"It’s not a mystery; it’s just the past.” - Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park
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I remember watching the William Hurt film adapted from this book in th"It’s not a mystery; it’s just the past.” - Martin Cruz Smith, Gorky Park
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I remember watching the William Hurt film adapted from this book in the early 80s. Great movie. Great book. The 80s had some absolute bangers for Cold War espionage/crime novels. I love this genre. It isn't an espionage thriller. It is basically a police procedural, but set on a different axis than New York (although this does have a NYC angle), Chicago, or Los Angeles. Some of the great that exist in this space, for my money are:
Olen Steinhauer's early crime novels (the Yalta Blvd Sequence) set a Soviet Era state that is basically a combination of Hungary and Romania:
Some of LeCarre's novels float a bit in this direction, but not absolutely. None of these authors reach LeCarre's best, but all three manage to hit close to his average with their best, if that makes sense.
Anyway, the idea is the same with these three authors. You are dealing with hard-boiled, crime fiction set in an alien/totalitarian landscape with sympathetic characters. The main detective is always sympathetic and manages to get the job done despite the restraints imposed by his system. One of the refreshing things about this is it allows a reader to reframe American Crime fiction and ask, how does our system also create an atmosphere that prevents crime from being resolved. One of the best authors who tackles this type of situation, for my money is Don Winslow.
This Cruz novel is the first of 10 Arkady Renko novels. So, Renko must be a cat+1....more
“Goodbye, Condor. One last word of advice. Stick to research. You’ve used up all your luck. When it comes right down to it, you’re not very good.” - Ja“Goodbye, Condor. One last word of advice. Stick to research. You’ve used up all your luck. When it comes right down to it, you’re not very good.” - James Grady, Six Days of the Condor
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Making my way back through some of the classic espionage novels that I've missed. I've always had 6Days on my radar, but just passed over it like you might a nondescript brownstone in D.C. But I decided to jump into it yesterday. For a first novel, written right out of college (and a Senate internship in D.C.) the books is rather incredible. Grady is able to make leaps and jumps that make an interesting story and a sophisticated thriller.
A great freebie with the current edition is the preface where Grady writes about the book, its influences, and his experiences with both the novel being published and the making of the movie. This is definitely one of those classics of the genre and early CIA-oriented espionage novels that aren't cartoonish. His book is fascinating because he gets bureaucracy, inadequacy, and ineptitude. Not everyone has spider sense and not everyone is a perfect shot. Luck is always an important character in any thriller. I'll probably pick up another Grady in the near future to see if subsequent novels held up....more
"He who has learned to not to intrude his emotions upon his fellows has also learned not to intrude them upon himself." - Rogue Male, Geoffrey Househol"He who has learned to not to intrude his emotions upon his fellows has also learned not to intrude them upon himself." - Rogue Male, Geoffrey Household
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I've never read Household before. I picked this one up because it was an early thriller (published in 1939) and was made into a movie (Man Hunt) directed by Frtiz Lang. I was scrolling through NYRB's offerings and I guess the moment was just right. The novel is short, interesting and well-paced (meat and potatoes for any book considered a thriller). It gave me similar vibes to The 39 Steps which was published in 1915,* and which I can't imagine wasn't an influence to Household. The 39 Steps is set in a pre-WWI Europe, while Rogue Male was set in a pre-WWII Europe. RM also seemed to possess similar qualities to the short story The Most Dangerous Game which was published in 1924.
When I think back to my childhood I also felt it echoed in My Side of the Mountain and Deathwatch. (p 1973). Looking backwards, you can see how My Side of the Mountain possesses some influence from Rogue Male (replace a cave with a tree and a cat with a hawk). But the stronger relationship is definitely between 'The Most Dangerous Game' and 'Deathwatch'.
Anyway, enough nostalgia. The book is a must for those interested in early thrillers and cat & mouse novels. It isn't heavy and is a nice palate cleanser between other novels.
* I also apologize of being a bit OCD on publication dates here. I was just curious about how all of thesse books aligned in time and space....more
Hard to close the book on this one. I'll write more. Read it on a flight from Maine to DFW. Not quite a novel but a lovely novella by one of the greatHard to close the book on this one. I'll write more. Read it on a flight from Maine to DFW. Not quite a novel but a lovely novella by one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. ...more
I might have given it 5-stars (or 4.5) if I was absolutely sure all of it was satire. My favorite parts were the conversations on GO, his time in prisI might have given it 5-stars (or 4.5) if I was absolutely sure all of it was satire. My favorite parts were the conversations on GO, his time in prison, spelunking, and the various Basque characters. It was fun more than it was important. Other reasons I didn't give it 5-stars?* 1) The weird fixation on sex that seems today to really date the novel. 2) The reliance on ethnic stereotypes.
Again, this all really pivots on whether or not Trevanian was coming at this as a farce or playing it straight. if this really was more of a Tropic Thunder satire, I get it. But I'm afraid a lot of those who love it view it more in the James Bond (which I think also sinks into a satire soup) model.
* Not that stars are some cosmically important or useful measure. ...more
I need to come back and review. It just wasn't top shelf Steinhauer and not comparable to le Carre. I liked it, but there wasn't that spark that I keeI need to come back and review. It just wasn't top shelf Steinhauer and not comparable to le Carre. I liked it, but there wasn't that spark that I keep hoping to find in Steinhauer. His first books were SO GOOD. His last have been solid, but feel sterile. Smart but with antiseptic characters. I'll leave it at that for now. ...more
“That is why fiction existed, as a way to look at the world without being broken by it.” Olen Steinhauer, The Middleman
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I'm an Olen Steinhauer c“That is why fiction existed, as a way to look at the world without being broken by it.” Olen Steinhauer, The Middleman
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I'm an Olen Steinhauer completist again. I keep hoping for Steinhauer to step up a level to John le Carré or even Don DeLillo, perhaps. Either one. But I think he is happy to stay close to Robert Harris level. Good spy fiction just not compelling literature. Seriously, I think Steinhauer has the talent but either just not the interest or the money (or both) to step it up.
Am I being hard? No. I look back at his earliest novels as his best. I would rather re-read The Yalta Blvd sequence than the Tourist trilogy, but those (Yalta Blvd) novels aren't likely to be optioned into movies. Am I sorry I read this? Oh, no. Don't get me wrong. I'm trying to obliquely criticize a pretty good domestic terrorism/spy thriller that backs into the Tourist zone. It was worth both my money and my time. I've just walked away from the last couple Steinhauer novels wishing he would have spent a bit more time amping up the paranoia, setting the mood, building the characters and less time worrying what Hollywood would buy....more
"Yet still he could not act. And if he couldn't do it, who would? In that moment, in a flash of clarity, he saw that nobody--not him, not the Army, no"Yet still he could not act. And if he couldn't do it, who would? In that moment, in a flash of clarity, he saw that nobody--not him, not the Army, not a lone assassin--that no German would disrupt their common destiny until it was fulfilled." - Robert Harris, Munich
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I'm a fan of Robert Harris. He writes smart historical ficiton (sometimes, as was the case with, Fatherlandalternative-historical fiction). His areas of interest primarily revolve around Nazi Germany and the Roman Empire. I've read several of his books. His prose is never quite at the John le Carré-level of fiction. But, if you like history and are OK with utilizing fictionalized minor characters to tour you around certain times, his books are certainly not a waste of time or money.
