Solo, by William Boyd, is not a Daniel Craig-type Bond story. Nor is it one for Sean Connery. The outrageous Bond in Boyd's book is definitely Moore-esque in every way. Martinis are not an optional extra, they are an integral part of the plot.
No matter Bond is in the middle of some jungle, surrounded by the enemy, there is always time for a gin-based martini to take the edge off the day.
Solo is a ripping good read, no doubt about it. Double O seven is sent to stop a civil war in the small fictional West African nation of Zanzarin. The plot is one of intrigue, subterfuge, beautiful women, some of them in distress, evil dictators and dirty mercenaries who will stop at nothing to get their way.
Money is no object to the baddies and Bond has his work cut out trying to get to the bottom of the real story. In Solo, Bond is the ultimate warrior armed with very few fancy gadgets. Instead, he glides through dangerous situations on guile and charm.
Unconvincingly under cover as a journalist, the book gets much better when everyone knows he is really a secret agent. This book will be much better not made into a movie. So much happens in the book, and all of it fun and games, stripping it down for a movie would waste such a lot of drama.
Solo is best read with a drink in hand and in a state of suspended belief.
- Dene Mackenzie is ODT business editor.
