'SilverFin' Slithers Into The USA
Before the name became a legend
Before the boy became the man
He was just Bond…JAMES BOND
– U.S. tag line
Young James Bond by Kev Walker
Already a best seller in the UK, SilverFin, the first Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson, is officially released today in the U.S. (although many online retailers started shipping the hardcover as early as two weeks ago).
To coincide with the U.S. release, Ian Fleming Publications have unveiled a second illustration of young James Bond by Kev Walker; this one shows him in his Eton school uniform.
The U.S. edition of SilverFin from publisher Miramax/Hyperion will be slightly edited for content considered too “racy”, i.e., the sentence, “…her muscular legs gripping him like steel”, has been cut from the description of a wrestling match between Bond and “Bond Girl” Wilder Lawless.
Unlike the UK edition, which only came as a trade paperback, U.S. buyers have a choice of either a hardcover ($16.95) or paperback ($7.99) edition. (UPDATE: The paperback edition is being released at a later date TBA.)
The help promote the book in the U.S., author Charlie Higson will embark on a seven city reading and signing tour starting today in Chicago. The author will then move onto Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York (New Jersey), and finally Washington D.C.
CLICK HERE for Charlie Higson’s complete book tour schedule with appearance details.
SilverFin is also being released this week in Portugal. A German edition has been announced for August.
Young Bond Book 2
The already completed Young Bond Book Two, which currently has the working title Double M, will be released in January 2006. It will be set largely in Sardinia (a location featured in the 1977 James Bond film classic The Spy Who Loved Me) and will involve art theft, smuggling, and bandits. Higson reports it will be an even longer book than the 372 page SilverFin.
Last weekend, Ian Fleming Publications released the first official image of James Bond at age 13. The illustration by Kev Walker is reportedly being considered for use on the cover of Book 2.
Keep watching CBn for the latest news on SilverFin and the Young Bond series.
Purchase the U.S. hardcover edition of SilverFin
Purchase the U.S. paperback edition of SilverFin (release date TBA)