Friday, December 2, 2022

Bond does Science?

Harkup, Kathryn.  Superspy Science: Science, Death, and Tech in the World of James Bond.  
         London: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2022.  ISBN: 978147298226

How many James Bond movies have you watched?  How many have you obsessed over, digging into the nuts and bolts of the action and the villains?  More than you want to admit?  Well join Kathryn Harkup on a wander through the 25 James Bond movies produced by Eon Productions as she looks at what is actually real in the world of James Bond.

In the Prologue, Harkup sets the stage for how the James Bond movie franchise differs from other spy/thriller series.  Over the next 25 chapters graced with the titles of the Bond movies in chronological order, Harkup delves into various aspects of the Bond universe.  Topics covered range from the opening gun barrel sequence, Rosa Klebb's shoe, lasers as weapons, the  care and feeding of volcano lairs and henchmen, how the crocodile run was set up, space stations, parachuting from the edge of space, electrocution via various devices, drugs, poisons, exotic weapons, nanobots, exploding vehicles, and Bond's backstory.  Of course there is a bibliography to back up the claims made in the book and provide more sources for the Bond enthusiast to explore.

So if you are a lover of Bond movies, you are likely to enjoy perusing the pages of this tome.  Just remember, as Harkup repeats several times in regard to various situations, "Please, do not try this at home!"  Rather, enjoy it on the screen!

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