Blood Fever
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 Puffin Books 2006 British paperback edition. |
|
| Author | Charlie Higson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Kev Walker (U.S. 1st hardback ed.) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | James Bond / Young Bond |
| Genre(s) | Spy novel |
| Publisher | Puffin Books |
| Released | 5 January 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 384 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-14-131860-0 (first edition, paperback) |
| Preceded by | SilverFin |
| Followed by | Double or Die |
Blood Fever is the second novel in the Young Bond series depicting Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. The novel, written by Charlie Higson, was released in the UK on January 5, 2006 by Puffin Books and in the U.S. by Miramax Books/Hyperion on June 1, 2006.
Unlike the previous Young Bond novel, SilverFin, which had its U.S. edition edited to remove descriptions that were considered too racy for younger readers, Blood Fever's U.S. edition was unedited [1]. The cover of the U.S. edition also features entirely different artwork by Kev Walker who is currently working on a graphic novel adaptation of SilverFin [2].
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Blood Fever begins with a prologue during which a young girl named Amy Goodenough is aboard her father's yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean when she becomes witness to a band of pirates under the command of Zoltan the Magyar who board the yacht. Zoltan's men ransack the vessel and in the process murder Amy's father who was unwilling to part with his priceless possessions. When Amy fails to get revenge by stabbing Zoltan, she is taken prisoner, but swears she will one day to succeed in achieving vengeance.
Following the adventure SilverFin, James Bond is back at Eton where he is now a member of a secret risk-taking club known as the Danger Society. As summer vacation looms, James is given the opportunity to go to Sardinia on a field trip with one of his professors, Peter Haight and a colleague, Cooper-ffrench. While there Bond would also be able to visit his uncle, Victor Delacroix (brother to Bond's deceased mother, Monique Delacroix).
Prior to leaving, Bond learns of the tragedy that took place on the Goodenough's yacht from his friend, Mark Goodenough, Amy's brother who attends Eton. Bond is also witness to a mysterious group whose followers are marked on both of their hands with an 'M' (double M), which James eventually learns is the mark of the Millenaria, a defunct secret Italian society that has had plans throughout history to restore the Roman Empire.
Once arriving in Sardinia, James and his classmates begin a tour of the country to learn its history, during which Bond is poisoned (though we don't know it at the time) and almost killed. To get away and relax, Bond departs from his classmates to spend time with his Uncle Victor, his artist friend Poliponi, and his teenage servant Mauro. While there Victor is host to the Count Ugo Carnifex, a man who is later identified as the leader of the reorganized Millenaria that plans once again to restore the glory of the Roman Empire. Carnifex achieves the funding for such a task as well as for his palace located high in the mountains of Sardinia and his lavish lifestyle by hiring pirates such as Zoltan the Magyar to plunder valuable items; however, Carnifex is a fraud who cannot actually afford to compensate his "employees". Additionally, when Zoltan arrives at Carnifex's palace, Carnifex declares ownership over Amy Goodenough, much to the great annoyance of Zoltan, whom during his travels to Sardinia had formed a unique and strange bond with Amy.
Later Bond is once again reunited with his classmates who are now in a town near Carnifex's palace. During one night, Bond sneaks into the palace and finds Amy's cell, but is unable to rescue her and instead informs Peter Haight. Things go bad, however, when Haight reveals himself to be a loyal servant of Carnifex and had earlier attempted to poison and kill James for asking too many questions about the Millenaria. Carnifex subsequently has James tortured by strapping him down, spraying him with a perfume, and allowing the mosquitoes to have a field day; Carnifex betting that at some point one of them will be a carrier of malaria. Suffering through the excruciating pain, Bond is later rescued by Mauro's sister, Vendetta who forms a crush on Bond.
Having put up with Carnifex for as long as he could bear, Zoltan turns against Carnifex by flooding his palace leaving it in ruins and drowning the Count. Just prior, Bond sneaks into the palace with the help of Vendetta, much to her dismay, to rescue Amy. Vendetta is reluctant to led Bond go, but he kisses her to change her mind. After the destruction of the palace, Bond and Amy return to Victor Delacroix's villa, but are ambushed on the way by Peter Haight. Bond and Amy are saved, however, by Zoltan the Magyar who gives his life for their protection in the process. Bond comforts the grief-stricken Amy.