'Munich' focuses on Fall of 1938, specifically the time when Hitler and Chamberlain (and France and Italy) are meeting in Munich to appease Hitler by basically giving Germany the Sudetenland. The primary characters are two old friends from Oxford: Hugh Legat works at 10 Downing Street, Paul von Hartmann is a secretary in Germany's foreign ministry. The book ends up being a bit of a bureaucratic cat-and-mouse, while Chamberlain's "Peace at all Costs" basically gives the game away. The book doesn't lead one to walk away with a positive view of Chamberlain, but puts his actions in context (both politically and militarily). It fleshes out the man who will ever be associated with appeasement, political ineptness, timidity, and the phrase: “Peace for our time.”...more
A collection of four short stories. Two share titles with James Bond movies, but the substance is nothing like the subject matter of the stories. WillA collection of four short stories. Two share titles with James Bond movies, but the substance is nothing like the subject matter of the stories. Will review more later....more
"The past could be forgiven, but not forgotten – except with the passage of time." - Ian Fleming, The Man with the Golden Gun
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I can't really call"The past could be forgiven, but not forgotten – except with the passage of time." - Ian Fleming, The Man with the Golden Gun
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I can't really call this an unfinished novel. It was finished, just not by Ian Fleming. He wrote the first draft and died. So, this obviously is the last James Bond novel. I'm not enough of a Ian Fleming fan to recognize how/where/if the lack of Ian Fleming made a huge difference to the drafting. I think the end of the novel, with Jones refusing certain honors, may not have found their way into the final novel if Ian Fleming were in control through the whole process. It seemed too final, too sentimental.
This novel returns Bond to active duty after losing his memory in the last novel. It also sends Bond back to Jamaica. It was good Bond, just not great bond. Seemed like a comfortable Ian Fleming wrting from a confident spot. The shootout was a bit of a disappointment, but Scaramanga’s last few moments were spectacular. ...more
"I’ve found that one must try and teach people that there’s no top limit to disaster – that, so long as breath remains in your body, you’ve got to acc"I’ve found that one must try and teach people that there’s no top limit to disaster – that, so long as breath remains in your body, you’ve got to accept the miseries of life. They will often seem infinite, insupportable. They are part of the human condition." - Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice
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Ian Fleming took James Bond off the interstate of his more traditional espionage novels with the last couple books. You Only Live Twice is Fleming putting James back into the "game". The settting for most of this novel is Japan. Bond is hunting (for the Japanese) Dr. Guntram Shatterhand, who turns out to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. It is interesting enough, but seems a bit dated with the NINJA scenes and Yellow Face....more
Gives the same vibes as the Constant Gardner, except instead of being set in Africa its spiritual center is Ingushetia. Beautiful, tragic, a Byronic lGives the same vibes as the Constant Gardner, except instead of being set in Africa its spiritual center is Ingushetia. Beautiful, tragic, a Byronic love triangle that is also a story of conversions and awakenings. Sometimes you have to die to live. Sometimes you have to kill to love....more
“When the odds are hopeless, when all seems to be lost, then is the time to be calm, to make a show of authority – at least of indifference” ― Ian Fle“When the odds are hopeless, when all seems to be lost, then is the time to be calm, to make a show of authority – at least of indifference” ― Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
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One of my favorite Bond novels so far. It contains most of the things that draws people to Bond novels and movies (action, intrigue, charm, violence) and tones down some of the more obnoxious parts too (sexism, racism, etc). The character of Bond is fascinating in this novel as his normal cycle with women is warped a bit. The movie sticks pretty close to the narrative on this one, which is probably due to the fact that it was already a pretty well-developed story....more
"Life is a devious business." - Ian Fleming, "Quantum of Solace"
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After having read about 7 of his novels, this was the first set of Fleming shor"Life is a devious business." - Ian Fleming, "Quantum of Solace"
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After having read about 7 of his novels, this was the first set of Fleming short stories I ran into, as I moved up the Bond collection. For Your Eyes Only contains the following stories:
1. From A View to a Kill 2. For Your Eyes Only 3. Quantum of Solace 4. Risico 5. The Hildebrand Rarity
The first three titles would probably be familiar to anyone who has watched more than a couple James Bond films over the last 20 years. The only issue is, they are only BARELY (if at all) recognizable. They share the title with the films, but that is about it. And that isn't a bad thing. I rather enjoyed the three movies, but the stories here are (for me) more nuanced than most of his books and all of his movies. Fleming is experimenting a bit. He is upping the literary and dialing down a bit the adventure. Not so it isn't recognizable. They are still all Fleming novels and ALL James Bond stories. But they each, in different ways, bring a bit of humanity into the Bond collection....more
"Fear, Mr Bond, takes gold out of circulation and hoards it against the evil day." - Ian Fleming, Goldfinger
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A very enjoyable read except for a c"Fear, Mr Bond, takes gold out of circulation and hoards it against the evil day." - Ian Fleming, Goldfinger
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A very enjoyable read except for a couple nagging complaints. I hate Fleming/Bond's attitude towards asians (Koreans in this book, but it was Chinese in Dr. No) and women (lesbians in this book). It doesn't age well. While I wasn't alive in the 50s, and I suspect it was more normal 60 years ago, it still reads a bit too heavy with white, masculine overcompensation.
