Synopses & Reviews
While many people dream about Bond's sartorial, gambling, and sexual skills, they also dream about his gadgets: the Walther PPK gun, golden guns, ray guns, and rocket-firing cigarettes; spy shaving kit, poisonous shoes, homing device buttons; Geiger counter wrist watch, television wrist watch, buzz saw wrist watch; decoders, voice synthesizers, cameras, decapitating tea trays, killer hookahs, moonbuggies, underwater propulsion devices, mini-jets, and cars cars cars. And that's just a small glimpse at the vast array of super-science gadgets issued by Q Division to Agent 007. This book is about the gadgets, the science, the cars, and the technology. How realistic are James Bond's adventures and all the equipment that goes with them? How believable is Jaws, who chews through metal? Just how easy is it to crack into all those top-secret facilities to save the world? Is James Bond rooted in science, or are his adventures and the technology that fills them science fiction?
This book answers the question that moviegoers find themselves asking after watching the newest Bond movies – possible or impossible? Most chapters are wrapped around a Bond gadget – whether it’ s his cars, his explosives, or his super secret messages. Other chapters delve into the origins of Mr. Bond - the world of real spies - or the plausibility of a memorable villains' psychopathic plans. (Could you, in fact, build a headquarter inside a volcano?) Whether Bond's adventures are in the air or under sea, our authors discover if there's fact behind the fiction.
There are plentyof movie trivia lists (“ Who was the best James Bond?”, “ The Bond Cars, ” “ The 00 Secret Agents” ), as well as an introduction by Raymond Benson, the author of several 007 novels. Benson is a Bond addict who, like this book's reader, wonders if a gondola can turn into a hydrofoil. Additionally, simple diagrams explain several difficult concepts, such as lift (on a chapter about flying cars).
Review
* Everyone knows which secret agent drives a car that turns into a boat at the flick of a switch, leaves fake fingerprints and, of course drinks his martinis shaken, not stirred: Bond. James Bond. Gresh and Weinberg, having surveyed the science of supervillains and superheroes, turn to Bond and all the wonderful toys conjured up for him by Q, as well as the weapons created by his enemies. They explain how ""dirty bombs"" work while noting that Goldfinger's plot to contaminate Fort Knox with one wouldn't work, because the radiation would turn gold into liquid mercury. Biological agents were also used by one of Bond's foes. Fortunately, Hugo Drax's
Moonraker scheme to destroy humankind with a poison made from orchids was fairy tale stuff. Gresh and Weinberg's book goes up against last year's
Death Rays, Jet Packs, Stunts, & Supercars by Barry Parker,, but they write better and their book is more accessible to Bond fans who've forgotten their high school science. Readers might check out the appendix on the Bond martini first, so they'll have something to sip while enjoying this lively read.
(Sept.) (
Publishers Weekly, June 19, 2006)
""...the book is an entertaining read"" (The James Bond Journal, Issue 4)
Review
Everyone knows which secret agent drives a car that turns into a boat at the flick of a switch, leaves fake fingerprints and, of course drinks his martinis shaken, not stirred: Bond. James Bond. Gresh and Weinberg, having surveyed the science of supervillains and superheroes, turn to Bond and all the wonderful toys conjured up for him by Q, as well as the weapons created by his enemies. They explain how "dirty bombs" work while noting that Goldfinger's plot to contaminate Fort Knox with one wouldn't work, because the radiation would turn gold into liquid mercury. Biological agents were also used by one of Bond's foes. Fortunately, Hugo Drax's
Moonraker scheme to destroy humankind with a poison made from orchids was fairy tale stuff. Gresh and Weinberg's book goes up against last year's
Death Rays, Jet Packs, Stunts, & Supercars by Barry Parker,, but they write better and their book is more accessible to Bond fans who've forgotten their high school science. Readers might check out the appendix on the Bond martini first, so they'll have something to sip while enjoying this lively read.
(Sept.) (
Publishers Weekly, June 19, 2006)
"...the book is an entertaining read" (The James Bond Journal, Issue 4)
Synopsis
The perfect complement to the season s new Bond blockbuster, Casino Royale
James Bond movies have something for everyone adventure, action, intrigue, sex, and some of the most exotic hardware ever dreamed up. But can you really build a car that turns into a submarine or an airplane? A bowler hat that, when thrown, can decapitate a statue? A watch that can double as a buzz saw, a Geiger counter, or a TV? Science meets fiction in this lively exploration of Bond gadgets, published to coincide with the release of the next Bond blockbuster. Gresh and Weinberg discuss explosives, communication tools, devious and diabolical weaponry, space lasers, cars, even the martini. Learning what s real, what s not, and what will be is nearly as much fun as watching the movies.
