The October Circle [Paperback]

Robert Littell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2008

An explosive story of friendship and sacrifice in the depths of the Cold War era

Connoisseurs of the literary spy thriller rank Robert Littell, the bestselling author of The Company, with John le Carré, Graham Greene, and Alan Furst in the first tier of the genre's pantheon. Set against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Prague, The October Circle is one of Littell's most riveting early works. Seven of Bulgaria's cultural elite-all disillusioned communists-and one American drifter find themselves staging an extremely dangerous protest that will set off a wave of repression and threatens to repay their heroism with death.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exotic setting, constantly surprising . . . and a clockwork plot."
-Newsweek

"Exciting . . . This author can tell a story!"
-Chicago Daily News

"A brave, ambitious, and most worthy book."
-The Washington Post

About the Author

Robert Littell was born, raised, and educated in New York. A former Newsweek editor specializing in Soviet affairs, he left journalism in 1970 to write fiction full time. Connoisseurs of the spy novel have elevated Robert Littell to the genre's highest ranks, and Tom Clancy wrote that “if Robert Littell didn’t invent the spy novel, he should have.” He is the author of fifteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Company and Legends, the 2005 L.A. Times Book Award for Best Thriller/Mystery. He currently lives in France.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143112996
• ISBN-13: 978-0143112990
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,509,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bestselling author Robert Littell has been ranked amongst John Le Carre and Graham Greene for his masterful spy fiction. A Newsweek journalist in a previous incarnation, Littell has been writing about the Soviet Union and Russians since his first novel, the espionage classic The Defection of A.J.Lewinter. Among his numerous critically acclaimed novels are The October Circle, Mother Russia, The Debriefing, The Sisters, The Revolutionist, The Once and Future Spy, An Agent in Place, The Visiting Professor, the New York Times bestselling The Company (adapted for a TNT mini-series), and Legends (winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Best Thriller of 2005) and For the Future of Israel, a book of conversations with Shimon Peres. Littell is an American who makes his home in France.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A big disappointment, February 29, 2008

By 

Diane "dle90742" (SUNSET BEACH, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: October Circle,the (Mass Market Paperback)

Like the other reviewers, I picked this up because I really, really liked the Company. October Circle, however, was written a quarter century earlier, and Littell definitely used the time between to improve his writing style. The first half of the book drags miserably, and the collection of oddball characters - the Racer, the Magician, the Dwarf, the Flag Holder - do not make the book more interesting. I rarely don't finish a book, but it was all I could do to keep myself reading in this case.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip this one..., December 3, 2003

By 

"jmm114a" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The October Circle (Hardcover)

I came across this book unexpectedly and bought it with great anticipation after having so enjoyed Robert Littell's novel The Company. While the bar may have been set unreasonably high for The October Circle, I must classify this book as a disappointment. I enjoyed the insight into life in 1960's Bulgaria, but the storyline was too slow to develop and the characters, including the main protagonist, were entirely undesirable. I recommend skipping this one.

3 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lack of moral standpoint disgusting, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The October Circle (Hardcover)

What turned me off this book was that not only did it fail to portray the horror of Communist tyrrany, as I thought it would ,but it glorifies a bunch of degenerates without a hint of dissaproval by the author of their intellectual dishonesty, or even of the cruel exploitation of children by the hateful dwarf.The style of writing was however good and that is why I will give it two stars instead of one