Solo (Boyd novel) Solo (Boyd novel) 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 Zanzarin—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
Solo (Boyd novel) Ian Fleming. He told reporters that he was interested in Bond as a human being. "Bond is not just a superhero. He has flaws, he has weaknesses, he makes mistakes. ... That was Fleming's genius." The novel is set in 1969 when Bond is 45; Boyd intentionally picked the year, further adding that "there are no gimmicks, it's a real spy story." Boyd criticised how the filmmakers have portrayed Bond onscreen as a "cartoon character"; he also believes that Bond should be "troubled and a massive boozer." The novel reflects Boyd's view, where Bond "drinks enough to float a boat.