Tool of the Trade

by Joe Haldeman

Nicholas Foley appears to be an ordinary American psychology professor. He is, in fact, a Russian spy, inserted into the United States after World War II, joining the American army, attending American universities, falling in love and marrying an American, but always in touch with his Soviet superiors. All he ever does in the way of spying is turn in the names of people who might be "turned." But then he makes his momentous discovery. He isolates an ultrasonic frequency that causes anyone within earshot to do whatever he is told. A few demonstrations send both the Russians and the Americans after Foley with a vengeance. Eluding both, Foley uses his tool to strike a blow for world peace, as envisioned by a Sixties hippie, his wife.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Science Fiction Fantasy

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

Brother of Jack C. Haldeman II

Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."

Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a spy/espionage suspense thriller, with somewhat peripheral sf trappings that aren't really integral to the plot. It's told from multiple viewpoints that seem overly complex. It's a fun page-turner, but not among my favorites of Haldeman's work.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

FLASH ALERT: On sale now: $2 Kindle! 1987 book.
Cold-war spy thriller with an unlikely (but well-done) sfnal twist: "hypnotism" that works on anyone, and is deadly. Haldeman is in top form here. I'm so glad I came across this one, on a dreary rainy afternoon.

The spy vs. spy stuff is great, and the pace is relentless. Fair warning: the book gets pretty grim. The hypnotism stuff doesn't get any more believable (sigh). For me, the air rather goes out of the tale when Nick and Valerie go to Leningrad for whirled peas . . . The deal he tricks out wasn't so different than what Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to, just before The End of the USSR. Then, they got Putin. My rating: 3.5 stars, recommended reading, especially for Haldeman fans. And blessedly short! For sure I got my $2 worth. The photo gallery is a nice bonus.

I have some non-spoiler Kindle highlights up here: https://www.goodreads.com/notes/23979...

[Tony Atkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tool of the Trade" belongs to a sub-genre of SF that could be called "Simon Says".

What if someone had the power to make other people do what they wanted, if free will came with an asterisk? This is entertaining source material that's mined over and over again in comic books (1 2.

For the story to work, there have to be limitations on the power, a class of people who are immune, or some other reason why life isn't infinitely easy for someone who can just order people to do what they want. This story is no different. It plays with the material, but only goes so far in exploring the limits.

Haldeman's take on this sub-genre interesting is notable for its Cold War setting, its spy-novel flair, and its ending (which I won't spoil). It's also yet another example of Haldeman's enduring skill as a writer, which lies in taking a slice or two of SF and applying it on a human scale, with both drama and humor mixed in. Even when his subject is the nature of the universe itself (as in "Forever Free"), he still fills his characters with desires, with intelligence, with a sense of humor.

[Sean Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without doubt, the best and most thrilling espionage story I have read in the last six months. not, perhaps, in the sense of a thriller in the traditional mould; after all, it's clear where the story is heading. The Humanity, the action, the backdrops both US and Russian and the sheer pace of the thing kept me turning pages until the very end.

Of course, should the leading nuclear proliferates decide to disarm themselves today, all it would take would be a single terrorist or even a trigger-happy president to annihilate the other. But a happy dream.

[KB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tool of the Trade presents an entertaining twist on the anachronistic Cold War spy-versus-spy genre. The science fiction element is limited to the titular deus ex machina, which, although explained early on, does not limit the narrative as much as one might predict. The split-perspective arrangement of chapters is a ham-fisted effort to shoehorn in exposition from beyond the primary protagonist's viewpoint, but overall the novel is fairly suspenseful and engaging.
Both the climax and the conclusion of the story offer the reader something unexpected and enjoyable.

[Graeme Dunlop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Nicholas Foley -- who was born Nikola Ulinov -- has a problem. He's a deep-cover Russian spy living in America. Several years ago, he accidentally invented a way to not just hypnotise, but command people to do whatever he says. He's been careful with it, but now the CIA are closing in on him, and his beloved wife Valerie has been kidnapped by... who? The CIA? the KGB? The FBI?