I would have given this over-the-top spy thriller four stars, except for the sexist/racist complaints above. It produced one of the best Bond movies of all time and also introduced one of the worst-named, but most-interesting characters (Pussy Galore) in the James Bond universe. I loved the way the novel was structured into the three run-ins with Goldfinger (I. Happenstance; II. Coincidence; III. Enemy Action), with each run-in becoming more and more over-the-top. I loved the car chase, the golf game, etc. I think the best summary of this book came from Roy Perrott, writing for the Manchester Guardian, who said the novel was "hard to put down; but some of us wish we had the good taste just to try."...more
Unfortunately, strict patterns of behaviour can be deadly if they are read by an enemy." - Ian Fleming, Dr. No
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It is weird to visit a book that Unfortunately, strict patterns of behaviour can be deadly if they are read by an enemy." - Ian Fleming, Dr. No
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It is weird to visit a book that is so well preserved by a film. Maybe it was because it was the first James Bond film, but it has always stuck with me. The book was both more and less interesting. It had some great lines by Dr. No, and Honey Ryder was better developed in the book. But, still, it was hard to read the book and not think of Ursula Andress, the very first Bond Girll on film, walking out of the ocean. Obviously, there is something about these books and films that appeals to reader and viewer (sex, adventure, etc.) that keeps them in print and consistently being imitated and produced. However, as I've aged, I seem to have gravitated more towards John Le Carré's view of the world and away from Ian Fleming's. One has to grow up. But still, I keep coming back. There is still a 14-year old boy that needs to be feed, and sometimes shaken, sometimes stirred....more
"He suffers from the cult of personality without the benefits of having a personality." - Robert Littell, Mother Russia
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One part Karl Marx, one "He suffers from the cult of personality without the benefits of having a personality." - Robert Littell, Mother Russia
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One part Karl Marx, one part Groucho Marx, with a bit of Kafka ground in good for good measure.
I'm getting closer to being a completist with Robert Littell. It looks like he's got another book in the wings, so I'm now working into some of the less read areas of Littell's large espionage & Russia collection. I guess I'm through the Littell with a Hegelian systematic logic:: thesis, antithesis and no onto processing the synthesis. Or said differently, if I was exploring a famous Bosch triptych, I'd be squarely in the Garden of Earthly Delights.
Mother Russia starts absurdly. The protagonist, Robespierre Pravdin, pale as death, is typical (and at the same time atypical) of the hustlers you found inside the Soviet Union during the 70s and 80s. He is constantly on the move trying to make a buck ("the buck never stops") in the blat and decay of Moscow. He operates with a disability. He can't shrug (which is almost a necessity in the Soviet State).
He finds himself one day, living in the attic of the last wooden house in central Moscow. He shares this house (it almost gives me Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen vibes with just a hint of Eisenstein), with Mother Russia and her three parrots "waak waak, rev-lutions are verbose", his love interest Nadezhda, an old general, and several others. Let's just cover the plot by saying between trying to pitch the commercial idea of Q-tips in Russia, Pravdin, is trying to both hide and expose evidence of a crime against the people of the Soviet Union, so that he can help both Mother Russia and lovely Nadezhda, while keeping both the State and the Druse at bay. He still finds time to crash official parties "What are we here? Literary? What we are is theoretical physics."
But the novel doesn't end with absurdity. The last 10 percent (a tithe to the actual whatthefuckerydarknessthatisabsurd) feels a lot closer to Kafka's The Castle or Koestler's Darkness at Noon. It is dark, depressing, and gets a little lift at the very end thanks to a sewing machine....more
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