&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Solo_-_James_Bond_first_edition_cover.jpg) First edition cover | |
| Author | William Boyd |
|---|---|
| Series | James Bond |
| Genre | Spy fiction |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
Publication date | 26 September 2013 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, e-book, audio) |
| Pages | 336 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-224-09747-5 (first edition, hardback) |
Solo is a James Bond continuation novel written by William Boyd. It was published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 26 September 2013 in hardback, e-book and audio editions, and in the US by HarperCollins on 8 October 2013.
The plot centres on Bond's mission to the civil war in the fictional country of Zanzarim—a thinly veiled version of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War—where he meets the local MI6 contact, Efua Blessing Ogilvy-Grant, and a Rhodesian mercenary, Kobus Breed. After being shot by Ogilvy-Grant, Bond tracks both people to Washington on a revenge mission, finally establishing that Breed is trafficking heroin into the US.
Boyd closely based his version of the Bond character on Ian Fleming's, and eschewed any of the film versions. The novel is set in 1969—six years after Fleming's last work was set—and Bond is 45 years old. Boyd was raised in Nigeria and used his experiences during the civil war to provide the location for the novel. He has been a Bond fan since his youth and, in preparation for writing the novel he read all the Bond stories in chronological order. It took 18 months to write the novel, with some friction between Boyd and the Fleming estate over the portrayal of Bond.
Solo received mixed reviews, with a number of critics pointing to the convoluted and unstirring plot. Other critics saw the book as being equal with, or superior to, Fleming's stronger novels. The book sold well, appearing in the top ten-selling book lists in the UK.