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The Science of James Bond: From Bullets to Bowler Hats to Boat Jumps, the Real Technology Behind 007's Fabulous Films
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.
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.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
8 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Lois H. Gresh
73 books141 followersLOIS H. GRESH is the New York Times Bestselling Author (6 times) and USA Today Bestselling Author (thrillers) of 30 books and more than 65 short stories. Look for SHERLOCK HOLMES VS. CTHULHU #1: THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEADLY DIMENSIONS (Titan Books, April 2017), the first in a new trilogy of Sherlock Holmes thrillers from England's premier publisher of all things Holmes, with Random House distribution in the USA. Lois’ books have been published in 22 languages. For five years, Lois was a staff book reviewer at scifi.com (now SYFY.com, the Science Fiction Cable Channel), and her work has been on national/international award ballots eight times. She is a frequent Guest of Honor Author at large fan conventions and has appeared on television series such as The History Channel’s Ancient Aliens and Batman Tech.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 25, 2011
Having been a James Bond fan for sometime now, I was intrigued when I first saw and then bought a copy of The Science Of James Bond. The Bond films are famous for their fantastic gadgets, villains and plots so the idea of someone looking at exactly how plausible they really are is an intriguing notion to say the least. The execution of that idea, as the book shows, is mostly an well written, tongue in cheek reality check for 007.
As you might expect the book is mostly about the science and technology used in the long running film series (or at least its first twenty films from 1962's Doctor No to 2002's Die Another Day). Here the book excels. Writers Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg seem to have done their homework as they present the scientific, technical and even historical reality of a whole multitude of gadgets, villains and plots. The results can be utterly surprising at times such as the reality of the background of A View To A Kill's Max Zorin or exactly how plausible is the Goldeneye EMP weapon from the film of that name. Other examples include the writers also look at two of the urban legends born out of 1964's Goldfinger, how plausible Goldfinger's plot really is and taking many of the plot points of 1967's You Only Live Twice to task (including the Volcano Base itself). All the while the writers manage to stay both technical and readable, especially with their tongue in cheek prose style. The result, on this side of things anyway, is a readable reality check of the James Bond films.
The book does have issues though. While the writers have done their homework on the science and technology, their knowledge of the films themselves seems to be utterly lacking at times. There are numerous goofs such as, for example, listing Bond creator Ian Fleming with writing the film version of A View To A Kill, despite it having been written twenty years after his death, the writers literally missing whole plot points for Goldeneye or listing the novel Fleming was working on at the time of his death as On Her Majesty's Secret Service (when it was really The Man With The Golden Gun). The writers also take several importunity's to plug their previous books in The Science Of series such as into the section on the Little Nellie auto-gyro for example. There's also a whole list of other gadgets including the "bowler hats", "boat jumps" and "the ever-popular rocket firing cigarette" that the book mentions on its cover that aren't covered in any size, shape or form within the book itself. Considering how well written the rest of the book is these things all come as rather disappointing.
Overall The Science Of James Bond an enjoyable and at times even surprising accounting of the reality of quite a few of the gadgets, villains and plots seen in the first twenty James Bond films. Yet the numerous factual errors on the Bond films, the unnecessary plugs of other The Science Of books and the lack of items included on the book's own cover do show that the book has issues though. It may not be perfect or even essential reading for Bond fans but if you're looking to cover the world of 007 a reality check look no further.
As you might expect the book is mostly about the science and technology used in the long running film series (or at least its first twenty films from 1962's Doctor No to 2002's Die Another Day). Here the book excels. Writers Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg seem to have done their homework as they present the scientific, technical and even historical reality of a whole multitude of gadgets, villains and plots. The results can be utterly surprising at times such as the reality of the background of A View To A Kill's Max Zorin or exactly how plausible is the Goldeneye EMP weapon from the film of that name. Other examples include the writers also look at two of the urban legends born out of 1964's Goldfinger, how plausible Goldfinger's plot really is and taking many of the plot points of 1967's You Only Live Twice to task (including the Volcano Base itself). All the while the writers manage to stay both technical and readable, especially with their tongue in cheek prose style. The result, on this side of things anyway, is a readable reality check of the James Bond films.
The book does have issues though. While the writers have done their homework on the science and technology, their knowledge of the films themselves seems to be utterly lacking at times. There are numerous goofs such as, for example, listing Bond creator Ian Fleming with writing the film version of A View To A Kill, despite it having been written twenty years after his death, the writers literally missing whole plot points for Goldeneye or listing the novel Fleming was working on at the time of his death as On Her Majesty's Secret Service (when it was really The Man With The Golden Gun). The writers also take several importunity's to plug their previous books in The Science Of series such as into the section on the Little Nellie auto-gyro for example. There's also a whole list of other gadgets including the "bowler hats", "boat jumps" and "the ever-popular rocket firing cigarette" that the book mentions on its cover that aren't covered in any size, shape or form within the book itself. Considering how well written the rest of the book is these things all come as rather disappointing.
Overall The Science Of James Bond an enjoyable and at times even surprising accounting of the reality of quite a few of the gadgets, villains and plots seen in the first twenty James Bond films. Yet the numerous factual errors on the Bond films, the unnecessary plugs of other The Science Of books and the lack of items included on the book's own cover do show that the book has issues though. It may not be perfect or even essential reading for Bond fans but if you're looking to cover the world of 007 a reality check look no further.
December 22, 2021
I have never read any of the james bond novels and the only time I have seen any james bond movies was usually on a Christmas day marathon on television. I know I have watched at least one james bond movie all the way through.
So I was excited to read the science of james bond to learn more about the movies and the science in the movies. For me the book lived up to my expectations. It was filled with interesting facts about the movies.
