Hurricane Gold

Infobox Book
name = Hurricane Gold
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First edition UK hardcover
author = Charlie Higson
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = James Bond / Young Bond
subject =
genre = Spy novel
publisher = Ian Fleming Publications
release_date = 6 September 2007
media_type = Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
pages = 372 pp
isbn = ISBN 9780141383910 (first edition hardback)
preceded_by = Double or Die
followed_by = By Royal Command

"Hurricane Gold" is the fourth novel in the Young Bond series depicting Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. The novel is set in Mexico and the Caribbean. It was first published in the UK in September 2007.

Plot introduction

Two American children are abducted by criminals searching for military plans stolen by their father. James Bond attempts to protect them by masquerading as a young Mexican thief and joining the gang. They journey through a hurricane-damaged Mexico and eventually arrive at the Caribbean island Lagrimas Negras.

Title

Hurricane gold, according to the character El Huracán, is a legendary Mayan treasure which is cursed and will bring inevitable ruin on its possessor.

Plot summary

The book starts with a prologue on Lagrimas Negras (black tears), an island haven for criminals in the Caribbean. The boss, El Huracán, informs his lunch guests that one of them has broken the rule against contacting the outside world. Robert King is tricked into confessing, then made to run "La Avenida de Muerte", a deadly obstacle course. He is killed by a jaguar less than halfway through.

Following the events in "Double or Die", James Bond travels around Mexico with his Aunt Charmian, an anthropologist. In the fishing village of Tres Hermanas, Angel Corona, a young Mexican pickpocket who closely resembles James, steals Charmian's bag. James gives chase and corners him. Corona is arrested by the police. While Jack Stone, an American flying ace, flies Charmian to the ruined Mayan city of Palenque, James is left in Tres Hermanas with Stone's children, where he quickly finds problems: Stone's daughter, Precious, is a spoilt, self-centered girl about the same age as James, while her younger brother, Jack Junior or JJ, is immature and annoying.

During a devastating hurricane, some gangsters led by Mrs Glass enter the Stone house and steal the safe. James knocks one of the gunmen, Manny, out of the window. The youngsters hide from the gangsters and the storm in an underground ice house. After the storm, James takes the Stone children to town in Jack Stone's Duesenberg, which is wrecked by a sudden flood. JJ is nearly killed, but is rescued by Garcia, James's sailor friend. When JJ and Precious are captured by the remaining four robbers, James passes himself off as Angel Corona to join the gang and Garcia tags along. The names of the other criminals are Strabo, Whatzat and Sakata. The Japanese gangster Sakata befriends James and teaches him ju-jitsu.

Mrs. Glass takes the group to an old oil field in order to get tools and explosives to open the safe. She tells Precious what her plans are: Jack Stone had lost money after the end of the war and had become a smuggler to regain money; one of his clients was an ex-U.S Navy officer who had stolen some important documents about the U.S. Navy's Pacific fleet. Sakata had been sent to retrieve the plans, which would be very valuable to the Japanese in the event of a war. However, the documents are not in the safe, so presumably Stone took them in the plane. Meanwhile Whatzat and Garcia die during an escape attempt. James learns from Mrs.Glass that Whatzat name was Charlie Moore. When JJ's injured leg becomes severely infected, Sakata, prompted by James, leaves the gang and takes JJ to hospital in Vera Cruz.

Mrs. Glass and Strabo make a new plan to flee to Lagrimas Negras and sell the documents to the ruler of the island, El Huracán. James and Precious escape and camp out for a while. Precious has undergone a change in character; she is no longer rude and self-centered, and even develops affections for James, which she expresses by waiting for him to fall asleep and then kissing him. Then Manny shows up in a car. He is very sick, as he has had brain damage following his fall at the Stone Mansion. He slips in and out of confusion. Finally, James and Precious knock him out of the car as he sleeps and escape. They head for Pelanque, but are unable to stop Mrs Glass escaping with the documents, though Strabo is killed by army ants.

