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Brodick Cold War Thriller #1
Spy Game
February 1981. The Cold War is in full swing. Richard Brodick decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and seeks an exciting role in what used to be called the Great Game, only to find that it turns out to be less of an adventure and more brutal betrayal.
What he had thought would be an adventure spying on the Soviets and their Afghan communist allies turns sour when he’s ordered to kill his best friend. Will he betray his country or his friend? Which side will he choose?
What he had thought would be an adventure spying on the Soviets and their Afghan communist allies turns sour when he’s ordered to kill his best friend. Will he betray his country or his friend? Which side will he choose?
260 pages, Paperback
Published March 8, 2021
141 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
John Fullerton
15 books55 followersJohn Fullerton worked briefly during the Cold War as a 'contract labourer' for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, an episode that fired up his interest in fictional espionage. He failed spectacularly in his efforts as a farmer in Zimbabwe and as a trainee financial manager in Cape Town. As a newspaperman, freelance journalist and then Reuters correspondent, he lived or worked in 40 countries and covered a dozen wars. The latter provided some of the settings for his fiction, including Beirut and Sarajevo. His latest thriller, Emperor, was published in 2022. He has an MA with distinction in Buddhist Studies and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at Roehampton University in 2006/7.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 24, 2021
Many moons ago I read a Balkan set thriller called The Monkey House which was exceptionally good, but for one reason or another John Fullerton had dropped off my book radar. So it was with some delight that I’ve had the chance to reacquaint myself with his writing with this his newest thriller, Spy Game…
It’s always incredibly satisfying to read fiction that is so underpinned with the sense of the author having ‘walked the walk and talked the talk’ and this is what Fullerton delivers in spades in the fictional world he creates. Having had extensive experience in the British Secret Intelligence Service and as a journalist, Fullerton uses both of these career paths to give his writing a vivid and visceral reality, and enabling the reader to feel the raw authenticity of the book. This was very much appreciated as the Afghan-Soviet conflict is a slice of history that I was relatively unfamiliar with on embarking on this book, leading me to feel at its close that I had learned much of the conflicting sides, and also of how other nations were drawn into the war, manipulating situations and individuals for their own ends. There is much skulduggery, plotting and scheming along the way…
Fullerton’s depiction of the contrasting settings of Pakistan and Afghanistan are infused with a journalist’s eye, and as he compares and contrasts the landscapes of both we are transported from the barren, rocky outposts of a land in the grip of conflict, and the bustling, noisy environs of Peshawar and Islamabad. There was also a wry commentary on the way that the British protagonists operating in Pakistan had managed to create their own little England, similar to the bad old days of the Raj in India, with its own rarefied atmosphere. As Richard Brodick navigates his new path as “an amateur spy and an amateur reporter” in these contrasting worlds, we are taken along with him discovering them for ourselves, and the inherent dangers, both physical or moral that await him.
Brodick is an entirely empathetic character, eager to follow in his father’s footsteps as a spy of some renown, but also to conduct himself in a way that feels morally right to himself, despite the machinations of his changing handlers. As we observe him gaining in confidence as he seeks to recruit valuable sources of information, there is a strand of defiance in his character, which leads to some bad outcomes, and causes him moments of pause as to his chosen career in intelligence. Unlike some authors of these type of thrillers, whose central characters seem to be entirely lacking in fear or empathy, Fullerton succeeds in giving us a more rounded and believable protagonist, who experiences fear, doubt and self questioning, which succeeds in lifting this book above the convenient label of a spy thriller, and bolstering the tension and sense of danger as Brodick goes about his covert activities. He certainly experiences more than his face share of mental and physical discomfort as he criss-crosses the Afghan border, and navigates the nefarious activities that his handlers wish him to participate in to garner information and also to spread misinformation about those that they consider enemies of the state. There is a strong element of pathos to the book as some of those that Brodick connects with are often the victims of this dark world of double-dealing and espionage.
It was really good to reconnect with Fullerton’s work with Spy Game after my long hiatus, and I hope to catch up with the other books in the fullness of time, as his writing is so realistic and seems more vital and authentic due to his own experiences and observations that so evidently inform his books. Cut through with action, danger, the nature of conflict, and insights into the British Intelligence Service, this was a wholly satisfying thriller. Recommended.
