Quantum of Menace
Reviewed on 30th November 2025
In this James Bond spin-off, a recently redundant Q finds himself back in the town where he grew up, surrounded by memories and ruined relationships, and investigating the recent death of an old friend.
As a Bond spin-off, it's filled with great references to both books and films, and features various guest spots from the wider canon. Q does seem rather obsessed with Bond, referencing him seemingly more often than maybe normal for a former colleague.
The narrative is fast paced, but with really short chapters - many of them feeling like, if not actually, just three pages long. As a reader, this briefness always feels distracting to me - like it's giving me too many dropping off points to put the book down, and not hooking me into the developing story.
I found it slow to read, and had to really commit myself to finishing, although the final third did feel like it picked up a bit. There's a second book coming, and I think based on the end of this one, I'll likely pick it up.