003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior
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| 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Junior | |
 1968 American Random House hardback edition |
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| 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.[1]
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.
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[edit] 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.[2] 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).
[edit] 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Brosnan, John James Bond in the Cinema 1972 renewed 1981 Tantivy Press
- ^ Who is R. D. Mascott?. The Search for R. D. Mascott. Retrieved on 28 June, 2006.
