What are you reading?

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  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    edited March 2017 Posts: 1,053
    Agent ZigZag, by Ben Macintyre. The true story of the most notorious double agent of WW2. A great read. There is also a Bond connection in that Terence Young was a friend of Eddie Chapman AKA Zigzag.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agent-Zigzag-Wartime-Chapman-Notorious/dp/1408811499
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    @stag, I recently read his book on Philby, A Spy Among Friends, and thought it was very good indeed.
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    edited March 2017 Posts: 1,053
    Hi @Agent_99. BM is good at what he does. I recommend Agent ZigZag. He also wrote the following book about Ian Fleming and James Bond. I have not read it yet, but if it's as well done as his other work it will be a damn good read:

    http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/for-your-eyes-only-9780747598664/

    Personally, I think BM could write a bloody good 007 continuation novel.

    I'll certainly check out ASAF.
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    edited March 2017 Posts: 1,053
    Here's a clip from the 1966 Terence Young Agent Zigzag film (The great Gert Frobe is in this clip):



    Eddie Chapman was one of the inspirations behind my own spy character, Harry Flynn.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    stag wrote: »
    He also wrote the following book about Ian Fleming and James Bond. I have not read it yet, but if it's as well done as his other work it will be a damn good read:

    http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/for-your-eyes-only-9780747598664/

    Ooh, yes, I have this one! It accompanied the exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.

    I was also lucky enough to attend a panel discussion about writing Bond which Macintyre chaired. He was very funny and obviously knew his stuff. I particularly remember him saying "Now, Sebastian Faulks isn't here, so...we can slag him off!"
  • edited March 2017 Posts: 4,622
    Jason Matthews, Palace of Treason, 2015 spy fiction.
    Grabbed it on spec.
    Lead character is a Russian Sparrow agent, SVR Captain Dominika Egorova.
    Sparrow = trained in the art of sexpionage.
    Three guesses as to what compelled me pick the book up.
    Author is a former CIA officer. Lots of detailed modern spy ops stuff.
    Putin is an actual character in book.
    Our sexy heroine even meets with him, but she is actually a double, working for CIA.
    Too bad for you Putin!
  • Posts: 4,325
    I'm currently reading the classic Cross of Christ by John Stott. It's really great thinking about all the massive implications Christ's death has for me.
  • Lancaster007Lancaster007 Shrublands Health Clinic, England
    Posts: 1,874
    In The Cold Dark Ground by Stuart Macbride - a Scottish set police thriller, it's okay at the moment but it's not really grabbing me, think I prefer Mark Billingham for this sort of thing!
  • Posts: 11,189
    In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

    Saw the excellent film adaptation last year, now finally reading the novel on which it was based.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Great novel, great film. Perhaps a bit tasteless.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    THE WITCH-CULT IN WESTERN EUROPE by Margaret Alice Murray (1921)
  • Posts: 11,189
    Great novel, great film. Perhaps a bit tasteless.

    It's compelling but the novel reads like fiction.

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,267
    Ian Fleming was a friend of Truman Capote too.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ian Fleming was a friend of Truman Capote too.

    Really? Wow, I didn't know that.
  • Posts: 15,110
    Devil of a State by Anthony Burgess.
  • Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT by Walter Scott (1830)
  • Posts: 6,432
    Secret History of Star Wars
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,267
    LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT by Walter Scott (1830)

    Sounds like one I need to get there, Thundy!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Yes, it is very interesting and not hard to get through. I learn a lot.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,169
    STAR WARS: LORDS OF THE SITH

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    The new canon, as imposed by Disney, isn't doing too bad in my opinion. Rather, I'm a fan. Take this novel for example, written by Paul S. Kemp. Set a few years after STAR WARS EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, this book sends Palpatine and Vader on a mission to Ryloth, home of the Twi'lek rebel Cham Syndulla, father of STAR WARS REBELS' Hera Syndulla. Vader questions the reasons his master may have for bringing him along. Meanwhile, a power struggle on Ryloth complicates matters quite a bit.

    In a way, Kemp doesn't do anything that fan fic can't do. But he creates a few interesting moments between the two Sith Lords and for those who, like me, enjoy the STAR WARS REBELS television series, it's also nice to learn a thing or two about Hera's father. The book is well written and reads pretty fast. Oh, and there's a lesbian introduced in the Star Wars universe. Regarding the fuss surrounding BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, I'm not sure this will sit well with certain narrow-minded folks. Doesn't matter. It's a good book with some cool Sith moments but not a lot of action.

    3.5/5

    STAR WARS: TARKIN

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    James Luceno's book is set more or less around the same time as (or a little after) LORDS OF THE SITH. It talks about Moff Tarkin, his youth and his still somewhat unstable working relationship with Darth Vader. If you wish to learn how they got to the point of mutual respect, as seen in STAR WARS, this book is a good place to start.

    TARKIN is well written and one practically hears the voice of Peter Cushing while reading Tarkin's lines in the book. Action comes in limited supplies as much more focus is directed towards character development and flashbacks to Tarkin's upbringing. Whatever flaws the book may or may not have, a Tarkin fan like myself needs little encouragement to read a book that singles him out as the main character. Perhaps the small group of "protorebels" needn't be elaborated on the way Luceno did, but the overall effort is much to my liking!

    3.5/5

    STAR WARS: A NEW DAWN

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    John Jackson Miller takes us several years after the events of LORDS OF THE SITH to the point when Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla met. Who? Well, if you're a fan of the REBELS television series, and / or if you have read the 12 issue Marvel comic KANAN, you know these two, and you know them well. Syndulla was even mentioned in ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, though you no doubt missed it if you don't know her and weren't paying attention to the name. But it seems Disney is taking these characters pretty seriously, seeing how they've got their own 3+ season television series, comic miniseries and book, and it wouldn't surprise me if at some point in the future, we see them in a live action film.

