Young Bond: Heads You Die

Young Bond #7

by Steve Cole

James’s Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save one of the last remaining links to his past. If he is ever to see his friend again, he must steal the darkest secret of a man with 1,000 ways to kill.

Pursued by corrupt cops and hired assassins, James’s quest takes him from the sun-drenched streets of Havana to a mystery wreck deep in Caribbean waters – and beyond to a deadly showdown. As a countdown to mass murder begins and killers close in, fates will be decided with the flip of a coin.

Heads or tails. Live or die.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Young Adult, Espionage, Action, Childrens

Audio CD

First published May 5, 2016

About the author

Also publishes as Stephen Cole.

Steve Cole is the slightly crazy, highly frantic, millions-selling, non-stop author of Astrosaurs, Cows In Action, Astrosaurs Academy, The Slime Squad, Z. Rex and many other books (including several original Doctor Who stories).

He used to edit magazines and books but prefers the job of a writer where you can wear pyjamas and eat chocolate all day.

Steve just can't stop writing - if he does, strange robots appear and jostle him vigorously until he starts again.

In his spare time he loves making music, reading old comics, thinking up ideas for new books and slumping in front of a warm TV.

Reviews

[Chris Horsefield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ian Fleming would roll over in his grave.
Charlie Higson wrote the first 5 young bond novels and they are well written, exciting and true to Bond and a young Spy. Teen spy books are not for everyone, but series like Alex Rider and Jason Steed capture, attract readers and are great teen agents and are all well written and exciting.
I almost gave this 1 star, its not worthy of anything above 2, plot holes, historical errors and just plain boring. How could they allow this writer to get his hands on the name James Bond. I mean 'Bond' is an icon, allow the spy writers with proven records write a series for younger readers who will then go onto reading the original Fleming novels. Steve Cole has destroyed that. I don't recommend really for anyone.

[Steve Fincher · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a struggle to finish and I am glad its over. probably one of teh worst teen spy books I have written..Sorry. I really like Alex Rider, CHERUB, Jason Steed and I did like the first Young Bond books written by Charlie Higson, but this was, well terrible.

[Stephen Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the series. You have to read them in order to get the most enjoyment as they refer back to past events.

[Keith (CHINNY) Chinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure it deserved 3 stars but I don't want to give a book less, it was a bit boring, no it WAS boring and never really got going. The bad guys put poison on English bank notes and were going to send it to England. Thats pretty much it and of course James stopped them and blew it up. But it took a whole book to get their and it was slow and boring. I won't read another of this series.

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this novel, I really did. Steve Cole's second Young Adult James Bond novel starts well, with an action packed opening. In fact there's plenty of action throughout the story, but unfortunately the more that the novel progresses the duller it gets. I appreciate that it has been written for teenagers, but having read many YA novels over the years this is by far the weakest. OK, it's not the worst 007 novel ever (in my opinion that position is held by William Boyd's Solo), but it sadly lacks excitement on every level.

[Andrew Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Action packed, but has its ups and downs.

James is still weary of using guns, but there was some key commentary on it in this book. James makes a point to declare that he will never shoot someone in cold blood, and a villain declares James will shoot people. This is very important because up to this point the only gun young Bond would consider is a pop-gun. As we go through the books he is learning that sometimes it is a necessity, and seeing that growth is a lot of fun.

So if he's not killing with a gun how does he win? Smarts, and a lot of them. However, along with that he gets a ton of help from friends, which is a nice little message to young readers. it is within these additional characters that I saw an issue in Heads You Die. Hugo is still seeing development, but the other friendly characters, Marista and Jagua, saw little growth. Sure, we learned a lot about Jagua's youth, but when it came to her feelings she seemed flat. This flatness made it difficult for me to invest too much in her character. Of course there was the Hugo-Jagua love story, but that seemed to go stagnant, and then was left in the end to a hug and "hey write me a letter."

All-in-all an exciting book with an interesting story. Finally we got a plot with some world domination aspirations. Sadly the characters didn't inspire as much excitement as usual. I would still recommend this book to readers of the series and Bond fans in general.

[17morrisj244 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a decent storyline but is action packed, what i enjoyed the most about this book is the catchy chapter names, for example, Suicide club: now recruiting, they reflect on the context of the book well and there is a good level of vocabulary and description in this book, i recommend this book to people who love the bond franchise or films as they present the same excitement as reading the film.

[Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read a 007 novel, I need it to stand out in the canon... to really merit its existence in the mythos. Some are really good at this - like Fleming's (of course), Raymond Benson's, a couple of Gardner's and some of the Young Bond's. This one was good but not great - it played it safe, did not leave an impression on me I couldn't live without, and the characters and story were average.

The story had a lot of potential; the title is strong, the villain and the villain's motive/ mechanism of evil is pretty good. Where it loses me is there is ultimately no grave consequence nor is there a lesson for Bond that he cannot live without.

3 out of 5 stars.

[Martyn Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Bond adventure which is enjoyable enough, yet doesn't match the quality of the Higson adventures.

Readable, packed with action, yet far too lightweight to be fully appreciable as an adult reader. Where Higson had the balance and appeal sorted equally for young and old, Cole unashamedly aims straight for the twelve year olds with not enough depth to satisfy fully.

[R.W. Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite one of the series. A few entertaining parts but this time the pace was too slow and the characters weren't as entertaining as usual. Must try harder Bond!

[Landon Dempsey]

Fascinated by the early written novels of Charlie Higson, Stephen Cole decided to continue the Young Bond series. He creates the illustrious novel Heads You Die in an attempt to carry on the legacy of the first novels of Charlie Higson. Heads You Die takes place in 20th century Havana, Cuba. I highly recommend this book for students who enjoy exciting, adventurous, mystery books.

The book begins with a chase scene in the streets of Havana. James is pursuing a pickpocket in order to retrieve Hardiman’s stolen wallet. James and Hugo are spending some time with Hardiman in wait of James’ aunt who is coming to retrieve them. After getting attacked by Scolopendra’s goons, James asks Hardiman for an explanation. Hardiman tells them, “Ramon Mosqueda, and his fellow thug El Puno – the Fist – are employees of a man I’ve worked for in the past.” (Loc 315) The next morning, James and Hugo wake up to find the apartment ransacked and Hardiman gone. In the midst of the chaos, James and Hugo team up with Jagua, Scolopendra’s daughter, and Maritsa, Jagua’s best friend from childhood.

La Velada, Scolopendra’s girlfriend, shot at James when James and Jagua broke into Scolopendra’s mainland house. After learning of a meeting Scolopendra was scheduled to have, James and Hugo went to the casino to spy on the meeting. In the meeting, James and Hugo witnessed the death of one of Scolopendra’s officers because they suspected him of telling the authorities. James and Hugo hear Scolopendra say, “’We can’t argue with the coin, Mr. Maclean.’ Scolopendra turned and fired – and Maclean’s left eye burst open as the bullet went into his brain.”

After this, James and Hugo meat back up with Jagua and Maritsa and attempt to retrieve the stolen safe box that was stolen from Scolopendra’s lab. Scolopendra’s men capture James, Hugo, and Jagua and poison James and Hugo with a deadly disease that Scolopendra created. Hardiman finds a cure and James, Hugo, and Jagua escape with Hardiman.

The plot was well developed and kept me engaged the entire time I was reading Heads You Die. The storyline was original and I enjoyed the book because the sequence of events did not resemble any book I had read before. Anybody looking for a book filled with mystery, adventures, and peril, should definitely read this novel.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Bond and his friend Hugo work their way back to England they make a stop with an old family friend in Cuba and are drawn into a plot for world domination. There was lots of action in this book but this version of Bond has been toned down for the YA reader and feels like a step backwards for the character compared to the Bond of the earlier young Bond novels. This book was a fun YA read with exotic locations and action pieces but the main villains were fairly unmemorable although there was one good henchman and only a slight feel of the Ian Fleming character present.

[Jack Lugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heads You Die is the 7th novel in the Young Bond series and the second book written by Steve Cole after Charlie Higson’s monumental first five novels in the series. This book picks up right after Cole’s last offering, Shoot to Kill, where Bond thwarted a dangerous Hollywood blackmail scheme. James (about 14 or 15) and his new school friend Hugo, a 16-year-old fellow student afflicted with dwarfism, are now in Cuba staying with family friend of Aunt Charmian, Dr. Hardiman prior to embarking on their return trip to Europe. We know from Fleming’s brief writing on Bond’s youth that Bond will eventually end up going to Fettes College in Edinburgh to complete his education, but Heads You Die has other plans in store for young Bond. This is quite simply Steve Cole’s best Young Bond novel so far especially for those readers who may have been discouraged by the Hollywood setting of the previous book. The Caribbean is prime Fleming territory and Cole knows this and utilizes it to optimum effect.

