Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

A book that makes every moment real, 13 Apr 2007
By writing from the spies viewpoint Deighton actually makes you feel part of the action. You have to work it out as his un-named character does. He paints a detailed picture but at times this seems unnatural - these are not he things you would remember and that is why I only give it four stars, because the ending does not feel real - you feel a little bit tricked.

What they never tell you is how FUNNY this book is., 08 Sep 2000
Deighton has given his nameless narrator a wry, dry wit. Even if you don't like spy stories (and this one's a cracker), the style will grip you. I'm going to have to read it again.

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

A book that makes every moment real, 13 Apr 2007
By writing from the spies viewpoint Deighton actually makes you feel part of the action. You have to work it out as his un-named character does. He paints a detailed picture but at times this seems unnatural - these are not he things you would remember and that is why I only give it four stars, because the ending does not feel real - you feel a little bit tricked.

What they never tell you is how FUNNY this book is., 08 Sep 2000
Deighton has given his nameless narrator a wry, dry wit. Even if you don't like spy stories (and this one's a cracker), the style will grip you. I'm going to have to read it again.

Deighton, Chesterton and the nature of war, 11 Jun 2008
Every so often, unscrupulous pacifists and their kin, bent on protecting some totalitarian government (North Vietnam) or murderous dictatorship (Saddam's Iraq), will play upon popular ignorance about the nature of war. Well-intentioned people can be turned against a necessary and good war by those who place a one-sided emphasis on the confusion, folly, and horror that are a feature of all wars.

Len Deighton's book is a good counter to that manipulation. It subtitle's itself, "An Objective Look at World War II," and for the most part that's true. Americans might like to believe that we had the best tanks in World War II. Anyone who reads Deighton will discover that, if you had to fight in a tank-to-tank encounter, you'd be better off in a Russian T-34 than in a Sherman. In similar fashion, he demolishes any illusions readers might have that Allied strategy was always as wise as we might hope or that Axis strategy was always as foolish as Hitler sometimes made it.

G. K. Chesterton warned of the dangers of this sort of ignorance. Noting that we need to stretch "our imagination to the scale of the war," avoiding the twin evils of exultation and depression, he added, "To be elated when a village is captured in the morning, and cast down again in the afternoon -- this is not to follow the course of a war. It is simply to be ignorant of the very nature of a war." Both the defenders and critics of the Iraqi war would do well to heed his advice.

Although no war as complex as WWII can be covered in a single book, this book will stretch your imagination, allowing you view war realistically for what it is and without being deceived by the distortions of either jingoists or pacifists.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

The bumblers' crusade, 19 Aug 2005
A generation of self-congratulatory propaganda about the Crusade in Europe was rudely jolted by two books written by hard-minded historians. The first, A.J.P. Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War, scythed away the view that Hitler was solely responsible for western Europe's greatest political error. The second is this result of Len Deighton's extensive research on the politics, diplomacy and mechanics of that conflict.

Blood, Tears and Folly may be considered an off-shoot of his other works, both fiction and non-fiction, on the years prior to the war and of the actual fighting. He rightly subtitles this book "An Objective Look" in response to the many years of laudatory histories and memoirs deluging both the reading public and history classrooms. Deighton has a realistic view of history, dealing carefully and dispassionately with the issues at all levels. He knows that success in war is often due to chance decisions. He also knows, and tells us clearly, that the decision-makers must reach their conclusions from an informed and dispassionate foundation. This isn't a common feature among military "leaders" and probably even more rare among politicians dealing in foreign affairs.

This book is more than a journalist's account of an historical period. It's a clarion call to keep a watchful eye on your leaders. Too often, and certainly in the period of this book, long-term policies remain unconsidered while striving to accomplish immediate gains. Prejudices abound, guiding men into foolish decisions for which many will pay the ultimate price.

Deighton appears to be whacking the British here. However, keep in mind that the Empire of Victoria Regina remained the dominant force in the world and the British never tired of saying so. That attitude was the pivotal folly of British politicians, although America's buying into the idea was just as foolish. If anything made World War II inevitable instead of the aberration logic suggests it should be, it's this outlook. The world, particularly Western European nations, resented Britain's arrogance. It had led in large part to World War I. Unable to learn anything from the causes of that conflict, British policies simply repeated old mistakes in new ways, a misplaced pride leading to a new fall.

Deighton manages to carefully balance Britain's short sighted attitude about European affairs with various other elements that will impact the course of the war. He has an exceptional ability to make what ought to be the most mundane topics, machines and technologies, into fascinating elements of the story. Familiar to us now, things like radar and rockets were innovations then and their successes were due to the people working with them. Deighton's ability to delve into the personal viewpoint adds significantly to the enjoyment of this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Blood,Tears and Folly; an objective view of world war II, 05 Apr 2005
I have never read any of len deighton's previous work but this book gives the reader a real empathy of world leading upto and including the second world war.The narrative has the same effect as reading a fiction novel and so makes it easy to follow, this is what i have enjoyed about reading the book. I would recomend this book for any person who wants to read a good unbiased factual account of this time period, even if history is not a subject they would normally choose books about.

Excellent Read, 14 Feb 2005
Having only been aware of the author from his fictional work ( although I had not read any of these ) , I was intrigued at reading a fiction author's interpretation of the historical events around the first three years of WW II .

His writing is excellent , with an objective view of the mistakes and triumphs of both sides . The detail is extra-ordinary , but the book itself is not an onerous read .

Having read several books detailing this period of the twentieth century , I would say that if you are only to read one book on the beginning of World War II , then make it this one .

A superb introduction to World War II., 20 Mar 2002
As a newcomer to the leisure reading of military history I found Len Deighton's book extremely interesting, utterly digestable and, most important of all, very difficult to put down! Each chapter tells a story in its own right and ,for once, useful descriptions and details of much of the important materiel of war is included.

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

A book that makes every moment real, 13 Apr 2007
By writing from the spies viewpoint Deighton actually makes you feel part of the action. You have to work it out as his un-named character does. He paints a detailed picture but at times this seems unnatural - these are not he things you would remember and that is why I only give it four stars, because the ending does not feel real - you feel a little bit tricked.

What they never tell you is how FUNNY this book is., 08 Sep 2000
Deighton has given his nameless narrator a wry, dry wit. Even if you don't like spy stories (and this one's a cracker), the style will grip you. I'm going to have to read it again.

Deighton, Chesterton and the nature of war, 11 Jun 2008
Every so often, unscrupulous pacifists and their kin, bent on protecting some totalitarian government (North Vietnam) or murderous dictatorship (Saddam's Iraq), will play upon popular ignorance about the nature of war. Well-intentioned people can be turned against a necessary and good war by those who place a one-sided emphasis on the confusion, folly, and horror that are a feature of all wars.

