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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9781423100294
ISBN number: 1423100298
Label: Miramax Books
Manufacturer: Miramax Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: April 01, 2007
Publishing house: Miramax Books
Age index: Young Adult
Release Date: March 27, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 34208
Studio: Miramax Books
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Product Description:
Following his adventures in the Scottish Highlands, James Bond is back at Eton, where he has joined the risk-taking Danger Society. Summer vacation is on the horizon and James is looking forward to the school trip to the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, and the opportunity to spend some time with his reclusive cousin Victor.
But all is not as it appears. James soon discovers that the seemingly peaceful island harbors some strange secrets. Before long, Victor's house has been ransacked and important pieces of artwork have been stolen. James learns that the Millennaria-a ruthless Roman society long thought to be extinguished-is still active. He suspects the impetuous millionaire Count Ugo Carnifex may be behind it. But one of his teachers has been acting strangely as well..
As a young girl's life hangs in the balance, it's up to James to uncover an intricate conspiracy that will take him head-to-head with enemies more ruthless than he could have ever imagined.
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Rated by buyers -
Blood Fever is about a boy named James, that goes to the island of Sardinia on a class trip. On the island he starts to reveal a mystery about one of the most dangerous men in Europe. He will encounter many obstacles in his journey to stop him from ruling Europe.Will he stop him or not?
In my personal opinion Blood Fever was a better than the very first book of this series,Silverfin. I still liked Silverfin and it was a great lead up to Blood Fever. The reason I liked Blood Fever more than Silver fin was because it had more action. The book was as I said action-packed and was also a mystery. James acts as a dare-devil and detective at the same time to solve the mystery. He will do some crazy stunts while trying to find out a "clue".of the mystery. Last of all people who loved Midnight Rider will love this book. I loved this book.
Rated by buyers -
Literary 007 fans are in for a real surprise with Charlie Higson's Blood Fever. A dark and intense story awaits readers and the result is thrilling and enjoyable. At very first I was apprehensive about starting it. When I had obtained Higson's very first novel, SilverFin, I had immediately jumped into it, excited and curious. With Blood Fever, I was worried that I would be slightly disappointed; that the sucess of SilverFin might have just been a one time deal. It turns out that I could not have been further wrong. Blood Fever is a fast-paced, exciting, well-crafted, and mature James Bond novel.
SilverFin started to clear up the many, many rumours that this new Young Bond series would only appeal to young readers or the Harry Potter crowd, but Blood Fever wipes the slate clean. This is a darker and tougher James Bond novel than anticipated. Where there were some decidedly cute aspects of SilverFin, such as the horse being called "Martini," Blood Fever is devoid of such moments. The maturity, both of Bond and overall, is much more pronounced in this story.
One way this new level of maturity is obtained is in the development of the characters. Many of them are standouts in this novel, starting very first with the villain, Count Ugo Carnifex. Villains, both in the Bond novels and films, have to be above par to create an interesting enough challenge for Bond, and Carnifex meets the requirements. He is ruthless and cruel; Higson's characterization of this villain is full of details; and...of course, where would a good villain be without a well-designed and dangerous lair? An improvement over Lord Randolph Hellebore of the previous novel, SilverFin. The other obligatory character is the Bond girl--in this case, the determined and efficient Amy Goodenough. Again, as in the case of the villains, the improvement from SilverFin to Blood Fever is clearly evident. Amy is introduced early on in the story and Higson allows the character plenty of time to develop and become someone that readers actually care about. She is the perfect candidate to be the girl who needs rescuing. Her interaction with James is handled wonderfully and very believable for the reader.
The darkness of Blood Fever is accented by the violence, which seems to have been increased for this second novel. James Bond is much more agent 007 than Young Bond in Blood Fever. In SilverFin, he was unsure, but determined and not willing to give up. Even with those qualities, it was evident that this character was clearly no 007...yet. Blood Fever now takes James Bond on the path to 007. Even the very first line, 'James Bond hated feeling trapped,' shows that this boy is restless and one that does not take the common path in life. He must know that there is an exit where ever he may be, and his real ambition is to be free. He realizes that he does not fit in with Eton, the so-called common path. This boy is different from the others. All of this essential information about the back round to this character is presented on the very first page describing him alone (pg 15 UK very first edition paperback).
One standout scene of Blood Fever (and one that was certainly anticipated before the release of the novel) is the torture sequence involving James Bond. The form of torture is the deadliest animal in the world: mosquitoes. As Ugo Carnifex says, 'they are a nuisance, aren't they?' The scene is written magnificently, from the lack of mutual respect between James Bond and Ugo Carnifex to the sense of hopelessness James feels after he is left alone. Blood drips from the uncountable bites on his body and the creatures are relentless and ruthless in their mass attack. Help eventually comes, but not after James experiences a world of agony and pain. In a way, this scene (which succeeds wonderfully) represents a transition from young Bond to the adult 007. Charlie Higson proves he can make a scene like this work very well. The violence is increased, but sex still remains very PG. Bond tries to resist Vendetta's uncontrollable attempts to kiss him, thinking the action to be embarrassing. He does however kiss her 'hard on the mouth' when trying to get a point across, but the idea of Amy as a girlfriend is 'nonsense' to him.
Do not resist this second Young Bond novel if you did of SilverFin because the idea seemed too childish or silly. Charlie Higson is an accomplished writer and his work on Blood Fever is definitely deserving of praise. This is the best kind of Bond novels--young or old. It grips you from the start and truly does not let go until the conclusion. The characterization is deep and rich, the settings described in detail, and the plot interesting and exciting. Equally as important, there is a point: Blood Fever continues young James Bond on the road to 007. Both James Bond and the readers are in for quite the journey.
commanderbond.net
Rated by buyers -
"Blood Fever" is an all-around good book. As opposed to "Silverfin."