The plot is set in motion when Dr. Hardiman is harassed and then kidnapped by a dastardly villain named Scolopendra, a native of the island who has achieved wealth and power by acquiring a vast and comprehensive knowledge of the island’s botanical treasures. He needs Dr. Hardiman to work on a mysterious secret project and uses his henchmen to intimidate anyone who stands in his way. James suffers through several encounters with the aptly named El Puňo so christened due to the fact that after the massive man lost his hand he had a block of granite fixed on to his stump carved into the shape of a fist.

In addition to Hugo, Bond works with a new set of allies. Jagua is Scolopendra’s daughter who has grown disgusted with her father’s cruel methods and Maritsa is Jagua’s best friend. Jagua is probably the strongest female character of all the Young Bond books. She’s fiercely rebellious and is able to handle multiple dangers to achieve her goals. She’s actually very reminiscent of Judy Havelock from Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only short story. Their motivations are different of course but their determination and their strong wills are very much similar. Together the group figures out that the only way to rescue Hardiman and end Scolopendra’s mysteriously cruel secret project is to get some kind of leverage to use against Jagua’s father. A strong box on a sunken cruiser may hold the key to foiling Scolopendra’s plans, but first they must dive. Here’s where Cole unleashes his inspiration from Fleming. The primitive diving equipment utilized by Jagua and Maritsa, who have grown accustomed to diving provides quite a challenge for young James. With a primitive diving helmet attached to hoses and bellows for air, Bond must dive deep down into the water to recover a mysterious strong box with Hugo pumping the bellows to provide air to the homemade helmet under water. As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge to navigate, young James promptly discovers he isn’t alone and a thrilling underwater action sequence ensues.

Bond must also contend with the mysteriously veiled woman named La Velada who has Scolopendra under her spell much to Jagua’s contempt and decipher what to make of her connections to Russian Secret Police. Multple dangers are in store for Bond to contend with including many chases, being shot at by La Velada, and hiding while a murder takes place. The following sequence provides a glimpse at how Cole invests the reader in the psyche of Bond much like Fleming had done:

“ One thought kept spinning around in his head: If La Velada’s bullet had hit me yesterday, I’d be a corpse on the floor myself. Now Scolopendra had executed a man, and she hadn’t even flinched; clearly they were two of a kind. James shuddered. To shoot a man dead in cold blood, at point-blank range . . .
I could never do that.”

While demonstrating just the right amount of restraint, here Cole invests us in Bond’s youth and innocence in a way that foreshadows the man that James will become. These experiences throughout the Young Bond novels are slowly shaping who James will be, but at this stage the concept of killing in cold blood is shocking to the young man and appropriately so. Clearly, Bond doesn’t know how any human being could possibly commit an act of brutality without remorse or any emotional effect whatsoever. At the same time, Bond is constantly finding himself in dangerous situations in circumstances far beyond his control. Take this quote from an earlier chapter:

“Heart hammering as he raced away, James knew that he would never get used to the thrill of danger. That was its allure. So much of life was routine and boring, but danger had no rules. It happened anywhere, could take so many forms.
‘And it looks me up wherever I go,’ he muttered to himself.”

Note that in the book there is an italicized emphasis on the word “never.” Danger is something he would “never” get used to, but he still relished the thrill of it. For now, in James’s psyche the dangerous situations are not sought after but when he happens to come across said danger he enjoys it on some level because he contrasts it with “boring” and “routine” regular life. It should therefore come as no surprise that the adult Bond would subscribe to a life that guarantees danger with every mission perhaps to relive the same childhood thrill.

Heads You Die is a fantastic novel and I look forward to Steve Cole’s 3rd book, Strike Lightning due out in September where we will finally see how Bond settles into life at Fettes College. While I don’t blame anyone for missing Charlie Higson, Heads You Die has convinced me that Steve Cole has put Young Bond on the right course. Not only does he deliver thrilling action sequences for young James, he also builds upon the character we’ve gotten to know in the previous books. I highly recommend this latest book and I have no doubt that Strike Lightning will continue to provide the kind of suspense and thrills to exceed our expectations as Bond fans.

As a side note, I highly recommend acquiring the limited edition hardcover of Heads You Die available only as an import if you live in the US. Cole provides his insights about where he drew his inspiration for the diving sequences with a notable selection from Fleming’s short story, “The Hildebrand Rarity.” He also provides a deleted / altered scene from his book for context, which gives the lucky reader a brief glimpse at the creative process involved in writing a Young Bond book.