Lois H. Gresh (Scottsville, NY), author of 15 books, has been nominated for six national fiction awards. Robert Weinberg (Chicago, IL) is a two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award. They are the authors of The Science of Superheroes (0-471-02460-0) and The Science of Supervillains (0-471-48205-6).
Synopsis
Filled with entertaining anecdotes from Bond movie shoots and supplemented with tech ratings for all of the Bond movies, The Science of James Bond separates scientific fact from film fantasy--with some very surprising results.
Synopsis
The science behind the gadgets, exploits, and enemies of the world's greatest spy
From the sleek Aston Martin that spits out bullets, nails, and passengers at the push of a button to the microjet that makes hairpin turns to avoid a heat-seeking missile, the science and technology of James Bond films have kept millions of movie fans guessing for decades. Are these amazing feats and gadgets truly possible?
The Science of James Bond takes you on a fascinating excursion through the true science that underlies Bond's most fantastic and off-the-wall accoutrements. The acclaimed science-fiction authors Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg provide a highly entertaining, informative look at the real-world achievements and brilliant imaginations behind such singular Bond gadgets as the buzz-saw Rolex, the car that turns into a submarine, and the ever-popular rocket-firing cigarette. They examine hundreds of Q Division's ingenious inventions; analyze Bond's astonishing battles beneath the earth and sea, in the skies, and even in outer space; and ask intriguing questions that lead to enlightening discussions about the limits of science, the laws of nature, and the future of technology.
Filled with entertaining anecdotes from Bond movie shoots and supplemented with ""tech"" ratings for all of the Bond movies, The Science of James Bond separates scientific fact from film fantasy--with some very surprising results.
Synopsis
The science behind the gadgets, exploits, and enemies of the world's greatest spy
From the sleek Aston Martin that spits out bullets, nails, and passengers at the push of a button to the microjet that makes hairpin turns to avoid a heat-seeking missile, the science and technology of James Bond films have kept millions of movie fans guessing for decades. Are these amazing feats and gadgets truly possible?
The Science of James Bond takes you on a fascinating excursion through the true science that underlies Bond's most fantastic and off-the-wall accoutrements. The acclaimed science-fiction authors Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg provide a highly entertaining, informative look at the real-world achievements and brilliant imaginations behind such singular Bond gadgets as the buzz-saw Rolex, the car that turns into a submarine, and the ever-popular rocket-firing cigarette. They examine hundreds of Q Division's ingenious inventions; analyze Bond's astonishing battles beneath the earth and sea, in the skies, and even in outer space; and ask intriguing questions that lead to enlightening discussions about the limits of science, the laws of nature, and the future of technology.
Filled with entertaining anecdotes from Bond movie shoots and supplemented with "tech" ratings for all of the Bond movies, The Science of James Bond separates scientific fact from film fantasy--with some very surprising results.
About the Author
LOIS H. GRESH is the author of seventeen books, including four novels. She has written dozens of suspense and science-fiction stories and has been nominated for national fiction awards six times. Gresh and Robert Weinberg have coauthored several books, including The Science of Superheroes and The Science of Supervillains, both from Wiley.
ROBERT WEINBERG is the author of sixteen novels and seventeen nonfiction books. He also scripted comic books for DC, Marvel, and Moonstone Publishers. Weinberg is the only World Fantasy Award–winning author who has served as the grand marshal of a rodeo parade.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Bond, James Bond.
Chapter 1. Uncover The Origins of Mr. Bond: Spies And Science.
Chapter 2. Send Secret Messages: Super-Spy Decoder Rings?.
Chapter 3. Build a Bond Car: Flying, Underwater, Missle-Launching Aston Martins.
Chapter 4. Arm Yourself (And Other Explosive Ideas).
Chapter 5. Stop Nuclear War.
Chapter 6. Use Your Senses: Assorted Body Equipment.
Chapter 7. Get Away From It All: In The Air, On The Sea.
Chapter 8. Get Farther Away From It All: Outer Space Shenanigans.
Chapter 9. Defeat Supervillains .
Chapter 10. Nullify the Threat of Super Weapons.
Chapter 11. Combat Germ Warfare (And Other Nasty Matters).
Chapter 12. Possible or Impossible?.
Chapter 13. Some Thoughts About Secret Bases.
Conclusion.
Appendix 1. The Bond Books.
Appendix 2. The Bond Movies .
Appendix 3. The 00 Secret Agents.
Appendix 4. The Bond Cars.
Source Notes.
Bibliography and Reading List.