Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > Reading Recommendations

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-27-2009, 08:57 AM   #1
dougbiss
Enthusiast
dougbiss doesn't litterdougbiss doesn't litter
 
Posts: 43
Karma: 108
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA
Device: Kindle
Espionage authors you (and I) should read

I'm looking for a new list of authors to get acquainted with, so I'm starting three threads for each of the genres that interest me: fantasy, sci-fi and espionage. This, as is so obvious from the title, is the espionage thread.

Starting with the idea that certain authors will be on almost everyone's list for this genre, I'm asking that we exclude them to get to the ones that may benefit readers, such as myself, who are trying to dig a little deeper.

In espionage, I think this list would comprise of (in no particular order):

Ian Fleming
Tom Clancy
Robert Ludlum
Clive Cussler (who I firmly believe belongs in this genre, don't you?)

I've also heard the name Vince Flynn thrown around, but I've never read him so I'm unsure if he's the real deal or just a flavor of the month.

I'm sure there are others that you feel should be on that list... so who are they and why do they belong?

Thanks in advance for all comments!
dougbiss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 10:38 AM   #2
wayspooled
Crab In The Dark
wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
wayspooled's Avatar
 
Posts: 486
Karma: 2328180
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Virginia
Device: Tablet PC until a 10" comes out that I like
I agree with your choices. I'd add:

John Le Carre
Eric Ambler "A Coffin for Demetrios" - I haven't read anything else by him but that's one heck of a book.
Graham Greene

I'd add those. I haven't read them in a long time, but I remember Helen MacInnes being an excellent espionage author too.
wayspooled is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 10-27-2009, 10:54 AM   #3
BenG
Home Guard
BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BenG ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
BenG's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,728
Karma: 86721650
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard
Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6
Fredrick Forsyth
Ken Follett
Len Deighton
BenG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 11:03 AM   #4
MSWallack
Right, Except When Wrong
MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
MSWallack's Avatar
 
Posts: 351
Karma: 3968525
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Indianapolis
Device: Kindle Oasis 3 (sometimes iPad Mini).
The absolute best espionage writer that nobody ever reads is Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor). His Quiller series (19 books) is probably the best espionage fiction I've ever read. The writing style can take a bit to get used to, but absolutely nobody is as good at creating suspense with the written word as Trevor.

Vince Flynn is the real deal, although from time-to-time, he can get a bit preachy and that gets tiresome.

To my mind, the best espionage/thriller writer around today is Barry Eisler. His John Rain series (6 books) is absolutely terrific.

Some of David Morrell's books are certainly espionage and, except for Adam Hall, nobody is as good at putting suspense on a written page as Morrell. His trilogy (The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog) is not to be missed. First Blood (the novel upon which the first Rambo movie is based) is also an excellent read (and the characters are much more "real" and less cardboard and the story itself is much more a case of shades of grey). You can rarely go wrong with Morrell.

For a bit of "old school" espionage, do yourself a favor and track down some of Charles McCarry's early novels.

Though a bit dated now, Trevanian had several excellent espionage stories (The Eiger Sanction, The Loo Sanction, and Shibumi).

Among new authors, I'd recommend Brett Battles and David Stone.
MSWallack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 11:08 AM   #5
tompe
Grand Sorcerer
tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 7,452
Karma: 7185064
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Linköpng, Sweden
Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW
For me Anthony Price is the best spy story writer. Second is probably Le Carré and third is Len Deighton.
tompe is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 10-27-2009, 11:08 AM   #6
wayspooled
Crab In The Dark
wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.wayspooled ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
wayspooled's Avatar
 
Posts: 486
Karma: 2328180
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Virginia
Device: Tablet PC until a 10" comes out that I like
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSWallack View Post
Though a bit dated now, Trevanian had several excellent espionage stories (The Eiger Sanction, The Loo Sanction, and Shibumi).
Oh, I forgot Trevanian. Now there's a great underestimated writer. I've read all of those and Shibumi and The Eiger Sanction really stand out. (Don't blame Trevanian for the Eiger Sanction movie, heh)
wayspooled is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 12:17 PM   #7
MSWallack
Right, Except When Wrong
MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
MSWallack's Avatar
 
