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The Looking Glass War (1965)

by John le Carré

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: George Smiley (4)

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2,493555,627 (3.61)108
It would have been an easy job for the Circus: a can of film couriered from Helsinki to London. In the past the Circus handled all things political, while the Department dealt with matters military. But the Department has been moribund since the War, its resources siphoned away. Now, one of their agents is dead, and vital evidence verifying the presence of Soviet missiles near the West German border is gone. John Avery is the Department's younger member and its last hope. Charged with handling Fred Leiser, a German-speaking Pole left over from the War, Avery must infiltrate the East and restore his masters' former glory.John le Carré's The Looking Glass War is a scorching portrayal of misplaced loyalties and innocence lost.… (more)
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» See also 108 mentions

English (50)  Spanish (2)  Danish (1)  Dutch (1)  German (1)  All languages (55)
Showing 1-5 of 50 (next | show all)
Really dull book ( )
  pigeonjim | Jul 26, 2023 |
By now I feel pretty confident... Le Carre is writing spy fiction as literature. I.e. it is not just entertainment by indulging in fantasies about super powers and all that. It's more about the human condition as it plays out in the context of the world of spies.

This whole novel is a kind of extended slump... it starts slow and then fizzles out altogether. Kind of reminds me of Neil Young introducing the song Don't Let It Bring You Down on the live album 4 Way Street. ( )
  kukulaj | Jul 21, 2023 |
The thrill of le Carre is not the swashbuckling of Fleming or jingoism of Clancy. Rather it's the utterly ruthless depiction of how institutions eat themselves.
  Kavinay | Jan 5, 2023 |
The Circus vs. The Department
Review of the Pan Books paperback edition (1979) of the 1965 original

I re-read The Looking Glass War due to the recent passing of novelist John le Carré (penname of David Cornwell) (October 19, 1931 – December 12, 2020). His passing brought back memories of my first reading his Cold War novels in the 1970s. Those were probably the first books of somewhat 'serious' writing that I had ever read, after developing an early love of reading with detective and science fiction novels in my teenage years. I had saved all of those paperbacks as well, so it seemed like a good time for some retrospective re-reads.

The Looking Glass War, as may be deduced from its title, is really about the rivalry between the Circus (Carré's nickname for MI-6 the British Secret Intelligence Service) and the Department (Carré's nickname for what appears to be a fictional version of the war time British Special Operations Executive) which here has carried on in a reduced format unlike its real-life counterpart which wrapped up operations in 1946.

The Department has an unconfirmed report that the Soviet Union has placed rocket missiles in East Germany in a move not unlike the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It sees this as an opportunity to increase its profile and doesn't share the intelligence with the Circus or the Americans. Instead it reactivates a war time agent who is now 20 years past his prime and provides him with antiquated equipment to investigate further. It all comes undone, with Control, the unnamed head of the Circus likely helping orchestrate the downfall behind the scenes. Good old George Smiley is sent in to pick up the pieces.

The Looking Glass War comes across as more cynical than its predecessor The Spy Who Came In From the Cold with the likely failure of the mission being telegraphed early and often by the self-deluded characters of the Department. The overall message of the lack of cooperation between agencies leading to catastrophic intelligence failures is one that still holds true throughout time though.

Trivia and Link
The Looking Glass War was adapted into a 1970 film directed & written by Frank Pierson. Only a German language trailer appears to be currently available on YouTube. ( )
  alanteder | Dec 13, 2022 |
This is a tough book to review - as well written as Spy Who Came in from the Cold, the plot is a trainwreck. Almost from the very start, the reader is painfully aware that things are going to end badly. It's hard to warm to characters who you know are going to do evil.
But, if you can put aside these feelings, there is much to enjoy.
The players belong to a Defence intelligence agency that is gradually going backwards. the Circus is where the real business happens, and where the best people operate. Our players are distinctly second string. It's reminiscent of Slough House of Mick Herron. Le Carre paints the picture beautifully.
So, good writing, but not a particularly enjoyable book. ( )
  mbmackay | Dec 5, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 50 (next | show all)
The spy part of "The Looking Glass War" is, of course, excellent. It concerns a former military espionage department in London (small, left over from the glorious days of World War II) and its struggle to train one of its former agents for a mission into East Germany. The technical background for the mission is well presented. The action itself, once it finally gets under way, is tense and doomed in a gratifying manner; we are given just the right sort of sketch-portrait of Leiser, the special agent. Moreover, as in "The Spy," we are given a strong sense that all this tension, duplicity and personal betrayal exist within the little world of espionage mostly for their own sake and not very much for the sake of the greater political good they are supposed to serve.
 

» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
le Carré, Johnprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Taylor, MattCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
The carrying of a very heavy weight such as a large suitcase or trunk, immediately before sending practice, renders the muscles of the forearm, wrist, and fingers too insensitive to produce good Morse.
—F. Tait's Complete Morse Instructor, Pitman
A fool lies here who tried to hustle the East. — Kipling
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For James Kennaway
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Snow covered the airfield.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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It would have been an easy job for the Circus: a can of film couriered from Helsinki to London. In the past the Circus handled all things political, while the Department dealt with matters military. But the Department has been moribund since the War, its resources siphoned away. Now, one of their agents is dead, and vital evidence verifying the presence of Soviet missiles near the West German border is gone. John Avery is the Department's younger member and its last hope. Charged with handling Fred Leiser, a German-speaking Pole left over from the War, Avery must infiltrate the East and restore his masters' former glory.John le Carré's The Looking Glass War is a scorching portrayal of misplaced loyalties and innocence lost.

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Penguin Australia

2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0141196394, 024196220X

Recorded Books

An edition of this book was published by Recorded Books.

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