It’s always incredibly satisfying to read fiction that is so underpinned with the sense of the author having ‘walked the walk and talked the talk’ and this is what Fullerton delivers in spades in the fictional world he creates. Having had extensive experience in the British Secret Intelligence Service and as a journalist, Fullerton uses both of these career paths to give his writing a vivid and visceral reality, and enabling the reader to feel the raw authenticity of the book. This was very much appreciated as the Afghan-Soviet conflict is a slice of history that I was relatively unfamiliar with on embarking on this book, leading me to feel at its close that I had learned much of the conflicting sides, and also of how other nations were drawn into the war, manipulating situations and individuals for their own ends. There is much skulduggery, plotting and scheming along the way…
Fullerton’s depiction of the contrasting settings of Pakistan and Afghanistan are infused with a journalist’s eye, and as he compares and contrasts the landscapes of both we are transported from the barren, rocky outposts of a land in the grip of conflict, and the bustling, noisy environs of Peshawar and Islamabad. There was also a wry commentary on the way that the British protagonists operating in Pakistan had managed to create their own little England, similar to the bad old days of the Raj in India, with its own rarefied atmosphere. As Richard Brodick navigates his new path as “an amateur spy and an amateur reporter” in these contrasting worlds, we are taken along with him discovering them for ourselves, and the inherent dangers, both physical or moral that await him.
Brodick is an entirely empathetic character, eager to follow in his father’s footsteps as a spy of some renown, but also to conduct himself in a way that feels morally right to himself, despite the machinations of his changing handlers. As we observe him gaining in confidence as he seeks to recruit valuable sources of information, there is a strand of defiance in his character, which leads to some bad outcomes, and causes him moments of pause as to his chosen career in intelligence. Unlike some authors of these type of thrillers, whose central characters seem to be entirely lacking in fear or empathy, Fullerton succeeds in giving us a more rounded and believable protagonist, who experiences fear, doubt and self questioning, which succeeds in lifting this book above the convenient label of a spy thriller, and bolstering the tension and sense of danger as Brodick goes about his covert activities. He certainly experiences more than his face share of mental and physical discomfort as he criss-crosses the Afghan border, and navigates the nefarious activities that his handlers wish him to participate in to garner information and also to spread misinformation about those that they consider enemies of the state. There is a strong element of pathos to the book as some of those that Brodick connects with are often the victims of this dark world of double-dealing and espionage.
It was really good to reconnect with Fullerton’s work with Spy Game after my long hiatus, and I hope to catch up with the other books in the fullness of time, as his writing is so realistic and seems more vital and authentic due to his own experiences and observations that so evidently inform his books. Cut through with action, danger, the nature of conflict, and insights into the British Intelligence Service, this was a wholly satisfying thriller. Recommended.
March 13, 2021
This was a cracking read. I love the darker, more realistic side of the Spy Genre - I'm more Le Carré than Fleming - so this suited me down to the ground. It had just the right balance of pace, tension, realistic detail and historical context. Not suprising really as I understand that the author, John Fullerton, used to be in the 'spy game' himself.
I have already recommended this to lots of friends and I'm hoping that there will be a sequel coming along soon...
I have already recommended this to lots of friends and I'm hoping that there will be a sequel coming along soon...
March 8, 2021
John Fullerton’s “Spy Game” is a vivid, gripping novel that succeeds in several ways. It’s one part “Boy’s Own” adventure yarn, one part self-aware critique of a young man seeking such adventure, and one part vivid remembrance of derring-do and disillusion as an aspirant spy on either side of the Afghan-Pakistan border during the Cold War.
Fullerton knows whereof he speaks, and it’s the immediacy of details that lends authenticity to “Spy Game.” It could be the stench of his minders as our hero, Brodick, begins a clandestine trip into Afghanistan - mutton fat, sweat and dirty feet, as the author pungently records it - or the silvery glint he observes on well-worn parts of an Afghan fighter’s AK-47, where the gunmetal has lost its steel-blue patina. Brodick himself comes to smell as bad and lose his sheen just as much, in time. This spy’s life is more about crab lice than chilled cocktails.
