As a life-long Bond fan, I was somewhat hesitant about reading this book, assuming that it would be some sort of hurried attempt to cash-in on the worldwide success of Harry Potter, replacing wizardry with gadgets and wands with guns. How wrong I was.
This is a gripping, fascinating and, most importantly, believable introduction to the young James Bond, detailing just some of his teenage experiences that would eventually shape him into the world's most famous secret agent.
The story is set during the 1930s and is intended to be seen as a precursor to the Ian Fleming novels (the occasional references to the works of Fleming are delightful), not the movie series, although fans of both are likely to find this compelling stuff.
All in all, I simply cannot fault it. This is well-written, the characters are fully fleshed-out, there are moments of laugh-out-loud humour as well as those that pack an almighty emotional punch. This is the first in a series of superbly realised… more »

As a life-long Bond fan, I was somewhat hesitant about reading this book, assuming that it would be some sort of hurried attempt to cash-in on the worldwide success of Harry Potter, replacing wizardry with gadgets and wands with guns. How wrong I was.
This is a gripping, fascinating and, most importantly, believable introduction to the young James Bond, detailing just some of his teenage experiences that would eventually shape him into the world's most famous secret agent.
The story is set during the 1930s and is intended to be seen as a precursor to the Ian Fleming novels (the occasional references to the works of Fleming are delightful), not the movie series, although fans of both are likely to find this compelling stuff.
All in all, I simply cannot fault it. This is well-written, the characters are fully fleshed-out, there are moments of laugh-out-loud humour as well as those that pack an almighty emotional punch. This is the first in a series of superbly realised adventures that have yet to disappoint.
Mature (but still fun) reading for kids. The perfect antidote for those, like me, who just never really 'got' the whole Harry Potter thing.