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Solo

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About this listen

A James Bond novel written by William Boyd.

It is 1969 and James Bond is about to go solo, recklessly motivated by revenge.

A seasoned veteran of the service, 007 is sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in the small West African nation of Zanzarim. Aided by a beautiful accomplice and hindered by the local militia, he undergoes a scarring experience which compels him to ignore M’s orders in pursuit of his own brand of justice. Bond’s renegade action leads him to Washington, D.C., where he discovers a web of geopolitical intrigue and witnesses fresh horrors.

Even if Bond succeeds in exacting his revenge, a man with two faces will come to stalk his every waking moment.

Dominic West is well known for his leading roles in many films, including 28 Days, Mona Lisa Smile, The Forgotten and 300. He played McNulty in HBO’s The Wire, one of the most critically acclaimed television programmes ever made in the U.S. In 2011 he won a TV BAFTA for his role in ITV mini-series Appropriate Adult, and he was also nominated for a Golden Glove for BBC series The Hour.

©2013 Ian Fleming Publications Limited (P)2013 Random House Audiobooks Espionage Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Suspense Fiction
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What made the experience of listening to Solo the most enjoyable?

Dominic West delivers a great performance as a sultry and self-assured Bond. William Boyd's story is hard to follow in some places and typically Bond - there is a touch of sexism there... So Bond is older but the writing is still very much Fleming. I would actually say that I preferred this imagining of Bond to Jeffrey Deaver's in Carte Blanche - perhaps because Boyd has been brave enough to keep Bond more like the original Fleming one i.e. misogynistic and yet enamoured with female beauty and charm...He is the whisky drinking smoking womaniser of old!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Definitely Bond himself, followed by the female love interests.

Which character – as performed by Dominic West – was your favourite?

Apart from Bond in the story the black female love interest

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me both laugh and cry a little

Any additional comments?

A great audiobook : great entertainment. It's easy listening and yet substantial.

Dominic West's dulcet tones brings Bond back!

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Boyd has written, in my opinion, a novel more elegant & more brutal than much of Fleming's original stories.

Bond appears in his historical context suffering post WW2 PTSD. His relationships with women are more complex & filled out.

The reader Mr. West is a great actor & you can well imagine him as Bond.

Very enjoyable

Bond for grown ups

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sacrilege maybe but I think boyd writes better and understands the character of bond better than Ian Fleming himself.

better than flemming

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Solo was the first James Bond book I have listened to or read. I have seen most of the film's, but this idea very different experience.
The lead character is everything you expect from JB, and the assorted ladies, goodies and baddies fit into the template, and don't disappoint.
The book is very well written, and Dominic West is a top class story teller.
It is an escapist romp, and a boys-own story, my wife got bored with it, but I enjoyed it all.

I Bonded with Solo

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West is awesome. Boyd returns to the Fleming Bond, famously flawed yet fascinating. The story takes a slightly (and pleasantly) surprising turn away the standard arc, though it is is confusing in parts. The African oil exploitation is a nice modern touch to what is otherwise a classic Bond tale of the postwar world he comes from.

Fun story superbly narrated

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