William Boyd in the Bond world

Where to begin

Solo places Bond in 1969, six years after The Man with the Golden Gun in Boyd’s account. It follows an older agent into a fictional West African civil war. Read Fleming’s later novels first for the broad character context; no other Boyd Bond novel precedes it. Choose this route for historical setting and a mission that becomes personal.

Reading order

1. Solo (2013)

   In 1969, Bond is sent to stop a civil war in the fictional West African country of Zanzarim. The mission leaves him with a personal motive for revenge, and he acts against M's orders.