16 replies to this topic

[FOX MULDER]

I'm on the hunt for some new reading material and I would appreciate some recommendations. So please post your Top 5 spy fiction novels (feel free to interpret "spy fiction" as strictly or liberally as you wish).

 

Mine:

 

1. The Mask of Dimitrios, Eric Ambler

2. Casino Royale, Ian Fleming

3. Our Man In Havana, Graham Greene

4. From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming

5. The Odessa File, Frederick Forsyth

 

Thank you.

 

[dlb007]

Good post Fox Mulder. I have quite a few novels that I'd recommend:

 

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - John le Carre

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John le Carre

The Garden of Weapons - John Gardner

The Eiger Sanction - Trevanian

The Loo Sanction - Trevanian

Shibumi - Trevanian

Spies of the Balkans - Alan Furst

Mills - Manning O'Brinne

The Game, Set, Match; Hook, Line, Sinker; and Faith, Hope, and Charity series - Len Deighton

The Labyrinth Makers - Anthony Price

The Miernik Dossier - Charles McCarry

The Tears of Autumn - Charles McCarry

 

These are just a few I can recall off the top of my head.

 

Happy reading.

 

 

[billy007]

Strongly agree about Trevanian's novels.
At one time during 1980's it was rumored that Sir Sean would portray Nicholi Hel in a movie.
I've recently discovered Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. A very good read when you have the time to relax and read at leasure.
Then there is always Modesty Blaise....

Edited by billy007, 11 June 2013 - 04:40 AM.

[Hansen]

Besides Bond, I would recommand :

- The Tailor of Panama by Le Carré

- The Fist of God by Forsyth

- The Hint for Red October by Clancy (not a huge fan but his first novels are brilliant)

- The Bourne Trilogy by Ludlum (even better than the films)

- The Holcroft Pact by Ludlum

- The Company by Littel (a must-read)

- SAS books by Gérard de Villiers - quite sexually explicit but cleverly tell the back-story of the most important geopolitical events. His sources are known as very reliable.

[Yellow Pinky]

Hmmm... I'm going to have to step outside of the parameters a bit and list my favorite spy series.

 

1) The Quiller series by Adam Hall (aka Elleston Trevor).  Bar none my favorite spy novels of all time, series or otherwise.

2) The Bond series by Fleming

3) The Bernard Samson series by Len Deighton

4) The Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva

 

Among standalone novels, some off the top of my head would be:

 

The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian

Spandau Phoenix and Black Cross by Greg Iles
Critical Mass by David Hagberg

 

I'll have to think and add more in later posts...

Edited by Yellow Pinky, 11 June 2013 - 02:37 PM.

[Dustin]

I see many of my favourites are already taken. Still, here goes (in no particular order):

 

 

EPITAPH FOR A SPY by Eric Ambler

 

This is Eric Ambler at the start of his career, spinning his yarn in Agatha-Christie-mode. 1938 - An innocent expatriate - an 'ordinary' guy at the wrong time in the wrong place; Ambler's standard hero - is wrongly accused of espionage and has to find the real spy amongst his fellow guests at a small hotel on the French Riviera. If he fails he will be extradited to his home country and the camps they started building there...

 

 

VENGEANCE by George Jonas

 

A non-fiction novel about the 1972 terrorist attack on the Olympic Games in Munich and the subsequent Mossad retaliation. Not in every detail reliable, accurate or even verifiable. Still, a highly probable account of the events.

 

 

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED by Jack Higgins

 

WWII espionage, and speculative action novel, a highlight of the sub-genre and the breakthrough for Jack Higgins' career. 1943 - The fortunes of war have changed drastically, the Nazi regime can already smell its own defeat in the ashes of the Battle of Stalingrad. In a weird turn of fate the German Abwehr gets wind of Winston Churchill's whereabouts on one particular weekend and Heinrich Himmler orders a desperate attempt to capture Churchill and bring him to Berlin. A team of elite German paratroopers, aided by IRA gunman Liam Devlin is to attempt the impossible...

 

 

A SPY BY NATURE by Charles Cumming

 

This one is especially ingenious. A young ambitious university graduate - overqualified, underpaid, somewhat inflated self-esteem - fails at the SIS recruitment test, but is offered a position nonetheless, albeit with MI5. His mission is to act as bait for a team of CIA spooks whose operation concerns industrial espionage right in the middle of London, amongst the British 'friends' and thus filling the special relationship with their very own version of life. Alec Milius, the first-person narrator, constantly is in doubt about his own ability to 'play' the soft target for the CIA team's efforts, all the while not realizing he's exactly the kind of unstable personality they would approach, without any need on his side to act the part. Ironically, Alec's shortcomings are indeed what brings the whole scheme down. Suddenly Alec finds himself in the middle of an operational disaster...

 

 

THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL by John le Carré

 

Another account of the Israeli-Palestinian terror war, this time entirely fictitious, yet probably even more accurate and spot-on than Jonas' book. Le Carré speaks for himself, so you already know to expect excellent quality. Read and compare it to THE KILL ARTIST by Daniel Silva. Mr. Silva owes le Carré more than just a drink... 

 

 

 

Edit: One more for the road

 

THE STARS' TENNIS BALLS by Stephen Fry

 

Not an espionage novel in the strictest sense, yet events are set in motion by an aspiring SIS-Whitehall functionary to save his career and cover up his mother's IRA involvement. With one swift move a young guy's life is destroyed, his father and his girlfriend shattered by his disappearance, years of abuse and vegetating under drugs inside an ultra-secret mental home what is left of his existence. Until a fellow prisoner helps him escape and take his revenge.

