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"It's not going to be a particularly happy ending."

Charlie Higson discusses the end of Young Bond

Excellent. A huge step in the journey to the man that is James Bond.

Good. Kill Pritpal. Kill Pritpal messily.

Awe common! Pritpal's a cool kid. I always thought that if Higson ever took over the adult Bond he would end up on a case in India or somehow end up in a situation where he's with Pritpal and he's surprised at what James has become. Sort of use him to show how far he's come from YB1 to the ruthless killer.

Tear out his eyes and feed them to the weasels.
Stamp on his lungs and boil his heart.
Saw off his head and ram it up his orifice.

Kill Pritpal. Kill him badly.

Everything I'm hearing about YB5 leads me to believe this could very well be the best Young Bond book yet. I do think with DoD and especially HG Higson has been writing primarily for his target audience, delivering slam bang action-packed adventures. But I'd like to see a return to SF and BF in that we get more "slow bits" than action and lots of emotion and internal conflict. I also want it to be long. Really long. Harry Potter long! (Okay, maybe not that long.)

I really wish that Higson wouldn't say things like "it's not going to be a particularly happy ending." I've got nothing against CBN and YBD for posting stuff like that, since he did say it publicly, but I wish the author himself wouldn't give away anything about the ending of his book/series. JK Rowling was much better about being coy and teasing and not really revealing anything in her frequent answers to questions about the end of Book 7. Granted, this isn't a big specific spoiler, but since it relates directly to the end of the book, it will change the way I read it. Now I will be EXPECTING a downbeat ending, and it will have far less impact and effect than if I'd gotten to one and thought, "I can't believe he just ended a kids' book like that!" In fact, I feel like this sort of information actually ruins the read a lot more than revealing plot points or characters or more traditional spoilers. I also hope that Higson doesn't try to retell Casino Royale a few decades too early. I don't particularly WANT to see James Bond become a cold-blooded killer at age 14; that happens years later at Royale-les-Eaux.

But enough griping. I've really enjoyed all of Higson's books so far, particularly Blood Fever and Double Or Die, so I have little doubt that he'll pull off a fantastic finale. And, like Zencat, I do hope it's more introspective than Hurricane Gold, and LONG!

Brisco

I'm not sure the ending as Charlie is talking about it will be a specific unhappy or shocking incident like CR (novel). I think just the overall vibe will be an unhappy one. Bond will have to leave his school and friends and will have gone through an "incident" that hardens him. But we know all this from the Fleming obit. It's like the Star Wars prequels. We know we're heading for a downer -- it's the how that we don't know.

I also don't think for a moment that Charlie will show Young Bond as a cold blooded killer. It's just a step in that direction. Maybe just a hint of "cold." The war gives him "blood." SIS made him a "killer."

Also, remember, Charlie said this before he actually wrote it. And, like CR (film), just because the story ends downbeat doesn't mean the we still can't get something cool and incredibly Bondian on the last page.

"Happy Endings" do not belong in children books.

Oye vey.

Me too!

Given the territory Higgy has to cover (essentially Books 4 and 5 mashed together?), it wouldn't surprise me if this was the longest Young Bond book yet.

Really cannot wait to see exactly how things come to a close in this book (whichever way Higson decides to leave things off).

Wonder if one of the Bond girls will be killed? Sort of similar to Casino Royale's Vesper...

I think that is a possibility. As for the length of this book, I hope it is the longest - and darkest of the series.

I'm willing to bet it'll be the most realistic of the Young Bond books so far.

Blood Fever and Hurricane Gold are both pretty out there in terms of action and story, while SilverFin borders on sci-fi/horror (Double or Die, I'll concede, is quite grounded). But if Young Bond 5 is all about spies, I suspect this'll be a more realistic affair.