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Manchurian Candidate Paperback – 2003

by Richard Condon (Author)

88 customer reviews

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Product Details

Paperback: 311 pages
Publisher: Quality Paperback Book Club (2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0965931544
ISBN-13: 978-0965931540
ASIN: B000P8K72I
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,656,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5747 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Political
- #6924 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations
- #19256 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Spies & Politics

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Customer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars

5 star		43%
4 star		26%
3 star		13%
2 star		11%
1 star		7%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

A Boy and His Mother

By Frank Gibbons on January 15, 2005

Format: Paperback

Louis Menard points out his excellent introduction to The Manchurian Candidate that Richard Condon's novel is about control, conditioning, and manipulation. Raymond Shaw and his fellow G.I.s are captured in Korea, undergo "brainwashing", and are released believing that they, through the heroism of Sergeant Shaw, have been saved from a company of enemy infantry. The encounter never took place, of course, but that's the story that will win Raymond the Medal of Honor. However, Raymond has been conditioned to be the ulimate assassin. Meanwhile Major Marco, Raymond's commanding officer in Korea, has been having terrible nightmares in which he sees Raymond killing two members of their patrol in cold blood. He also sees himself and his patrol on a stage facing some high ranking Soviet and Chinese officals. The staggering nightmares cause Marco to start wondering if he, Raymond, and the others have been brainwashed. This leads him on a frantic investigation to discover the truth before something disastrous happens. Raymond can't recall any of what Marco has been dreaming about. He has been completely conditioned twice over -- once by the Pavlovian doctors and also by his mother, Mrs. Iselin, probably the most evil villainess in all of literature. She is the embodiment of Control and she savages anyone who gets in the way of her plans for domination. The Manchurian Candidate is very fine writing. Condon's style is eccentric but it is perfect for the bizarre, paranoid tale he is telling. His portrayal of Raymond as a damned soul is moving. Raymond, who is cursed with "crushing contemptuousness", is "impossible to like", but we can't help but be sympathetic to this young man who was never allowed to be himself, who was never allowed to feel. Mrs. Iselin is over-the-top, but who cares? She sends chills down your spine while providing some wicked humor. The Manchurian Candidate is a Freudian cocktail that will give you lots to chew on.

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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

Should definitely be in print.

By Gordon Smith on December 13, 2002

Format: Hardcover

Had to read this book for a college class. ... This is an awesome book. It's a military psychological thriller in which some POW US soldiers are brainwashed and sent home; all programmed to do damage to the government when they get there. Given that the men are war heroes, it isn't hard for them to get a foot in the door where they can really wreak havoc. The plot twists around in ways too creepy to be believed, yet too familiar to be completely discounted...heh heh heh. It's definitely readable as a thriller, but does good double duty as a quasi sci-fi conspiracy novel, not to mention the informed and responsible portrayal of US military intelligence. I wanted to call it Kurt Vonnegut meets Tom Clancy, but that's not doing it justice. Maybe it's out-of-print because it couldn't find a niche. Or maybe THEY don't want you to read it.

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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

McCarthyism, Cold War evils, and a mother from hell...

By lazza on March 21, 2002

Format: Mass Market Paperback

For a person who does not like your Cold War spy novels I must admit that The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon is one of those rare books I consider to be simply brilliant. It is concise, very well-written, and has a story which is absolutely incredible (well okay, by today's standards it might be considered a bit over-the-top).
In The Manchurian Candidate we have a US platoon in Korea (during the war) captured by Chinese/Russian scientists who brainwash them. One sargeant in particular is targetted to be their assassin on demand after the war. This fellow happens to have a power-hungry mother (..to be kind; she is truly vile) and her bozo husband who is modelled after the commie-hating Senator McCarthy. From here the story gets more complex and interwoven, with a truly shocking and brilliant ending.
Bottom line: upon finishing this book you'll say "boy, that was GOOD". Compulsory reading.
(compared with the film adaptation of The Manchurian Candidate, the novel is superior ... as is often the case. However the film does capture the essence of the book albeit in a somewhat diluted fashion.)

