents "The Mighty Donovan". "The Mighty O'Donovan" is Donovan "Red" Grant's father, referenced in From Russia with Love^[1].
• When released in Germany in August 2005, SilverFin was retitled "Silent Waters Are Deadly".
• A special signed limited edition hardcover was released exclusively at Waterstone's Bookstores in the UK on October 6, 2005.
• The U.S. edition of the book was edited to remove descriptions that were considered too racy for young readers. One such example includes a description of Wilder Lawless' legs during a tussle between herself and Bond.
• Higson's original working title was "Out of Breath," but it was felt this sounded too much like an Elmore Leonard novel. Several permutations on "Silver" were tried including: "SilverBack", "SilverSkin", "SilverHead", and "SilverFist", before settling on "SilverFin". ^[2]
• Hellebores are poisonous plants in buttercup form, similar to Lord Hellebore's Aryan (blonde) looks resembling something beautiful yet deadly.

A 2002 Penguin Books paperback edition Casino Royale is the first James Bond novel by author Ian Fleming. ... Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury cars headquartered at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. ... Red Grant is a fictional character in the James Bond novel and film From Russia with Love. ... A 2002 Penguin Books paperback edition From Russia with Love, published in 1957, is the fifth James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming. ... Gower Street branch Simpsons of Piccadilly, now a branch of Waterstones Waterstones is a United Kingdom based chain of bookshops. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elmore John Leonard Jr. ...

Publication history

• UK first hardback edition (Limited Collector's Edition): October 6, 2005 Puffin Books
• U.S. first hardback edition: April 27, 2005 Miramax Books
• UK first paperback edition: March 3, 2005 Puffin Books
• U.S. first paperback edition: April 1, 2006 Miramax Books
• UK first audiobook: March 3, 2005 narrated by Charlie Higson
• U.S. first audiobook: April 11, 2006 narrated by Nathaniel Parker

Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... An audio book is a recording of the contents of a book read aloud. ... Nathaniel Parker ...

References

• CommanderBond.net coverage of SilverFin. 2005 - SilverFin. Retrieved on April 27, 2005.
• Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang review. Review: 'SilverFin' Debuts Young Bond. Retrieved on April 27, 2005.
• MI6.co.uk coverage and review. Young Bond: SilverFin (2005). Retrieved on April 27, 2005.
• ↑  Cameos in SilverFin. Young Bond Cameos... Did you notice?. Retrieved on May 13, 2006.
• ↑  Unused title information for SilverFin. The Charlie Higson CBn Interview. Retrieved on May 14, 2006.
• SilverFin Graphic Novel. SilverFin Graphic Novel in Summer 2008. Retrieved on June 8, 2006.

April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Young Bond
• Alex Rider, a series of books by Anthony Horowitz about a fourteen year old boy working for MI6. Often referred as a 'youthful James Bond.'

Illustration of a young James Bond by Kev Walker Young Bond is a series of novels featuring Ian Flemings superspy James Bond as a young teenage boy attending school at Eton College. ... Official Alex Rider Logo Alex Rider is a fictional character who is the star in a popular series of spy novels written by British author Anthony Horowitz. ... Anthony Horowitz (born April 5, 1956) is a British author and television scriptwriter. ...

External links

• Official Young Bond website
• CommanderBond.net interviews Charlie Higson
• The Young Bond Dossier