The protagonist starts off with one love interest (himself and his adventure) but acquires another (Mélusine, a transient French doctor) in the course of learning first-hand just how murky and life-shattering the world he has half-glibly entered can get. She crosses his firmament like a shooting star, at times talking like a projection of Brodick’s own maturing psyche, but in the end endowed with her own intense arc and frustrated purpose.
Fullerton has fun with the gaggle of British spooks training Brodick and sending him off to war, sketching them with a dash of Le Carré’s skewering tone and capturing the jargon as they convene for treffs - not meetings - to discuss his progress. They want to see if he can ever be as good at the Great Game as we learn his legendary father was, and in his bildungsroman mode Fullerton allows Brodick to come to terms with that particular monkey on his back in a way that surprised this reader as the book’s final twists and turns unwound.
“Spy Game” raises serious questions about the purpose and sincerity of the anti-Soviet escapades of Britain, the USA and others in Afghanistan during the Cold War, and about the true value of spying and journalism in such conflicts. Brodick does one (spying) while pretending to do the other (journalism) - itself an ethically fraught subterfuge that can place real reporters in danger. Brodick stumbles through other moral minefields too, preferring to his credit to protect a friend instead of obeying questionable orders to do the opposite. Somehow he emerges smelling of roses at the end even amid failure - the perfect career skill. His further adventures, in the upcoming “Spy Dragon” and beyond, should be quite a ride.
Fullerton knows whereof he speaks, and it’s the immediacy of details that lends authenticity to “Spy Game.” It could be the stench of his minders as our hero, Brodick, begins a clandestine trip into Afghanistan - mutton fat, sweat and dirty feet, as the author pungently records it - or the silvery glint he observes on well-worn parts of an Afghan fighter’s AK-47, where the gunmetal has lost its steel-blue patina. Brodick himself comes to smell as bad and lose his sheen just as much, in time. This spy’s life is more about crab lice than chilled cocktails.
The protagonist starts off with one love interest (himself and his adventure) but acquires another (Mélusine, a transient French doctor) in the course of learning first-hand just how murky and life-shattering the world he has half-glibly entered can get. She crosses his firmament like a shooting star, at times talking like a projection of Brodick’s own maturing psyche, but in the end endowed with her own intense arc and frustrated purpose.
Fullerton has fun with the gaggle of British spooks training Brodick and sending him off to war, sketching them with a dash of Le Carré’s skewering tone and capturing the jargon as they convene for treffs - not meetings - to discuss his progress. They want to see if he can ever be as good at the Great Game as we learn his legendary father was, and in his bildungsroman mode Fullerton allows Brodick to come to terms with that particular monkey on his back in a way that surprised this reader as the book’s final twists and turns unwound.
“Spy Game” raises serious questions about the purpose and sincerity of the anti-Soviet escapades of Britain, the USA and others in Afghanistan during the Cold War, and about the true value of spying and journalism in such conflicts. Brodick does one (spying) while pretending to do the other (journalism) - itself an ethically fraught subterfuge that can place real reporters in danger. Brodick stumbles through other moral minefields too, preferring to his credit to protect a friend instead of obeying questionable orders to do the opposite. Somehow he emerges smelling of roses at the end even amid failure - the perfect career skill. His further adventures, in the upcoming “Spy Dragon” and beyond, should be quite a ride.
March 8, 2021
John Fullerton’s hero this time is a spy, or trainee spy, masquerading as a Reuters reporter. As opposed to Fullerton himself, who for some twenty years actually was a Reuters man while doubling as what in the trade is called a ‘contract labourer’ for MI6. So he knows what he is talking about. Especially when Spy Game is set on an old patch of his, the Pakistan/Afghan border.
March 11, 2021
His best book yet.
Not a high paced thriller, but a very rewarding read. A satisfying conclusion and richly observed characters, time, place and culture.
The author's lived experience brings much to the writing and it's authenticity holds one's attention throughout. Fiction with a very rewarding historical accuracy and a good story too.