Amy and Bond arrive at Victor's villa. After a swim, they go up together. However, Jana Carnifex, Ugo's sister, is waiting for them. Bond tricks her, however, by jumping off the rock, with Victor to distract her. She slips and falls into a bed of sea urchins, where she finally dies from the pain and poison. As Bond and Amy wade to the surface, Amy suddenly steps on a sea urchin. Bond knows exactly how to remove it (there is an implication that they kiss at this point) due to what happened earlier in the book.
[edit] Trivia
- Blood Fever's working title according to Charlie Higson was Double M. Other rejected titles were Blood Sport, Blood Sisters, Death Sting, The Zodiac Web, Dance Before You Die, and Vendetta. [3]
- In Chapter 17 the villain hosts a dinner party where among the attendees is "Armando Lippe from Lisbon." This is the father of Count Lippe from the Ian Fleming novel Thunderball. Oddly, the last name "Lippe" only appears in the UK edition. In the U.S. edition the line has been changed to "Count Armando from Lisbon." [4]
- The German edition is titled "Zurück kommt nur der Tod" (Only Death Returns).
[edit] Publication history
- January 5, 2006, Puffin Books, paperback, first British edition
- January 5, 2006, Penguin Children's Audiobooks, audiobook, first British edition
- Narrated by Charlie Higson.
- June 1, 2006, Miramax Books, hardcover, first American edition
- October 13, 2006, Puffin Books, hardcover, first British edition
- Limited edition. 999 copies numbered and signed by Charlie Higson.
- April 1, 2007, Miramax Books, paperback, first American edition
- April 10 2007, Listening Library, Random House, audiobook, first American edition
- Narrated by Nathaniel Parker.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Blood Fever won the 2006 Blue Peter Book of the Year Award.
[edit] References
- ^ Blood Fever released unedited in the U.S.. Blood Fever U.S. Edition To Be Unedited. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.
- ^ Blood Fever U.S. cover by Kev Walker. New Blood Fever Cover in High Res. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.
- ^ Alternate title details for Blood Fever. Blood Fever: In Conversation With Charlie Higson. Retrieved on January 19, 2006.
- ^ Cameos in Blood Fever. Young Bond Cameos... Did you notice?. Retrieved on May 13, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Review: A More Mature Young Bond
- Official Young Bond website
- The Young Bond Dossier
- CommanderBond.net Blood Fever coverage
- MI6.co.uk - Full Blood Fever coverage
Ian Fleming
Casino Royale (1953) • Live and Let Die (1954) • Moonraker (1955) • Diamonds Are Forever (1956) • From Russia with Love (1957) • Dr. No (1958) • Goldfinger (1959) • For Your Eyes Only (1960) • Thunderball (1961) • The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) • On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) • You Only Live Twice (1964) • The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) • Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
R.D. Mascott
003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior (1967)
Kingsley Amis (writing as Robert Markham)
Colonel Sun (1968)
John Pearson
James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 (1973)
Christopher Wood (novelisations)
James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) • James Bond and Moonraker (1979)
John Gardner
Licence Renewed (1981) • For Special Services (1982) • Icebreaker (1983) • Role of Honour (1984) • Nobody Lives For Ever (1986) • No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) • Scorpius (1988) • Win, Lose or Die (1989) • Licence to Kill (1989) • Brokenclaw (1990) • The Man from Barbarossa (1991) • Death is Forever (1992) • Never Send Flowers (1993) • SeaFire (1994) • GoldenEye (1995) • COLD (a.k.a. Cold Fall) (1996)
Raymond Benson
"Blast From the Past" (1997) • Zero Minus Ten (1997) • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) • The Facts of Death (1998) • "Midsummer Night's Doom" (1999) • High Time to Kill (1999) • The World is Not Enough (1999) • "Live at Five" (1999) • Doubleshot (2000) • Never Dream of Dying (2001) • The Man with the Red Tattoo (2002) • Die Another Day (2002)
Charlie Higson (Young Bond series)
SilverFin (2005) • Blood Fever (2006) • Double or Die (2007) • Young Bond Book 4 (2007) • Young Bond Book 5 (2009)
Samantha Weinberg (writing as Kate Westbrook) (The Moneypenny Diaries series)
The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel (2005) • "For Your Eyes Only, James" (2006) • Secret Servant: The Moneypenny Diaries (2006) • "Moneypenny's First Date With Bond" (2006) • The Moneypenny Diaries Book 3 (2008)
Unofficial/Unpublished
Per Fine Ounce (1966) • The Killing Zone (1985) • "The Heart of Erzulie" (2001-02)
Related works
The James Bond Dossier (1965) The Book of Bond (1965) The James Bond Bedside Companion (1984)
