To this day I still sometimes listen to Simon Vance reading the original Ian Fleming stories when I take long car trips.I probably re-listen to 2-3 original Bond stories per year along with other audiobooks in the car.In the past I have also read Colonel Sun, most of Gardner's books, and the most recent new bonds by Deaver and Faulkes.I confess I missed most of the Benson novels at they came out in the years I was most busy building a business.I must get back and either rear or listen to them someday soon as time permits.But about SOLO.I am one of those that feel Bond is a character that belongs in his time period.Certainly the films did a good job with Daniel Craig bring Casino Royale into modern times ---- but when it comes to the novels, I feel Bond belongs in the Cold War period of the 50s and 60s.It is true Gardener modernized Bond, however the 80s were much closer to the 60s than 2013 is.So I respect Boyd for placing his Bond back in his time period.That was a GOOD aspect of the book.There were moments that were very compelling with scenes written well enough to create a clear mental picture.But all in all, I did not find SOLO to be extremely engaging.As one other commenter wrote, we know this story is placed in the 60s because we are told so ... but there is little else to indicate that.It feels like it could have easily been a modern spy story slightly reworked to fit into a Bond world.One thing must be said ...... all writers have their own style.Boyd is an excellent author.But of course he is NOT Ian Fleming.Fleming had a unique style of writing each scene such that you could visualize everything in your mind and the pages just kept turning effortlessly.No Bond author since Fleming has had that same style and flare for wordsmith.Perhaps the earliest Gardner's came close - but even they were not "clones' of Fleming.And perhaps expecting anybody to be "Fleming Cloned" is an unfair comparison.But somehow -- it creates a situation where none of the non-Fleming stories seem to "sweep you along" in the same way.A similar example exists with the pulp hero DOC SAVAGE of the 1930s and 1940s.Besides Lester Dent, there have been maybe 9 other authors including today's Will Murray.But honestly --- none of the non-Dent stories have the same magical quality.Dent and Fleming shared that rare talent to make the book one you never wanted to quit reading until you were finished.I found with SOLO, my mind would wander.I would limit myself to no more than 2 chapters at a time.I had to re-read a few sections as I realized my mind began to wander and think of other things as I was reading.Technically is was well written but it did not pull me in and demand 100% of my attention.I will not comment too much on the actual plot as I don't want to spoil anything for anybody -- but it seemed to be lacking some ingredients.Upon reflection, some aspects of it may seem a little politically preachy to some.It also did not really have a villain in the conventional sense and in fact some readers may question the purpose of Bond's original assignment in the big scheme of things.I was excited and anticipated this Bond book for some time and that may have created high expectations that would be hard for any author to meet.Unlike some other reviewers, I actually found the second half of the book more engaging and more "Bond-like".It is almost as though Boyd was struggling to capture the feel of Bond as he started the book, but as he got deeper into writing, he started to find his groove for capturing the essence of James Bond.If the entire story of SOLO had the same feel as the second half of the book, I would have given it a solid 4 stars.Maybe this is a sign, that on a second James Bond novel, he might be able to better "channel" the Fleming-Bond feel now that he has worked out the kinks on his first try.But having just finished this, I can't help but feel the urge to grab a CD package of Simon Vance reading Fleming's last story MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN on my 5 hour drive next week ----- just to get a dose of the "real thing" again.I am still hoping they can find an author who can more closely capture some of that original Fleming flare and release some new Bond stories that really spark excitement among fans of the novels.As a Bond literary aficionado, I have read all of the James Bond continuation novels, the 14 by John Gardner, 6 by Raymond Benson and 1 each by Kingsley Amis, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffrey Deaver and William Boyd along with the five Young Bond novels by Charley Higson and all seven of the film novelizations by Christopher Wood, Gardner and Benson. All of them are entertaining novels in their own right, but SOLO is only entry, aside from COLONEL SUN, that flows seamlessly from the Ian Fleming canon. Most of the critics of this novel, those who claim it lacks the charm, the panache and the action of a Bond novel, have probably not read a Fleming Bond adventure for a very long time, if ever. Their vision of James Bond comes from the films and most of the films have little connection to their Ian Fleming literary origin. Indeed, the only James Bond actor who came close to what Ian Fleming envisioned was Timothy Dalton and he was rejected by mainstream audiences for lacking humor and replaced by the more charming and less brooding Pierce Brosnan. Dalton is how I imagined James Bond while reading this novel.The Fleming Bond novels are composites of three elements: snobbery, sadism and travelogue