[Mella · Rating 2 out of 5]

It really bothers me that there is a difference of 142 pages between this edition and the other one. Especially because on my kindle it's not showing up page numbers. This book felt really long but if it was only 242 pages then that wasn't the case.

I wanted to like this more than I did. But I don't know that it's because the book was bad as such. I loved the first lot of Young Bond books. And a lot of what I loved about them isn't present in the second half of the series. Bond is getting older, he's no longer at Eton or England for that matter and none of my favourite characters appeared. The book was a little boring but I think it was mostly that I'm reading for nostalgia of sorts and this is now a completely different series. I never really connected with Hugo or Jagua and I didn't care at all about Hardiman. James' relationship with Hardiman seemed very forced and awkward. I didn't like it.

And although I haven't given up on the series I can't quite bring myself to rate more than 2 stars. It just felt flat.

[Christopher Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great continuation from #6. It was quick to get into the action and had lots of twists and turns. There were some plot holes but generally it was well written and good fun to read. At times I felt that it dragged out a bit but nothing too serious.

You can really feel that Cole is getting into the Bond frame of mind - there was a proper Bond villan and the first hints of a love interest (although not for Bond). It was also nice to see Hugo come into his own as a sidekick.

All in all a good read.

[Scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars
This series talks about younger James Bond and adventures he had, before he became an MI6 agent.
As much as I love young bond I felt like this book was placed in a more modern time and not 1930s as its actually set. Also I didn’t fully understand the “bad guys” motives throughout the story, for the reason that the author didn’t go that much into detail into them.
But it was still an enjoyable read that kept me entertained as well as an being action-packed read.

[Siobhán Bayertz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This started off pretty well with some good action and what seemed like an interesting plot but I found myself a bit bored as the book went on.

I definitely am still of the opinion that Charlie Higson did a better job with Young Bond. With this, aside from Hugo, the side characters felt a bit flat. They just didn't feel very well developed.

Enjoyable enough and I will read the rest of them.

[15VanGeesbergenH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it had a good plot and I recommend it

[Abdullah Waleed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Includes everything
Action
Violence
Mystery
Girls/Relationships
Reality

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found myself distracted at mutliple intervals. However still a good novel surrounding bonds origins.

[Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was amazing. It was consistently action packed. I just wish there was more scolopendra

[Jeff McNeill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much confusion. Steve Cole is a sad replacement.

[Molly Kavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Good action, fast plot and realistic too.

[Raz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complete review available: Heads You Die

I'll admit I kind of struggled with this one. Cole seemed to do OK taking over from Higson for the sixth book in the series, but the seventh really lacked any momentum or strength. Sure, the plot was interesting and I wanted to know more about all the characters and their stories, but each chapter was another struggle to convince myself to keep going. I really hope the eighth book isn't as hard to get through...

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heads You Die by Steve Cole is book seven of the Young Bond series and Mr. Cole's second entry with the first five penned by Charlie Higson. Heads You Die does a rare thing for the Bond literary cannon and that is it takes place almost immediately after the events in Shoot To Kill. The beauty and cryptic nature of Cuba is the back drop for this adventure. James Bond is loosely tied to this adventure at best by a longtime family friend who the reader first meets in the pages of this novel. Bond doesn't even spend that much time in book with this said character. Which lead this reader to believe that we went on an adventure for adventure's sake and no real stake was in the matter. That aside, Heads You Die is a fantastic charming read whose action scenes will draw in any true 007 fan! The setting actually plays a character in the book adding a tropical mystique to the narrative. The characters feel real and vibrant and the action scenes flow with that insatiable page turning quality. Heads You Die is like a popcorn action flick it may not win awards but it'll keep you buzzing long after its final scene. Heads You Die is a solid four star read. This book came out May 6, 2016 with the next installment due in September I shall not have to wait long for Master Bond's next adventure!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced and a tight plot makes Cole's next instalment of Young Bond even better than Shoot to Kill. While still not up to the standards of Fleming or even Higson in his earlier Young Bond novels, Cole does not disappoint.
In Heads You Die, Bond finds himself in Cuba with his friend Hugo, who is similar to Tyrion Lannister. As always, James Bond meets attractive females and evil villains and needs to save his country from certain doom.
Watch out for all the mahogany. It seemed to be mentioned in every chapter. I'm sure it was for the creation of an extravagant setting, but I kept thinking of The Hunger Games: "That is mahogany!"

[Maria]

Just received an e-mail winning the giveaway! Will write a full review soon!