Kim SherwoodReseñas

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A Spy Like Me by Kim Sherwood is the second book in the Double O series expanding the world of James Bond. Ms. Sherwood is a published author and creative writing lecturer in Edinburgh.

A team of MI6 agents attempt to undercover a smuggling ring of antiquities, diamonds, humans, and more which funds terrorism. Johanna Harwood, 003, tries to find clues to a black site where James Bond is being held captive.

Joseph Dryden, 004, and Conrad Harthrop-Vane, 000, follow the items from Sotheby’s to Crete, to Venice, to Afghanistan attempting to uncover who is the person that can launder the items and currency. That person knows the players involve and can be the key to take down the Rattenfänger network.

I am currently re-reading the James Bond novels, in order, in between my other readings. I was intrigued by this new series and was glad to get my hands on the second book.

A Spy Like Me by Kim Sherwood follows a Fleming-esque to a glob trotting adventure. Like Fleming himself, most of the locations are places one would like to visit. Ms. Sherwood sets up her own world but has many callbacks and references to Fleming books and movies. Some of them are, of course, just fan service but I enjoyed them, nonetheless.

The plot might be overstuffed, but I really enjoyed the new characters who are fleshed out. The fact that Ms. Moneypenny is COO of the 00 division is one of the aspects of the book that I liked the most.

Unlike the Fleming books, however, this one is not a male spy fantasy. It takes place in the modern world, with modern issues, and modern sensibilities. James Bond is hardly in the book since he’s missing but he’s always in the background.

The new characters are very intriguing and likeable, but especially the female ones. Johanna Harwood is certainly the most intriguing of the bunch. The story is packed and moves fast. Frankly, if I found myself skimming pages I went back and re-read them because there was a good chance I missed something.

I did, however, feel that I missed a lot by not reading Double or Nothing, the first book in the series. I already ordered it though and am looking forward to reading it working my way backwards.

I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you

In all fairness to the author and the series, I have not read the first book in this series. Perhaps if I had, I'd have found it easier to follow. I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters, what action was taking place where and with whom and how they all came together. That said, it was a clever story, fewer cool toys than in a Bond movie, but that's ok. Bond definitely seemed like a minor character, more always in the background, and I never quite felt his presence, which was fine because there were a lot of other Double OO's who deserved the lime light. I liked Moneypenny's role.

Book 2 in a series. Did not read book #1. We start out learning of a bomb in London’s BBC buildings putting Moneypenny and Agents 004 and 000 are trying to figure out what happened and who was behind the blast, which left one of their own seriously injured. They also discover that there is a leak in MI6 and James Bond is missing.
Johanna Harwood, 003, has her own agenda while she is not working due to the loss of a loved one – she is looking for 007, James Bond, who left a clue behind at the black site where he was being held captive.
As the investigation progresses, we are thrust into the world of trafficking, specifically art, antiquities, diamonds and people.
Overall, a pretty fast-paced read. I received this book from the publisher and Book Club Girl for an honest review.

Double Or Nothing (2023) (00 World #1) by Kim Sherwood. What is a Bond novel without James running around in it? Read this book and find out.
I am a big fan of the James Bond novels, be they from the pen of Fleming, Robert Markham (Kingsley Amis), John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, Anthony Horowitz, or the “Young Bond” author Charlie Hinson. But now we have the “00” series beginning with this book and I have a problem.
The only trace of Bond in this book is the scent of where he has been. Missing for over a year, HQ is in a quandary as to closing the file on him or keeping hope alive. He has gone missing before and always managed to return in some, generally beat up, worn out or, in at least one case, in a brain washed condition. The hope is can he do it again but as the days pass that candle in the window is burning lower and lower.
Keep in mind all the earlier Bond books had but one main character and were generally told from his point of view. That singular look at the world is exploded here with many characters, encompassing a broad spectrum of “types” but trying to hit on most of them, and each offers their own strengths and weaknesses. As points of view vary you might feel a bit lost in the telling. Certainly there is a lot of action, but I never felt drawn to any of the main characters. It is as if “Corporate” decided to not offend anyone so had every persuasion of person possible included in this mix. While many may enjoy that, and even may have been applauding for a greater width of character rather than the average “straight white man, devil may care attitude, required to save the world” want ad of the past.
But sometimes you can overdo it, and this is one of those.
Instead of a Bond story, this is truly a 00 section story, and this book features far more 00s than any previous novel. There is 003, Johanna Harwood, who has been captured by the evil Rattenfanger organization, the same people who probably have 007. Sid Bashir is 009, in love with 003 and in the process of recovering her in whatever condition she might be in. 004 and 000 are also running around. Moneypenny for some reason is the new M, but why I can’t tell you. Bill Tanner must have felt outrage at this massive slight, but Ms. Sherwood manages to make what has happened to him so far look minuscule in comparison to what happens at the end of this tale.
There are so many things that have gone wrong with this book, and my hands are getting a little tired or writing bad news by this point, that I won’t go into further details. This is the first in a trio of books about the 00s and perhaps the author was just laying a groundwork for better things to come.
I doubt that even the new “Q” could figure a way out of this quagmire, but, as with the ending to this story, there is always hope for better things to come.