Len Deighton's book is a good counter to that manipulation. It subtitle's itself, "An Objective Look at World War II," and for the most part that's true. Americans might like to believe that we had the best tanks in World War II. Anyone who reads Deighton will discover that, if you had to fight in a tank-to-tank encounter, you'd be better off in a Russian T-34 than in a Sherman. In similar fashion, he demolishes any illusions readers might have that Allied strategy was always as wise as we might hope or that Axis strategy was always as foolish as Hitler sometimes made it.

G. K. Chesterton warned of the dangers of this sort of ignorance. Noting that we need to stretch "our imagination to the scale of the war," avoiding the twin evils of exultation and depression, he added, "To be elated when a village is captured in the morning, and cast down again in the afternoon -- this is not to follow the course of a war. It is simply to be ignorant of the very nature of a war." Both the defenders and critics of the Iraqi war would do well to heed his advice.

Although no war as complex as WWII can be covered in a single book, this book will stretch your imagination, allowing you view war realistically for what it is and without being deceived by the distortions of either jingoists or pacifists.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

The bumblers' crusade, 19 Aug 2005
A generation of self-congratulatory propaganda about the Crusade in Europe was rudely jolted by two books written by hard-minded historians. The first, A.J.P. Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War, scythed away the view that Hitler was solely responsible for western Europe's greatest political error. The second is this result of Len Deighton's extensive research on the politics, diplomacy and mechanics of that conflict.

Blood, Tears and Folly may be considered an off-shoot of his other works, both fiction and non-fiction, on the years prior to the war and of the actual fighting. He rightly subtitles this book "An Objective Look" in response to the many years of laudatory histories and memoirs deluging both the reading public and history classrooms. Deighton has a realistic view of history, dealing carefully and dispassionately with the issues at all levels. He knows that success in war is often due to chance decisions. He also knows, and tells us clearly, that the decision-makers must reach their conclusions from an informed and dispassionate foundation. This isn't a common feature among military "leaders" and probably even more rare among politicians dealing in foreign affairs.

This book is more than a journalist's account of an historical period. It's a clarion call to keep a watchful eye on your leaders. Too often, and certainly in the period of this book, long-term policies remain unconsidered while striving to accomplish immediate gains. Prejudices abound, guiding men into foolish decisions for which many will pay the ultimate price.

Deighton appears to be whacking the British here. However, keep in mind that the Empire of Victoria Regina remained the dominant force in the world and the British never tired of saying so. That attitude was the pivotal folly of British politicians, although America's buying into the idea was just as foolish. If anything made World War II inevitable instead of the aberration logic suggests it should be, it's this outlook. The world, particularly Western European nations, resented Britain's arrogance. It had led in large part to World War I. Unable to learn anything from the causes of that conflict, British policies simply repeated old mistakes in new ways, a misplaced pride leading to a new fall.

Deighton manages to carefully balance Britain's short sighted attitude about European affairs with various other elements that will impact the course of the war. He has an exceptional ability to make what ought to be the most mundane topics, machines and technologies, into fascinating elements of the story. Familiar to us now, things like radar and rockets were innovations then and their successes were due to the people working with them. Deighton's ability to delve into the personal viewpoint adds significantly to the enjoyment of this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Blood,Tears and Folly; an objective view of world war II, 05 Apr 2005
I have never read any of len deighton's previous work but this book gives the reader a real empathy of world leading upto and including the second world war.The narrative has the same effect as reading a fiction novel and so makes it easy to follow, this is what i have enjoyed about reading the book. I would recomend this book for any person who wants to read a good unbiased factual account of this time period, even if history is not a subject they would normally choose books about.

Excellent Read, 14 Feb 2005
Having only been aware of the author from his fictional work ( although I had not read any of these ) , I was intrigued at reading a fiction author's interpretation of the historical events around the first three years of WW II .

His writing is excellent , with an objective view of the mistakes and triumphs of both sides . The detail is extra-ordinary , but the book itself is not an onerous read .

Having read several books detailing this period of the twentieth century , I would say that if you are only to read one book on the beginning of World War II , then make it this one .

A superb introduction to World War II., 20 Mar 2002
As a newcomer to the leisure reading of military history I found Len Deighton's book extremely interesting, utterly digestable and, most important of all, very difficult to put down! Each chapter tells a story in its own right and ,for once, useful descriptions and details of much of the important materiel of war is included.

Three months that changed the world, 05 Jan 2006
This is the most valuable summary in print of the RAF's challenge to Nazi Germany's invasion plans for the British Isles. Beginning by describing how 'history is swamped by patriotic myths about the summer of 1940', Deighton invalidates any theories of heroes versus villains in this account. The Nazi war machine swept across Western Europe in a stunning series of victories. Only the English Channel and the RAF remained as the final barriers to invasion. It was the Luftwaffe's burden to remove the second obstacle leaving the first to be crossed with minimal opposition. Deighton's excellent account shows how close the Luftwaffe came to success. In fact, credit for the RAF's accomplishment may well come to rest on the shoulders of one man, Hugh Dowding.

Deighton takes us through the background of weapons development, from radar to the tracer bullet, explaining how the two sides were closely matched in technology. The long-standing dispute over whether the Bf109 or the Spitfire was superior rests only on how far the pilots were prepared to push their aircraft. The number of pilots in opposition are another matter. For every active RAF pilot, the Germans had four fighter pilots or bomber crews, ranging from central France to the Norwegian coast.. Deighton explains how Dowding husbanded his resources, enabling him to keep sending aircraft against the bomber fleets. All logic suggested the RAF should have been destroyed, but Dowding's strategy and pilot skill resulted in postponement of the German invasion.

Deighton brings clarity to this complex period by breaking the story into four main themes. Keeping the daily events of the battle until last, his prepatory chapters show vividly what the pilots faced and what factors led to victory or defeat. Readers of his fiction know how well he presents characters. This historical account also displays that talent admirably. Commanders, pilots, ground forces all come to life in his depiction. There are both good and bad at all levels and he pulls no punches in discussing them all.

To those who feel Fighter is simply 'military history', it must be stressed that the Summer of 1940 was a magnificent expression of human endeavour. Pilot and crew bravery, tenacity in striving for goals on both sides is presented with Deighton's fine prose. Deighton shows that today's world would be drastically different had the Luftwaffe succeeded in its attempt to clear the way for an invasion. This book is a choice selection for an understanding of what the Battle of Britain was all about.

Battle of Britain Brought to Life, 12 Jan 2002
I started this book hoping for a potted history of the BoB, as my own was sorely lacking. Yet I dreaded a constant barrage of statistics and technical details. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find them relegated to mere background detail, as they should be. This allowed me to focus on the men involved, at both the top and in the air.

I praise Deighton for having the honesty to tell a largely English readership that the Battle was seen as having little consequence with German High Command, and in particular Hitler. To be truthful enough to admit that it was almost a propoganda battle, rather than a vital strategic military one was extremely brave. Deighton then delighted me by going on to describe the bitter political wranglings that were occuring in the background on both sides. I could not believe the treatment of Dowding for one.