Mrs. Glass goes to Lagrimas Negras alone. James and Precious follow on a ship. Manny follows them and gives chase. He is killed by El Huracán's guards and James and Precious are employed as servants on Lagrimas Negras. James discovers that when the guests of Lagrimas Negras run out of money, they are forced to work as slaves on El Huracán's farm. James also hears that running "La Avenida de Muerte" is the only way to get off Lagrimas Negras, though no one has ever survived it. Precious steals a map of the obstacle course from a bathroom she is cleaning and she and James start training. They trick El Huracán into letting them run the course which he does reluctantly, as he was hoping James would stay on as his successor.

James and Precious successfully traverse many obstacles, helped by their advance knowledge. Finally they reach a massive water tank containing a vicious crocodile that will almost certainly kill them, as there is no way out. However, James has left some explosives in the maintenance tunnel and blows out the wall. He is knocked unconscious by the landing. He wakes up on a rock with Precious, who French kisses him while they wait to be collected. El Huracán keeps his promise to release them and the book ends with James and Precious leaving Lagrimas Negras with Jack Stone. They share a private moment watching the sunset, during which Precious admits to James that she loves him.

Author's Synopsis

HURRICANE GOLD

As the sun blazes over the Caribbean island of Lagrimas Negras, its bloodthirsty ruler is watching and waiting. Criminals come here to hide, with blood on their hands and escape on their minds.

On the mainland, in the quiet town of Tres Hermanas, ex-flying ace Jack Stone leaves his son and daughter in the company of James Bond. But a gang of thieves lies in ambush - they want Stone's precious safe, and will kill for its contents. James embarks on a deadly chase through the Mexican jungle. On this terrifying trail of greed and betrayal, only danger is guaranteed ...Survival is not.

This is from the website http://www.youngbond.com/ and uses flash player to access it.

Foreshadowing

* Perry Mandeville in a letter mentions he is being sent to Fettes in Scotland after being kicked out of Eton. This hints at Mandeville appearing in the fifth book, as Bond will be sent to Fettes when he leaves Eton.

* Also, Mr. Merriot mentions a school trip to Kitzbuhel, Austria. Part of the next book is set in Austria.

*Furthermore, in Pritpal's letter, he mentions that they have an attractive new maid from Ireland called Roan. This may be foreshadowing the incident with the maid that results in Bond leaving Eton and that she is the one whom he falls in love with.

Writing the book

Prior to the release of "SilverFin" Charlie Higson said that "Book 4" would be set in the Alps [cite web | title=First Details of Young Bond Books 2, 3, and 4 Revealed | work=CommanderBond.net | url=http://commanderbond.net/index.php?action=Story&SID=2676 | accessdate=December 29 | accessyear=2005] , however, the location was changed to Mexico and the Caribbean [cite web | title=Young Bond heads to Mexico in Book 4 | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url=http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2006/4/14_Young_Bond_Heads_to_Mexico_in_Book_4.html | accessdate=April 14 | accessyear=2006] . Higson considered setting the book in North Africa, but decided against it because Ian Fleming never liked the idea of Bond going to North Africa. [cite web | title=The Charlie Higson CBn Interview II | work=CBn/The Young Bond Dossier | url=http://commanderbond.net/article/4504 | accessdate=September 1 | accessyear=2007] Unlike the other Young Bond novels, there are no scenes set at Eton College. [cite web | title=The Charlie Higson CBn Interview II | work=CBn/The Young Bond Dossier | url=http://commanderbond.net/article/4504 | accessdate=September 1 | accessyear=2007]

When asked whether he would continue the pattern of following Fleming's templates by echoing some elements of the fourth 007 novel "Diamonds Are Forever", Higson said "there are some similarities, it is set in the Americas, there are gangsters in it but there is no cowboy train!" [cite web | title=Charlie Higson Interview | work=MI6.co.uk | url= http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/interview_charlie_higson_yb3c_ahead.php | accessdate=January 22 | accessyear=2007]