Not a high paced thriller, but a very rewarding read. A satisfying conclusion and richly observed characters, time, place and culture.
The author's lived experience brings much to the writing and it's authenticity holds one's attention throughout. Fiction with a very rewarding historical accuracy and a good story too.
March 8, 2021
Meet Richard Brodick, Spy Game's all-too-human protagonist: he is a man haunted by the ghost of his deceased father, an apparently well-respected and successful British spy who was active during WWII. He is determined to follow in his father's footsteps and become an intelligence officer in Her Majesty's secret service (SIS), a profession that, ironically, Brodick Sr. discouraged him from pursuing.
We find Brodick in 1980s Pakistan working as a SIS contract worker disguised as a freelance journalist. His mission is to build an intelligence network that will provide useful information on Soviet activities in hard-to-access Afghanistan. If he plays his cards right and impresses his masters, he will be granted full-time membership into the SIS club.
Brodick convinces himself that he is doing his patriotic duty, that he is fighting a noble war against the Soviets just as his father fought the Nazis. It will also be a grand adventure, he thinks. He is soon disabused of his romantic notions. This struggle is a dishonest and dirty proxy war between the West and the Soviet Union in pursuit of global supremacy and influence. They don't really give a fig that it is poor, hapless Afghanistan that is paying the bill with the lives of its people.
The world of espionage is one that is ruled by paranoia, betrayal, deception and danger. You can't trust anyone, not even your own employers. Today's allies are tomorrow's enemies. Everyone uses everyone else. You are watched and followed and your life is often under threat. News reporting in conflict-ridden zones also poses its own perils and challenges, but the thrill and exhilaration that comes from surviving near-death encounters in these two worlds is highly addictive and Brodick is hooked.
He relishes his double life as a spy and journalist and is determined to excel at both. Most of the time, the two professions complement each other but when those interests collide Brodick, interestingly, chooses to favour his journalist persona. He cannot resist publishing a good story even if that exposes certain inconvenient truths embarrassing to London and Washington and goes against the wishes of his bosses. To me, this revealed Brodick's greater respect for the journalist's trade and made him highly sympathetic.
As he navigates his way through the murky spy world, he realizes that there are certain lines that he is not prepared to cross, even if it means sacrificing his professional ambitions. The dramatic opening chapter has Brodick disobeying the order of his SIS masters to assassinate an elderly Afghani professor he has befriended and helping him instead to escape to neutral Sweden. From there, the novel goes back in time to trace the two-year journey that brought Brodick to his decision to defy that killing order. The action moves at a smooth and steady pace, propelled by clear, incisive prose that grips your attention and engages your interest. You also receive a good snapshot of the situation in Afghanistan at that time that is enlightening without being overwhelming.
By the end of the novel, a more cynical Brodick emerges after having received a hefty dose of the cold realities that make up the spy game.
We find Brodick in 1980s Pakistan working as a SIS contract worker disguised as a freelance journalist. His mission is to build an intelligence network that will provide useful information on Soviet activities in hard-to-access Afghanistan. If he plays his cards right and impresses his masters, he will be granted full-time membership into the SIS club.
Brodick convinces himself that he is doing his patriotic duty, that he is fighting a noble war against the Soviets just as his father fought the Nazis. It will also be a grand adventure, he thinks. He is soon disabused of his romantic notions. This struggle is a dishonest and dirty proxy war between the West and the Soviet Union in pursuit of global supremacy and influence. They don't really give a fig that it is poor, hapless Afghanistan that is paying the bill with the lives of its people.
The world of espionage is one that is ruled by paranoia, betrayal, deception and danger. You can't trust anyone, not even your own employers. Today's allies are tomorrow's enemies. Everyone uses everyone else. You are watched and followed and your life is often under threat. News reporting in conflict-ridden zones also poses its own perils and challenges, but the thrill and exhilaration that comes from surviving near-death encounters in these two worlds is highly addictive and Brodick is hooked.
