SilverFin

Young Bond, Book 1

By: Charlie Higson

Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

What does it take to become the greatest secret agent the world has ever known? In this thrilling prequel to the James Bond series, readers meet a 13-year-old schoolboy whose inquisitive mind and determination set him on a path that will one day take him all over the world, in pursuit of the most dangerous criminals known to man.

When we're first introduced to young James, he's just started boarding school at Eton in the 1930s. His first adventure is set in the Highlands of Scotland, where James spends a holiday at a remote castle. Mysterious things start to happen, someone has disappeared; then James discovers that the dark waters around the castle contain a sinister secret, and he becomes aware that a very dangerous mind is at work. SilverFin is the story of Young Bond's first mission to thwart a deadly foe.

Acclaimed British writer Charlie Higson has written a brilliantly crafted tale that ingeniously uncovers the unknown story of a boy who became one of the most iconic figures of our time. Commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate, SilverFin is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will mesmerize listeners of all ages from the very first minute.

©2005 Ian Fleming Productions, Ltd. (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Surprisingly up to the caliber of Fleming’s Novels

I read all of the original Bond books and decided to try Silver Fin. I didn’t think it could possibly be as good and didn’t go in to it with any expectations. Not only did I find it to live up to the caliber of the original novels and stay true to the character of James, but it was actually more fast paced and a higher percentage of this book depicts Bond being in peril.

A Believable Young Bond

A fun listen and completely appropriate as background to the grownup James Bond. I find it hard to tell what young listeners will respond to because there is such a wide range in what their parents have allowed them to be exposed to. But except for some scary (and sort of silly) monster bits, which are exaggerated exactly for their appeal to a younger audience , I expect, I can see this book as appropriate for adventure readers of 10 and possibly younger. Another reviewer mentions cursing but I can't remember it enough to comment.

looking forward to the sequel

My 12yo (and rabid Bond fan) son and I listened to this on a recent roadtrip. I have to say it was a hit with both of us... a good introduction for young Bond fans who may not be ready for the "Full-Flemming". We look forward to grabbing the sequel from Audible when it is available!

FYI - Another good 'starting Bond' is Thunderball - similar to the movie, straight forward, minimal graphic content.

Loved this book.

This is an excellent, thrilling story. And... what an incredible narrator. if you like Alex Rider, you will enjoy this!

The Making of The Ultimate Spy

In truth, the Young Bond series had me more than nervous. When IFP announced that they had commissioned Charlie Higson a comedian to pen the series. However, he is an obvious 007 fan because he definitely stays true to the spirit of the character. Any Bond fan should definitely read this series because Higson very smartly throws in bits and pieces of the 007 legacy in the novels and gives us reasons why Bond is the way he is. Silverfin being the first of five novels (so far) must be read first. The characters are rich and feel like Ian Fleming himself could have pinned them. The Narrator's voices for each charater is amazing and the same narrator does all three in the series that are currently in audible. In my opinion, Silverfin is a page turner when I read it in book form I couldn't put it down and again when I listened to it I couldn't stop. The Young Bond series is the perfect way to introduce a child to the wonderful world of 007. May anyone who reads or listens to this book be shaken and stirred.

Amazing book Great voice

I really liked the book, it’s very intense and fun to read. The Reader was very uniform and decent and he was pretty good. I would recommend this book to any person while likes action and mystery. Overall I loved it!

A Pleasant Surprise

I've been told repeatedly by fellow 007 fans that I needed to read this series. I'm not really sure why I'd not done this before, but I'm glad I finally picked this one up. I am truly impressed with it! The best way to relate it to the Bond we know is to compare it to the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. It's the same kind of thing, where you can see the elements that would turn the kid into the man we know.

And in this case, the man we know is definitely Fleming's Bond. The setting is in the early 30s when Germany is only beginning its rise to power, and young Bond is still in school, learning to drive a car, and facing off against the local bullies. In this case, the local bully's father happens to be into eugenics. What are the odds?

There are plenty of nods to both Fleming and to Connery to make this enjoyable without going overboard with it. And as a bonus, the narration provided by Nathaniel Parker is a first class performance at all turns. Even when the story isn't so credible, Parker makes you believe it.

All in all, a solid beginning. I'm looking forward to more!

Good but not Bond

Enjoyable to listen to but not teh "edge of the seat" read that other suspense thrillers are. Zig Zag is a better intorduction to Bond.

bonding with young bond

Wow. I really liked this book. I didn't think I was going to like the book into the second chapter when we find young Bond newly at Eton. Oddly, the Eton chapters have a very Harry Potter-esque feel to them. The bad guy that Bond encounters is blonde and his father is evil and blonde and very influential at the school. There is a contest involving three events (reminding me of the tri-wizard cup) and our young bad guy has two moronic henchmen. However, after we leave Eton, the book vastly improves and is a very fun listen (although, Bond encounters and befriends a red-haired boy -- Red Kelly -- who he lands in a scrape with and a girl who basically is a Hermione Granger though she is not as pivotal a character as Hermione). This is really a book for young readers but it is fun for adults, too. All in all, I really enjoyed it.

The narrator is excellent and great with dialects (except the American dialects).

James Bond, the Hogwarts years j/k

So this takes place WAY before Bond was Bond. This is a school boy on an adventure who just happens to be James Bond. It's interesting though because as slow as it starts (why I didn't give it 5 stars) it really does develop into something nice.

I think the lessons, experiences, and mentoring moments in this story translates well into the foundation for James Bond. It's pretty fun, if a bit slow at the start. It wraps nicely and I'm interested to follow this to the next in the series.