    I must admit I'm sold on them. Kanan was a padawan when Order 66 was issued and now, he tries to make a living as a miner without wielding his lightsaber or using the Force. But there are times when he comes very close to breaking his vows never to reveal himself as a used-to-be aspiring Jedi. Now he meets Hera Syndulla, a seditious Twi'lek who targets key imperial structures. Meanwhile, Imperial captain Rae Sloane and the sinister Count Vidian have strict orders to boost the mining yields near the planet where Hera, Kanan and others try to escape from.

    The more we learn about both sides, the more intriguing the plot becomes. And if great character moments aren't enough--and there are plenty of those--tremendous action scenes come in large doses and make this one of the more exciting Star Wars books I've ever read! Listening to Kevin Kliner's exciting soundtrack for the REBELS series while reading, I've found myself on the edge of my seat, trying to read faster than the speed of light because I was so tensed up. Truly, JJ Miller understands how to build tension. This was one hell of a ride! Sloane, by the way, has also made an appearance in Chuck Wendig's post-STAR WARS EPISODE VI RETURN OF THE JEDI trilogy called STAR WARS: AFTERMATH. In summary, not only does A NEW DAWN introduce characters of great importance in the latest animated Star Wars efforts and other canonised books, it's a fine and exciting novel with well-written dialogue, great character development and impressive action bits.

    4.5/5
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited March 2017 Posts: 18,267
    Yes, it is very interesting and not hard to get through. I learn a lot.

    Must give it a read then!

  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,169
    STAR WARS: AFTERMATH

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    This first book in Chuck Wendig's AFTERMATH trilogy is taking quite the beating online. People passionately rail against this book and vehemently discourage any effort to buy or--worse--read it. Most complaints are aimed towards the author's grammar and syntax. It's true that he does something curious, especially in the first couple of chapters of the book. He writes in very short sentences, all in present time, many of them without a conjugated verb even. A book. Some words. No verbs. Thoughts. He writes; oppresses complex prose. The result: backlash. Harsh backlash...

    You'll get the idea. Truth be told, if that bothers you, it gets better after a few dozen pages. And then there's the story. Set immediately after STAR WARS EPISODE VI RETURN OF THE JEDI, this book explores Imperial remnants, among whom Captain Sloane from A NEW DAWN, and some rebels--if that word still holds its correct meaning--from the New Republic. One complaint I will agree with is the sore lack of action, especially given the 410 pages of material laid out before us. No Force using or lightsaber wielding, no grand space battles; a few rather unimpressive TIE adventures is all we get amidst pages full of dialogue. On the plus side, we have Admiral Ackbar and Wedge Antilles in a few scenes, but they're hardly at the forefront in this book. There's a hint of something sinister going on in the leftover echelons of the old empire, but none of that is actually explored. I guess the sequel books will have to tell me more. Most of the new characters are fairly interesting, although a kid and his estranged mother, a Bounty Hunter and a former imperial officer turned rebel, a reprogrammed B1 battle droid and a New Republic soldier don't exactly make for an original team.

    Then there's a whole array of strange interludes. Pleasing the fans, Wendig brings Han Solo, Chewie, Lando, Lobot and some familiar planets back for a quick cameo, but none of these interludes matter in the grander scheme of things and many of them are without any point at all. The Solo interlude for example promises to set us up for something and then suddenly cuts back to the main story without any reward at all for us reading those few pages. If Wendig's strategy is to prepare us for something bigger in his follow-up book, I'm quite frankly appalled. I don't mind picking up little things here and there and trying to remember them for when I proceed by reading the next book in the series, but I'm honestly not going to mentally bookmark a good dozen or so of those weird interludes.

    The reasons I'm pushing through to the next AFTERMATH book are a bit strange. I want to see if what I suspect the story is trying to tell me about that sinister development within the surviving bits of the empire is true--maybe it'll even get linked to certain characters from STAR WARS EPISODE VII THE FORCE AWAKENS, in which case I'll be more positive about this book. I furthermore want to discover if those seemingly pointless interludes ever have any meaning whatsoever. But until then, I will admit this is my least favourite of the Star Wars novels so far. I'm not going to spit on it like many people on the Internet already have, but my praise for the book will be backhanded at best.

    2.5/5
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    Just started Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park and I'm thoroughly gripped. It is gruesome as heck, though.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Just started Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park and I'm thoroughly gripped. It is gruesome as heck, though.

    Filmed by Michael Apted.
  • Posts: 19,339
    I've 2 books on the go....one is about Britain's hangmen and its history,and the other is the first book of Joseph Goebbels Diary entries.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    barryt007 wrote: »
    I've 2 books on the go....one is about Britain's hangmen and its history,and the other is the first book of Joseph Goebbels Diary entries.

    Sounds like a jolly time.
  • Posts: 19,339
    barryt007 wrote: »
    I've 2 books on the go....one is about Britain's hangmen and its history,and the other is the first book of Joseph Goebbels Diary entries.

    Sounds like a jolly time.

    Hahaha I was wondering who would comment first.

    My money was on you ,good Dr.

  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,176
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Just started Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park and I'm thoroughly gripped. It is gruesome as heck, though.

    Filmed by Michael Apted.

    If it's anything like the book I'll be sitting through it with my eyes shut!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    Just started Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park and I'm thoroughly gripped. It is gruesome as heck, though.

    Filmed by Michael Apted.

    If it's anything like the book I'll be sitting through it with my eyes shut!

    It stars William Hurt, Lee Marvin and Brian Dennehy. I saw it in 1983 or 84 so don t remember much of it.
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