He relishes his double life as a spy and journalist and is determined to excel at both. Most of the time, the two professions complement each other but when those interests collide Brodick, interestingly, chooses to favour his journalist persona. He cannot resist publishing a good story even if that exposes certain inconvenient truths embarrassing to London and Washington and goes against the wishes of his bosses. To me, this revealed Brodick's greater respect for the journalist's trade and made him highly sympathetic.
As he navigates his way through the murky spy world, he realizes that there are certain lines that he is not prepared to cross, even if it means sacrificing his professional ambitions. The dramatic opening chapter has Brodick disobeying the order of his SIS masters to assassinate an elderly Afghani professor he has befriended and helping him instead to escape to neutral Sweden. From there, the novel goes back in time to trace the two-year journey that brought Brodick to his decision to defy that killing order. The action moves at a smooth and steady pace, propelled by clear, incisive prose that grips your attention and engages your interest. You also receive a good snapshot of the situation in Afghanistan at that time that is enlightening without being overwhelming.
By the end of the novel, a more cynical Brodick emerges after having received a hefty dose of the cold realities that make up the spy game.
June 18, 2021
Spy Game is set primarily in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan, with forays into Afghanistan and along the border areas. The locations are fleshed out in great detail, where you are drawn into the sites, smells and feeling of the locales and the diverse ethnicities of the region. The complex web of resistance groups, their allegiances, and the numerous tribal groups of Afghanistan are weaved together, each playing a role, giving the reader not only a cracking spy story but an expert history lesson in the complexities of Afghanistan and its inhabitants (also Pakistan). Not to mention the murky dealings of the great powers and their intelligence agencies.
Many novels set in this area fall into the usual cliche, mainly based on the ‘gung ho’ modern wars fought in Afghanistan. Which I suspect comes down to the authors of such novels’ limited understanding of the region. It is very clear that this book is NOT that type of novel and very apparent that the author has traveled and lived in the area and knows his subject matter very well. Which only adds to the authenticity and credibility. Overall, a complex espionage novel that entertains and leaves you with a sense of knowing more about the world.
Many novels set in this area fall into the usual cliche, mainly based on the ‘gung ho’ modern wars fought in Afghanistan. Which I suspect comes down to the authors of such novels’ limited understanding of the region. It is very clear that this book is NOT that type of novel and very apparent that the author has traveled and lived in the area and knows his subject matter very well. Which only adds to the authenticity and credibility. Overall, a complex espionage novel that entertains and leaves you with a sense of knowing more about the world.
April 3, 2021
Like any intelligence operation, a great piece of espionage fiction relies on the ability to piece together intricate pieces of an elaborate puzzle—one that is glued together by the virtue, deceit, sheer terror of the spy business. And, like any great espionage storyteller in the tradition of Le Carré and Forsyth, writing from the heart and personal experience requires the reference points only gleamed from a personal and shadowy past of service in the intelligence fraternity and John Fullerton’s masterful Spy Game is the type of book that such a warrior could write.
An intricate tale of deception and manipulation, Spy Game is both tragic and exhilarating, an epic tale of adventure set amid the backdrop of a nation few understand and fewer wish to think about, and yet remains vital to world events. Spy Game reinforces the reality of the intelligence business—James Bonds are few and far between. Intelligence-gathering is the domain of those sources who are often turned inside out in a duplicitous world with few rewards and danger at every turn. - Samuel M. Katz - NY Times Best-Selling Author of UNDER FIRE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ATTACK IN BENGHAZI
An intricate tale of deception and manipulation, Spy Game is both tragic and exhilarating, an epic tale of adventure set amid the backdrop of a nation few understand and fewer wish to think about, and yet remains vital to world events. Spy Game reinforces the reality of the intelligence business—James Bonds are few and far between. Intelligence-gathering is the domain of those sources who are often turned inside out in a duplicitous world with few rewards and danger at every turn. - Samuel M. Katz - NY Times Best-Selling Author of UNDER FIRE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ATTACK IN BENGHAZI
March 9, 2021
Spy Game is about as far from James Bond as you can get without tripping over Le Carre or Len Deighton. A well-written foray into the tale of a novice who tries to get an entree into the spy business by extracting intelligence from informants of varying reliability in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, Spy Game is about how the protagonist doggedly comes to terms with his very conflicted self, shaped by a remote military father, a wife with whom he has parted ways, and lashings of British class resentment, superiority, and alienation. John Fullerton, author of the raw and tightly plotted book The Monkey House (set in Bosnia during the mid-1990s conflict), is a former journalist who adroitly harnesses his knowledge of the Afghan war to masterfully write graphic accounts of sorties into the rugged and unforgiving terrain with bands of mujahideen resistance fighters, spiced with delightful personal observations and humorously sketched characters. Easy to read and well crafted, Spy Game adeptly sets up the opening for a series of proposed Brodick espionage novels.
