7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Samson Returns..., April 15, 2005
In the post-communist world, the Cold War espionage genre may seem a little dated. We have other concerns and fears on our minds now. But for reasons I'll get to below, this novel series is a stand-out from that era, and still well worth reading.
This book was actually written after the fall of communism, but the plot takes place a few years before it. In this book Samson returns to work for London Central and deals with a disastrous assignment in East Germany; an internal struggle to keep positions in a down-sizing agency; etc.
The book plot is interesting enough, but running alongside it are several series-length plots that continue to engross the reader: can Bernard and his wife Fiona rebuild their marriage after her apparent defection and return? In fact, can Fiona even recover from her ordeal? What about Gloria?
I just recently re-read the entire Bernard Samson series (of which this is the seventh out of nine novels). It is one of the best novel series I have ever read, and certainly one of the best espionage genre series ever. There are so many things to like about this series - the in-depth characterizations; the pithy observational asides about people and cultures; the references to multiple languages and their subtleties; the gritty European settings; the hidden plot developments and character motivations that the narrator either can't or won't see; etc.
The author claims that each of these books can be read on their own, and perhaps they could be. But you can get a lot more enjoyment out of it if you start at the beginning with _Berlin Game_ (or even better yet - start with the WWII prequel: _Winter_).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
unbeleivably good, August 19, 2001
By A Customer
The three trilogies written by len deighton about Bernard Samson are second to none. They are gripping, from start to end.
Although nowhere near as good as the first 2 trilogies, faith hope and charity is still a fantastic set of books, and deserves nothing less than 5stars.
I only started reading spy game last week, and already I have finished all 9 books ... and will probably re-read them all again sometime soon.
They really are fantastic! no matter what type of book you are interested in (I prefer lawyer and detective stories) you will just love all 9 of these books!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the 10, December 15, 2004
My favorite in the entire series! Faith lacks the action/suspense of earlier works but attains near-perfect distillation of Samson's dry humor and solitary perspective. I laughed out loud repeatedly. I suspect the humor is all the more enjoyable having waded through pages and pages of the earlier books to wring out mere droplets of Samson's bitingly funny sarcasm. The journey here makes it all the better. Of course, I am biased; Deighton can do no wrong in my eyes.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No