What does he do?

And what would you do with the power to command anyone?

These are the central questions of this book, "Tool of the Trade."

I remembered reading this over 25 years ago because I like most of Joe Haldeman's work. A friend recently went through an impromptu book sale and bought a copy for maybe $AUD2. He emailed me about how he'd bought a few books and this was one of them.

I then waxed lyrical about how I remembered this book, and could I please borrow it when he was done?

Well, he just gave it to me, before he'd read it himself. How good is it to have friends who understand books??

It is as good as I remembered, but I had forgotten quite a bit. I'd forgotten that Nick was Russian, but I remembered the end and it's as cool as when I first read it. I don't think all of that spy stuff would work anything like that today. But, this book was written in 1987 and if you can cast your mind back to that time, it holds up rather well. (I can. I'm that old.)

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haldeman, Joe. Tool of the Trade. Avon, 1988.
A Soviet sleeper agent acquires a simple ultrasonic tool that makes anyone do exactly what he says, no matter what. But in the end, he shows his controllers that all powerful weapons are double-edged. This is not really a spoiler because the fun is in the how, not the what. It has gained a bit of new relevance from the recent sonic attacks on U.S. diplomats. If you buy the premise, this is a well-told espionage story.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never know what Joe Haldeman is going to do to a SiFi story, but I do know I will enjoy the read. He always does an excellent job of combining SiFi with military fiction, Mystery and suspense and horror fiction. Now, in this book I get a SiFi and spy novel all blended together. Another excellent read, Very recommended

[Nathan Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent idea for a book, but felt like it could have been fleshed out better.

[Philipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

A product of the Cold War.

We have our protagonist who survived the siege of Leningrad and was then recruited to become a kind of sleeper agent in the US for the Soviets. He is linguistically talented, so he becomes a professor. With his wife (who thinks he's a regular American) he experiments with hypnosis, and accidentally invents a device that lets him control people using his voice only. He starts to abuse his machine slightly, so the CIA finds out about him; what follows is a cat-and-mouse game that ends with nuclear disarmament wait what.

It's a straightforward caper: the SF is light, there's a bit of criticism of communism, a bit of warmongering, but it's no The Forever War.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give writers a sort of blank check when they write something truly excellent that can extend over multiple mediocre books. If the result is adequate or at least pleasant, I'll keep reading. If the follow-ups are terrible, I'll give up. Ease of reading has a definite influence, so LeGuin and Delany have amazing books, but their less rewarding work also tends to take a lot more effort to read. Not so with Haldeman, who is always readable at the very least.

He's also kind of a stodgy writer and I felt at various times Tool of the Trade could have done with 50-75 fewer pages. It could have been a really sharp novella, but it's an 80's mass market paperback and was written with that in mind. It's occasionally thrilling and the sci-fi concept is occasionally clever. I liked the ending.

[Nate Hood · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. No major spoilers included.

My biggest issue with Tool of the Trade is that it jumps back and forth and the story is very nonlinear. Between the chapter swaps of perspective (Nick, Jacob, Valerie) and the plot itself, it becomes hard to follow. The story itself is weak and predictable, as if Joe had a beginning and ending but had to kind of spitball in the middle.

The concept of having a watch that can make people do what you want is a cool power, but Nick, being as intelligent as he is, risks everything for a temporary solution (will not spoil). Nick actually ends up doing worse things on the way to his final conclusion. I did not connect at all with any of the characters except for maybe Valerie. Everyone seemed too one-dimensional.

If you're a fan of Joe Haldeman, this might be one to skip.

[Rob Trans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tool is about a Russian sleeper agent during the Cold War who discovers, with his wife, a way to force most people to obey his commands. He doesn't do much with this power until it becomes clear he has been discovered by the CIA. He then uses the power to escape and start a new life. As a final gesture he also uses the power to something good.