March 7, 2021
If you want a true depiction of the Cold War & not the glamorous Hollywood versions of being a spy, then this is it.
February 1981. The Cold War is in full swing. Richard Brodick decides to follow in his father's footsteps, leaving an unhappy marriage, in search of adventure.
What he finds is the brutal reality of life in the British Secret Intelligence Service, based in Pakistan and Afghanistan watching the Russians, trying to gain the trust of those he meets and in return trusting them. He soon realises that he is in a virtually impossible position and needs to rely on his instincts.
Due to the background of the author, Spy Game deals with the complexities of this war in a straightforward and very informative way. It is not fanciful but it is a work of fiction, Brodick’s situation draws you in and you can’t help but sympathise with his dilemma.
He is ordered to kill his best friend. Will he? Read and find out.
February 1981. The Cold War is in full swing. Richard Brodick decides to follow in his father's footsteps, leaving an unhappy marriage, in search of adventure.
What he finds is the brutal reality of life in the British Secret Intelligence Service, based in Pakistan and Afghanistan watching the Russians, trying to gain the trust of those he meets and in return trusting them. He soon realises that he is in a virtually impossible position and needs to rely on his instincts.
Due to the background of the author, Spy Game deals with the complexities of this war in a straightforward and very informative way. It is not fanciful but it is a work of fiction, Brodick’s situation draws you in and you can’t help but sympathise with his dilemma.
He is ordered to kill his best friend. Will he? Read and find out.
March 9, 2021
+Convincing psychological thriller+
A vivid evocation of the murky truths of spying and reporting. The two have conflicting priorities (remaining concealed versus seeking attention) but one common theme - a dependence on access to power. The novel’s young protagonist, a classic outsider, does both jobs. Though apparently a natural at either, he finds himself hamstrung by moral objections. Torn between resistance and getting ahead, his search for ideals puts his life on the line. The gritty realism - both of the premise and Fullerton’s writing - is way more compelling than Afghanistan war porn, or the florid vignettes of Shantaram. I look forward to the character's next incarnation.
A vivid evocation of the murky truths of spying and reporting. The two have conflicting priorities (remaining concealed versus seeking attention) but one common theme - a dependence on access to power. The novel’s young protagonist, a classic outsider, does both jobs. Though apparently a natural at either, he finds himself hamstrung by moral objections. Torn between resistance and getting ahead, his search for ideals puts his life on the line. The gritty realism - both of the premise and Fullerton’s writing - is way more compelling than Afghanistan war porn, or the florid vignettes of Shantaram. I look forward to the character's next incarnation.
March 7, 2021
From the start the reader is plunged into Brodick’s first assignment in what he believes will be an adventure. His baptism in the role of British spy couldn’t be further from the truth. Set during the early 80s in Soviet occupied Afghanistan and Pakistan border Brodick discovers the harsh reality of the role.
This is a book for hardcore spy enthusiasts, full of detail around a brutal period in the countries’ shared history. It’s not a long book nor a light read. There is no preamble, and although I would have liked Brodick’s character to be fleshed out, the complexity of relationships borne from suspicion and duplicity is explored through the story. The short choppy sentences keep you with him throughout. You hold your breath from start to finish.
This is a book for hardcore spy enthusiasts, full of detail around a brutal period in the countries’ shared history. It’s not a long book nor a light read. There is no preamble, and although I would have liked Brodick’s character to be fleshed out, the complexity of relationships borne from suspicion and duplicity is explored through the story. The short choppy sentences keep you with him throughout. You hold your breath from start to finish.
