'Solo' discussion with spoilers
Number24
NorwayPosts: 22,334MI6 Agent
I finished reading Solo a few minutes ago and I thought I should go on the forum and debate it. Why hasn't this thread allready been made? I can't be the first to finish it, since I'm a slow reader.
Keep in mind that these are raw thoughts while the book is still fresh in my spacious head, and since no-one here has written much about the novel I don't don't know what I'm supposed to think about the book.
I think Solo is a good book, but not very good. I have read a couple of Boyd's novels before and feared he would take far too much time before starting the real plot and suspence. Thankfully he didn't. Perhaps the limitations or expectations of a Bond novel was actually a help to him? I wasn't worried that Boyd would write badly - he is a good writer who writes chararcters and discriptions well. I think the plot is good and he uses his knowlede of Africa to his advantage, introducing a new continent to Bond readers in an interesting and believable way. Is this by the way the first time a fictional country has appeared in a Bond novel? Another advantage of using Africa as a location are the names. There is a tradition there to name people discriptively in Africa. Names such as Blessing or Christmas seems perfectly natural and not just a Bondian cliche.
It was very obvious that Blessing's death in Africa wasn't what it seemed, but that comes with the territory. What I question more is when she shoots Bond. If she wanted to shoot him to save Bond from Kobus, she took a huge chance since the wound was potentially fatal and just pure luck saved Bond. I also question the early 'action' scenes. Until the one-man commando raid Bond only fights a drunk bully and a few robbers in Washington DC - hardly the stuff of a hardened 00-agent!
I like the characteristics of Kobus; missing cheekbone and a tendency to hang his vitims on hooks. Believable but scary. But I think Kobus should be fleshed out and given more 'screen time'. Perhaps 007 and Kobus should have had a brutal fight in the airport control tower, ending with Kobus winning? While Bond is on the floor, Blessing shoots him before Kobus has the time to hang Bond from the tower by a hook and killing him. Would this have been better?
While I don't think there should be hollowed out vulcanoes, I miss something more distinctive or very exotic in the novel. Still, my initial impression is a solid, but not very good novel. Bring on Tom Rob Smith or Phillipp Kerr!
Keep in mind that these are raw thoughts while the book is still fresh in my spacious head, and since no-one here has written much about the novel I don't don't know what I'm supposed to think about the book.
I think Solo is a good book, but not very good. I have read a couple of Boyd's novels before and feared he would take far too much time before starting the real plot and suspence. Thankfully he didn't. Perhaps the limitations or expectations of a Bond novel was actually a help to him? I wasn't worried that Boyd would write badly - he is a good writer who writes chararcters and discriptions well. I think the plot is good and he uses his knowlede of Africa to his advantage, introducing a new continent to Bond readers in an interesting and believable way. Is this by the way the first time a fictional country has appeared in a Bond novel? Another advantage of using Africa as a location are the names. There is a tradition there to name people discriptively in Africa. Names such as Blessing or Christmas seems perfectly natural and not just a Bondian cliche.
It was very obvious that Blessing's death in Africa wasn't what it seemed, but that comes with the territory. What I question more is when she shoots Bond. If she wanted to shoot him to save Bond from Kobus, she took a huge chance since the wound was potentially fatal and just pure luck saved Bond. I also question the early 'action' scenes. Until the one-man commando raid Bond only fights a drunk bully and a few robbers in Washington DC - hardly the stuff of a hardened 00-agent!
I like the characteristics of Kobus; missing cheekbone and a tendency to hang his vitims on hooks. Believable but scary. But I think Kobus should be fleshed out and given more 'screen time'. Perhaps 007 and Kobus should have had a brutal fight in the airport control tower, ending with Kobus winning? While Bond is on the floor, Blessing shoots him before Kobus has the time to hang Bond from the tower by a hook and killing him. Would this have been better?
While I don't think there should be hollowed out vulcanoes, I miss something more distinctive or very exotic in the novel. Still, my initial impression is a solid, but not very good novel. Bring on Tom Rob Smith or Phillipp Kerr!
Comments
'Lie' is a common surname
'Odd' is a common first name of men.
'Gunn' is a common first name for women.
There are men named 'Odd Lie' and women named 'Gunn Moan' walking around in Norway.
We generally don't have names that people are aware of the meaning of, like they often do in Africa. the only I can think of right now is 'Liv' meaning 'life'.
Sorry, I meant the in-joke that Boyd is having at the readers expense.
"Blessing in disguise" is an English expression meaning something that has happened, though it might seem bad at the time, might ultimately be for the good. Clearly, Blessing is not all she seems, and is clearly "in disguise" in her SIS station role (though to me she seems to have wandered straight in form a Gardner 1980s book).
I'm truly pussled that no-one else has posted something like a review yet. It's true I'm a slow reader. Perhaps it's because I pre-ordered 'Solo' on Kindle and got it on the morning of the 26th?
To be honest, AJB isn't the greatest site for lit. Bond, and, after the recent history, I'd suggest that not too many lit Bond fans would rush out to read it.
Me, I'm a mad-crazy lit.Bond fan and even though I think continuation Bonds are a waste of time, I knocked off SOLO in a couple of days - CARTE BLANCHE was a weeks worth of hard slog.
I had high hopes. but it seems from all the reviews I've read it's just another okay effort- nothing particularly good.
So far, the best novel I've read recently is still Christopher Wood's TSWLM.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Totally agree
Bland.
Well, I certainly agree Boyd knew about HIS interpretation of the Bond character that he'd derived from his reading of Fleming (whether that's the interpretation we all took, or Fleming intended....)
But the everydayness of the London scenes were, I totally agree, much more enjoyable - and Flemingian - than the rest of the story.
Considering Boyd couldn't write Bond as Fleming was free to do with those fifties/sixties attitudes towards foreigners, women and other things considered acceptable back then. I think he did an admirable job with the character. Fleming's Bond died when Fleming died and times changed. What we have now is a watered down version of the character that has been changed to fit in with todays standards and views. We have to accept that, there's no going back.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
And perhaps this is where it all started, the constant evolution of Bond...
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
balance and more talk about " The Intelligent design of
Bond "
And if he exists, so does God.
And anyway, I sense the good in those two movies... the conflict.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Just as we were having such an elevated theological discussion ,,,,
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I'm pretty sure we were debating Solo, not Bond's religious views. Which would be pointless anyway as he disbelieved it all.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Fleming's novels the best has been Col Sun.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS