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The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk
Charlie Monk is the ultimate spy. He has no conscience, no fear--and no memory. Dr. Susan Flemyng thinks she may have found a way to give him his memory back. As the two of them embark on a series of experiments to recover Charlie's long-lost memory, they find something terrifying in the deepest recesses of his mind.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 7, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 17, 2017
An entertaining, possibly experimental book about a man who may be in a coma, or may be a secret agent, or possibly both. He doesn't know.
Occasionally confusing, but still engrossing.
Occasionally confusing, but still engrossing.
October 21, 2020
Entertaining with nice premise (which I won't spoil). Nice mix of James Bond-like action hero (actually an assassin) with some futuristic twists. Some scenes are quite memorable (like the one in the Chimps' cage), other parts are a bit confusing.
Some quotes:
“The key to brainwashing isn’t just wiping memories, it’s planting new ones. And the hardest kind of memory to plant is visual
memory. That’s where I came in. I’d discovered a way to plant visual images of things the brain had never seen before and
yet would recognize when they were encountered in reality. As a test, I even planted a picture of myself in your past—a past
that never existed
“I need some proof. Before I believe what you say, that I’m a chimpanzee, you’re going to have to prove it to me.”
Control looked at him awhile, still with a certain
You’re telling me my whole childhood never happened—the orphanage, none of it. Until the Farm.”
You’re not crazy, Charlie. You’re just learning how the world works. What can be done will be done. People argue over should and shouldn’t, but it makes no difference. If it can be done, it will
Chuang Tzu was a Chinese sage who lived twenty-five hundred years ago. He told once of how he dreamed he was a but- terfly,
and didn’t know when he awoke if he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly who now dreamed he was a man.
People have been telling that story ever since, because it represents something that mankind has always known instinctively—that
we can never be sure whether the outside world corresponds to the picture of it that we have in our head. We can’t even be
sure that the outside world is actually there. For all we know, we could be imagining it. We can’t prove it either way. And in the end it doesn’t matter. It makes no difference because the things we experience are the same whether
they’re coming to us or coming from us. They’re there, and that’s all that matters.”
Some quotes:
“The key to brainwashing isn’t just wiping memories, it’s planting new ones. And the hardest kind of memory to plant is visual
memory. That’s where I came in. I’d discovered a way to plant visual images of things the brain had never seen before and
yet would recognize when they were encountered in reality. As a test, I even planted a picture of myself in your past—a past
that never existed
“I need some proof. Before I believe what you say, that I’m a chimpanzee, you’re going to have to prove it to me.”
Control looked at him awhile, still with a certain
You’re telling me my whole childhood never happened—the orphanage, none of it. Until the Farm.”
You’re not crazy, Charlie. You’re just learning how the world works. What can be done will be done. People argue over should and shouldn’t, but it makes no difference. If it can be done, it will
Chuang Tzu was a Chinese sage who lived twenty-five hundred years ago. He told once of how he dreamed he was a but- terfly,
and didn’t know when he awoke if he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly who now dreamed he was a man.
People have been telling that story ever since, because it represents something that mankind has always known instinctively—that
we can never be sure whether the outside world corresponds to the picture of it that we have in our head. We can’t even be
sure that the outside world is actually there. For all we know, we could be imagining it. We can’t prove it either way. And in the end it doesn’t matter. It makes no difference because the things we experience are the same whether
they’re coming to us or coming from us. They’re there, and that’s all that matters.”
January 28, 2021
"[Wir können uns nie sicher sein], ob die Außenwelt tatsächlich existiert. Nach allem, was wir wissen, könnte sie auch bloße Einbildung sein." S.277
Dr. Susan Flemyng forscht an einem Amnesie-Patienten und versucht ihm sein Gedächtnis zurück zu geben.
Als ihr Mann stirbt und sie versucht herauszufinden, ob er ermordet wurde, wird Susan entführt. Von nun an soll sie an einem Geheimprojekt über Erinnerungsmanipulation sowie dem visuellen Gedächtnis teilnehmen. Doch irgendwann kollidiert die Realität mit der Simulation.
Gehirnwäsche Experimente beim Militär, James-Bond-Action, VirtualReality - und die alles entscheidende Frage: Was passiert eigentlich in diesem Buch? Was ist denn nun real und was nicht???
Der Einstieg war sanft, ein bisschen Gehirnforschung und einige Kapitel in denen ein Geheimagent Menschen killt. Doch Schlag auf Schlag eskaliert die Geschichte und ich wusste am Schluss absolut nicht mehr, was los war. Mein Hirni tut weh und braucht jetzt eine Pause.
Ich hätte nicht damit gerechnet, dass diese Story sich so entwickeln würde und so abgefahren gut werden könnte.
Man fühlt mit den Charakteren, ist gleichermaßen verwirrt und kann einfach an keiner Stelle vermuten, was als nächstes passiert. Genial!
Dr. Susan Flemyng forscht an einem Amnesie-Patienten und versucht ihm sein Gedächtnis zurück zu geben.
Als ihr Mann stirbt und sie versucht herauszufinden, ob er ermordet wurde, wird Susan entführt. Von nun an soll sie an einem Geheimprojekt über Erinnerungsmanipulation sowie dem visuellen Gedächtnis teilnehmen. Doch irgendwann kollidiert die Realität mit der Simulation.
Gehirnwäsche Experimente beim Militär, James-Bond-Action, VirtualReality - und die alles entscheidende Frage: Was passiert eigentlich in diesem Buch? Was ist denn nun real und was nicht???
Der Einstieg war sanft, ein bisschen Gehirnforschung und einige Kapitel in denen ein Geheimagent Menschen killt. Doch Schlag auf Schlag eskaliert die Geschichte und ich wusste am Schluss absolut nicht mehr, was los war. Mein Hirni tut weh und braucht jetzt eine Pause.
Ich hätte nicht damit gerechnet, dass diese Story sich so entwickeln würde und so abgefahren gut werden könnte.
Man fühlt mit den Charakteren, ist gleichermaßen verwirrt und kann einfach an keiner Stelle vermuten, was als nächstes passiert. Genial!
July 15, 2018
An interesting premise for a novel but unfortunately for me it turned out to be an all-shooting adventure thriller rather than a thought-provoking science fiction. Yes there were cliffhanger endings to chapters and twists galore but the predominance of punch-ups and chase scenes was not what I had expected and therefore left me a little disappointed.
June 10, 2022
Not my favorite of David Ambrose's books, all of which are different from each other. But it kept my interest to the end, which is sometimes all you can expect from a book. It leaves you guessing even at the end what really was going on; played mind games, as it were -- which was really the whole point of the story.
March 20, 2019
➥ Gelesen 2005
➥ Die erste Hälfte des Buchs fand ich richtig ordentlich - voller Spannung und Action. Die zweite Hälfte rutscht dann sehr ins Seltsame ab und hat, was mich beim Lesen so unangenehm berührt hat, dass ich mich noch 14 Jahre später daran erinnere.
❦❦
➥ Die erste Hälfte des Buchs fand ich richtig ordentlich - voller Spannung und Action. Die zweite Hälfte rutscht dann sehr ins Seltsame ab und hat, was mich beim Lesen so unangenehm berührt hat, dass ich mich noch 14 Jahre später daran erinnere.
❦❦
December 18, 2019
I like all the books David Ambrose writes - they are impossible to predict and absolutely engrossing, as the world continues to change between the covers. This particular book was an adventure in figuring out who we really are.
June 27, 2020
Bin sehr unentschlossen, wie ich dieses Buch finden soll. Einerseits hatte ich Schwierigkeiten, den Personen und Handlungen zu folgen, dann war es komplett bizarr. Eigentlich ein spannendes Thema, aber mit einem total komischem Finale, das ich schlicht nicht verstehe.
February 2, 2017
Enjoyed this book very much. The scientific aspect confused me somewhat but the ending had a great twist. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
March 18, 2015
Βιβλίο - τροφή για σκέψη, όπως και το προηγούμενο του ίδιου συγγραφέα που διάβασα πριν από περίπου τρεις βδομάδες. Το βιβλίο το ξεκίνησα χθες το πρωί και το τελείωσα χθες πολύ αργά το βράδυ, αλλά σήμερα βρήκα χρόνο να γράψω λίγες αράδες γι'αυτό.
Δεν είναι και πολύ εύκολο να πω τι γίνεται μέσα στην ιστορία χωρίς να μαρτυρήσω κάτι που δεν πρέπει. Σε γενικές γραμμές έχει ως εξής: Ο Τσάρλι Μονκ είναι ο απόλυτος μυστικός πράκτορας και εκτελεστής, ένας άνθρωπος χωρίς συνείδηση, χωρίς φόβο, αλλά και χωρίς μνήμη. Αναλαμβάνει πολύ δύσκολες αποστολές και πάντα τα καταφέρνει. Αλλά ο Μονκ είναι λίγο πιο περίπλοκος απ'όσο φαντάζεται ο αναγνώστης. Πολλά περίεργα πράγματα αρχίζουν να συμβαίνουν τόσο με τον Τσάρλι Μονκ όσο και με τον κόσμο γύρω του και τότε εμείς πρέπει να βγάλουμε άκρη από τα πολλά και περίεργα επεισόδια που συμβαίνουν, για να δούμε ποιος στο καλό είναι τελικά ο Τσάρλι Μονκ. Η δόκτωρ Σούζαν Φλέμινγκ, από την άλλη, πιστεύει ότι έχει βρει τον τρόπο ώστε να αποκαταστήσει την μνήμη του Μονκ. Ή κάτι τέτοιο.