March 8, 2021
Fullerton's 'Spy Game' is as gritty and real as it gets, with the stench and menace of that bewitching, dangerous land that straddles the Afghan and Pakistani frontier, all amid the lethal and shifting loyalties of the last blood-drenched campaign of the Cold War.
This is a very impressive book; plot, setting and character all reek of authenticity. The author has been there and conveys the atmosphere superbly. I know Afghanistan and Peshawar, and had a long career in Cold War journalism. Having also been through amoebic dysentery, Fullerton's grim account of the stomach ailments that you can get around the Khyber Pass brought back some wretched and retching memories.
This is a very impressive book; plot, setting and character all reek of authenticity. The author has been there and conveys the atmosphere superbly. I know Afghanistan and Peshawar, and had a long career in Cold War journalism. Having also been through amoebic dysentery, Fullerton's grim account of the stomach ailments that you can get around the Khyber Pass brought back some wretched and retching memories.
March 30, 2021
Full disclosure, I worked with John Fullerton at Reuters and he was always a much-admired colleague -- but he made the transformation to novelist with ease with The Monkey House set in the Bosnian war -- a book I long thought deserved even greater recognition than it got.
With Spy Game, Fullerton is at his very best on a subject and area he knows well.
I can't recommend it enough -- in fact I can, and have been recommending it to everyone I know!
With Spy Game, Fullerton is at his very best on a subject and area he knows well.
I can't recommend it enough -- in fact I can, and have been recommending it to everyone I know!
April 21, 2021
An authentic tale of espionage told by a talented author who lived the reality
Too often thrillers are set in the same times and places, ending up as variations on a common theme. Happily, Spy Game covers untrod territory providing insight and information on a part of the world obscured by myth and lack of access.
What a delight to read a book that informs as well as entertains.
Too often thrillers are set in the same times and places, ending up as variations on a common theme. Happily, Spy Game covers untrod territory providing insight and information on a part of the world obscured by myth and lack of access.
What a delight to read a book that informs as well as entertains.
May 26, 2021
An enjoyable and credible spy thriller. An engaging central character who draws you in plus plenty of intrigue.
March 14, 2021
Excellent spy thriller that combines the duplicitous hierarchy familiar from Le Carré territory with the more earthy reality of espionage on the ground: the ever present atmosphere of smoke, diesel and dust. Air Supply provides the constant Muzak in hotels and ventures into dangerous territory come with the ever present risks of crab lice, vomiting and diarrhoea. James Bond territory this is not.
Fullerton is an old Afghan hand and writes with authority. He has a sense of humour, particularly in picturing the British boss class. He quickly immerses the reader in this unfamiliar geography and keeps the tension turned up right to the end.
Fullerton is an old Afghan hand and writes with authority. He has a sense of humour, particularly in picturing the British boss class. He quickly immerses the reader in this unfamiliar geography and keeps the tension turned up right to the end.
April 25, 2021
With intrigue, suspense, action and evocative descriptions of place, time and characters this is an excellent book: looking forward to Brodick' next posting.
May 30, 2021
Spy Game, draws in from the very .first chapter and proceeds to paint an insightful picture of Brodick and his foray into espionage while under the cloak of a war correspondent/journalist. The tale unfolds to provide the background behind his orders to betray his new found friend and the decisions Brodick has to make while carrying out his day job in Pakistan. There's also some wayward eyebrows! Read it. You won't be disappointed. Very descriptive and well told.
October 31, 2023
As it often happens with books written by journalists, Spy Game reads more like a reportage than a novel. The least one can say is that the style is matter-of-fact and realistic; someone harsher might define it dry as sand.
And Spy Game is more a realistic war reportage from Afghanistan than a classic spy thriller; the book tells the story of the beginning of the career of an SIS contract agent (by the way, it is vastly inspired by the author's own experience). So, being based on the "adventures" of an apprentice spy, the events are rather petty and less than gripping.
To be fair it has to be said that the book is well written and the story picks up a little in the last quarter; this is probably enough for me to give the author another shot.
Obviously John Fullerton has deep and extensive first hand knowledge of the matter he handles, and he does not shy away from showing it off, dispensing immoderate amounts of details.