 

This is of course a modern Monte Cristo story, a sad - and sadly plausible - retelling in a modern setting. The worst is, it's an allegory about what a back-from-the-dead character finds when he's expecting cheers and open arms. For the truth is, once people accept the death of a loved one they don't want them back...

Edited by Dustin, 11 June 2013 - 07:03 PM.

[FOX MULDER]

Thank you all for your kind replies.

 

Suddenly, I see a fundamental problem with my thread - I now have TOO MUCH choice! Nevermind, it's a good problem.

 

A few people mentioned Trevanian - I had previously never heard of him. Will check him out. Also, good call Dennis on the Charles Cumming, been meaning to begin that series for a while now...

 

Perhaps people could also mention spy novels or series' that I should avoid?

[Yellow Pinky]

I want to add the excellent Queen and Country series (3 novels) by Greg Rucka.  They are a near perfect blend of behind the scenes cerebral MI:6 gamesmanship and political maneuvering combined with breathless mission-based action, all centered around Tara Chace, an elite female MI:6 operative.  It all started off as a graphic novel series written by Rucka, but morphed eventually into a 3 novel series as of now:

 

A Gentlemen's Game (2004)

Private Wars (2005)

The Last Run (2010)

[Dustin]

Perhaps people could also mention spy novels or series' that I should avoid?

 

 

Bad idea, you could miss out on something that's really just your thing. Why risk that? Check out whatever you feel comfortable with, enjoy it, don't let others prevent you from having fun. 

[Yellow Pinky]

 

Perhaps people could also mention spy novels or series' that I should avoid?

 

 

Bad idea, you could miss out on something that's really just your thing. Why risk that? Check out whatever you feel comfortable with, enjoy it, don't let others prevent you from having fun. 

 

I wholeheartedly agree with Dustin on this.  Just as I have been severely disappointed in books that had rave reviews, I have also loved books that others warned me to avoid.  As the old axiom goes, your mileage may vary!  

[S K Y F A L L]

The last spy thriller I read was 'Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: The Most Notorious Double Agent of World War II'

 

Been reading A Song Of Ice And Fire (Game of Thrones) and still have Carte Blanche sit through. 

 

Curious has anyone read George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'? Seen an article that its gone up in sales on amazon and want to read it now. 

[Hansen]

The last spy thriller I read was 'Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: The Most Notorious Double Agent of World War II'

It has been adapted with Christopher Plummer and directed by Terence Young under the name Triple Cross (1966)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061647/

Quite fun

[Syndicate]

These are the one that I consider the top ones

 

The Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy
Patriot Game by Tom Clancy
The Cardinal Of Kremlin by Tom Clancy
Clear And Present Danger by Tom Clancy
The Sum Of All Fears by Tom Clancy
Debt Of Hornor by Tom Clancy
Executive Order by Tom Clancy
The Bear And Dragon by Tom Clancy
Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy
Dead Or Alive by Tom Clancy
Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
Threat Vector by Tom Clancy

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre
Smiley's People by John Le Carre
The Secret Pilgrim by John Le Carre
Our Game by John Le Carre
Our Kind of Traitor by John Le Carre
 A Delicate Truth by John Le Carre

The Day Of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
The Fourth Protocal by Frederick Forsyth
The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth

Dark Justice by Jack Higgins

The Killing Ground by Jack Higgins

A Darker Place by Jack Higgins

By Order of the President (Presidential Agent Series #1) by W. E. B. Griffin
Black Ops (Presidential Agent Series #5) by W. E. B. Griffin
Covert Warriors (Presidential Agent # ?) by W.E.B. Griffin
The October Circle by Robert Littell
The Sisters by Robert Littell
The Company: A Novel of the CIA by Robert Littell
Young Philby: A Novel by Robert Littell
Agents of Innocence by David Ignatius

Body of Lies by David Ignatius
The Enemy Within by Larry Bond

Larry Bond's Red Dragon Rising serie by Larry Bond, and Jim DeFelice

[S K Y F A L L]

 

The last spy thriller I read was 'Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: The Most Notorious Double Agent of World War II'

It has been adapted with Christopher Plummer and directed by Terence Young under the name Triple Cross (1966)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061647/

Quite fun

 

 

I'll have to check it out, I see its on youtube. Thanks. 

[Walecs]

(in no particular order)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming

Perfect Dark: Initial Vector by Greg Rucka

The Spy who Came In From The Cold by John LeCarre

[Yellow Pinky]

Perfect Dark: Initial Vector by Greg Rucka

 

I'm a big fan of Greg Rucka's "Queen and Country" trio of novels (referenced by me above), and I also like the latter Atticus Kodiak thrillers as well.  How are the Prefect Dark adaptations? I've been very curious about them.  Thanks in advance!

[Walecs]

 

Perfect Dark: Initial Vector by Greg Rucka

 

I'm a big fan of Greg Rucka's "Queen and Country" trio of novels (referenced by me above), and I also like the latter Atticus Kodiak thrillers as well.  How are the Prefect Dark adaptations? I've been very curious about them.  Thanks in advance!

 

 

I haven't read the second yet, but I can assure you that the first one is fantastic. They're not novelizations of the games, they're prequels of the Nintendo 64 game.

I really enjoyed it. The plot is very original IMO, and very elaborated;  and the throwbacks to the game are not forced, but they'll strip you a smile; the game also expands the character's backstory, especially Joanna Dark and Cassandra DeVries.

 

You'll understand them even though you haven't played the game, because the novel provides to fill in every possible gap.

Edited by Walecs, 20 June 2013 - 03:32 PM.