Silverfin: A James Bond Adventure

Higson's first novel depicting the life of the young James Bond gets a graphic adaptation. The story opens with Bond's arrival as a teenager at Eton in the early 1930s, where, far from his suave later self, he is an outsider who soon makes enemies with a rich brute from America. The first half of the tale examines the forces that shape Bond, including the loss of his parents and his discovery of his beloved uncle's mysterious role in WWI. The second half plunges into an adventure tale as Bond attempts to determine what dire deeds are taking place behind the walls of a Scottish castle near his aunt and uncle's home, placing himself in grave danger in the process. The shift is slightly jarring, although the final few pages foreshadowing Bond's adult profession help tie the two parts together. Walker's brooding illustrations capture Britain's damp climate and the country's lugubrious culture between the wars; a reader might almost feel a chill as the young Bond hides in the Scottish moors. Ages 10–up. (Mar.)