Solo

Geopolitics. Every time William Boyd described what James Bond is eating or drinking in his novel titled, Solo, I thought: I’ll have what he’s having. The level of description was so complete that there’s even Bond’s salad dressing recipe included in a footnote. I think Boyd’s objective was to write in the style of Ian Fleming, and hope that readers will connect to the Bond in books, and not our image of 007 from the movies. Set in 1969, Bond is sent by M to Africa to stop a war in an oil rich country. He finds himself shot by the person he thought was head of station. After a brief recuperation, and avoiding the expectation that he take time off, Bond goes after the bad guys on his own, hence the title. With cleverness and competence, Bond prevails. The surprise was how he found himself in the middle of a geopolitical game taking place way above his pay grade. If you’re a fan of the Fleming novels, you’re likely to enjoy this homage. If you can’t get the movie action out of your head, chances are this novel will be less exciting than you’d like. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Solo from amazon.com.