I’ve been a James Bond fan since the tender age of seven when my dad took me to the theatre to watch For Your Eyes Only in 1981. My favourite Bond actor has changed over the years, going from Roger Moore to Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. But I honestly love every iteration of Bond on the screen. I’ve only read a handful of Ian Fleming’s original novels but have enjoyed them greatly. Outside of Fleming’s Bond novels though, I’ve only read 2018’s Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz. I liked it but wasn’t thrilled with it. Fast-forward to May 4th, 2023 and seemingly out of nowhere, a new, short Bond novel is published to coincide with King Charles’s Coronation titled On His Majesty’s Secret Service penned by Charlie Higson. It also celebrates the 60th anniversary of Fleming’s tenth Bond novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The audiobook is narrated by the author.
Here is the book’s official
synopsis: “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 Athelstan 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?
Charlie
Higson returns with a brand-new Bond adventure. On His Majesty’s Secret Service
celebrates the Coronation of King III Charles and will be published on Thursday
4 May ahead of the Coronation on Saturday 6 May–60 years after the publication
of Ian Fleming’s tenth novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in 1963. Ian
Fleming Publications and the author, Charlie Higson, are donating all royalties
from print, audio and ebooks to the National Literacy Trust.”
Author Charlie Higson is no
stranger to James Bond. He’s written five books in the Young Bond series which features James Bond in his teenage years. When
Higson was approached by Ian Fleming Publications with the concept of writing a
Bond story around the theme of the Coronation, he was given only a few months
to deliver a manuscript, which explains the short length of the book, running
at 4 hours and 25 minutes and about 175 pages in print.
The plot of On His Majesty’s Secret Service moves at a brisk pace and Higson’s
Bond feels like a good mix of Fleming’s original character and a more modern incarnation
quite different than that of Daniel Craig’s portrayal on screen. It deals with
a lot of timely issues such as today’s political stakes and Wokism. Some
readers might be turned off by that, but I found it felt organic within the
story and pertinent without ever beating you over the head to make its point. The
baddies are despicable and give off a megalomaniac vibe akin to classic Bond villains.
There are a few memorable lines throughout the book, but the one that stayed
with me the most is “Headphones, testosterone, Toblerone.” I won’t go into
details, but you’ll get it if and when you read/listen to it. The third act is
action-packed and full of twists with a satisfying ending. Charlie Higson does
a very competent job reading his own book. It’s often a double-edged sword
having an author read his own work; sometimes they lack the talent and the
voice to deliver a compelling reading. Not so with this one. Higson reads at a
good pace, enunciates clearly, and excels at mimicking French and South African
accents. It’s also fitting to have an English author narrate a James Bond
story.
On
His Majesty’s Secret Service is an easy read/listen and while
it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in terms of James Bond yarns, it does what it
intends to do. Considering that Higson only had a couple of months to pen this
book, I think he did a bang-up job and I’m happy that it exists in the Bond
canon. While I’m more a fan of Bond stories set in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, I
did enjoy this “gimmick” type of tale more than I thought I would. In any case,
it was much more entertaining that the subpar final Craig Bond film, No Time to Die. I’d love to read more
Bond stories, especially a full-length novel, from Higson in the future. If you’re
a Bond fan from any era, I highly recommend picking up this audiobook or
hardcover book. James Bond turns 70 this year and this is a great way to
celebrate.
Rating: Four
stars out of five
Get your copy on Audible
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