Solo by William Boyd is the Bond novel for readers who like their spy fiction written with care. Commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications and set in 1969, it sends Bond to West Africa on an errand of his own.
In the books
Bond is sent to the fictional West African state of Zanzarim to stop a civil war. Goodreads says he ignores M’s orders in pursuit of his own idea of justice, which leads him to Washington, D.C. Boyd was born in Accra and spent much of his early life in Ghana and Nigeria. The Guardian reviewed it as plausible, with the right tone, and at least as fun as everyone said. In the novel he also drives a black Jensen FF.
Reading it now
Jonathan Cape published Solo in the UK on 26 September 2013, in hardback, as an audiobook and on Kindle. Second-hand copies are easy to find, so our button runs an eBay search. We would read it after Casino Royale to see how a serious novelist handles the same man.
Specifications
| Author | William Boyd |
|---|---|
| Published | 26 September 2013, Jonathan Cape |
| Setting | 1969, Zanzarim and Washington, D.C. |
| Formats | Hardback, audiobook, Kindle |
| Pages | About 320 in hardback |
More in our books and media collection, with the films and the Bond actors alongside.