Although I have read more engaging military accounts of other WWII battles ("Stalingrad" springs to mind), I still enjoyed ploughing through it. A lot of this was due to the logical progression of events leading up to, and during the Battle itself. I recommend this to anyone, who like I did, wanted a clearer idea of why so much was owed by so many to so few.

A competent retelling of the Battle of Britain story, 26 Feb 2000
Deighton explains the story well, from setting the stage with the major characters and background, to a detailed post-match analysis. His style is neutral, balanced and critical of the decision makers of the time, and he is not afraid of puncturing a few balloons along the way.

Unfortunately his work lacks originality. I picked up Deighton's book a week after finishing 'Duel of Eagles' by Peter Townsend (first published in 1969), which told exactly the same story in a similar pattern, analysed the facts in the same way and came to exactly the same conclusions! Townsend was a hurricane pilot caught up in the thick of the fighting and his accounts buzz with energy. Not only that, but Townsend cast his net wider, travelling and interviewing in the 1960's participants for whom the battle was still a recent and shattering memory. Uniquely, he weaves the strands of history from the perspectives of himself and his friends, of published history, and also of his wartime adverseries. Townsend went to Germany, tracked down and befriended the very individuals he had exchanged machine gun fire with in 1940, and then made their stories part of his own.

It was hard when reading Deighton's book, not to compare it page by page with Townsend's and I'm afraid Deighton's book suffers. It isn't badly written, but Townsend's just has so much more of the kind of stuff which stirs the soul.

Deighton scores a couple of points: he explains the German command structure very clearly. I hadn't understood it at all from Townsend. He also adds some interesting details about the relative merits of the opposing aircraft armament systems at the time. In every other respect 'Fighter' seems little more than an abridged and sterilised version of 'Duel of Eagles'.

I would strongly recommend 'Fighter', but only if you can't get 'Duel of Eagles'.

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

A book that makes every moment real, 13 Apr 2007
By writing from the spies viewpoint Deighton actually makes you feel part of the action. You have to work it out as his un-named character does. He paints a detailed picture but at times this seems unnatural - these are not he things you would remember and that is why I only give it four stars, because the ending does not feel real - you feel a little bit tricked.

What they never tell you is how FUNNY this book is., 08 Sep 2000
Deighton has given his nameless narrator a wry, dry wit. Even if you don't like spy stories (and this one's a cracker), the style will grip you. I'm going to have to read it again.

Deighton, Chesterton and the nature of war, 11 Jun 2008
Every so often, unscrupulous pacifists and their kin, bent on protecting some totalitarian government (North Vietnam) or murderous dictatorship (Saddam's Iraq), will play upon popular ignorance about the nature of war. Well-intentioned people can be turned against a necessary and good war by those who place a one-sided emphasis on the confusion, folly, and horror that are a feature of all wars.

Len Deighton's book is a good counter to that manipulation. It subtitle's itself, "An Objective Look at World War II," and for the most part that's true. Americans might like to believe that we had the best tanks in World War II. Anyone who reads Deighton will discover that, if you had to fight in a tank-to-tank encounter, you'd be better off in a Russian T-34 than in a Sherman. In similar fashion, he demolishes any illusions readers might have that Allied strategy was always as wise as we might hope or that Axis strategy was always as foolish as Hitler sometimes made it.

G. K. Chesterton warned of the dangers of this sort of ignorance. Noting that we need to stretch "our imagination to the scale of the war," avoiding the twin evils of exultation and depression, he added, "To be elated when a village is captured in the morning, and cast down again in the afternoon -- this is not to follow the course of a war. It is simply to be ignorant of the very nature of a war." Both the defenders and critics of the Iraqi war would do well to heed his advice.

Although no war as complex as WWII can be covered in a single book, this book will stretch your imagination, allowing you view war realistically for what it is and without being deceived by the distortions of either jingoists or pacifists.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

The bumblers' crusade, 19 Aug 2005
A generation of self-congratulatory propaganda about the Crusade in Europe was rudely jolted by two books written by hard-minded historians. The first, A.J.P. Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War, scythed away the view that Hitler was solely responsible for western Europe's greatest political error. The second is this result of Len Deighton's extensive research on the politics, diplomacy and mechanics of that conflict.

Blood, Tears and Folly may be considered an off-shoot of his other works, both fiction and non-fiction, on the years prior to the war and of the actual fighting. He rightly subtitles this book "An Objective Look" in response to the many years of laudatory histories and memoirs deluging both the reading public and history classrooms. Deighton has a realistic view of history, dealing carefully and dispassionately with the issues at all levels. He knows that success in war is often due to chance decisions. He also knows, and tells us clearly, that the decision-makers must reach their conclusions from an informed and dispassionate foundation. This isn't a common feature among military "leaders" and probably even more rare among politicians dealing in foreign affairs.

This book is more than a journalist's account of an historical period. It's a clarion call to keep a watchful eye on your leaders. Too often, and certainly in the period of this book, long-term policies remain unconsidered while striving to accomplish immediate gains. Prejudices abound, guiding men into foolish decisions for which many will pay the ultimate price.

Deighton appears to be whacking the British here. However, keep in mind that the Empire of Victoria Regina remained the dominant force in the world and the British never tired of saying so. That attitude was the pivotal folly of British politicians, although America's buying into the idea was just as foolish. If anything made World War II inevitable instead of the aberration logic suggests it should be, it's this outlook. The world, particularly Western European nations, resented Britain's arrogance. It had led in large part to World War I. Unable to learn anything from the causes of that conflict, British policies simply repeated old mistakes in new ways, a misplaced pride leading to a new fall.

Deighton manages to carefully balance Britain's short sighted attitude about European affairs with various other elements that will impact the course of the war. He has an exceptional ability to make what ought to be the most mundane topics, machines and technologies, into fascinating elements of the story. Familiar to us now, things like radar and rockets were innovations then and their successes were due to the people working with them. Deighton's ability to delve into the personal viewpoint adds significantly to the enjoyment of this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Blood,Tears and Folly; an objective view of world war II, 05 Apr 2005
I have never read any of len deighton's previous work but this book gives the reader a real empathy of world leading upto and including the second world war.The narrative has the same effect as reading a fiction novel and so makes it easy to follow, this is what i have enjoyed about reading the book. I would recomend this book for any person who wants to read a good unbiased factual account of this time period, even if history is not a subject they would normally choose books about.

Excellent Read, 14 Feb 2005
Having only been aware of the author from his fictional work ( although I had not read any of these ) , I was intrigued at reading a fiction author's interpretation of the historical events around the first three years of WW II .

His writing is excellent , with an objective view of the mistakes and triumphs of both sides . The detail is extra-ordinary , but the book itself is not an onerous read .

