Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SilverFin | 2005 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 2 | Bloedkoorts | 2006 | Charlie Higson | N/A |
| 3 | Blood Fever | 2006 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 4 | Double or Die | 2007 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 5 | Hurricane Gold | 2007 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 6 | Danger Society | 2009 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 7 | By Royal Command | 2008 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 8 | Shoot to Kill | 2014 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 9 | Heads You Die | 2016 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 10 | Strike Lightning | 2016 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 11 | Red Nemesis | 2017 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
| 12 | A Hard Man To Kill | 2018 | Charlie Higson | Buy |
The Ian Fleming estate approached Charlie Higson to write about James Bond as a teenager, and the result was SilverFin (2005). Set in the 1930s, the series follows young Bond at Eton, where he’s already athletic, stubborn, and drawn to danger. The early books send him to Scotland, Sardinia, and Mexico, each time tangling with villains who operate on a smaller scale than the adult novels but are no less threatening to a thirteen-year-old.
Higson wrote the first five novels in the series, establishing Bond’s school years, his friendships, and his first encounters with real violence. The books are fast-paced and don’t talk down to their audience. By Royal Command (2008) served as Higson’s finale, bringing Bond’s Eton years to a close. Steve Cole then picked up the series starting with Shoot to Kill (2014), moving the timeline forward and shifting the tone slightly.
The series works as both a James Bond prequel and a standalone set of adventure novels. Higson captures the period detail of 1930s England without making it feel like a history lesson, and the action sequences hold up against anything in the adult franchise.