This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
Six decades after the publication of Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the man who penned the first five Young Bond novels offers up an adventure to commemorate the reign of King Charles III. In fact, Charles Philip Arthur George himself is a character in this tale, complete with a brief speaking part. Long Live The King.
British Military Intelligence has credible information that some kind of disruption is planned for the coronation scheduled for 6 May 2023. One agent has already been killed in an attempt to infiltrate the villain’s lair, and not only is James Bond tasked with getting in there and discovering the details, but he is given direct orders to ensure the complete cessation of activities. It has become personal for the director of the Double 0 Branch, and Bond is on his way.
Æthelstan is a solid antagonist, and although his plan to thwart the new monarch seems obvious, a very clever pair of surprises awaits both the reader and 007. His Hungarian HQ contains a well-designed combination of medieval and modern security, which truly seems insurmountable as the story progresses. Our favorite secret agent must utilize every skill he possesses to get in, solve the problem, and get out alive. The clock is ticking inexorably toward coronation day, and he does not have all the time in the world.
This iteration of Mr. Bond is fully modern-day, yet he retains some experiential memory of previous adventures from Fleming and other writers. He is very introspective at times during this mission but always consciously choosing to be (and continuing to be) the blunt instrument that he has become. His thoughts on taking another person’s life are well written and worth reading. I do not believe that Charlie Higson is preaching about anything, but I do believe he is proffering thought-provoking ideas for his readers to ponder.
This is a very short read, yet the major characters and the plot are fully developed; I found only one thread that was not fully explained. The author was commissioned to write this on behalf of the UK National Literacy Trust, and all royalties from the sale of the book will go towards its work to support literacy skills in schools and communities across the UK.
Rated: Moderate. A pair of F-words, 5 instances of moderate profanity, 30 usages of milder curse words, and 10 crude terms. Two intimate encounters with no detailed descriptions.
