My review of Young Bond 'Hurrcane Gold'

Qwerty

If anyone else is interested in Charlie Higson's Young Bond novels, I recently read and reviewed his newest one, Hurricane Gold:

http://commanderbond.net/article/4581

What does everyone else think of it?

Asp9mm

I found it boring and a far cry from his previous three.

Pendragon

yea, compared to the other three, it was lacking a little bit. on the whole though, it wasn't a bad book at all.

~Pen -{

superado

Pendragon wrote:

yea, compared to the other three, it was lacking a little bit. on the whole though, it wasn't a bad book at all.

~Pen -{

Shhhhh! I'm still in the middle of it! Funny, I was reading it last night while waiting in the lobby of my local church to give someone a ride...and I'm sure the folks who said "hi" to me assumed it was the Good Book that I was reading!

Pendragon

my room-mates were fascinated by the gold cover...they were all "why is it shiney???" pretty funny

~Pen -{

superado

I finally finished the book a little past midnite my time. Yes, I agree with Pen that the book's progression seemed too linear with long stretches of the same-ol same ol. However, I experienced an unexpected effect via my reading of 20 pages or less per sitting, while having my oil changed, at the dentist, watching over my kids at the park, while parked at the grocery, etc., with substantial time intervals between readings. The few days that elapsed in the story became a saga for me, and even the same ol, same ol provided for interesting installments to look forward to. The effect on the characters' evolution, for example, seemed more solidly grounded and meaningful and kind of reminded me of how people in real life undergo character development through longer periods of time.

Instead of using a standard book review format, here are more highlights that I'd like to leave instead:

(1) I've felt that after the first 3 books, Bond's Etonian/school boy experience provided the anchor for the series setting, just as I suppose Hogwarts did for Harry Potter. HGold, however, lacked this element and to me is separated in feel to the rest, kind of like how Temple of Doom was the misfit of the Indy Jones trilogy. Blood Fever was similarly set in an exotic land, but the presence of the Etonian "expedition" still provided that distinct Young Bond flavor. Maybe more of Bond's formative character development could have been put to use through some additional activities that tie into his Flemingesque characterization. How that could have been done? I don't know.

(2) Though very non-Bond/Fleming, I surprisingly enjoyed the non-formulaic plot and character development, in contrast to the film and novels (Fleming, Gardner, etc.) that would otherwise prove much less interesting, such as the redemption of some characters, or at least the "humanization" of some of the villains in the telling of their background in this novel and the other 3. Take note for example, how Bond is referred to by Hurakan. Sure, Fleming touched on origins to an extent, but he left out any compassion, pity and the "why" that contributed to the villain's tragic character flaw. Is this better or worse? It depends I suppose on how the reader wants to connect to the fictional universe at hand. To expound on what Benson pointed out in his Bedside Companion, the validity of Fleming's characterization is based on the providential worldview of good and evil agents, who each at a fundamental level were already what they've always been, good or evil.

(3) The experiences, manner and demeanor of Bond, just by means of the rigors and trials he now undergoes seemingly with periodic frequency (like his 2 or 3 missions per year that highlight his adult life), effectively makes him resemble in voice and thought, the adult Bond. Was this appropriate? Unintended?

(4) Another surprise and improbability is how at this point (adolescence), his hormones haven't kicked in yet to at least translate into...you know...common adolescent thoughts about the opposite sex. Yet up to Book 4, Bond is pure and noble, in terms of still being "untainted" by the vices of older males (smoking being one of them).

(5) The question that often came up in my mind was, "how does Bond find himself in this kind of trouble all the time?" Also related to point (3) is the amount of "war wounds" he now accumulates with increasing regularity, ala adult Bond. Memorable is an understatement to describe James' experiences, yet you would think that memories of these would turn up in the adult Bond novels (I know, I know, it's the horse and cart issue at play). Then again, it's fantasy and of the Bond kind at that, but it doesn't always harmonize with the threads of realism brought up in (1).

(6) American gangsters (and plain "Americana") was a running fascination that Fleming infused into the books. However, the depiction of the villains seems more realistic in keeping with current standards, vs. Fleming's hackneyed take on the American crime and punishment genre in the early 20th century, from an outsider's perspective. Kudos go to Higson to effect that texture, but it might have been interesting to see a Fleminesque flavor; I can understand the concern though of that approach potentially being misunderstood as bad writing by today's standards!

I'm now really looking forward to "Shadow War" to see some of the invetible milestones in young Bond's life play out, though I'm really hoping that "Devil May Care" will capture much of Fleming's elements of Bond in his original Cold War setting.
Because of the prominent prelude to WWII in YB Books 3 & 4, I really hope to see an extension in Higson's YB assignment to cover Bond's wartime and early post-war intelligence career that was touched on in Pearson's "Authorized Biography," which I really think deserves a more thorough treatment through a book series of its own.

zencat

Excellent, thoughtful review superado. Thanks.

superado

zencat wrote:

Excellent, thoughtful review superado. Thanks.

Thank you, Zencat, I'm glad you enjoyed it!