Customer Reviews

Stained Glass

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my second Blackford Oakes novel and I found it, well, okay. As you might expect, a Buckley spy novel will be a little more cerebral than most others of the genre. On top of everything else Buckley does, he writes a pretty good, taut, spy novel. Just not a lot of action. The real story, it seems, is how Oakes wrestles with some tough moral dilemmas. Stained Glass will hold your interest but you probably won't be saying "I couldn't put it down!" Nevertheless, it's a worthy and entertaining book from an accomplished author.

Buckley brings something rarely seen to the spy novel: intelligence and moral dilemma. Stained Glass also has wonderful characterization, witty dialogue, and humor. I highly recommend this unique approach to spy novel fans.

Not quite as good as the first blackford oakes novel, but nonethless good. It really picked up at the end and made it worthwile. I really appreciate the wit in Buckley's writing as well as his ability to twist a plot right out from under you. The occasional intrusion by actual historical figures also makes the Oakes books very interesting.

The Buckley spy novels are different from what one expects of a book of the sort. Real persons of recent history are mixed with his fictional characters in a way that adds a feeling of realism. Expect the text to be salted here and there with long words to look up in the dictionary; for example "tergiveration" which is pretty much the same as "waffling". This particular book examines what the United States and Russia may have done if a political figure had emerged in Germany around the time of the Kennedy administration who was on track to win the election for Chancellor of Germany and who had the means and desire to force German reunification.

I must admit that I really like WFB's fiction, and I'm delighted that his publisher challenged him to try it.

The Blackford Oakes series relies on Buckley's own experience with the CIA, I'm sure. But the stories are more than depictions of black craftsmanship. Buckley has a fine ability to weave an interesting plot, and his characterizations are detailed and marvelous. He has spent time and effort bringing his characters to life, and giving them motivation and hstory.

There is, of course, a cynical side to international espionage, and he has also portrayed that convincingly.

In this story, for example, the Soviets and the Americans actually cut cards to see which side will murder a heroic German character whose greatest desire it is to reunify his country.

I think it is amazing how well he has interwoven history and historical characters with fiction and his invented characters, and made it all hang together so convincingly.

Bill Buckley, sir, you are an amazing man and one to admire.

Joseph Pierre

This is truly a fun read. Never boring. A real page turner. Highly recommended. Warning: You may end up buying more of Mr. Buckley's mysteries; I did.

I must admit that I really like WFB's fiction, and I'm delighted that his publisher challenged him to try it.

The Blackford Oakes series relies on Buckley's own experience with the CIA, I'm sure. But the stories are more than depictions of black craftsmanship. Buckley has a fine ability to weave an interesting plot, and his characterizations are detailed and marvelous. He has spent time and effort bringing his characters to life, and giving them motivation and hstory.

There is, of course, a cycnical side to international espionage, and he has also portrayed that convincingly.

In this story, for example, the Soviets and the Americans actually cut cards to see which side will murder a heroic German character whose greatest desire it is to reunify his country.

I think it is amazing how well he has interwoven history and historical characters with fiction and his invented characters, and made it all hang together so convincingly.

Bill Buckley, sir, you are an amazing man and one to admire.

Joseph Pierre

In this tale of the US's murder of a German who was striving to bring about the unification of East and West Germany, Buckley has written a roman a clef -- his covert confession of what he knew about the CIA's murder of JFK, who was seeking the same sort of "detente" with the USSR -- long before Allen Dulles and the Boys were willing to let go of the thrills of waging their personal WWIII. Of special note is the exchange between Buckley's alter-ego Blackford Oakes and Dulles following the reunification of Germany. Oakes queries Dulles about whether the idealistic German man's murder was necessary -- hadn't he been right, after all? Hadn't he seen further into the future than others? And moral dullard Dulles' response was: "Mr Oakes, the question you ask I do not permit myself. Not under ANY circumstances.". . . Because in this world, if you let them, the ambiguists will kill you."
So Buckley offers us commoners a glimpse into the souls of the sort of power-hungry, ruthless riffraff that runs the world. Indeed, ambiguists may or may not end up killing us, but it is certain that the non-ambiguists like Dulles and Buckley kill us commoners with their hubristic certainty. Buckley evidently suffered pangs of conscience and at least had the honesty to insinuate them into his novels. Dulles...never.

I've always enjoyed reading Buckley's essays, whether I agreed with his premises or not. This is the 2nd of his Blackford Oakes novels I've read--I hope to read them all in the chronological order of their publish dates. Having only read 2 books of the series, I have already realized how much Buckley has constructed his stories by using historical events and figures of the time in which the novels take place. There isn't a whole lot of action, but the plots are fairly intricate, and Oakes is placed in circumstances that are at the very least uncomfortable if not out-and-out dangerous. This is adult spy reading at a very high level.

Buckley endeavors to spin a tale of intrigue that forces the reader to face complex questions of morality and ethics in the context of high stakes Cold War espionage. Buckley's protagonist, Blackford Oakes simultaneous emanates couth more so than even 007 while functioning as an everyman to the average reader. Additionally, the author also uses his Blackford to dispel the sometimes cunning sophistry of communist agents. Overall, a marvelous story packed with deeper thoughts that only an author of Buckley's intellect can address.