003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

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003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

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003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

1968 American Random House hardback edition
Author R. D. Mascott
Illustrator Christopher Chamberlain (UK)
Michael Jackson (U.S.)
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series James Bond
Genre(s) Spy novel
Publisher Glidrose Productions
Publication date 1967
Media type Print (Hardcover)
ISBN NA
Preceded by Octopussy and The Living Daylights
Followed by Colonel Sun

003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior was a 1967 James Bond spinoff novel carrying the Glidrose Productions copyright. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Jonathan Cape publishing company in 1967 and later in 1968 in the United States by Random House. The novel was written under the pseudonym R. D. Mascott; the real name of the author to this day has never been officially revealed by the current owners of the Ian Fleming Estate (i.e., Ian Fleming Publications a.k.a. Glidrose) or EON Productions (Danjaq), who owns the screen rights to the novel.

Although the novel is based around a character who is the the nephew of James Bond, in Ian Fleming's own novels Bond in fact was an only child and indeed an orphan, however, unbeknownst to agent 007 he does have a son as told in You Only Live Twice.

In 1966 Harry Saltzman announced a television series about a ten year old who fought SPECTRE that could have been based on 003 1/2 but nothing became of it

003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior is considered a failed attempt at launching a youth-oriented line of fiction aimed at 8 to 14 year olds. A moderately successful television series by the same name was launched in 1991, produced by EON Productions / Danjaq. The success of the show spawned numerous novelisations, a video game, and comic books. Unrelated to 003½, Ian Fleming Publications began publishing a successful youth-oriented line of Young Bond adventures featuring James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s beginning in 2005.

Although an officially licensed spin-off from the James Bond series, its place within the canon of the books - if any - has never been established.
Contents

The author

To this day it has never been confirmed who wrote 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior, although many authors have been named as possibilities such as Roald Dahl and Kingsley Amis. Amis is usually seen as completely bogus since a year later he released Colonel Sun under the pseudonym Robert Markham, however, unlike R. D. Mascott, Amis's authoring of Colonel Sun was never a secret. Amis's writing style is also not similar to Mascott. Roald Dahl on the other hand does share some similarities specifically with one book he wrote in 1975, Danny, the Champion of the World. Coincidentally, in 1967, Roald Dahl completed the screenplay for You Only Live Twice for EON Productions, the same year 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior was published. Although there is evidence to suggest Dahl may have written 003½, there is equally as much evidence to suggest he didn't.

One author that has recently been identified as a possibility is Arthur Calder-Marshall who wrote a number of similar books especially in style and his descriptions of characters and environments in his books The Magic of My Youth (1951) and The Scarlet Boy (1961). It has also been suggested that the initials R. D. are a play on the name Arthur, which is typically shortened to Artie. Other writers that have been named as possibilities but tend to be rejected, include Peter Fleming (Ian's brother) and Nichol Fleming (Peter Fleming's son and Ian's nephew).

Plot summary

The plot follows James Bond Junior while he tries to uncover bank robbers in Hazely Hill. He and Sheelagh Smith, his "girlfriend" follow the clues of this mystery, but the information is given to the Commander of the police when James is injured. The Commander ultimately gets the credit for solving the case and threatens James if he says anything.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Dr. No »

I'm glad this idea didn't actually get going. I completely HATED the James bond Jr cartoon
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Chief of Staff, 007's gone round the bend. Says someone's been trying to feed him a poisoned banana. Fellow's lost his nerve. Been in the hospital too long. Better call him home.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by FormerBondFan »

Would the live-action adaptation of this novel be a lot worse than the cartoon?
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Dr. No »

could be worse.

Or 1 in 10 chacne it could be better.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by FormerBondFan »

It would better if the adaptation was made in the 60s when Sean was still Bond, but I could be wrong.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Kristatos »

I suspect that if a live action Young Bond movie was made, it would be based on the Charlie Higson novels rather than this.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by FormerBondFan »

Kristatos wrote:I suspect that if a live action Young Bond movie was made, it would be based on the Charlie Higson novels rather than this.
We need a subforum for Charlie Higson.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Dr. No »

Kristatos wrote:I suspect that if a live action Young Bond movie was made, it would be based on the Charlie Higson novels rather than this.
Now it would be for sure. There were plans to do just that. Haven't heard any more about it. thank god!

For me the Charlie Higson young Bond books are a complete whoring out of something that had been speical.
The AF (after Fleming) Bond books I get. Don't really care for them but it makes sense to continue telling the stories in book form. The young Bond crap is an attempt to cash in on teh Spy kids popularity a few years back.
For me it simple, Fleming didn't write childhood bond stories there for their shouldn't be a books series about it.

Some peopel must enjoy them since they still publish them, but when they start going for the gimmicky catch to force another series thats we really awful crap gets sold under what used to be a good brand name.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by FormerBondFan »

Kristatos wrote:I suspect that if a live action Young Bond movie was made, it would be based on the Charlie Higson novels rather than this.
If this would ever happen, would it set in the 1930s?
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Kristatos »

FormerBondFan wrote:
Kristatos wrote:I suspect that if a live action Young Bond movie was made, it would be based on the Charlie Higson novels rather than this.
If this would ever happen, would it be set in the 1930s?
Interesting question. If they want to tie it to the current Bond timeline, they'd have to move the setting to the late '70s/early '80s, since Bond (like Craig) was born in 1968. Haven't read the YB books, so I don't know if that would be easy to do or not.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Dr. No »

the boy bond books are set in 1920&30 aren't they?
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by FormerBondFan »

Dr. No wrote:the boy bond books are set in 1920&30 aren't they?
The 1930s.
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Re: 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior

Post by Dr. No »

thought so.
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Chief of Staff, 007's gone round the bend. Says someone's been trying to feed him a poisoned banana. Fellow's lost his nerve. Been in the hospital too long. Better call him home.
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