About:
Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood is the first book of an espionage trilogy taking place in the James Bond universe. Ms. Sherwood is an author and a creative writing lecturer at the University of Edinburgh.
- 368 pages
- Publisher â : â William Morrow
- Language â : â English
- ISBN-10 â : â0063236516
My ratÂing for Double or Nothing â 3
Buy Double or Nothing from Amazon.com*
More Books by Kim Sherwood*
Thoughts:
Itâs tough to write a Bond novel. You must adhere to the familiar world of Ian Fleming, while attempting to create a new 007 story, with rabid fans chomping at your every word.
In Double or Nothing, Kim Sherwood decided to attempt to write a Bond book⊠without James Bond. While Bondâs shadow is felt in the novel, he isnât a major character.
Ms. Sherwood writes very well, with style and gusto. I enjoyed her ideas to embrace and expand the Bond universe. She put a lot of fan service in the books, which I thought was a problem. The novel references both books, and movies so I was never sure in which universe or if the story takes place in the near past, near future, or present-day world.
Like Fleming, the author uses names for characters who are related to Bond in a roundabout way, which I thought was clever, including Section Chief Dryden (Casino Royal), and Bashir, a Star Trek character who enjoys playing a Bond-like figure in holodeck reenactments. All the characters, old and new, are well-written with their own history, and personalities. None of them are as appealing as James Bond though.
This book encompasses a lot, from climate change to mole hunting, a love triangle, and controlling the weather. Itâs an ambitious book and Ms. Sherwood does an admirable job keeping the, somewhat convoluted and overstuffed, plot engaging. However, it gives the impression of someone just taking key elements of a âBond bookâ algorithm and applying them to the story.
The updates to the Bond universe are welcomed and needed but go over the top to the point of either ridicule or pushing agendas (which I despise so Iâll err to the former). One of the double Os is gay, black, deaf, and poor. Felix Leiterâs disability is an advantage, a single woman created a supercomputer to replace Q, that is run by two technicians who constantly ask themselves why they serve the Crown much like⊠the double Os?
All this new, politically correct world-building is done without nuance, taste, or elegance, shoving activism into the faces of people who just want an escapist fantasy is not inspired. Representation is great, but Ms. Sherwood makes it more important than just writing a good story.
And this is where I think the book fails, itâs written for the wrong audience. I read the second book, A Spy Like Me, first, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read the series in order.
Synopsis:
After a mission has gone wrong, James Bond is missing â presumed dead. The mercenaries that have him, RattenfĂ€nger, are ruthless with powerful backers and seem to be a step ahead of MI6.
Sir Bertram Paradise is a tech billionaire who says he can reverse climate change. But Paradise is a shady character who canât be trusted, and MI6 is asked to investigate.
Buy Double or Nothing from Amazon.com*
More Books by Kim Sherwood*
Zohar â Man of la Book
DisÂclaimer: I got bought book
*AmaÂzon links point to an affilÂiÂate account, the money is usually spent on books
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