Charlie Higson Books In Order

Publication Order of Young Bond Books

Publication Order of Young Bond Graphic Novels

Publication Order of James Bond Adventure Books

Publication Order of The Enemy Books

Publication Order of Doctor Who Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Doctor Who Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Charlie Higson is an actor, comedian, author, and writer for television and radio . The third of four brothers, he was born in 1958 in Somerset, England, and was educated at Sevenoaks school. He later joined the University of Anglia where he studied English and American literature and met various individuals who would have a great impact on his life as an a comedian and an author. In particular, he met Paul Whitehouse who was a Welsh comedian, actor, and writer. He also interacted with David Cummings ( a British musician and script writer) and Terry Edwards (an English musician). Cummings, Edwards, and Higson started doing music and formed a band. Higson proceeded to become a decorator.

Higson started writing when he was only ten years old but it took long before he started earning from writing. However, his writing career took a new turn when he started writing for Harry Enfiled and Paul Whitehouse. Higson came to the limelight after his work on a highly successful comedy The Fast Show. He is married to Victoria L Fullick ( a graphic designer) and they have five children.

Being a James Bond fan and having three boys, writing for the Young Bond books was a dream job for him as a children’s writer. Before embarking on the job, he had to read all the Flemings in order. While shying away from aping his literary style, he desired to use similar plots, characters, situations, and locations. He wanted to keep his books vivid and pacey and at the heart of action. His goals was that the children would be shaken, stirred, and better after reading the books. The young James Bond is a loner who still has an ability of making friends without difficulty. He is resourceful, brave, good at punching, and is not a ruthless and professional killer. Higson loves creating evil henchmen. He says that human beings love to be scared and face the darkest fears of life and horror is an effective tool of facing the nasty things of life such as death, disease, and violence.

Higson has a simple, direct, and entertaining style of writing. While his stories are not based on real people, he acknowledges that he he uses his own kids and their friends for inspiration. Away from children’s fiction, Higson has also had a successful career in adult fiction and has produced several successful adult thrillers. In particular, he took a dystopian look at daily life with some of his characters spiraling out of control. The author does not see much difference between the adult and children horror. However, when writing for teens, he steers clear of explicit sex and sexual violence. Adults who feel offended with foul language and extreme sex may opt to read Higson’s childrens’ books. His books have received well-earned critical and commercial success and have been translated to over 24 different languages.

Exploring the Writings of Charlie Higson

The first novel by Higson was Kings of the Ants which was published in 1992. Written in a straightforward way, the book is dark, disturbing and violently comic. Sean works as a building labourer struggling to make ends meet. Along comes a chance where he is supposed to trail, a man and eventually kill him for thirteen thousand pounds which he agrees to while drunk. He is supposed to kill Eric Gatley who is an accountant by profession and is investigating Ray’s company. To Sean, this is easy and fast money that is not comparable to working in a construction site. While he succeeds in killing Eric, it turns out that Ray had planned not to pay him even after the murder of Eric. Rather, he wanted to use him and later dump him after he had accomplished the mission to kill Eric. Instead of paying him, he kidnaps him where he manages to escape but with serious injuries. Through Susan, Sean tries to rebuild his life but accidentally kills her after she discovers a secret file dealing with Sean’s past dealings . Motivated by revenge, he revisits Ray’s farm and sets Ray on fire. In a twist, Sean gets caught up in a trap of becoming a murderer and later on a fugitive. Higson pinpoints the vagaries of evil and its attendant powers. In addition, the story is set with cynicism and humour.

The second novel by Higson Happy Now was published in 1993. It is a psychological thriller which is a dark exploration of childhood abuse, the quest for happiness in the world, and modern morals. Tom Kendall is a creature of habit who is frustrated by the behavior of other people. He finds it difficult to interact under normal circumstances. In addition, he has some problems including a difficult temper, problems with his girlfriend, Maddie, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Tom discovers Will’s diary which states that man cannot be truly happy unless he or she understands how to act accordingly. Will has an organized housebreaking mission in which he carefully selects houses and ensures that the owners are in the houses. He not only breaks in to their houses but also their secrets. The husband of Tom’s sister is murdered by an intruder in the family kitchen. Tom decides not to cooperate with the police, which was rather uncharacteristic of him given his strong moral positions. Rather, he embarks on a justice mission where he singlehandedly hunts down the killer.

Stories Shown on Film

King of Ants is an American revenge film written by Higson and directed by Stuart Gordon. Actor George Wendt read the novel and consequently contacted Higson about its film adaptation. Despite a seven years struggle in finding a company that would produce the film, it was finally released in 2003. On 23 January 2013, the official Young Bond website was launched. It contains games, downloads, and character images of the characters in the books. In addition, official news is streamed from the site.The latest best selling Zombie Series The Enemy is the biggest ever produced trailer for a children’s book by Publishers Puffin. Hollywood has also showed interest in his books but plans for a film partnership with Hollywood are yet to be put in place.