SilverFin

JAMES BOND IN SILVERFIN

James is thirteen years old and has just started at Eton. He’s determined not to be daunted by the rules and regulations and the centuries-old traditions of the place. He’s tough and resourceful, quick to make friends but a loner at heart.

‘He was a new boy; tall for his age and slim, with pale, grey-blue eyes and black hair that he had tried to brush into a perfect, neat shape, but, as usual, failed. One stray lock dropped down over his right eye like a black comma.’

MR. MERRIOT

Eton classics tutor, also in charge of athletics, Merriot becomes something of a mentor to James. Although part of the Eton school system, he admires independent thinking.

‘James liked Merriot. He was friendly and kind and was very fond of saying that he was there for the boys and not the other way around, as some beaks seemed to think was the case. He was excited about what he taught and easily distracted into talking about one of his favourite topics rather than what they should’ve been studying. And he was absolutely fanatical about athletics.’

‘He was a tall, thin man with grey eyes, untidy hair and a big, hooked nose sticking out of the front of his face like a fin. His black gown was too small for him, barely hanging down to his waist, and he was rarely seen without a pipe in his mouth, as often unlit as lit.’

MAX BOND

Max Bond is James’s uncle. By the time we meet him, he is desperately ill, but this doesn’t stop him teaching James to drive and fish. As he takes stock of his life, Max tells James of his experiences as a spy during the Second World War. His quiet determination to live his life to the full, until the last, has a profound effect of James.

‘‘Excitement,’ snapped Max. ‘That’s all modern youth is interested in – speed, thrills, noise and drama! Can’t say as I blame you though. I learnt in the war that you’ve got to take life by the scruff of the neck, you don’t get a second shot at it. What was it the man said? ‘I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.’’

WILDER LAWLESS

Wilder is a tough Scottish girl who probably loves her horse more than any person, but comes to James’s rescue just when he needs it most.

‘The light picked out just one face in the crowd. A girl with long blonde hair tied back in a pony-tail. The reflections from the acrobats’ sequins sent dancing starry lights across her pale skin and her eyes seemed to shine. They were the most vivid emerald colour that James had ever seen. She was absolutely hypnotised by the horses. James had never seen anyone staring with such intense happy concentration before.’

RANDOLPH HELLEBORE

Randolph is a ruthless, physically big, powerful man who has returned to his ancestral home in Scotland on Loch SilverFin from America. He is an arms manufacturer and is working on a top-secret new weapon. He will let nothing and no one stand in his way.

‘Lord Hellebore laughed into James’s face, and his hot breath, which smelt sour and sulphurous, blasted him, almost making him choke. James was reminded of one time when he had been to London Zoo and, standing too close to a lion’s cage, the great beast had roared right at him. The lion’s breath had stunk of meat and something else, something inhuman and frightening. Without the bars between them, that stink would have been the smell of death.’