Having read several books detailing this period of the twentieth century , I would say that if you are only to read one book on the beginning of World War II , then make it this one .

A superb introduction to World War II., 20 Mar 2002
As a newcomer to the leisure reading of military history I found Len Deighton's book extremely interesting, utterly digestable and, most important of all, very difficult to put down! Each chapter tells a story in its own right and ,for once, useful descriptions and details of much of the important materiel of war is included.

Three months that changed the world, 05 Jan 2006
This is the most valuable summary in print of the RAF's challenge to Nazi Germany's invasion plans for the British Isles. Beginning by describing how 'history is swamped by patriotic myths about the summer of 1940', Deighton invalidates any theories of heroes versus villains in this account. The Nazi war machine swept across Western Europe in a stunning series of victories. Only the English Channel and the RAF remained as the final barriers to invasion. It was the Luftwaffe's burden to remove the second obstacle leaving the first to be crossed with minimal opposition. Deighton's excellent account shows how close the Luftwaffe came to success. In fact, credit for the RAF's accomplishment may well come to rest on the shoulders of one man, Hugh Dowding.

Deighton takes us through the background of weapons development, from radar to the tracer bullet, explaining how the two sides were closely matched in technology. The long-standing dispute over whether the Bf109 or the Spitfire was superior rests only on how far the pilots were prepared to push their aircraft. The number of pilots in opposition are another matter. For every active RAF pilot, the Germans had four fighter pilots or bomber crews, ranging from central France to the Norwegian coast.. Deighton explains how Dowding husbanded his resources, enabling him to keep sending aircraft against the bomber fleets. All logic suggested the RAF should have been destroyed, but Dowding's strategy and pilot skill resulted in postponement of the German invasion.

Deighton brings clarity to this complex period by breaking the story into four main themes. Keeping the daily events of the battle until last, his prepatory chapters show vividly what the pilots faced and what factors led to victory or defeat. Readers of his fiction know how well he presents characters. This historical account also displays that talent admirably. Commanders, pilots, ground forces all come to life in his depiction. There are both good and bad at all levels and he pulls no punches in discussing them all.

To those who feel Fighter is simply 'military history', it must be stressed that the Summer of 1940 was a magnificent expression of human endeavour. Pilot and crew bravery, tenacity in striving for goals on both sides is presented with Deighton's fine prose. Deighton shows that today's world would be drastically different had the Luftwaffe succeeded in its attempt to clear the way for an invasion. This book is a choice selection for an understanding of what the Battle of Britain was all about.

Battle of Britain Brought to Life, 12 Jan 2002
I started this book hoping for a potted history of the BoB, as my own was sorely lacking. Yet I dreaded a constant barrage of statistics and technical details. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find them relegated to mere background detail, as they should be. This allowed me to focus on the men involved, at both the top and in the air.

I praise Deighton for having the honesty to tell a largely English readership that the Battle was seen as having little consequence with German High Command, and in particular Hitler. To be truthful enough to admit that it was almost a propoganda battle, rather than a vital strategic military one was extremely brave. Deighton then delighted me by going on to describe the bitter political wranglings that were occuring in the background on both sides. I could not believe the treatment of Dowding for one.

Although I have read more engaging military accounts of other WWII battles ("Stalingrad" springs to mind), I still enjoyed ploughing through it. A lot of this was due to the logical progression of events leading up to, and during the Battle itself. I recommend this to anyone, who like I did, wanted a clearer idea of why so much was owed by so many to so few.

A competent retelling of the Battle of Britain story, 26 Feb 2000
Deighton explains the story well, from setting the stage with the major characters and background, to a detailed post-match analysis. His style is neutral, balanced and critical of the decision makers of the time, and he is not afraid of puncturing a few balloons along the way.

Unfortunately his work lacks originality. I picked up Deighton's book a week after finishing 'Duel of Eagles' by Peter Townsend (first published in 1969), which told exactly the same story in a similar pattern, analysed the facts in the same way and came to exactly the same conclusions! Townsend was a hurricane pilot caught up in the thick of the fighting and his accounts buzz with energy. Not only that, but Townsend cast his net wider, travelling and interviewing in the 1960's participants for whom the battle was still a recent and shattering memory. Uniquely, he weaves the strands of history from the perspectives of himself and his friends, of published history, and also of his wartime adverseries. Townsend went to Germany, tracked down and befriended the very individuals he had exchanged machine gun fire with in 1940, and then made their stories part of his own.

It was hard when reading Deighton's book, not to compare it page by page with Townsend's and I'm afraid Deighton's book suffers. It isn't badly written, but Townsend's just has so much more of the kind of stuff which stirs the soul.

Deighton scores a couple of points: he explains the German command structure very clearly. I hadn't understood it at all from Townsend. He also adds some interesting details about the relative merits of the opposing aircraft armament systems at the time. In every other respect 'Fighter' seems little more than an abridged and sterilised version of 'Duel of Eagles'.

I would strongly recommend 'Fighter', but only if you can't get 'Duel of Eagles'.

"The Book that Lives twice", 12 Aug 2008
Thank goodness the banning of this book that resulted in the pulping of the 1st edition has been overturned.
This excellent book tells the story of the 1st attempt to make a Bond film that resulted in the scripts that were partially cannibalised for the novel "Thunderball"
The main meat is the unsucessful attempts by Kevin McClory to set up a Bond film and the court case that resulted from the accusations of plagiarism of the scripts for Fleming's novel. Sellers paints a fascinating picture of a film world that was intrigued by James Bond but never enough to put serious money or commitment into it.
It becomes clear that despite an positive start to the venture Fleming and his mate Bryce fell out with McClory and they ended up as a group who couldn't work together.
One of the possible reasons that the Ian Fleming Trust saw red with this book may be because no one emerges with much credit. Fleming did plagiarise to some extent but given there is nothing ever stating his position we'll never know quite how aware he was of his position.
The book goes on past the court case to detail the making of Thunderball and Never say Never Again, plus the lengthy development of the orginal incarnation of Never, Warhead. The story is brought up to date with the further attempts to make new versions of Thunderball and McClory's final attempt to gain some control over the Bond franchise.

Interesting things emerging include the potential involvment of Hitchcock, how much Connery clearly liked McClory, the fact that the original screenwriter Jack Whittingham lost the most of all (he liked Fleming but felt he had to support McClory's court case and having been paid for his work never got anything out of it)and how little there was in place supporting McClory's post Never attempts to make a new Bond film.

Lengthy summaries are available for Fleming's treatments, Whittingham's scripts and the Warhead script.

If you are a fan of 007 books, films or both then this is a must have.

