Charlie Higson On His Young Bond Working Titles

Charlie Higson has spoken to The Times about the process of moving from working to final titles for his Young Bond novels.

Higson says that for his first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, he ‘the idea of going for something that in no way echoed Fleming. My suggestion of Out of Breath was swiftly dismissed, however.’

As previously reported in the Charlie Higson CBn interview, SilverBack,
SilverSkin, SilverHead, and SilverFist were also discussed, before finally settling on SilverFin. ‘It sounds Bondian, it’s mysterious and, let’s face it, it’s not a million miles from Goldfinger,’ says Higson.

In the case of Blood Fever, Double M was Higson’s working title, but was reportedly not exciting enough for the publishers.

For the case of his latest novel, currently titled Young Bond Book 3, Higson reveals that it was the most difficult to name–before the idea for a competition for the fans came about.

Another interesting aspect of the article on The Times is that it reveals some unused Fleming titles not commonly heard before: The Sardonyx Society, The Different Drummer, Choice of Weapons, and Mobile Butcher’s Service.

Click here for details on how to vote for the title of Young Bond Book 3.

Pre-order the UK paperback edition of Young Bond Book 3 from Amazon.co.uk (4 January 2007)

Pre-order the UK audiobook edition of Young Bond Book 3 from Amazon.co.uk (4 January 2007)

Keep watching CBn for all the latest Young Bond news.