On His Majesty's Secret Service (James Bond 007)

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One fatal mistake IMO is Higson basing his entire story around the idea of a ‘Bond formula’ rather than coming up with something original and putting his own stamp on it. I genuinely believe his own voice and ideas would have made for a far more interesting story.

Much has been made of On His Majesty’s Secret Service being written in a hurry and I was, in truth, expecting a much slimmer volume. But, despite the need to get it written, edited and printed prior to the Coronation, this is a full length Bond novel. It’s also full bore and never for one second boring.Is this, an excerpt from roughly a third of the way through On His Majesty’s Secret Service, Charlie Higson telling himself to get a wiggle on? Or, perhaps, an apology-in-advance to the reader in case they don’t find the next two thirds to be ‘carefully plotted’? The action of this entirely new 007 adventure brings Bond into the present day. It is the 4th of May, two days before the coronation of King Charles III, and the world's favourite spy has his work cut out for him. Bond is sent at the last minute to thwart an attempt to disrupt the Coronation by the wealthy, eccentric, and self-styled Æthelstan of Wessex, who is on a deadly mission of his own to teach the United Kingdom a lesson. Can Bond dismantle his shady plans and defeat his privately hired team of mercenaries? He said: “When Ian Fleming Publications came to me with the idea of writing an adult Bond story a little more than a month ago I was thrilled - until I realised it had to be ready for the coronation in May. The story is set two days before the coronation of King Charles III. Bond is sent to thwart an attempt to disrupt the coronation by the wealthy and self-styled Athelstan of Wessex, who is on a deadly mission of his own to teach the UK a lesson. 007 must dismantle his devious plans and defeat his privately hired team of mercenaries.

Some say that Fleming’s last novel was unpolished before he died, I find it a far better job than this Higson effort but recognize the time pressure he faced with this novel. And I applaud the content which was created in such a short time. I even enjoy the use of the word bitch used in 1953 and in this novel 70 years onwards, it is nice remembrance towards 007’s first and latest lady in a novel. The original plan was for royalties to support The Prince’s Trust and Camilla’s Reading Room literacy charity, but Higson’s regicidal plot – featuring a wealthy, eccentric and anti-‘woke’ wannabe king called Athelstan of Wessex, allegedly a descendent of Alfred the Great – ruled out an official tie-in. I was pleasantly surprised with the release of this albeit short novel and hope that the literary heirs have got Higson on their list for another Bond novel but give him this time a lot more time to create a story. There’s a lot to be said for not overthinking things and getting on with it. In an interview with The Times just days before the book’s publication, Higson himself expressed a preference for a less introspective Bond. Ironically then, Higson provides us with some of the best inward-looking passages in any Bond book. Upon meeting a hired killer to who he takes an instant dislike, Bond reflects: “Was there an element of self-loathing in his distaste…? Were they actually the same?” Getting it written and turned around in such a short space of time was going to be as tense and heart-pounding as any Bond mission. Although, of course, nobody would actually be shooting at me.

Contemporary Bond - you can write contemporary Bond without shoehorning in words like Nutella and Toblerone, it’s set during the kings coronation, I know it’s modern, I don’t ever want to read the word Nutella in a Bond novel, no matter what year it’s set. Higson, who lives with his family in north London, makes it sound easy, and, in truth, the new book zips along with a lovely lightness of touch, but that’s not to dismiss his writing. His Bond Girl, incidentally, is an Icelandic beauty named Ragnheidour.