Here's hoping Robert Sellers does a similar volume on Casino Royale!
Thunderball (Penguin Viking Lit Fiction)James Bond - Thunderball (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) [1965]Never Say Never Again [1983]

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

A book that makes every moment real, 13 Apr 2007
By writing from the spies viewpoint Deighton actually makes you feel part of the action. You have to work it out as his un-named character does. He paints a detailed picture but at times this seems unnatural - these are not he things you would remember and that is why I only give it four stars, because the ending does not feel real - you feel a little bit tricked.

What they never tell you is how FUNNY this book is., 08 Sep 2000
Deighton has given his nameless narrator a wry, dry wit. Even if you don't like spy stories (and this one's a cracker), the style will grip you. I'm going to have to read it again.

Deighton, Chesterton and the nature of war, 11 Jun 2008
Every so often, unscrupulous pacifists and their kin, bent on protecting some totalitarian government (North Vietnam) or murderous dictatorship (Saddam's Iraq), will play upon popular ignorance about the nature of war. Well-intentioned people can be turned against a necessary and good war by those who place a one-sided emphasis on the confusion, folly, and horror that are a feature of all wars.

Len Deighton's book is a good counter to that manipulation. It subtitle's itself, "An Objective Look at World War II," and for the most part that's true. Americans might like to believe that we had the best tanks in World War II. Anyone who reads Deighton will discover that, if you had to fight in a tank-to-tank encounter, you'd be better off in a Russian T-34 than in a Sherman. In similar fashion, he demolishes any illusions readers might have that Allied strategy was always as wise as we might hope or that Axis strategy was always as foolish as Hitler sometimes made it.

G. K. Chesterton warned of the dangers of this sort of ignorance. Noting that we need to stretch "our imagination to the scale of the war," avoiding the twin evils of exultation and depression, he added, "To be elated when a village is captured in the morning, and cast down again in the afternoon -- this is not to follow the course of a war. It is simply to be ignorant of the very nature of a war." Both the defenders and critics of the Iraqi war would do well to heed his advice.

Although no war as complex as WWII can be covered in a single book, this book will stretch your imagination, allowing you view war realistically for what it is and without being deceived by the distortions of either jingoists or pacifists.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

The bumblers' crusade, 19 Aug 2005
A generation of self-congratulatory propaganda about the Crusade in Europe was rudely jolted by two books written by hard-minded historians. The first, A.J.P. Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War, scythed away the view that Hitler was solely responsible for western Europe's greatest political error. The second is this result of Len Deighton's extensive research on the politics, diplomacy and mechanics of that conflict.

Blood, Tears and Folly may be considered an off-shoot of his other works, both fiction and non-fiction, on the years prior to the war and of the actual fighting. He rightly subtitles this book "An Objective Look" in response to the many years of laudatory histories and memoirs deluging both the reading public and history classrooms. Deighton has a realistic view of history, dealing carefully and dispassionately with the issues at all levels. He knows that success in war is often due to chance decisions. He also knows, and tells us clearly, that the decision-makers must reach their conclusions from an informed and dispassionate foundation. This isn't a common feature among military "leaders" and probably even more rare among politicians dealing in foreign affairs.

This book is more than a journalist's account of an historical period. It's a clarion call to keep a watchful eye on your leaders. Too often, and certainly in the period of this book, long-term policies remain unconsidered while striving to accomplish immediate gains. Prejudices abound, guiding men into foolish decisions for which many will pay the ultimate price.

Deighton appears to be whacking the British here. However, keep in mind that the Empire of Victoria Regina remained the dominant force in the world and the British never tired of saying so. That attitude was the pivotal folly of British politicians, although America's buying into the idea was just as foolish. If anything made World War II inevitable instead of the aberration logic suggests it should be, it's this outlook. The world, particularly Western European nations, resented Britain's arrogance. It had led in large part to World War I. Unable to learn anything from the causes of that conflict, British policies simply repeated old mistakes in new ways, a misplaced pride leading to a new fall.

Deighton manages to carefully balance Britain's short sighted attitude about European affairs with various other elements that will impact the course of the war. He has an exceptional ability to make what ought to be the most mundane topics, machines and technologies, into fascinating elements of the story. Familiar to us now, things like radar and rockets were innovations then and their successes were due to the people working with them. Deighton's ability to delve into the personal viewpoint adds significantly to the enjoyment of this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Blood,Tears and Folly; an objective view of world war II, 05 Apr 2005
I have never read any of len deighton's previous work but this book gives the reader a real empathy of world leading upto and including the second world war.The narrative has the same effect as reading a fiction novel and so makes it easy to follow, this is what i have enjoyed about reading the book. I would recomend this book for any person who wants to read a good unbiased factual account of this time period, even if history is not a subject they would normally choose books about.

Excellent Read, 14 Feb 2005
Having only been aware of the author from his fictional work ( although I had not read any of these ) , I was intrigued at reading a fiction author's interpretation of the historical events around the first three years of WW II .

His writing is excellent , with an objective view of the mistakes and triumphs of both sides . The detail is extra-ordinary , but the book itself is not an onerous read .

Having read several books detailing this period of the twentieth century , I would say that if you are only to read one book on the beginning of World War II , then make it this one .

A superb introduction to World War II., 20 Mar 2002
As a newcomer to the leisure reading of military history I found Len Deighton's book extremely interesting, utterly digestable and, most important of all, very difficult to put down! Each chapter tells a story in its own right and ,for once, useful descriptions and details of much of the important materiel of war is included.

Three months that changed the world, 05 Jan 2006
This is the most valuable summary in print of the RAF's challenge to Nazi Germany's invasion plans for the British Isles. Beginning by describing how 'history is swamped by patriotic myths about the summer of 1940', Deighton invalidates any theories of heroes versus villains in this account. The Nazi war machine swept across Western Europe in a stunning series of victories. Only the English Channel and the RAF remained as the final barriers to invasion. It was the Luftwaffe's burden to remove the second obstacle leaving the first to be crossed with minimal opposition. Deighton's excellent account shows how close the Luftwaffe came to success. In fact, credit for the RAF's accomplishment may well come to rest on the shoulders of one man, Hugh Dowding.

Deighton takes us through the background of weapons development, from radar to the tracer bullet, explaining how the two sides were closely matched in technology. The long-standing dispute over whether the Bf109 or the Spitfire was superior rests only on how far the pilots were prepared to push their aircraft. The number of pilots in opposition are another matter. For every active RAF pilot, the Germans had four fighter pilots or bomber crews, ranging from central France to the Norwegian coast.. Deighton explains how Dowding husbanded his resources, enabling him to keep sending aircraft against the bomber fleets. All logic suggested the RAF should have been destroyed, but Dowding's strategy and pilot skill resulted in postponement of the German invasion.

Deighton brings clarity to this complex period by breaking the story into four main themes. Keeping the daily events of the battle until last, his prepatory chapters show vividly what the pilots faced and what factors led to victory or defeat. Readers of his fiction know how well he presents characters. This historical account also displays that talent admirably. Commanders, pilots, ground forces all come to life in his depiction. There are both good and bad at all levels and he pulls no punches in discussing them all.

