Double or Die

This book was a great addition to the young bond series. It, like the previous books, kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time...in fact I read it in 2 days because it was so captivating. You should really read the first two in the series to get the most out of this book, however it could easily stand alone as most everything from previous books is explained to either jog your memory or inform you of what occurred in the previous novels. The story was very well written but at times seemed a bit predictable. I look forward to reading the next two books in this series!

Introductions came with SilverFin. Development and maturity followed in Blood Fever. In Double Or Die, Charlie Higson's third novel in the increasingly popular Young Bond series, the key word here is expansion. The first two novels proved that this is indeed no ordinary boy. Bond is obviously quite capable in dealing with an assortment of villains and his past battles have been quite noteworthy. With that in mind, a challenge is created for the author. The truly difficult task in creating the third novel in a series is simply not writing the second one over again. Blood Fever was an incredibly easy Bond novel for the reader to enjoy. With locations in both the UK and Sardinia and unquestionably bizarre villains with even more outrageous plans, the second novel Young Bond is larger than life. How does Higson succeed in making Double Or Die just as enjoyable; and even more importantly, different? Going in the exact opposite direction. Charlie Higson expands the Young Bond series by restraining Double Or Die from the exotic and glamorous style that characterized Blood Fever. With the entire storyline taking place over the course of only a few days, this third novel gives off the impression of being a much more reserved (and dark) mystery. Thankfully, the pace moves at breakneck speed, making each and every page tense and unputdownable. The solving of the cryptic clues early on in the story is a perfect example. Whether working out the clues in the company of Pritpal and Tommy or trying to figure them out on his own, they are a constant weight on Bond's mind due to the extremely limited amount of time remaining. Confining the novel to locations only within the UK is another brilliant move by Higson. The absence of the globetrotting aspect in Double Or Die allows him to really focus in on the locations that are featured. The Royal College of Surgeons, King's College in Cambridge, Highgate cemetery and the London Docklands are all described in striking, eerie detail. Higson creates an interesting parallel between both Bond and the human brain on the very first page of the novel--they both never shut down. Each new hardship pushes him beyond his normal limits and continues him on the path to becoming 007. Upon waking up Saturday morning, he finds the comfort and security of a hospital bed tempting, but realizes he must keep moving forward. This attitude is perfectly summarized in Bond's line to Perry at the Royal College of Surgeons: `I don't think want to be remembered when I die, actually. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all that. It's living that's important. Doing things. Not getting bored and wasting your life.' This line is then followed by a reference to a very fitting statement Ian Fleming once made. Double Or Die also has its share of new characters to the series. As the main villain, Sir John Charnage is slightly more ordinary in comparison to those who have come before him (but then this does stay in line with the less outlandish st

I liked Silverfin, loved Blood Fever, but this book is too good! It is very hard to put down. I have to rub my eyes because this book is too awesome for my bare eyes. It is the best DETECTIVE mystery I have ever read yet, and I can't wait for Hurricane Gold! Luckily, when I finish it, I have the last and most awesome one to read, which I ordered from thee UK. The book is called By Royal Command. Double or Die has confusing things like the Binary Code, casino games, and details, so complicated vocabulary was not needed in this, and so does Mr. Higson. I love challenges, just so you know. GET IT, AND DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

Introductions came with SilverFin. Development and maturity followed in Blood Fever. In Double Or Die, Charlie Higson's third novel in the increasingly popular Young Bond series, the key word here is expansion. The first two novels proved that this is indeed no ordinary boy. Bond is obviously quite capable in dealing with an assortment of villains and his past battles have been quite noteworthy. With that in mind, a challenge is created for the author. The truly difficult task in creating the third novel in a series is simply not writing the second one over again. Blood Fever was an incredibly easy Bond novel for the reader to enjoy. With locations in both the UK and Sardinia and unquestionably bizarre villains with even more outrageous plans, the second novel Young Bond is larger than life. How does Higson succeed in making Double Or Die just as enjoyable; and even more importantly, different? Going in the exact opposite direction. Charlie Higson expands the Young Bond series by restraining Double Or Die from the exotic and glamorous style that characterized Blood Fever. With the entire storyline taking place over the course of only a few days, this third novel gives off the impression of being a much more reserved (and dark) mystery. Thankfully, the pace moves at breakneck speed, making each and every page tense and unputdownable. The solving of the cryptic clues early on in the story is a perfect example. Whether working out the clues in the company of Pritpal and Tommy or trying to figure them out on his own, they are a constant weight on Bond's mind due to the extremely limited amount of time remaining. Confining the novel to locations only within the UK is another brilliant move by Higson. The absence of the globetrotting aspect in Double Or Die allows him to really focus in on the locations that are featured. The Royal College of Surgeons, King's College in Cambridge, Highgate cemetery and the London Docklands are all described in striking, eerie detail. Higson creates an interesting parallel between both Bond and the human brain on the very first page of the novel--they both never shut down. Each new hardship pushes him beyond his normal limits and continues him on the path to becoming 007. Upon waking up Saturday morning, he finds the comfort and security of a hospital bed tempting, but realizes he must keep moving forward. This attitude is perfectly summarized in Bond's line to Perry at the Royal College of Surgeons: `I don't think want to be remembered when I die, actually. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all that. It's living that's important. Doing things. Not getting bored and wasting your life.' This line is then followed by a reference to a very fitting statement Ian Fleming once made. Double Or Die also has its share of new characters to the series. As the main villain, Sir John Charnage is slightly more ordinary in comparison to those who have come before him (but then this does stay in line with the less outlandish st

Charlie Higson's Double or Die is the pivot on which the Young Bond series turns. Double or Die both pulls from past books and points to the future. Where SilverFin infused Bond with his fearless instinct and Blood Fever developed his brawn, Double or Die works his mind (and ours). Thematically, Double or Die is an adventure of the mind. Bond and his band of friends must decrypt puzzles and clues contained within a mysterious cipher sent by a kidnapped professor. Higson plays the motif throughout as references to skulls and the brain abound. Where Blood Fever was bright and expansive, Double or Die is dark and contained. While this may make it a lesser Bondian adventure for some, the smaller scale allows Higson to work in greater texture and detail, making Double or Die the most vivid and visual of all the Young Bond novels to date. It's also the Young Bond novel that showcases its 1930s setting the best as Higson peppers the book with delightful period slang and long forgotten brand names. The body count in Double or Die is lower than Blood Fever, but Higson doesn't skimp on the gore, especially during the terrific climax on the London Docklands and inside an abandon pneumatic railway (wonderful Bondian locations both). The fact that the henchmen comes away from each encounter with Young Bond missing another body part is grisly good fun. Higson adds a surprising postscript to this book that is unlike anything that has yet appeared in a Young Bond novel. I will leave it to the reader to discover it, and decide whether it belongs in the Young Bond universe. Absence of a Bond Girl (or any female for that matter) is missed during the first two thirds of the book, but the arrival of the perfectly named Kelly Kelly and her "Monstrous Regiment" (a sort of cockney street urchin version of Pussy Galore's Flying Circus) is a highlight of the final third. Higson again toys with romance, but one gets a sense he's nervous about scaring off his youngest male readers. At the risk of getting a schoolyard beating, I admit that I'm looking forward to the "love story" Higson promises will feature in his fifth Young Bond novel, By Royal Command (due for release in the UK in September). The measure of any James Bond continuation novel, and novelist, is how they compare with Fleming. Charlie Higson matched Fleming with the excellent Blood Fever. Now, with the complex and thrilling Double or Die, Higson appears to be steering the Young Bond series toward even higher literary achievement.