The writing was competent, but I found the book to drag. The story is told from several perspectives, but only the main character's perspective was needed. I think this book could have been substantially shortened and thereby made more exciting. A long short story or a short novella would be about right.

When i get around to reading more of Halderman, I'll probably read the Forever War series. But, after this, I'm not in a hurry.

[Deb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really don't know WHY I read this book! Somehow, it made it into my little book of books to read. This will teach me to look at the synopsis BEFORE I order the book, even if it is on my list. It's a Russian spy-not-a-spy novel written in the late 80's. It's boring and I am really upset that I didn't listen to myself some 30 pages in when I knew I was not interested. But I stuck it out because it was supposed to have a shocking ending. NOPE. Wish I had the last 6 days back to have read something else!

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

First non SF book by Joe I've read, and it was well worth it. reminded me a little of the Invisble man, as it presents with a person with fantastic powers being hunted by goverment(s). great story, quick read. I enjoy JH's use of multiple points of view and voices to tell a yearn.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever book. Well worth the read.

[Andy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Good premise.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you see a book by Haldeman, it is usually a 4 stars or higher.

Strongly recommended.

[Rachel]

My review from 2006: Excellently written SF thriller, with American and Russian spies and an invention that gives its user almost unlimited power. Kidnapping, suspense, and true love.

[Kyrilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have yet to come across a bad book by Joe Haldeman and this was no exception. Terrific novel of espionage with a slight SF bent to it, set during the Cold War.

[Solim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 The first 120 pages were very suspenseful but then it dwindled out for the remaining 120. It was a spy/CIA/KGB thriller with a mild sci fi aspect to it.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haldeman's stories are generally variations on the theme of academics going to war. Usually, the outcome is peace, in so many different ways. In this case, it's a cold war novel, with our protagonist being a polyglot growing up in WW2 Leningrad, being trained as a KGB sleeper agent, who is installed as a psychology professor in Cambridge, MA to recruit communist sympathizers. (The author even jokes that this isn't hard, as anyone who's been to Cambridge will readily agree.) It's in the course of his research that our main character discovers a powerful new tool for persuading people, which he uses for good and bad.

It's a 3-star book because of the intricacy of the writing. Maybe it's the fact that I read it in fits and starts, but it was a complex book that required going back and re-reading to catch up on the litany of characters parading in front of you.

[Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books I've read recently by one of my preferred authors. This one was a little harder to track down as I had to get it via inter-library loan. I suspect it's because one of the main forces in the story - the KGB - no longer exists.

Set in the mid-late 80s, this is a character driven story about a man who discovers a unique ability and then finds himself being hunted by both the CIA and the KGB. The scifi element of the ability aside, the fleshing out of the characters and their influences makes this fairly quick read quite entertaining.

I'd recommend it despite the dated setting.
-g

[David Cain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pulpy, fast moving science-fiction espionage thriller. Although many of the characters are not well developed and some of the plot details are kind of ludicrous, this is nevertheless a really entertaining book. I guess the whole was better than the sum of its parts. The writing is solid and I recommend this as a quick and diverting read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty typical Joe Haldeman yarn - it's about the guy who has the power to change the world, and he does his damnedest to do the right thing. It hits a lot of the typical Haldeman tropes, but the tight storytelling makes this one a keeper.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you could control people's minds what would you do? Answer: start a night-life making pimps shoot themselves, and then combine it with your history as a spy to reduce the Soviet and U.S. nuclear arsenals.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a suspensful and fun book, bordering on scifi since we do not currently have (in the public eye) the technology it describes. It is also based on a land that no longer exists and makes the book all that more intriguing.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a science fiction story about the Cold War, set in the 1980s, this book has held up rather well, although I would now call it historical fantasy. The plot suffers from actually being two consecutive plots, but the writing is engaging.

[Dan Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome 1980s cold war spy / espionage + scifi thriller.