To those who feel Fighter is simply 'military history', it must be stressed that the Summer of 1940 was a magnificent expression of human endeavour. Pilot and crew bravery, tenacity in striving for goals on both sides is presented with Deighton's fine prose. Deighton shows that today's world would be drastically different had the Luftwaffe succeeded in its attempt to clear the way for an invasion. This book is a choice selection for an understanding of what the Battle of Britain was all about.

Battle of Britain Brought to Life, 12 Jan 2002
I started this book hoping for a potted history of the BoB, as my own was sorely lacking. Yet I dreaded a constant barrage of statistics and technical details. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find them relegated to mere background detail, as they should be. This allowed me to focus on the men involved, at both the top and in the air.

I praise Deighton for having the honesty to tell a largely English readership that the Battle was seen as having little consequence with German High Command, and in particular Hitler. To be truthful enough to admit that it was almost a propoganda battle, rather than a vital strategic military one was extremely brave. Deighton then delighted me by going on to describe the bitter political wranglings that were occuring in the background on both sides. I could not believe the treatment of Dowding for one.

Although I have read more engaging military accounts of other WWII battles ("Stalingrad" springs to mind), I still enjoyed ploughing through it. A lot of this was due to the logical progression of events leading up to, and during the Battle itself. I recommend this to anyone, who like I did, wanted a clearer idea of why so much was owed by so many to so few.

A competent retelling of the Battle of Britain story, 26 Feb 2000
Deighton explains the story well, from setting the stage with the major characters and background, to a detailed post-match analysis. His style is neutral, balanced and critical of the decision makers of the time, and he is not afraid of puncturing a few balloons along the way.

Unfortunately his work lacks originality. I picked up Deighton's book a week after finishing 'Duel of Eagles' by Peter Townsend (first published in 1969), which told exactly the same story in a similar pattern, analysed the facts in the same way and came to exactly the same conclusions! Townsend was a hurricane pilot caught up in the thick of the fighting and his accounts buzz with energy. Not only that, but Townsend cast his net wider, travelling and interviewing in the 1960's participants for whom the battle was still a recent and shattering memory. Uniquely, he weaves the strands of history from the perspectives of himself and his friends, of published history, and also of his wartime adverseries. Townsend went to Germany, tracked down and befriended the very individuals he had exchanged machine gun fire with in 1940, and then made their stories part of his own.

It was hard when reading Deighton's book, not to compare it page by page with Townsend's and I'm afraid Deighton's book suffers. It isn't badly written, but Townsend's just has so much more of the kind of stuff which stirs the soul.

Deighton scores a couple of points: he explains the German command structure very clearly. I hadn't understood it at all from Townsend. He also adds some interesting details about the relative merits of the opposing aircraft armament systems at the time. In every other respect 'Fighter' seems little more than an abridged and sterilised version of 'Duel of Eagles'.

I would strongly recommend 'Fighter', but only if you can't get 'Duel of Eagles'.

"The Book that Lives twice", 12 Aug 2008
Thank goodness the banning of this book that resulted in the pulping of the 1st edition has been overturned.
This excellent book tells the story of the 1st attempt to make a Bond film that resulted in the scripts that were partially cannibalised for the novel "Thunderball"
The main meat is the unsucessful attempts by Kevin McClory to set up a Bond film and the court case that resulted from the accusations of plagiarism of the scripts for Fleming's novel. Sellers paints a fascinating picture of a film world that was intrigued by James Bond but never enough to put serious money or commitment into it.
It becomes clear that despite an positive start to the venture Fleming and his mate Bryce fell out with McClory and they ended up as a group who couldn't work together.
One of the possible reasons that the Ian Fleming Trust saw red with this book may be because no one emerges with much credit. Fleming did plagiarise to some extent but given there is nothing ever stating his position we'll never know quite how aware he was of his position.
The book goes on past the court case to detail the making of Thunderball and Never say Never Again, plus the lengthy development of the orginal incarnation of Never, Warhead. The story is brought up to date with the further attempts to make new versions of Thunderball and McClory's final attempt to gain some control over the Bond franchise.

Interesting things emerging include the potential involvment of Hitchcock, how much Connery clearly liked McClory, the fact that the original screenwriter Jack Whittingham lost the most of all (he liked Fleming but felt he had to support McClory's court case and having been paid for his work never got anything out of it)and how little there was in place supporting McClory's post Never attempts to make a new Bond film.

Lengthy summaries are available for Fleming's treatments, Whittingham's scripts and the Warhead script.

If you are a fan of 007 books, films or both then this is a must have.

Here's hoping Robert Sellers does a similar volume on Casino Royale!
Thunderball (Penguin Viking Lit Fiction)James Bond - Thunderball (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) [1965]Never Say Never Again [1983]


A really good account, 07 Dec 2000
This book is a really good starting point for any one wishing to look at the period between the rise to power of Hitler and the fall of France. It goes through the history of the period, with indepth breakdowns on the major areas. However, what's probably the best part of the book is the parts where the author compares the weapons and tactics employed in the period of both the French and German as well as the other countries, Begium etc involved. Really a very good book for getting the basics to build on. With lots of black & white photos. The only problem I had with this book was the limited time scale of it. It would have been nice if it continued after the fall of France.

Synopsis, 21 Sep 2007
A ferociously cool Cold War thriller from the author of The Ipcress File. Len Deighton's third novel has become a classic, as compelling and suspenseful now as when it first exploded on to the bestseller lists. In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West - for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage! Aso includes a Special Foreword by the Author

Gave Up After 130 Pages, 12 Apr 2005
I'm must have missed the allure of this book, as critics and Amazon reviewers alike seem to like this 'classic' "un-spy" type of spy novel. But the writing is mediocre at best, but at least light-hearted, and the plot doesn't seem to evolve throughout the pages I read ... in other words it didn't hook me or keep me interested, so I moved on to the worthier unread books on my bookshelf...

one of the best books of the spy master, 25 May 2001
Welcome to the dark realm of betrayals, double cross and intrigue. Nobody is who they seem to be. Epigraphs to each part are simplest chess rules - at the first chapter, for instance, it states that in chess players go one after another. Closer to the middle of the book one feels the urge to go back and check with previous rules, 'cos suddenly they are important! The period and topic is thoroughly researched - even from my post-"Empire of Evil" background. Pity there are only 5 stars - I would give more to this book! If you do not like spy novels - try this one. I know - I hooked my girlfriend via this novel (she used to consider spy novels as an inferior sub-literature before :)

Vintage Deighton, 19 Oct 1998
This is one of Deighton's best; the plot is superb and full of the usual twists that are his trademark. This book is thoroughly researched and a tremendous read. I thoroughly recommend it.