Two things that I learned are that there were not as many actors who have played james bond in the movies as I thought there were and for a few movies john cleese played Q.
I also liked that each chapter talked about one of the 24 bond movies.
I enjoyed reading the science of james bond.
So I was excited to read the science of james bond to learn more about the movies and the science in the movies. For me the book lived up to my expectations. It was filled with interesting facts about the movies.
Two things that I learned are that there were not as many actors who have played james bond in the movies as I thought there were and for a few movies john cleese played Q.
I also liked that each chapter talked about one of the 24 bond movies.
I enjoyed reading the science of james bond.
November 23, 2019
Un libro genial, lleno de curiosidades de las películas del espía británico más famoso.
Se trata de una lectura bastante interesante porque al haber sido publicado en el lejano año de 2006 (13 años!) hay cierta brecha entre lo que ha pasado en el mundo real.
Habla de las películas de 007 antes de Daniel Craig y en un mundo donde no había Estación Espacial Internacional o donde Sadam Hussein todavía gobernaba.
Es curioso dar una mirada al pasado del universo de James Bond y al nuestro para ver todo lo que ha cambiado en tecnología, política, y en cómo funciona el mundo del espionaje.
Me encantaría ver lo que nos llegarán a ofrecer nuevas ediciones de este libro.
Se trata de una lectura bastante interesante porque al haber sido publicado en el lejano año de 2006 (13 años!) hay cierta brecha entre lo que ha pasado en el mundo real.
Habla de las películas de 007 antes de Daniel Craig y en un mundo donde no había Estación Espacial Internacional o donde Sadam Hussein todavía gobernaba.
Es curioso dar una mirada al pasado del universo de James Bond y al nuestro para ver todo lo que ha cambiado en tecnología, política, y en cómo funciona el mundo del espionaje.
Me encantaría ver lo que nos llegarán a ofrecer nuevas ediciones de este libro.
December 27, 2020
While well researched from a science standpoint, it is a bit like learning how a magician performs a magic trick. You either appreciate it more or become disappointed with the trick itself.
Oddjob’s bowler hat and the boat jump from Live and Let Die were two of the three images featured on the cover and they were not even mentioned in the book! And the authors call some of the movie ideas deceptive.
Oddjob’s bowler hat and the boat jump from Live and Let Die were two of the three images featured on the cover and they were not even mentioned in the book! And the authors call some of the movie ideas deceptive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2020
There might be updated versions of this book but the
one I read was dated 2006 and I only found it
semi-interesting. Some good tidbits of information
but for the most part the authors seem to slant
toward pooh-poohing things and that
disappointed me (despite at the end when they
say they are NOT doing that)..
one I read was dated 2006 and I only found it
semi-interesting. Some good tidbits of information
but for the most part the authors seem to slant
toward pooh-poohing things and that
disappointed me (despite at the end when they
say they are NOT doing that)..
April 22, 2023
Good book for Bond fans who enjoy learning more about the science behind James Bond's gadgets and vehicles. I especially appreciated the part where the author analyzed how much one of the supervillain bases would have cost. The main issue with the book is how dated it is. Since it came out in 2004, many of the "futuristic" items we take for granted now. Some pictures would have been nice too.
April 3, 2022
easy read. some interesting facts. i am not a big fan of james bond so i only had a vague recollection of the movies.
January 29, 2025
This was a great breakdown of the movie magic and how the James Bond franchise capitalized on science to maximize the storytelling.
May 10, 2016
Nerdy and fun. What's real, what's not, what is based in science but could never be done, what already exists and is used every day and what things in the James Bond films have been a source of some pretty pervasive urban myths. The writers are great fans of the James Bond books and movies, and they aren't trying to be a couple of Debbie Downers about it, rather they are examine the science in the stories and discuss what is believable and what isn't.
Also is included the original James Bond Martini recipe, just in case you only know the 'shaken not stirred' part of it. It is called a Vesper (named after a female double agent) and goes like this: "three measures of Gordon's, one measure of Vodka (brand not specified), half measure of Kina Lillet. Shake very well until it is ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Yep, Bond's martini had Gin and Vodka in it, and he very controversially shakes it; martini experts do not like shaking as they believe it damages the gin. In the book they discuss the health benefits of the Vesper Martini, a couple of Canadian Biochemists studied it and came to the conclusion it was good for the heart and eyes. Hmm, I'm probably not going to switch out my Kale breakfast smoothie for for a Vesper Martini any time soon.
It's time to stop writing this review and go play with a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation with my cat.
Also is included the original James Bond Martini recipe, just in case you only know the 'shaken not stirred' part of it. It is called a Vesper (named after a female double agent) and goes like this: "three measures of Gordon's, one measure of Vodka (brand not specified), half measure of Kina Lillet. Shake very well until it is ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Yep, Bond's martini had Gin and Vodka in it, and he very controversially shakes it; martini experts do not like shaking as they believe it damages the gin. In the book they discuss the health benefits of the Vesper Martini, a couple of Canadian Biochemists studied it and came to the conclusion it was good for the heart and eyes. Hmm, I'm probably not going to switch out my Kale breakfast smoothie for for a Vesper Martini any time soon.
It's time to stop writing this review and go play with a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation with my cat.
October 6, 2008
A fun read if you like Bond gadgetry and don't mind finding out how a lot of it is totally bunk. Never let that spoil your enjoyment though! Also, there are many things in the Bond realm that are surprisingly totally legitimate and real. Easy read, very enjoyable.
December 24, 2007
read 12.24.07
very interesting reading for 007 fans
very interesting reading for 007 fans
February 17, 2008
Covers the science and fancy technology from the James Bond movies and discusses what works in real life and what doesn't. It's not as interesting as it sounds.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews