Solo Review

Shatterfang

i just finish Solo. Im not really into books and i know people hate it but i liked it. The only part i hated was him making up the country. He could've just sent bond to the Congo. I loved the war zone, bond wandering through the wilderness, and the stakeout, and trying to outsmart the CIA and get Kobus before they did. The Country hopping usually doesn't work as well in Novels, i guess for pacing reasons, but it worked! Let's see he goes from America < England < Dahum (or whatever) < England < America (Hollywood-Washington), < Back to Dahum < back to England to debrief with M < and back to America to date Fitzgerald. - So that is like 8 country hops, that's more than in the movies! And it didn't feel overcrowded! Also Kobus was a great villain - like people complained he was a henchman and not a main villain. Well yes but what is wrong with that? Plus he was getting more and more deformed so he was really intimidating looking by the end. The 2nd part i hated was that he will 100% has no chance of returning in a future bond, i mean c'mon. I don't think the author got the dates right, i don't like to think that Bond was 37 through all 12 original books, and then this new mission pops up in 1969. Apparently the Broccolis agreed with me and argued about him, as the dedication page said at the beginning of the book.

welshboy78

Glad you like it mate, I have to be honest I had to put it down and return to it when I was bored on a 6 hour train journey from Barcelona to Paris with nothing to read

Have you read DMC and Carte Blanche?

Trigger Mortis next?

Thunderpussy

Sadly Shatterfang, I too didn't like Solo, at all. ( Then again we all like
different things) but I found it hard going just to get through it.

welshboy78

I loved the start in London, breaking into the girls flat etc. In fact the reason I got through it was to see if that part of the story was revisited!!

Carte Blanche next for me then back to the Flemings again!!

Shatterfang

Hm. Devil May Care is sitting on my shelf along with a lot of John Gardner books i haven't read yet.

I have read Carte Blanche during a hunting trip and well that was a long time ago, but i think i prefer Solo. There just wasn't much action in Carte Blanche given its length. The recycling thing was kind of silly but the theme of decay was really cool. I read it right before Skyfall and i remember thinking this could be a precurser to Skyfall.
Again the Bond's mom might be a spy thing was cool, but it will never be touched on again so it was completely worthless. I don't know what it is with the author's doing all these 'might's'. Is Kobus alive or isn't he, and was Bond's mom a spy or wasn't she? - If they can get some balls and make up their mind they might have a more lasting impact.

Shatterfang

I also wasn't too keen on them changing Bond's car and his gun. I mean i kind of understand if its revisiting the hero as he is an older age, his Bentley would have broken down. and he would've had to decide a suitable replacement, but if your Walther PPk breaks, why would you go back to a Beretta instead of just getting a new Walther PPk ?

And i had to look up a 1969 Jenson FF. it sort of looks like an Aston Martin banged a station wagon and had a baby, and it has a giant rear window. i mean this thing looks like it was built for family travel and trunk space so i don't know if it would fit bond. but im not car expert i just like to try to be . But i am glad Bond went with the Mustang instead. Whenever bond goes to America he should just take his car culture from Steve McQueen

cdsdss

Shatterfang wrote:

I also wasn't too keen on them changing Bond's car and his gun. I mean i kind of understand if its revisiting the hero as he is an older age, his Bentley would have broken down. and he would've had to decide a suitable replacement, but if your Walther PPk breaks, why would you go back to a Beretta instead of just getting a new Walther PPk ?

And i had to look up a 1969 Jenson FF. it sort of looks like an Aston Martin banged a station wagon and had a baby, and it has a giant rear window. i mean this thing looks like it was built for family travel and trunk space so i don't know if it would fit bond. but im not car expert i just like to try to be . But i am glad Bond went with the Mustang instead. Whenever bond goes to America he should just take his car culture from Steve McQueen

I was also disappointed in the lack of PPK action, especially since it's period appropriate to this novel. That Beretta he replaces it with is BIG...not at all ideal for concealed carry work. It wouldn't have been hard for him to find a PPK or even PPK/s in a US gun store in 1969. Or, if Boyd really wanted to set our hearts a-flutter, he could have had Bond pick up one of the first ASPs

Agent Kino

I really enjoyed this book too. All the points you mentioned were spot on. A thriller for sure.