Higson completed work on the book in December 2006, a month before "Double or Die" was released. [cite web | title=Charlie Higson Interview | work=MI6.co.uk | url= http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/interview_charlie_higson_yb3c_ahead.php | accessdate=January 22 | accessyear=2007]

Charlie Higson's working title was "Lágrimas Negras", but because the publishers had the idea of publishing it as an all-gold book, they asked Higson to try and come up with a title that included the word "gold". [cite web | title=The Charlie Higson CBn Interview II | work=CBn/The Young Bond Dossier | url=http://commanderbond.net/article/4504 | accessdate=September 1 | accessyear=2007]

Also changed was the name of the character Precious Stone. She was originally named Amaryllis Stone after the half-sister of Ian Fleming (who is also referenced in the short story "The Living Daylights"). But because the character starts out the novel as so unpleasant, it was feared it might offend the Fleming family and the name was changed. [cite web | title=The Charlie Higson CBn Interview II | work=CBn/The Young Bond Dossier | url=http://commanderbond.net/article/4504 | accessdate=September 1 | accessyear=2007]

Publication history

The novel was published as a hardcover, a first for the series, in the UK on September 6, 2007 by Puffin Books. [cite web | title=Hurricane Gold official announcement | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2007/4/24_Hurricane_Gold_official_announcement_%26_cover.html | accessdate=April 24 | accessyear=2007] Puffin released an audiobook read by author Charlie Higson on September 27. A paperback edition was released on May 28, 2008, the Centenary of Ian Fleming's birth. [cite web | title=Hurricane Gold paperback | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2007/10/30_Pre-order_the_Hurricane_Gold_paperback.html | accessdate=August 27 | accessyear=2007] A hardcover published by Hyperion Books for Children will be released in the U.S. in April 2009. [cite web | title=Hurricane Gold U.S. release | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2008/3/14_Hurricane_Gold_will_hit_U.S._in_2009.html | accessdate=March 14 | accessyear=2008]

"Hurricane Gold" had previously been announced as a 2008 release before the publishing date was pushed up to 2007. With "Double or Die" also being published in 2007, this creates a unique situation – the first time more than one James Bond novel was published in the same calendar year, (not counting film novelisations, spinoff novels such as "The Moneypenny Diaries" or short stories).

On August 10, 2007, Charlie Higson signed and numbered 1500 copies of "Hurricane Gold" to be distributed to independent bookstores only. [cite web | title=Charlie signs 1500 copies of Hurricane Gold | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2007/8/15_Charlie_signs_1500_copies_of_Hurricane_Gold.html | accessdate=August 15 | accessyear=2007] Number "007" was discovered in a small bookshop in Lytham St Annes in Lancashire and sold on eBay for £156.50 ($319.82). [cite web | title=Hurricane Gold #007 sells on eBay | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2007/10/9_Hurricane_Gold_007_sells_on_eBay.html | accessdate=October 9 | accessyear=2007]

A launch party for the novel was held at Waterstone's Piccadilly in London on September 6th 2007 with an all-gold theme. [cite web | title=Report on today’s Hurricane Gold launch party | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2007/9/6_Young_Bond_quiz_winner_2.html | accessdate=September 6 | accessyear=2007]

"Hurricane Gold" entered the charts at #2, selling 6056 copies in just half a week’s sales. [cite web | title=Hurricane Gold debuts at #2! | work=The Young Bond Dossier | url= http://www.youngbonddossier.com/Young_Bond/Danger_Society_News/Entries/2007/9/11_Hurricane_Gold_debuts_at_2.html | accessdate=September 11 | accessyear=2007]

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.youngbond.com/ Official Young Bond website]
* [http://youngbonddossier.com The Young Bond Dossier]
* [http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/literary/hurricane_gold.php3 Hurricane Gold on MI6.co.uk]
* [http://bondpedia.net/article/Hurricane_Gold Hurricane Gold on Bondpedia.net]
* [http://commanderbond.net/category/285 Hurricane Gold on CommanderBond.net]
* [http://commanderbond.net/article/4504 The Charlie Higson CBn Interview II]