The author takes pleasure in ripping up any remaining idea of British exceptionalism (of being not only different but superior by virtue of lineage, education and language). The quality of SIS leadership and professionalism is frequently and heavily questioned.
More broadly, he does not spare bitter criticism - both moral and military - to the British and American interventions in Afghanistan.
And Spy Game is more a realistic war reportage from Afghanistan than a classic spy thriller; the book tells the story of the beginning of the career of an SIS contract agent (by the way, it is vastly inspired by the author's own experience). So, being based on the "adventures" of an apprentice spy, the events are rather petty and less than gripping.
To be fair it has to be said that the book is well written and the story picks up a little in the last quarter; this is probably enough for me to give the author another shot.
Obviously John Fullerton has deep and extensive first hand knowledge of the matter he handles, and he does not shy away from showing it off, dispensing immoderate amounts of details.
The author takes pleasure in ripping up any remaining idea of British exceptionalism (of being not only different but superior by virtue of lineage, education and language). The quality of SIS leadership and professionalism is frequently and heavily questioned.
More broadly, he does not spare bitter criticism - both moral and military - to the British and American interventions in Afghanistan.
August 22, 2021
This is an incredibly 'real' story. The events that take place, and the characters involved make you think that they must be based on actual situations and people. Set in the early 80's in Afghanistan, our principle character, Richard Brodick is a man desperate to emulate his father and become a spy, finding out along the way that this does not always mean what he perhaps thought it did. The writing is tight and taught, the growing paranoia of being watched and wondering who you can trust is carried out effectively, and the ending is perfect. I've been reading this as the latest events in that war-torn country have been taking place which has given the story an even more poignant message. It seems that nothing really changes when it comes to politics.
All in all, a really well-written, exciting and interesting story that had me on the edge of my seat at times. Looking forward to Spy Dragon to see what happenes to Brodick next.
All in all, a really well-written, exciting and interesting story that had me on the edge of my seat at times. Looking forward to Spy Dragon to see what happenes to Brodick next.
February 9, 2022
A fantastic blend of straight from the horse's mouth tale of adventure, danger and intrigue with a thoughtful, engaging character study of what it takes to put yourself into this world and what it does to you. John Fullerton has clearly experienced at first hand most of the world in which his book takes place and it has a deeply authentic ring throughout. But he has brought the novelist's magic to what could otherwise have been a journalist's account, exploring the complexity of his main character and the impact of a life lived in high tension.
October 31, 2024
This guy might have spent time in the places he's writing about, but one thing is for sure. He's no novelist. This book is so clunky it's as if it's a first draft with parts written by different people and thrown together. In a genre overflowing with so many good options, give Spy Game an absolute wide birth!
November 22, 2021
Mixed feelings about this one. I just felt it never really clicked with me and as a result I didn't really enjoy reading it. I considered quitting several times but persevered. I may give it another go in the future
April 28, 2022
exceptional read
Can’t put it down. Great characters, especially the hero. Some twists and some doubt about who is doing what to whom….but the hero carries the day after failing his only friend. I loved the book!
Can’t put it down. Great characters, especially the hero. Some twists and some doubt about who is doing what to whom….but the hero carries the day after failing his only friend. I loved the book!
September 27, 2024
This was an awful book. Despite the claims made in the author bio it all seemed so very far fetched and under researched. Coupled with bigoted statements the author has made online make this book, and author, a BIG skip for me!
May 7, 2021
Realistic though a little slow, I'm afraid. Liked it overall.
August 1, 2021
A good start to what will hopefully be a very intriguing series. Looking forward to reading the next book- Spy Dragon.
November 5, 2021
Good Spy Novel
I !I've spy novels, so l picked this one because the description looked good. Once l started reading I was hooked. Well written, suspenseful novel.
I !I've spy novels, so l picked this one because the description looked good. Once l started reading I was hooked. Well written, suspenseful novel.
December 13, 2021
Realistic and compelling thriller as a young newcomer learns how to succeed and who to trust, mostly by making mistakes along the way. I would be keen to read more by this author.
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