And attempted update of the James Bond universe and mythos since the fall slightly flat.

This is not bond as he will know him.

He is indeed only partly in this novel.

The narrative follows the activities of several other Dublo agents, and the new changes are MI6 mean that with the exception of the names, most of these characters, Wasim, unfamiliar to fans. This is good espionage fiction, but it’s not James Bond.

Not sure if I will read any further into the trilogy

200 pages in, no Bond. Felix Leiter, Moneypenny, Q, M, etc., but no 007. No 007, no real reason to keep reading. But I did.

So really, this is like a friends of Bond book. Lots of double O's, but no 007. So, not really a James Bond book. And I read these books for James Bond. I highly doubt I'll finish this trilogy.

While I appreciate what Ian Fleming Publications and author Kim Sherwood were attempting here, creating a new take on a contemporary (or more accurately near-future) Double-O section without James Bond, it just doesn’t work for me. In short it’s all too much…

Two too many new Double-O agents so we get competing intermingled plot lines that are difficult to follow. Too many new characters, too many ideas, too many locations, too many flashbacks, too much back story, and way too many references and nods to the world of Bond that kept throwing me out of an already confusing narrative.

There’s a good spy adventure in here buried under a lot of extraneous text. I wish that Sherwood had just focused on the new 004, Joseph Dryden, and his mission providing us with a proper Fleming style adventure with a real sense of threat, place, and suspense.

Double 00's: Into the James Bond Multiverse*
Review of the HarperCollins Publishers UK hardcover edition (September 1, 2022) [the William Morrow US edition "Double or Nothing: A Double O Novel" appears to be delayed until April 11, 2023]

[3.5 but bumped up to 4 for its sheer ambition]
The James Bond continuation series has had quite a run since Ian Fleming's first novel "Casino Royale" in 1953. After the initial canon of 13 novels and 1 collection of novellas, in 70 years it has now reached at least as many as 41 novels. That is if you don't count the movie novelizations and the young James Bond prequels. After the Kingsley Amis one-off of "Colonel Sun" (James Bond #15, 1968), the series went into hiatus. Rebooted in 1981, it settled into extended runs by James Gardner (Bonds #16 to #29) and Raymond Benson (Bonds #30 to 35). A further group of one-offs followed for Bonds #36 to #38, and then the Anthony Horowitz trilogy (Bonds #39 to #41) brings us mostly up to date. Horowitz's final entry "With a Mind to Kill" (Bond #41) was published in May 2022.

See image at https://www.thejamesbonddossier.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/double-or-nothing...
The UK cover of "Double or Nothing" in a suitable James Bond-like beach setting. Image sourced from a review at The James Bond Dossier.

With Kim Sherwood's Double or Nothing, the 1st of an expected new trilogy, the Ian Fleming estate has taken a risk with the book franchise by allowing James Bond to become a secondary character in his own series. Sherwood instead uses three entirely separate Double 00 agents in place of 007. So we have Johanna Harwood as 003, Joseph Dryden as 004 and Sid Bashir as 009. The setup is that James Bond has been captured or killed and the rest of the Double 00's have to solve the world crises in his place, while also seeking clues as to his fate. Bond does make cameo appearances in the novel, but only in flashback scenes.

Sherwood goes much further than just having three Double 00 protagonists. She draws characters and names, plot tropes, back story and plants 'easter eggs' from the entire 70 years of Bond history. These are not only from the novels, but also from the extended universe of James Bond 007 films. There is a limited attempt to reconcile the time line, but all of the back story references to Bond are of a timeless nature where he is now in his mid-40s even if an actual person living all of the events back to and before 1953 would likely be in his 90s by now.

