The “Making of” Tomorrow Never Dies books currently chronicling the making of films are notoriously bad. Packed with overlarge pictures, and consisting largely of an extended synopsis of the movie at hand, they usually aren`t worth the paper that they are printed on. Thankfully, Garth Pearce`s The Making of Tomorrow Never Dies is different.

The inevitable plot spoiler is mercifully short and while there are plenty of large pictures the sheer quality of the text balances this out. As with his earlier tome regarding GoldenEye, Pearce is eager to show every aspect of creating a film rather than merely focusing on interviews with the stars. By all accounts, the eighteenth Bond movie has involved more stress and anxiety than any of 007`s earlier adventures. From unbelievably strict deadlines to tensions between writers, the director and the cast, Pearce doesn`t pull any punches, telling the tales warts and all.

The detail is staggering, with in-depth examinations of the background work that has gone into the film`s many stunts and eye-witness accounts of the toils and joys of day to day filming. Once again these are not only limited to the likes of Brosnan, Hatcher or Pryce. The inclusion of a lengthy interview with Juliette Hendon, one of the hundreds of extras in the film, is a testimony to the author`s credibility and completism.

With only a few minor errors which will annoy aficionados of the Bond franchise – such as the suggestion that Teri Hatcher is the only character other than Bond himself to ever deliver the `shaken not stirred` line – The Making of Tomorrow Never Dies truly lives up to the cliché of being an essential part of any fan`s collection. Those who haven`t seen the film will be swept up in the excitement and drama of its origins which will only heighten their anticipation while those who have will be able to dig beneath the surface of the biggest 007 film to date.