I found myself wondering if Boyd had outdone Fleming. Mail on SundayĪ triumphant thriller worthy of Bond’s creator Ian Fleming.

Boyd’s Solo is undoubtedly one of the best. Since the death of Ian Fleming, plenty of writers have tried their hand at perpetuating the career of James Bond, with mixed results. In William Boyd's James Bond novel, Solo, set in 1969, 007 is dispatched by M to stop a war in the fictional state of Zanzarim in West Africa. Solo is a terrific twisting thriller – just when you smugly think you have spotted a huge hole in the plot, Boyd turns it breathtakingly around. Manages to enrich and refresh a character we thought we knew too well. Booker-nominated author William Boyd is taking on the mission to write a new James Bond novel. Terrific… A tremendous Bond story Sunday TimesĮxciting stuff… Mission accomplished, Mr Boyd Sun There is, besides, the nagging sense that Bond is a. Keeps us on our toes until the closing pages Financial Times Also, Boyd has chosen to ignore the events of Fleming's final, exhausted Bond novels as well as his fondness for the exclamation mark. The late Ian Fleming would surely have approved Daily Mail William Boyd brings back the real Bond, triumphantly Daily Mail The TimesĪ terrific twisting thriller Sunday Times Stephen McGinty, ScotsmanĪ fantastic read, which I ripped through in the time it would take to watch Skyfall, as it happens, and I found it significantly more enjoyable. Sunday TimesĪnyone wishing this autumn to enjoy the Cold War with the assurance of a happy ending should seek out William Boyd’s new James Bond novel, Solo, in which 007 is dispatched to West Africa and the fictitious country of Zanzarim, where he finds himself in the midst of a civil war. Written with aplomb, Boyd’s Bond novel is a terrific twisting thriller. There are welcome literary flourishes and a dense plot. Natasha Harding, Sunīoyd was a smart choice for a Bond thriller. His boozy, maturer, more fallible Bond is totally believable. This is well-plotted, exciting stuff and Boyd has a great sense of time and place.

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