Posts: 351
Karma: 3968525
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Indianapolis
Device: Kindle Oasis 3 (sometimes iPad Mini).
For years, I listed Shibumi among my top 10 books. I re-read it a few years ago; unfortunately, while it is still good, it seems a bit too tied to a particular time and didn't age terribly well.
MSWallack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 12:36 PM   #8
MickeyC
Grand Sorcerer
MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MickeyC ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
MickeyC's Avatar
 
Posts: 16,733
Karma: 12185114
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Florida
Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3
Along with Vince Flynn, I'd add Brad Thor
MickeyC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 01:07 PM   #9
MSWallack
Right, Except When Wrong
MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
MSWallack's Avatar
 
Posts: 351
Karma: 3968525
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Indianapolis
Device: Kindle Oasis 3 (sometimes iPad Mini).
I usually refer to Thor's character Scot Harvath as Mitch Rapp-lite (Mitch Rapp being Vince Flynn's character).
MSWallack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 01:17 PM   #10
Nate the great
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Nate the great's Avatar
 
Posts: 12,375
Karma: 23555235
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DC Metro area
Device: Shake a stick plus 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayspooled View Post
I agree with your choices. I'd add:

John Le Carre
His early work is very good. By "early work" I mean the novels he wrote before he was JOHN LeCARRE. At some pint he stopped writing spy novels and started writing literature (as in, why use 5 words instead of 500). After that, his novels get progressively more and more unreadable.
Nate the great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 02:03 PM   #11
dougbiss
Enthusiast
dougbiss doesn't litterdougbiss doesn't litter
 
Posts: 43
Karma: 108
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA
Device: Kindle
Thanks, everyone... lots of good info there.

I'm surprised that of the three threads, this is the one with the most passionate responses. I'm very thankful for the lists of authors, but when people elaborate on the details like they have in this thread it really makes it easier to pick what to read next!

Thanks again.
dougbiss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 02:15 PM   #12
MSWallack
Right, Except When Wrong
MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.MSWallack ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
MSWallack's Avatar
 
Posts: 351
Karma: 3968525
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Indianapolis
Device: Kindle Oasis 3 (sometimes iPad Mini).
I find myself agreeing with Nate about the readability of LeCarre's novels (especially those of the last two decades or so). For me, if you want to see literature in an espionage novel that still retains suspence and violence, try the Quiller novels.
MSWallack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 02:39 PM   #13
tompe
Grand Sorcerer
tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tompe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 7,452
Karma: 7185064
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Linköpng, Sweden
Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
His early work is very good. By "early work" I mean the novels he wrote before he was JOHN LeCARRE.
What do you mean by that? I thought all novels was published under the same name.
tompe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 03:51 PM   #14
Pablo
Guru
Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Pablo's Avatar
 
Posts: 970
Karma: 4999999
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Rosario, Argentina
Device: SONY PRS-505, PRS-T2
Quote:
Originally Posted by wayspooled View Post
I agree with your choices. I'd add:

Eric Ambler "A Coffin for Demetrios" - I haven't read anything else by him but that's one heck of a book.
You are very lucky!!! This means that you still haven't read

THE NIGHT COMERS
THE INTERCOM CONSPIRACY
THE LEVANTER

These three, together with "The mask of Dimitrios" (in USA published as "A Coffin for Dimitrios"), are, in my opinion, the best he has written.
Pablo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2009, 03:55 PM   #15
Pablo
Guru
Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pablo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Pablo's Avatar
 
Posts: 970
Karma: 4999999
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Rosario, Argentina
Device: SONY PRS-505, PRS-T2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
His early work is very good. By "early work" I mean the novels he wrote before he was JOHN LeCARRE. At some pint he stopped writing spy novels and started writing literature (as in, why use 5 words instead of 500). After that, his novels get progressively more and more unreadable.
I don't agree. "Absolute Friends" (2004) is, in my opinion, his best. And BTW, I beleive he was *always* Le Carré.
Pablo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Fantasy authors you (and I) should NEVER read Dr. Drib Reading Recommendations 307 08-22-2011 07:58 PM
Sci-fi authors you (and I) should NEVER read Dr. Drib Reading Recommendations 186 03-11-2011 09:03 PM
Fantasy authors you (and I) should read dougbiss Reading Recommendations 65 08-23-2010 10:29 AM
Promotion Posting Guidelines dreams Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers 0 07-09-2010 02:23 PM
Sci-fi authors you (and I) should read dougbiss Reading Recommendations 39 11-14-2009 07:48 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:18 PM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.