Don't get me wrong. "Silverfin", Charlie Higson's very first entry in the Young James Bond series, was a solid very first entry, and showed great potential for the rest of the series. But "Blood Fever" fully capitalizes on that potential. It's more genuinely suspenseful, more clever and humorous, more well-written in general, and better in every other conceivable way. Plus it has a higher body count. However, just like "Silverfin", "Blood Fever" requires the reader's indulgence. In order to enjoy either book, you have to be interested in the exploits of James Bond at age thirteen.
"Silverfin" was entertaining, but it was filled with several cheesy moments. "Blood Fever" is much more cleverly written, especially in regard to the "prequel" moments in regard to James' future. These play tribute to Ian Fleming's original novels, and, consequentially, to the movies they inspired. While they're more plentiful in "Blood Fever" than "Silverfin", they're also much more subtle and intelligently placed. To give some examples here would ruin the fun, but I will say that Fleming's recurring motifs of the number 7 and the "octopussy" are prevalent throughout the book.
The plot of "Bloodfever" is much more complex than "Silverfin", with too many twists and turns to explain here. But basically, the book starts with the abduction of a young blonde named Amy Goodenough and the murder of her father by the pirate Zoltan. Meanwhile, the teenage James Bond is studying at Eton when he discovers the workings of a secret society on campus. The paths of James, Amy, and Zoltan, as well as a megalomaniac named Ugo Carnifex with designs on world domination, cross on a field trip to Sardinia. James encounters several grotesque baddies that could give Oddjob and Jaws a run for their money, as well as frighteningly realistic scene in which James in nearly eaten alive by a swarm of mosquitoes, so well written it will probably make you itch. This all climaxes in what's probably the coolest villain death in all of Bond history.
In my review for "Silverfin", I mentioned that James could sometimes be substituted with any other young adventure hero. Not so in "Blood Fever." This young James has all of the traits of the James Bond we know and love. He gets all of the latest technology, but in a much more realistic way. For example, it's the 1930's, and James manages to get his hands on one of the very first ever scuba suits. Also, James causes not one but two women to go completely gaa-gaa over him: Amy Goodenough and a young Italian girl named Vendetta.
One of the few flaws that occurred in both Young Bond novels is that Charlie Higson introduces too many characters to give them all the amount of "screen time" they deserve. The main "Bond villain", Ugo Carnifex, and "Bond girls" in particular get too little attention, especially the character of Amy Goodenough. Since Bond's enemies and loves have always played major roles in his adventures, you expect them to be better treated her. However, the characters Charlie Higson does focus on are very well-written. The character of Zoltan the pirate is especially interesting. He walks the fine line between being an enemy and an ally to James, and he's lovable and despicable, sometimes at the same time. Also, there were a couple of twists I could see coming a mile away, but I suspect other readers, young readers especially, will be thoroughly baffled.
"Blood Fever" fully capitalizes on the potential of its subject. Now, I wait with baited breath for the U. S. release of "Double or Die", the subsequent book in the series.
Rated by buyers -
Pretty good story, and we find out what makes Bond ticks. A must for Alex Rider fans!!!
Rated by buyers -
For this old 007 fan, Charlie Higson's very first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, was a mixed bag. Clearly a book written for a preteen target audience, it too often seemed to mimic a Harry Potter adventure. I'm happy to report this is NOT the case with Young Bond Book 2: Blood Fever, which takes a confident quantum leap into maturity and gives Bond fans of all ages one of the very best James Bond novels yet written.
The key difference seems to be that SilverFin was written as a children's book (which could still be enjoyed by adults), while Blood Fever appears to have been written with a more mature (even adult) readership in mind. This is a tougher, darker, much more violent book than SilverFin. It even includes a classic Bondian torture scene (but don't panic, parents, the torture is more about endurance than person-to-person sadism). But because Blood Fever chronicles the adventures of a 14 year old, it's still very much a novel young readers will find thrilling--even dangerous. This one may need to be smuggled beneath the sheets and read by flashlight--which is precisely where a James Bond book SHOULD be read. Ian Fleming would be proud.
The villain in Blood Fever, Count Ugo Carnifex, is a true Bond baddie in the most classic sense, with a lair and scheme reflecting every inch of his megalomania. This is the best drawn Bond villain, book or film, we've encountered in some time. Secondary characters are also marvelously conceived, but it's the character of young Bond who stands head and shoulders above all others. The timid, apologetic youngster of SilverFin is long gone. Here, we have a teenage James with all the skills and swagger of Ian Fleming's secret agent. He coolly defies the villain, finds kinship with bandits, and gets visceral excitement by diving off high cliffs and driving fast cars. This Bond is no Harry Potter clone. This is the boy who will become 007 and who could kick the pixy dust out of any character in the Potter universe.
One thing that is still not a part of the Young Bond universe, even in this more mature version, is sex. However, there is some simmering eroticism in how Ugo's decrepit sister leers at handsome young James, and clearly, the animalistic Vendetta has some carnal curiosity. Bond even delivers his very first "hard kiss on the mouth" in Blood Fever. But that's as far as Higson takes it. Bond's resistance to his female admirers seems more rooted in chivalry than nervous preadolescence (as in SilverFin), and besides, danger is always too close for such "distractions."
Some Bond fans have resisted the Young Bond series based on concept alone. Even I admitted that SilverFin wouldn't change the minds of the most entrenched fans. However, with Blood Fever, that resistance is now foolish. Bond fans are denying themselves a better Bond adventure than most of the recent James Bond films. There has been much talk lately about bringing Bond back to basics. Well, those basics are being practiced right here in the Young Bond series.
So for you holdouts, my advice would be to take the plunge with Blood Fever. Young or old, this is James Bond at his very best!
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