Destroyers, 27 Mar 2006
This is a very large compelation of first hand accounts by the people who were there. Taking each year of the war in turn it includes a very informative overview of the year by Admiral J.B.Hervey RN. A must for anyone interested in Naval history or just curious about life aboard ship. Added a personal touch to well documented history from the mess decks up. In a similar vein to Max Authur's 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'. Just make sure you've got plenty of time to read it, its nearly 600 pages long!

A book that makes every moment real, 13 Apr 2007
By writing from the spies viewpoint Deighton actually makes you feel part of the action. You have to work it out as his un-named character does. He paints a detailed picture but at times this seems unnatural - these are not he things you would remember and that is why I only give it four stars, because the ending does not feel real - you feel a little bit tricked.

What they never tell you is how FUNNY this book is., 08 Sep 2000
Deighton has given his nameless narrator a wry, dry wit. Even if you don't like spy stories (and this one's a cracker), the style will grip you. I'm going to have to read it again.

Deighton, Chesterton and the nature of war, 11 Jun 2008
Every so often, unscrupulous pacifists and their kin, bent on protecting some totalitarian government (North Vietnam) or murderous dictatorship (Saddam's Iraq), will play upon popular ignorance about the nature of war. Well-intentioned people can be turned against a necessary and good war by those who place a one-sided emphasis on the confusion, folly, and horror that are a feature of all wars.

Len Deighton's book is a good counter to that manipulation. It subtitle's itself, "An Objective Look at World War II," and for the most part that's true. Americans might like to believe that we had the best tanks in World War II. Anyone who reads Deighton will discover that, if you had to fight in a tank-to-tank encounter, you'd be better off in a Russian T-34 than in a Sherman. In similar fashion, he demolishes any illusions readers might have that Allied strategy was always as wise as we might hope or that Axis strategy was always as foolish as Hitler sometimes made it.

G. K. Chesterton warned of the dangers of this sort of ignorance. Noting that we need to stretch "our imagination to the scale of the war," avoiding the twin evils of exultation and depression, he added, "To be elated when a village is captured in the morning, and cast down again in the afternoon -- this is not to follow the course of a war. It is simply to be ignorant of the very nature of a war." Both the defenders and critics of the Iraqi war would do well to heed his advice.

Although no war as complex as WWII can be covered in a single book, this book will stretch your imagination, allowing you view war realistically for what it is and without being deceived by the distortions of either jingoists or pacifists.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

The bumblers' crusade, 19 Aug 2005
A generation of self-congratulatory propaganda about the Crusade in Europe was rudely jolted by two books written by hard-minded historians. The first, A.J.P. Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War, scythed away the view that Hitler was solely responsible for western Europe's greatest political error. The second is this result of Len Deighton's extensive research on the politics, diplomacy and mechanics of that conflict.

Blood, Tears and Folly may be considered an off-shoot of his other works, both fiction and non-fiction, on the years prior to the war and of the actual fighting. He rightly subtitles this book "An Objective Look" in response to the many years of laudatory histories and memoirs deluging both the reading public and history classrooms. Deighton has a realistic view of history, dealing carefully and dispassionately with the issues at all levels. He knows that success in war is often due to chance decisions. He also knows, and tells us clearly, that the decision-makers must reach their conclusions from an informed and dispassionate foundation. This isn't a common feature among military "leaders" and probably even more rare among politicians dealing in foreign affairs.

This book is more than a journalist's account of an historical period. It's a clarion call to keep a watchful eye on your leaders. Too often, and certainly in the period of this book, long-term policies remain unconsidered while striving to accomplish immediate gains. Prejudices abound, guiding men into foolish decisions for which many will pay the ultimate price.

Deighton appears to be whacking the British here. However, keep in mind that the Empire of Victoria Regina remained the dominant force in the world and the British never tired of saying so. That attitude was the pivotal folly of British politicians, although America's buying into the idea was just as foolish. If anything made World War II inevitable instead of the aberration logic suggests it should be, it's this outlook. The world, particularly Western European nations, resented Britain's arrogance. It had led in large part to World War I. Unable to learn anything from the causes of that conflict, British policies simply repeated old mistakes in new ways, a misplaced pride leading to a new fall.

Deighton manages to carefully balance Britain's short sighted attitude about European affairs with various other elements that will impact the course of the war. He has an exceptional ability to make what ought to be the most mundane topics, machines and technologies, into fascinating elements of the story. Familiar to us now, things like radar and rockets were innovations then and their successes were due to the people working with them. Deighton's ability to delve into the personal viewpoint adds significantly to the enjoyment of this book. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Blood,Tears and Folly; an objective view of world war II, 05 Apr 2005
I have never read any of len deighton's previous work but this book gives the reader a real empathy of world leading upto and including the second world war.The narrative has the same effect as reading a fiction novel and so makes it easy to follow, this is what i have enjoyed about reading the book. I would recomend this book for any person who wants to read a good unbiased factual account of this time period, even if history is not a subject they would normally choose books about.

Excellent Read, 14 Feb 2005
Having only been aware of the author from his fictional work ( although I had not read any of these ) , I was intrigued at reading a fiction author's interpretation of the historical events around the first three years of WW II .

His writing is excellent , with an objective view of the mistakes and triumphs of both sides . The detail is extra-ordinary , but the book itself is not an onerous read .

Having read several books detailing this period of the twentieth century , I would say that if you are only to read one book on the beginning of World War II , then make it this one .

A superb introduction to World War II., 20 Mar 2002
As a newcomer to the leisure reading of military history I found Len Deighton's book extremely interesting, utterly digestable and, most important of all, very difficult to put down! Each chapter tells a story in its own right and ,for once, useful descriptions and details of much of the important materiel of war is included.

Three months that changed the world, 05 Jan 2006
This is the most valuable summary in print of the RAF's challenge to Nazi Germany's invasion plans for the British Isles. Beginning by describing how 'history is swamped by patriotic myths about the summer of 1940', Deighton invalidates any theories of heroes versus villains in this account. The Nazi war machine swept across Western Europe in a stunning series of victories. Only the English Channel and the RAF remained as the final barriers to invasion. It was the Luftwaffe's burden to remove the second obstacle leaving the first to be crossed with minimal opposition. Deighton's excellent account shows how close the Luftwaffe came to success. In fact, credit for the RAF's accomplishment may well come to rest on the shoulders of one man, Hugh Dowding.

Deighton takes us through the background of weapons development, from radar to the tracer bullet, explaining how the two sides were closely matched in technology. The long-standing dispute over whether the Bf109 or the Spitfire was superior rests only on how far the pilots were prepared to push their aircraft. The number of pilots in opposition are another matter. For every active RAF pilot, the Germans had four fighter pilots or bomber crews, ranging from central France to the Norwegian coast.. Deighton explains how Dowding husbanded his resources, enabling him to keep sending aircraft against the bomber fleets. All logic suggested the RAF should have been destroyed, but Dowding's strategy and pilot skill resulted in postponement of the German invasion.