Some examples here: the Miss Moneypenny in Double or Nothing is now the Head of the Double 00 Section in place of M. This Moneypenny is drawn more from the 007 film world, where Moneypenny herself was once a Double 00. The most recent M is now head of MI-6, but is not the same as Vice-Admiral Miles Messervy who was the first M that Bond reported to in the original canon. The changing nature of "M" is thus also drawn from the films.

There are further shocks to come though. Q , the previous master of gadgetry who provided various devices and weapons to the Double-00's, is now an all-knowing and all-seeing quantum computer. This Q provides intelligence and monitors agent activities. In the case of Joseph Dryden 004 this is even by means of a cybernetic implant. The Secret Services computer is faced by an opposing quantum computer which is in the hands of the suspected mastermind villain Sir Bertram Paradise and a possible aligned mercenary force named Rattenfänger. The main plot involves a climate change scenario which is certainly topical.

For the long-time James Bond fan (I grew up with the original novels in my teenage years) there are plenty of tidbits and references to watch for and enjoy. Various favourite characters from the past make appearances as well (no spoilers here). Other aspects may be more frustrating though. A tic of naming various high-end watches on various characters seems like product placement advertising since the watches don't perform any Q like tricks. But there was always an element of brand name fetishization in the original novels as well, so Sherwood isn't that far off the mark. There is a tick-box nature to the Double-00s which perhaps gets into exaggerated diverse territory. So we have female, Muslim, black, homosexual, deaf / physically challenged Double-00s (not all in one character). It sure makes a difference though to have a homosexual love scene in a Double-00 novel.

Trivia and Link
* Yes, I stole the idea for the review lede from the films "Spider-man: Into the Multiverse" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".

This review at The James Bond Dossier gives some background as to why the Ian Fleming estate is looking to diversify its character base, given that the original novels are soon falling into the public domain in every copyright zone, i.e. "Anyone will be able to write their own James Bond novel. Anyone will be able to republish one of the Fleming’s books."

A new spin on a James Bond book that, well, takes James Bond out of the book almost entirely. Instead, we focus on a new generation of 00 agents, guided by an old guard of returning characters. It's all very Star Wars.

And this book, like its protagonists, has a mission, to widen the window of who gets to be a superspy and what issues these books should consider. Our three heroes all break the great white hero mould in one way or several (gender, sexuality, race, ability, background) and the book considers the forms and manners of violence that were likely invisible or under-considered by previous generations of authors.

Its laudable and succeeds in making these books modern, relevant and different from what's gone before. Ironically, it does much more to that end than the simple act of removing James Bond does – we've all read or watched plenty of thrillers are just Bond without Bond.

The villain is more recognisable: a Moore-era megalomaniac for the era of climate crisis and disaster capitalism. I mean it as a compliment when I say he could have stepped out of an Alex Rider novel.

Ironically, some of the book's highlights are those moments when it pauses to look back on Bond himself, and his place in the modern world. Self-reflexivity is almost the default for James Bond these days (and he was always a reflective sort – a poet even, as someone here notes), but Sherwood utilises those concerns about the character (his bravado, his loneliness, his position as a champion of a lost empire) in the construction of a real mystery around his disappearance.

Double or Nothing isn't a perfect book, though, and my four stars are really rounded up by 3.5. Those interweaving narratives are not always as gripping as each other and parts of the conclusion feel hurried. There were times I was willing the pages to flip by faster so I could get back to the good stuff and others when I was sure I must have missed a couple so quickly had events moved on.

Recommended if you want a new and different take on Bond, while still getting your action and intrigue slickly delivered.½

When her grandfather Joseph Silk dies, Eva is forced to confront the hidden fractures between her father and his father. Silk was an important painter, famed for the intense blue tones he used, but he was also a Hungarian Jew who suffered through the war. Eva is contacted by the Jewish Museum in Berlin, they have Silk's 'testament' - the statement he made after liberation - so Eva goes to see it and it opens up the secrets long buried.
Flitting between the present and the past, this novel tells the story of a family destroyed by the Nazis and the breaking up of Eastern Europe. The scenes set in the labour camps and amongst the prisoners are heartrendingly written. The choices made by the protagonists are contextualised beautifully. However Eva's story is no less complex and the ending is suitably not complete. This is very mature writing from a debut novelist and it is fantastic to see that this book is being noticed for awards because it combines the very higher literary form with a story that resonates.