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The Looking Glass War Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,388 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
With its nuanced portrayal of the nature of espionage—in all its contradictions—the fourth in John le Carré's George Smiley series is a compelling spy tale that brings the dangers of nostalgia front and center.
The Looking Glass War follows the Circus' foil in the British intelligence community: the Department.
In years past, the “Circus” oversaw political matters while their counterpart, the Department, dealt with intelligence more military in nature. These days, however, the Circus' influence looms large, while the Department is relegated to the doldrums of bureaucracy and red tape.
With the Cold War at a fever pitch, though, a potential assignment is only ever one defector–turned–informant away. Alerted to the possibility of missile activity from the Soviets on the West German border, the long stagnant Department leaps at the chance to restore some of their caché in the intelligence community.
Director Leclerc hunts down former field agent Fred Leiser and sends him beyond the wall to East Germany—tying the Department's fate to his.
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"Another good read from le Carre that focuses more on internal politics and putting an outdated Intelligence division out to pasture. It doesn't have the same glitz as some of the other stories that focus on meaningful operations but is entertaining nonetheless."
— Dan (4 out of 5 stars)
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“John Le Carré dominates the espionage form as no other writer has since Eric Ambler was at his peak.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
The Looking Glass War Listener Reviews
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" Blech. Only because the book was so short was I able to force myself to finish it. This was my first le Carre and may very well be my only le Carre. "
— L., 2/20/2014 -
" A side-lined military arm of British intelligence learns of a possible new Russian base behind the Iron Curtain. They decide to send in a Pole, now living in England, who worked as a spy during World War II to investigate. Smiley is only peripherally involved, lending what support he is allowed to by Control, and then cleaning up the mess. Another sad le Carre. "
— Pat, 2/3/2014 -
" Fun fantasy, and much better than I expected. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. "
— Heidi, 1/26/2014 -
" I enjoyed "The Constant Gardener," by the same author, but this one was really slow and in the end, not very satisfying. "
— Becca, 1/1/2014 -
" good story but not his best. "
— Jack, 12/14/2013 -
" The first LeCarre I read, it introduced me to spy novels. I was intrigued and continued to read anything he wrote. It gets better and better. The emotions evoked in the second half of the book are excruciating. Well written, and an early look at George Smiley. Worth a look. "
— Malette, 11/27/2013 -
" This one doesn't get the best reviews and it may have lost some of its bite in today's climate but I really enjoyed it. "
— Robert, 10/28/2013 -
" Not enough Smiley, enough said. "
— Kevin, 10/20/2013 -
" I didn't like this one as much as The Spy Who..., It was mad depressing, yo. "
— steve, 8/11/2013 -
" I generally like le Carre, but this one was pretty confusing and didn't have much of an ending. "
— Joseph, 7/13/2013 -
" What a writer. This story has to do with a military intellingence officer sent on a perilous mission. "
— Phillip, 6/16/2013 -
" This book is ok if you like cold war era spy drama. Makes you think about the nature of espionage, what is and is not known and who reacts to it and how, and what to do when something is not what it seems or goes wrong. "
— Steve, 3/23/2013 -
" an all time classic spy novel...fun stuff...i dont care for Le Carre's politics or cynical worldview, but he spins a good yarn... "
— Jonah, 3/9/2013 -
" Cynical look at a slice of cold war action. The story is full of deceit, egos and the search for something meaningful by the post-second world war characters. Cleverly written and feels all too real. "
— Helen, 2/11/2013 -
" Note to self: don't try to read Le Carre right before falling asleep. Still, Leiser and LeClerc, both losers in different ways, are beautifully realized characters. "
— Caro, 2/11/2013 -
" A reread. Don't remember it at all though. "
— Susan, 1/25/2013 -
" mine's actually the paperback but it has this cover. amazing book so far. "
— Chris, 1/8/2013 -
" Convoluted but still interesting Cold War spy story. Very little Smilely in this one "
— Lynne, 1/5/2013
About John le Carré
John le Carré, the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (1931–2020), was an English author of espionage novels. Eight of his novels made the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list between 1983 and 2017. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, his third book, secured him a worldwide reputation as one of the greatest spy novelists in history. Numerous major motion pictures have been made from his novels, as well as several television series. After attending the universities at Berne and Oxford, he taught at Eton and spent five years in the British Foreign Service, serving briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. Being a member of MI6 when he wrote his first novel, Call for the Dead in 1961 in Hamburg, it necessitated the use of a nom de plume, by which he continued to be known. His writing earned him several honorary doctorate degrees and the Somerset Maugham Award, the Goethe Medal, and the Olof Palme Prize.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.