Customer Reviews

Quiller

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Absolutely right, Quiller is one of the best literary characters & the only espionage character who didn't end up totally ridiculous or pathetic or just plain unreal. Quiller though, with his meticulous task solving a cerebral activity together with his ability in close combat ooze reality. This one has a special twist to it: from the very beginning we sense (through Quiller's thoughts) that there's something wrong with this mission & not because of the usual danger attached to such things. Just sit back & follow him in the maze of dnager while he unravels step by step the mystery & realizes how those who he should be able to trust betrayed him. (And then check out Quiller's Run for the immediate follow-up: Hall hardly does this, but he must have thought that this issue needed to be resolved.)

I don't know about making it a movie though. It's the reading & Quiller's inner thoughts that make it such a perfect read. Trabslated to action it may lose part of it's appeal - &who's going to get all that karate right without turning it into Crouching Tiger or something?

I have never read such an action packed book. Nor has my heart raced this much. This is an excellent spy book. I love that Adam hall chose first persson for this book. It gives you a better understanding of the character. And Quiller is an unforgetable character who uses his wits to get out of tight situations. Without that you know this character could not have survived in the depths of Russia. A good read, definetly reccommed it. And yes it is hard to find in the bookstores. Can't understand why this work of art isn't being ordered.

There is not a better writer of espionage anywhere. Read these books

To tell a truth that sounds like a bash of Quiller books, I cannot exactly distinguish 'Quiller' in my memory from 'Quiller KGB' or the 'Warsaw Document.' They tend to bleed together somewhat like Dick Francis novels, or Len Deighton novels, but this shouldn't be a factor when deciding to read one -- or all of them.

Adam Hall's novels are hard to find even in paper back (having scrounged for a few years I've come up with and read about eleven of them -- there are still a lot I've never even seen). The books are gritty, fast-paced, intelligent yet action-packed. They take you all over the world, to places like Berlin to Peking to the Sahara Desert. There's not a dull moment nor a flase step in any of the novels I've read to date.

Quiller is my favorite literary character -- it's a shame no one's made a really good series of movies out of Adam Hall's books. (What's so great about Ian Flemming, anyway?)

You'd be well advised to go out NOW and do anything you can to find a Quiller book. Chances are, you'll have it finished by sunrise tomorrow.

...this author did to the spy thriller--don't be put off by the number of pages, each is fast-paced and the writing style is both accessible as well as being completely original--with all the hoopla over Brosnan quitting the Bond series, Broccoli and co. could do no wrong using this character and series as a template--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Quiller is a spy who uses his wits. His body and mind are his weapons. The stories are seen through Quiller's eyes. If you like tense spy dramas, the Quiller books are the best and Adam Hall is a master. We want more!

Adam Hall's Quiller books, and this book in particular, are totally readable and fall into that group of books that should never be read at night. You cannot put them down until finished.

The way Quiller moves through the dark and dangerous areas in Russia, his belief in his cause, his doubt in his ability, build a tension that is felt by the reader as Quiller gets on with it and does the job after overcoming various problems. The book is written in the first person which makes the reader feel directly involved in the happenings. A clever and effective form of entertainment.

It is disappointing that it is so hard to buy these books in hard cover as they are a 'read again and again' addition to anybody's library.

Ellston Trevor, writing as Adam Hall, is absolutely the best in the first person spy genre. These are riveting, edge of your seat, can't put it down stories. Quiller is a "shadow executive" for an undisclosed British deep cover branch, fully disavowable, fully expendable and always on fully urgent missions. Quiller is what James Bond wishes he could be -- smart, daring, unencumbered by gadgets and weapons, relying on his wits, his training and dedication to complete the missions. OUTSTANDING! I can't say enough good things about this series!

Rarely did I start a book and couldn't finish it, this is the one! The plot of the story line is totally obsolete in today's political environment for a spy story, and it's also the first time I did not like the main character in a book-Quiller. From the beginning of the book he already showed his big ego towards his boss, because he had small feet. What a joke! And he himself made some miscalculation too, not a likable man to me. It hard to continue a book if you don't like a main character in a book. More important, had I had found out it was written in 1966, I would not have picked it up.

Like the other viewer said, it'll go to the charity pile.

I made it through only about 60 pages of this novel before setting it aside in the charity pile. The plot just seemed so dated- Quiller racing against time to keep yet another U.S.-Soviet summit from being derailed. In 1985 this probably seemed like a big deal, but it just doesn't resonate now. Also the first-person narration is strangely detached and antiseptic.