I’ve been on a spy fiction kick recently- I really enjoyed the recent The Man from UNCLE movie and I Expect You to Die video game. I’m looking for some novels that are in a similar vein (classic 60s spy versus an egomaniac villain out to take over the world). However, I cannot stand the sexism in Ian Fleming’s books. He’s got good prose and worldbuilding, but it bugs me too much to enjoy the books.
Are there any recent spy novels that fall into this genre?
- The Day of the Jackal
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Slough House series by Mick Herron is really good, and there is a TV adaptation on Apple TV that is fantastic.
I would recommend Ken Follett, I’m reading one of his novels right now.
He writes spy novels? I’ve read the cathedral trilogy, and the century trilogy. Can you recommend a Follett spy novel?
I’m about halfway through Triple. I’d recommend it so far.
It’s not recent, but Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is very much the anti James Bond. It’s set in the heart of the Cold War. The villain is not a cartoonist figure bent on world domination, but is much more grounded in reality.
I haven’t read them but the Bourne series may also be of interest to you
To advance on this, the entire Karla Trilogy (of which Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the first installment) is a fantastic Cold War spy trilogy. I’d recommend anything by John le Carré; he was an intelligence officer for MI5 and MI6. He left the service as a result of a famous double agent incident, which inspired Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
How are the rest of the books in the series? I only read the one. While I enjoyed it I did find it a bit dry and tough to navigate the jargon at times. Especially in the first third or so of the book.
I’d say it’s more of the same with regards to the dense jargon that requires some contextual interpretation to unravel. If you’re willing to power through that, it’s one of the most thrilling trilogies you can read.
It’s so good and interestingly, based loosely on the true story of double agent Kim Philby. Le Carre worked for British intelligence which really gives the book a lot of authenticity.