and this book has all three in abundance. When these books were first published back in the 1950s, they were flayed by critics as pornography and read under the blanket with a flashlight by adolescent males and on trains and airplanes by adults looking to escape the conformist postwar era of the common man. James Bond lives the high life and enjoys the sensations of a good whiskey, a dry vodka martini shaken with a slice of lemon, a thick steak with a salad dressed with own vinaigrette recipe and the smooth body of a naked woman in his bed. You experience all of this in SOLO as you travel from London in the late 1960s to the heart of darkness in an African war zone to the grim, violent streets of America's capital. SOLO is a travelogue in the same fashion as such Fleming novels as LIVE AND LET DIE, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. Indeed, I would recommend that the reader read all three of those Fleming novels before reading SOLO, as there are references in SOLO to things in those books and they will ease the reader into the style and texture of the real literary James Bond. The first two will also establish the relationship between James Bond and Felix Leiter, who is a far more memorable character in the Fleming novels than he is in the EON films.The plot is a richly complex story with some unexpected surprises and an occasional shocker, but it is a spy story more in line with Graham Greene and Len Deighton than Tom Clancy or Mission Impossible. This is not a high concept Bond adventure in which the nuclear weapon is ticking down to zero. Only four of Ian Fleming's 20 James Bond novels and stories had a high concept plot of that type. In the rest, the villain was doing something much more mundane, such as raising funds for Soviet espionage operations, smuggling diamonds out of Africa for the Mob, embarrassing the British Secret Service with a sex and suicide scandal, smuggling drugs into England, burning down a motel for the insurance money, enticing Japanese to commit suicide or sabotaging the Jamaican sugar fields for Castro. The main villain, Kobus Breed, falls into this category and while his evil ambitions are limited, he is a memorable, well drawn character, well grounded in the real world. I think Fleming would have approved. Boyd has triumphed in SOLO and brought the real James Bond back, free from the image that 24 films from the last 50 years have created.I downloaded this novel just before a flight from Crete to London. As reading on journeys, James Bond books have often accompanied me. I managed to read the whole book on the flight which is a tribute to the pace and quality of the writing on show from William Boyd.As I write this I am left with some inevitable reflections on attempts by Ian Fleming's literary heirs to create successor novels to the originals. All I have read to my mind have been good reads, which do capture at least something of the originals. John Gardner and Raymond Benson tried to extend Bond into more recent times giving the character and extended life span, avoiding any aging. Jeffrey Deaver bravely attempted to create a Bond living in more modern times. I have also recently read one of Anthony Horrowitz's outings which makes an attempt to fill in gaps in the Fleming saga, and even uses an idea from the creator. All enjoyable.But, still I feel the most successful are those attempts by authors who are regarded as literary. The first of these was Kingsley Amis in "Colonel Sun" which remains one of the most successful in the eyes of many Fleming fans. I would also consider Sebastian Faulks "Devil May Care" worthy of mention as he intentionally managed to capture Fleming's voice. In this category this one must now also include William Boyd.Boyd has another aspect of connection. Ian Fleming appears as a character in Boyd's other novel "Any Human Heart." How far the two are connected I will leave readers to decide for themselves. What Boyd dies achieve here is a pacy read set in the late sixties with Bond convincingly portrayed living in London. We learn about Bond's lifestyle, including one of his affairs with a woman, and how he in the end leaves her in part to protect her from the dangerous side in his life as a secret agent. It is this aspect of Bond as a loner that is perhaps what Boyd explores most, though the thriller aspects of the novel are well paced and convincing.Early on Bond is sent on a mission into Africa, that perhaps has something more of Frederick Forsyth territory, but which the story remains convincingly 007. The mission is completed with some matters unresolved which make Bond sets off on a revenge mission on his own. This part too is carried off effectively, though there is not really a dominant villain (like say Blofeld of Goldfinger). This does somewhat detract from the format though Fleming himself did do a similar thing in "Diamonds Are Forever." There are also certain musings about the domination of oil companies which seem a little far from the spirit of Fleming's originals.In terms of characters, by and large these are convincing. Certainly with Bond and M. The women Bond is interested in are also well portrayed, though there is none of the insouciant "chauvinism" that the original author showed. The one slight let down is the portrayal of Felix Leiter. This seems a problem with all authors who have tried to portray him as well as in the films. Nobody except Fleming seems able to capture the humour and liveliness of that character.That last bit, I guess shows