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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

Absolutely Marvelous!

By Sean Schneider on June 21, 2000

Format: Paperback

I first saw the equally good movie due to the AFI's 100 Greatest Movies rating. It looked like it might be interesting and I was amazed. The movie (made in 1961) directly assaulted McCarthyism and the red scare in a rather apocalyptic satire. This prompted me to seek out the book that the movie was based upon thinking that it could only be better, as books commonly are. Little did I know that the book could have been a companion to the movie and vice-versa. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that Richard Condon, the author, collaborated with the makers of the movie. The book provides insight that the movie couldn't possibly have put in including a heroine-addicted incest-loving rapist.
All around the political and social commentary in the story (I'm using story since I suggest that in order to get a good all around view of the author's vision one should both read the book and watch the movie, in either order.) carry the book beyond the author's masterful narrative. If you have any interest in suspense, intrigue, literature, or history this story is a winner.

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

A Relentless Political Thriller, A True Classic

By doomsdayer520 HALL OF FAME on October 17, 2002

Format: Paperback

Why this book is out of print is a mystery. Track down a used copy or join a nearby library that has one. You won't be disappointed. Richard Condon delivers a masterpiece of political and psychological horror, inspired by the ridiculous heights of the Cold War and the scourge of McCarthyism. The book's tragic protagonist, Raymond Shaw, was a soldier in the Korean War. He was captured by the Chinese and hypnotized and made into a programmable assassin. But the most shocking aspects of the novel are not the brainwashing, but who truly sponsored it and whom Raymond is ultimately destined to assassinate. The intrigue and curve-ball plot of this book send the mind reeling, as poor Raymond is relentlessly manipulated by those who use him, while those who want to save him deal with insurmountable obstacles. For a book written in 1959 it is surprisingly harsh, with nasty political diatribes from Condon along with prostitution, hard drug use, incest, and also a level of sexism that seems over the top today. The most obvious example of that last issue is Raymond's incredibly loathsome mother, whose evil amply propels the story; but she is sometimes a little difficult to believe in her sheer evil megalomania. But other than that, for a political thriller that is impossible to put down, you can't do much better than this classic, and the finale is truly shocking and heartbreaking. This one is well worth tracking down.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Sometimes Great Artists Can Make a Great Movie from an Average Book

I am very confused about this book. I like to read books which form the basis of great movies. I have found as often as not the book is as good or better than the movie. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Francis C. Donnelly

Poetic drama

The writer has incredible skill with language, painting a picture, an emotion, a character in vivid detail. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Bettye R. Clement

Good Read

This is a dated novel but still a good read. I was surprised how close it followed the movie, and vice versa. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Carol in Arizona

Manchurian Candidate a psychological thriller

During the Korean War, the Soviets and Chinese have embarked on an ambitious joint project: Use Pavlov's theories in practice to brainwash and create a perfect American sleeper... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Morris E. Graham

Review of The Manchurian Candidate

It was so poorly written that I quite reading it and put it out of my mind. I really don't remember whether is was first, second,
or third person, the writing was so bad. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Charlotte Landis

The book adds much more depth than the legendary film so anyone who...

This is a classic and I can't add much to more learned comments. The book adds much more depth than the legendary film so anyone who enjoyed the film will like the book.

Published 2 months ago by Freddy

Disappointing Book!

The book is simply too descriptive causing it to be boring frequently. The attention to detail is over the top & causes the reading to be tedious for the most part. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Larry Burns

Hope you like it better than I did

Very slow in many spots. Could have been a short story but it was dragged out IMO. I stayed with it though and it finally got better. But not one of my favorites.

Published 2 months ago by Lee P

great but...

I loved this book! Well. Loved may be too strong of a word, but I greatly enjoyed it. The descriptions were much too much sometimes, but I got through them unscathed! 4 out of 5!

Published 2 months ago by Kristian

entertaining

I was looking for some political fiction...this filled the bill quite nicely. The politics were fun despite the author interjecting a lot of random crap

Published 3 months ago by Sarah Cercone