John le Carré's follow-up to The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was written, according to its author, in reaction to the accolades given Spy for exposing the world of espionage. le Carré himself denied that and felt that the novel had glamorized what was a decidedly unglamorous business. Thus The Looking Glass War, in which he sought to portray "the muddle and futility that were so much closer to life," as he says in the introduction to the work. He did a brilliant job, but the novel flopped precisely for that reason. Nobody, particularly in England, wanted to hear it, at least not in 1965.

The story follows the efforts of an increasingly irrelevant British intelligence department (simply called "the Department" by pretty much everyone) charged with handling military intelligence to make itself relevant once more. After an agent dies while trying to bring home film purporting to show Soviet missiles being installed in East Germany, the Department recruits and trains a war-time agent to infiltrate the country and obtain evidence. But success depends on keeping other intelligence organizations at arm's length even while begging favors from them. Particularly, the powerful Circus (home to George Smiley and his boss Control) must not know what the Department is doing. In the end, they succeed in inserting the agent into East Germany, but the plan goes wrong, and Smiley is sent in to shut it down.

This is not an upbeat tale. It is, as le Carré said, about "muddle and futility" and also about self-serving bureaucrats and their willingness to use and even sacrifice others in order to promote their careers. For all that it wasn't popular at the time, it's a good read all these decades later, and just might have some symbolic relevance for today. ( )

As always, le Carre’s writing is elegant, fluid, and measured, however I did not particularly enjoy this novel. Although George Smiley’s presence hovers over the narrative, he rarely manifests himself. For the most part, the reader follows the exploits of the Department men, whose glory days ended with the Second World War. Twenty years later, they have been sidelined by the Circus and jump at the chance to introduce an agent into East Germany. The narrative follows the genesis of this mission and the agent’s training in detail, giving the reader plenty of time to work up a profound sense of dread. For it is clear from the outset that the Department are hopelessly incompetent, out of date, and generally doomed. Their awkward pride and camaraderie are near-painful to witness. The reader is in much the position of Smiley and Control, who watch the proceedings with a distant sense of pity. That said, the reader is in no position to intervene or clear up the resulting mess, as the Circus is.

It’s interesting to compare ‘The Looking Glass War’ to other George Smiley novels. In [b:Call for the Dead|46460|Call for the Dead (George Smiley #1)|John le Carré|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347597241s/46460.jpg|1176737] and [b:A Murder of Quality|622855|A Murder of Quality (George Smiley #2)|John le Carré|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347598479s/622855.jpg|2334425], the narrative follows Smiley around and takes on his sardonic, deadpan humour. By contrast, [b:The Spy Who Came In from the Cold|19494|The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (George Smiley #3)|John le Carré|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327719782s/19494.jpg|1177001] is not at all humorous and takes a bitter, cynical tone. Yet it is most definitely a spy thriller, in which the reader is gripped by suspense as the machinations of espionage unfold. [b:Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy|18989|Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy|John le Carré|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327889127s/18989.jpg|2491780] creates a similarly tense atmosphere, tempered by Smiley’s point of view. ‘The Looking Glass War’ is not a thriller, as it is obvious where events are heading and only the deluded men of the Department seem unaware. There is no real suspense about it, only a tragic inevitability, and very little humour. ( )

16/12/23

75% ( )

I enjoy le Carre's novels for a single thing - his portrayal of intelligence agencies and spies is rather unique (or maybe was, I do not know if there are other authors writing spy novels in similar way). They are all shown as civil servants, part of the mighty bureaucratic machine who risk their lives (at least some of them) but in general live rather dull or maybe better said every-day lives with a little rush of adrenaline when action kicks in. They are all expendable (operations more than others) and their puppet masters are more than willing to sacrifice them just to see what will happen next.

While I understand that not every spy is James Bond (and, yes I am aware of le Carre's view of James Bond, although his own "scalp-hunters" are no better) it is very interesting to imagine every civil servant or minor official you meet in the street as a secret agent working for a boss unlike your own - one who wants results no matter the situation.

And what happens when that overachieving boss decides that his department needs revitalization and takes upon himself to organize a grand operation that will bring back the glory days? What if in the background another boss, of more successful department, decides to swallow up this small unit of men and in order to do that orchestrates things so that operational element gets terminated in process? What if in general you cannot trust anyone and maybe those closest to you are the same people that want you put down?

Le Carre's novel reads like a shadowy conflict between two sections in the same department store. They are all well and polite but very much ready to back-stab each other on the first opportunity. And when operations guys end up captured or worse what happens to their respective directors? Well they advance, because it was war rules you know and poor chaps did not get the break .... but hey life goes on right? No need to dwell on negative thoughts.

Interesting novel, recommended to all fans of spy literature. ( )

If anything this is grimier than The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (it's immediate predecessor, I believe). On top of the dirty business of espionage, the main characters are quite clearly incompetent, yet proud with it (it's somewhat reminiscent of the old Fry and Laurie sketches about a cosy spy ring, but with a think layer of hubris spread over). That may sounds like it should be amusing, but it's anything but - it's sad and a bit frightening (I must say, if I'd been reading these books during the Cold War, I'm sure my enjoyment would have been tempered by a paranoid chill of assumed recognition).

Again, fascinating to read for the descriptions of the UK in the early 60s, this book also introduces a whole spectrum of snobbery. Everyone has someone else to look down upon; sometimes this hierarchy is somewhat understandable, other times it is opaque, but it is absorbing. While the UK is still class-ridden in some ways, this book - better than any Evelyn Waugh or writer of his ilk - demonstrates quite clearly, throughout society what class meant, when it still did really mean something.

The plot has some similarities to The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - an initiating incident, then long build-up to something resembling action. The characters are beautifully depicted, and the politics of the plot are played out very subtly. Occasionally, the dialogue seemed a little florid, but that's a minor quibble. In fact, the more I think about this book, the more I like it. It doesn't quite have the 'perfectly-formed' quality of its predecessor, but it has a subtle complexity and rich context which makes it very rewarding.
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