Deighton brings clarity to this complex period by breaking the story into four main themes. Keeping the daily events of the battle until last, his prepatory chapters show vividly what the pilots faced and what factors led to victory or defeat. Readers of his fiction know how well he presents characters. This historical account also displays that talent admirably. Commanders, pilots, ground forces all come to life in his depiction. There are both good and bad at all levels and he pulls no punches in discussing them all.

To those who feel Fighter is simply 'military history', it must be stressed that the Summer of 1940 was a magnificent expression of human endeavour. Pilot and crew bravery, tenacity in striving for goals on both sides is presented with Deighton's fine prose. Deighton shows that today's world would be drastically different had the Luftwaffe succeeded in its attempt to clear the way for an invasion. This book is a choice selection for an understanding of what the Battle of Britain was all about.

Battle of Britain Brought to Life, 12 Jan 2002
I started this book hoping for a potted history of the BoB, as my own was sorely lacking. Yet I dreaded a constant barrage of statistics and technical details. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find them relegated to mere background detail, as they should be. This allowed me to focus on the men involved, at both the top and in the air.

I praise Deighton for having the honesty to tell a largely English readership that the Battle was seen as having little consequence with German High Command, and in particular Hitler. To be truthful enough to admit that it was almost a propoganda battle, rather than a vital strategic military one was extremely brave. Deighton then delighted me by going on to describe the bitter political wranglings that were occuring in the background on both sides. I could not believe the treatment of Dowding for one.

Although I have read more engaging military accounts of other WWII battles ("Stalingrad" springs to mind), I still enjoyed ploughing through it. A lot of this was due to the logical progression of events leading up to, and during the Battle itself. I recommend this to anyone, who like I did, wanted a clearer idea of why so much was owed by so many to so few.

A competent retelling of the Battle of Britain story, 26 Feb 2000
Deighton explains the story well, from setting the stage with the major characters and background, to a detailed post-match analysis. His style is neutral, balanced and critical of the decision makers of the time, and he is not afraid of puncturing a few balloons along the way.

Unfortunately his work lacks originality. I picked up Deighton's book a week after finishing 'Duel of Eagles' by Peter Townsend (first published in 1969), which told exactly the same story in a similar pattern, analysed the facts in the same way and came to exactly the same conclusions! Townsend was a hurricane pilot caught up in the thick of the fighting and his accounts buzz with energy. Not only that, but Townsend cast his net wider, travelling and interviewing in the 1960's participants for whom the battle was still a recent and shattering memory. Uniquely, he weaves the strands of history from the perspectives of himself and his friends, of published history, and also of his wartime adverseries. Townsend went to Germany, tracked down and befriended the very individuals he had exchanged machine gun fire with in 1940, and then made their stories part of his own.

It was hard when reading Deighton's book, not to compare it page by page with Townsend's and I'm afraid Deighton's book suffers. It isn't badly written, but Townsend's just has so much more of the kind of stuff which stirs the soul.

Deighton scores a couple of points: he explains the German command structure very clearly. I hadn't understood it at all from Townsend. He also adds some interesting details about the relative merits of the opposing aircraft armament systems at the time. In every other respect 'Fighter' seems little more than an abridged and sterilised version of 'Duel of Eagles'.

I would strongly recommend 'Fighter', but only if you can't get 'Duel of Eagles'.

"The Book that Lives twice", 12 Aug 2008
Thank goodness the banning of this book that resulted in the pulping of the 1st edition has been overturned.
This excellent book tells the story of the 1st attempt to make a Bond film that resulted in the scripts that were partially cannibalised for the novel "Thunderball"
The main meat is the unsucessful attempts by Kevin McClory to set up a Bond film and the court case that resulted from the accusations of plagiarism of the scripts for Fleming's novel. Sellers paints a fascinating picture of a film world that was intrigued by James Bond but never enough to put serious money or commitment into it.
It becomes clear that despite an positive start to the venture Fleming and his mate Bryce fell out with McClory and they ended up as a group who couldn't work together.
One of the possible reasons that the Ian Fleming Trust saw red with this book may be because no one emerges with much credit. Fleming did plagiarise to some extent but given there is nothing ever stating his position we'll never know quite how aware he was of his position.
The book goes on past the court case to detail the making of Thunderball and Never say Never Again, plus the lengthy development of the orginal incarnation of Never, Warhead. The story is brought up to date with the further attempts to make new versions of Thunderball and McClory's final attempt to gain some control over the Bond franchise.

Interesting things emerging include the potential involvment of Hitchcock, how much Connery clearly liked McClory, the fact that the original screenwriter Jack Whittingham lost the most of all (he liked Fleming but felt he had to support McClory's court case and having been paid for his work never got anything out of it)and how little there was in place supporting McClory's post Never attempts to make a new Bond film.

Lengthy summaries are available for Fleming's treatments, Whittingham's scripts and the Warhead script.

If you are a fan of 007 books, films or both then this is a must have.

Here's hoping Robert Sellers does a similar volume on Casino Royale!
Thunderball (Penguin Viking Lit Fiction)James Bond - Thunderball (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) [1965]Never Say Never Again [1983]


A really good account, 07 Dec 2000
This book is a really good starting point for any one wishing to look at the period between the rise to power of Hitler and the fall of France. It goes through the history of the period, with indepth breakdowns on the major areas. However, what's probably the best part of the book is the parts where the author compares the weapons and tactics employed in the period of both the French and German as well as the other countries, Begium etc involved. Really a very good book for getting the basics to build on. With lots of black & white photos. The only problem I had with this book was the limited time scale of it. It would have been nice if it continued after the fall of France.

A timeless classic, 17 Sep 2000
Deighton has surpassed even his normally high quality work with this post-World War II thriller. Weaving a compelling tale of finance, intrigue and history, he draws the reader into the story with subtle proficiency. This departure from his established run of 'spy' novels was an inspired decision. It's a shame this book isn't on the active inventory here.

The story recalls the recovery of hidden Nazi gold, art and documents by American soldiers at the end of World War II in Europe. Some of the soldiers seize the opportunity to filch some of the treasure, setting up a Swiss bank. The real prize, however, resides in the documents - they possess a secret from the early days of the war. The pivotal point of the story, the secret is sought by many, each with their own focus. It's a compelling idea, given impetus by the 'discovery' of a set of 'Hitler's Journals' a few years ago. The bogus Journals don't detract from Deighton's quite credible suggestion hidden in the documents' pages.

Without taking anything away from the plot, it is Deighton's characters that remain his strong point. In this book he conveys unalloyed identity to a diverse cast of participants from the US, Germany, the UK and Russia. None of them fails to convince the reader of their authenticity. You come to know them intimately, even the unpleasant ones. Strangely, the weakest character is the British Intelligence agent, Boyd Stuart. Remoulding Bernard Samson into Stuart would have been transparent, l