power of the creativity of the originals with out which this book would not exist. As with attempts to imitate Sherlock Holmes, there always remains something in the originals that defies complete imitation. That said, "Solo" is a worthy continuation of the Bond cannon. One of the best yet done. Bond and Fleming lovers need not hesitate. Boyd deserves plaudits for this work.If there was ever an index to measure the page turning appeal of an author, William Boyd would probably be one of the few who would surpass Ian Fleming. Reading some of the other reviews, the immediate pitfall is that Fleming's work is used as a barometer to judge Boyd's taking up the reins of the James Bond character. For me, this overlooks the fact that Fleming's books are incredibly inconsistent with efforts like "Moonraker" and "You only live twice" being pretty risible. Stripped down to a short story format or taken from an original perspective such as "FRWL" or "TSWLM" , Fleming seemed a better writer, the dodgy dialogue and bizarre endings factored out in a lithe and economic narrative. It has to be said that "Solo" is probably amongst the very best of the Bond novels. Boyd has done his homework and the references to the food he eats, the clothes he wears and even his fear of flying demonstrate familiarity with the Bond novels. Fleming's last full novel, "The man with the golden gun" seemed to suggest a changing point with Fleming realising society was changing as the second half of the 1960's started. In my opinion "Solo" is strongly suggestive of the direction he would have gone in. Bond is now 45 and employed on an ill-defined missions to terminate a rebel leader who has staged a coup in the African country of Zanzarim. This is territory Boyd knows well but one totally unfamiliar to James Bond. The mission seems half-baked and Bond is out of his depth. Even when it looks like he is about to succeed, events take a sinister turn. The first half of the book concerns the African operation and the story then shifts up a gear as Bond goes on a solo mission instead of convalescing in order to track down and kill his adversaries who have now relocated to Washington DC. This is more familiar Bond territory and some elements resemble "For your eyes only" - one of the best short stories by Fleming. By this point, the book goes in to overdrive with a rather unlikely twist and the involvement of a familiar face. The story rattles along with a terrific pace and the action would seem to conclude with Bond storming the mansion owned by the protagonists. Thankfully , Boyd eschews a more theatrically villain and the encounter with the repellent and cruel Kobus Breed appears to be the highpoint. For my money, there are several reasons why this book is so good. I think Boyd is a much better writer than Fleming and his use of dialogue lacks the pantomime element that can mar some of Fleming's books. The scale of the adventure is also more modest and this makes the story more credible. I would also have to say that Boyd has thought through the development of Bond well, giving the character some back history and realising that a Jensen Interceptor would be a more appropriate car for the character to drive in 1969. However, the best bit of the book is that Boyd does something that Fleming never did and leaves one element of the story unresolved so that the final chapter has a rather understated element of menace about it. As a fan of William Boyd, I felt that this might have been something of a lightweight effort and inferior to his own efforts even though I was very intrigued to read this book. Ultimately, what Boyd has produced is probably one of the best Bond stories and one that is only matched by "OHMSS" and "FRWL." Boyd not only nails Fleming's oeuvre spot on but offers a tantalising clue as to how the series could have developed. This is classic Bond.This was the first James Bond I ever read. Having now read the Ian Fleming books, I really like the way in which Boyd captures the spirit of Fleming in the writing. Attention to detail was what made Fleming's books so good and William Boyd really takes that on board and creates a really rewarding story that isn't that silly and is actually very believable for a James Bond book.Probably the best original timeline Bond novel I've read.Notes of Captain Willard as a more mature and weary 007 gets sent into a tropical warzone to assassinate a charismatic leader. As per usual, all is not as it seems and Bond is forced to take matters into his own hands even after his superiors think the mission is over.Really well written, and with a great attention to detail about Bond's youth. Would highly recommend.I hadn't read a Bond novel before and wasn't sure what to expect; I eventually decided to start with this one because I'm a fan of William Boyd and thought it was a good entry point. Some critics seem to suggest that the style is quite true to Ian Fleming's and after reading this and thoroughly enjoying it I'm now going to work my way through the Fleming originals. For fans of the films I would suggest the style is a cross between the Connery films and the Craig films: the style is quite rugged and the action quite violent; there's no reliance on arched eyebrows and fancy gadgets so if you prefer that style of Bond I would tend to avoid. Actually I think that readers of Lee Child and Vince Flynn would probably enjoy this book, so for fans of the wider thriller genre I think this could be read without any prior knowledge of Bond being required.