
Re-reading the novels of John le Carré - newest
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/john-le-carre-mick-herron/
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WilTimSon
My favorite tidbit about le Carre is that he invented [1] terms like 'honey
pot', 'mole', 'pavement artist', and other spy lingo. There's still some
debate on whether or not he did it since he either denies some of these or
says he 'can't remember' but, no matter what the truth is, he certainly
popularized them greatly. The guy changed language with several new additions
and that's a mark of a culturally significant man.

[1]
[https://www.oregonlive.com/books/2015/11/how_john_le_carre_r...](https://www.oregonlive.com/books/2015/11/how_john_le_carre_reinvented_t.html)

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W-Stool
I always considered Sir Alec Guiness's role in "Tinker Tailor ..." and
"Smiley's People" to be the pinnacle of acting in a short run series - he
really became George Smiley. Since viewing the recent series "Chernobyl" I for
the first time haved added Jared Harris to that pile of excellence for his
portrayal of Vaverly Legasov. As troubling as some days seem to be in the
world I find comfort that people like Guiness and Harris can still make me
lose myself in a complicated character and a great story.

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teh_klev
Jared Harris is a tremendous actor. I could watch him watching paint dry
whilst reciting the local takeaway menu for 30 minutes and not get bored.

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gnat
Mick Herron's "Slow Horses" series is fantastic, highly recommended. Slough
House (from which the title) is where agents go when they fuck up. So everyone
is flawed, and know they have failed. They're the ones who get a whiff of
something going on, and their sorting of it is a redemption quest made
difficult by the fact that they _are_ fuckups. My memory is that it gets the
tech right and the banter is A+ hilarious. (Herron is the author of this TLS
piece, hence this recommendation)

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markonen
This is now also being made into an Apple TV+ original series, starring Gary
Oldman.

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nindalf
I'm sure Oldman will be fantastic. He killed it as John le Carre's George
Smiley in Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy.

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Gatsky
The writer calls 'A Perfect Spy' a masterpiece and rightly so. I highly
recommend it. The audio version by Michael Jayston is brilliant. Years after
reading it, scenes from the book regularly surface from the backwash of my
daydreams.

[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/best-
le-c...](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/best-le-carre-
novel)

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lordleft
Cold War Espionage is endlessly fascinating. I recommend looking into the
story of the Cambridge Five, some of the most notorious Soviet spies in
British History:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Five](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Five)

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Fjolsvith
I would also highly recommend the Travis McGee novels by John D MacDonald.

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coleifer
le Carré is one of my favorite authors. I was happy to see the article cover
_The Honourable Schoolboy_ , which is certainly overshadowed by some of his
others, but which, to me, always packed the hardest emotional punch. After
reading le Carré, it's impossible to see the world in the same way again.

I especially recommend getting the books on tape, the English readers really
bring the stories to life.

For another excellent series, check out Martin Cruz Smith, _Gorky Park_
(Arkady Renko series).

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russellbeattie
I'm actually reading the Karla books now, so I stopped reading the article as
the author seems to assume you've already read them.

I can't seem to find any streams of the BBC TV series, which is too bad. The
audio book narrator is doing a fine Alec Guinness impersonation, but it would
nice to see the real thing.

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sorokod
Of all characters in Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, it is Connie Sachs that is
most likely to be replaced by AI.

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hos234
I doubt it.

Connie Sachs + machine >> Connie Sachs | machine

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billfruit
I wish if Honourable school boy could be adapted for the screen, perhaps as a
miniseries, it covers lot of ground, the Hong Kong chapters are a good
description of the years under British rule, and the chapter on the fall of
Vientiane is also very notable.

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lemerou
You mean of course the fall of Saigon, not Vientiane.

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jlarocco
Wow, I had no idea John le Carré was still alive. I loved the movie version of
"The Spy Who Came In From The Cold," and the novel's been waiting for me on my
Kindle for a while now. I may have to bump that to the top of my reading
list...

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emmelaich
If you like gritty spy dramas, have a look at
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callan_(TV_series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callan_\(TV_series\))

Probably a bit dated now, but intense and cynical.

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secfirstmd
Leaving aside the politics, Fauda and The Americans are excellent in terms of
being gritty and attempts to make the tradecraft a bit more realistic than
typical spy stuff. I still think there is a long way to go for someone to make
a really realistic intelligence series - there would be some great stories
from the Northern Ireland conflict for example.

The documentary "Inside the Mossad" is also very interesting.

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iudqnolq
If you want gritty, British gov, and a bit of The Troubles give The Fall a
shot.

> The psychological thriller examines the lives of two hunters -- one is a
> serial killer who preys on victims in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland,
> and the other is a female detective drafted from the London Metropolitan
> Police to catch him. The local authorities have no suspects and no
> experience with cases involving sexually motivated serial killers; DSI
> Stella Gibson has. She heads a task force dedicated to solving the crime
> spree, with a simple motto: Anyone not part of the solution is part of the
> problem. The killer? He's Paul Spector, a father and a husband leading a
> double life, as viewers learn from the outset. He's hiding in plain sight,
> the protagonist in a cat and mouse game that is every police officer's worst
> nightmare.

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secfirstmd
Will have a look at that!