Συμβαίνουν πολλά και περίεργα πράγματα μέσα στο βιβλίο, στην αρχή νομίζεις ότι είναι απλά μια περιπέτεια με έναν σούπερ κατάσκοπο που έχει εκπαιδευθεί από κάποια κυβερνητική οργάνωση, αλλά μετά τα πράγματα αλλάζουν δραματικά. Τώρα λες ότι εντάξει, αυτό ήταν. Όχι, τα πράγματα αλλάζουν και πάλι, ακόμα πιο δραματικά. Και ξανά... μέχρι το τέλος. Άντε τώρα να βγάλεις συμπέρασμα με το τέλος.
Το βιβλίο έχει πάρα πολλές εκπλήξεις και ανατροπές και πρέπει να σκεφτείς λίγο παραπάνω για να βγάλεις μια κάποια άκρη (αν βγάλεις). Παίζει και λίγο με τον αναγνώστη ο Άμπροουζ και καλά κάνει. Τι άλλο; Εικονική πραγματικότητα, έλεγχος του νου, ιατρικά πειράματα, πολύ δράση (αληθινή, εικονική πραγματικότητα ή, χμ, κάτι άλλο;...). Ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες, αληθινοί ή και... ψεύτικοι.
Το βιβλίο αξίζει να διαβαστεί και να συζητηθεί, όπως και το Εναλλακτική Πραγματικότητα (The Man Who Turned Into Himself). Είναι εξαντλημένο αλλά μπορεί να το βρει κανείς αν ψάξει στα διάφορα παλαιοβιβλιοπωλεία. Επίσης, θα μπορούσε κάλλιστα να γίνει και ταινία, με σκηνοθέτη τον Κρίστοφερ Νόλαν.
Δεν είναι και πολύ εύκολο να πω τι γίνεται μέσα στην ιστορία χωρίς να μαρτυρήσω κάτι που δεν πρέπει. Σε γενικές γραμμές έχει ως εξής: Ο Τσάρλι Μονκ είναι ο απόλυτος μυστικός πράκτορας και εκτελεστής, ένας άνθρωπος χωρίς συνείδηση, χωρίς φόβο, αλλά και χωρίς μνήμη. Αναλαμβάνει πολύ δύσκολες αποστολές και πάντα τα καταφέρνει. Αλλά ο Μονκ είναι λίγο πιο περίπλοκος απ'όσο φαντάζεται ο αναγνώστης. Πολλά περίεργα πράγματα αρχίζουν να συμβαίνουν τόσο με τον Τσάρλι Μονκ όσο και με τον κόσμο γύρω του και τότε εμείς πρέπει να βγάλουμε άκρη από τα πολλά και περίεργα επεισόδια που συμβαίνουν, για να δούμε ποιος στο καλό είναι τελικά ο Τσάρλι Μονκ. Η δόκτωρ Σούζαν Φλέμινγκ, από την άλλη, πιστεύει ότι έχει βρει τον τρόπο ώστε να αποκαταστήσει την μνήμη του Μονκ. Ή κάτι τέτοιο.
Συμβαίνουν πολλά και περίεργα πράγματα μέσα στο βιβλίο, στην αρχή νομίζεις ότι είναι απλά μια περιπέτεια με έναν σούπερ κατάσκοπο που έχει εκπαιδευθεί από κάποια κυβερνητική οργάνωση, αλλά μετά τα πράγματα αλλάζουν δραματικά. Τώρα λες ότι εντάξει, αυτό ήταν. Όχι, τα πράγματα αλλάζουν και πάλι, ακόμα πιο δραματικά. Και ξανά... μέχρι το τέλος. Άντε τώρα να βγάλεις συμπέρασμα με το τέλος.
Το βιβλίο έχει πάρα πολλές εκπλήξεις και ανατροπές και πρέπει να σκεφτείς λίγο παραπάνω για να βγάλεις μια κάποια άκρη (αν βγάλεις). Παίζει και λίγο με τον αναγνώστη ο Άμπροουζ και καλά κάνει. Τι άλλο; Εικονική πραγματικότητα, έλεγχος του νου, ιατρικά πειράματα, πολύ δράση (αληθινή, εικονική πραγματικότητα ή, χμ, κάτι άλλο;...). Ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες, αληθινοί ή και... ψεύτικοι.
Το βιβλίο αξίζει να διαβαστεί και να συζητηθεί, όπως και το Εναλλακτική Πραγματικότητα (The Man Who Turned Into Himself). Είναι εξαντλημένο αλλά μπορεί να το βρει κανείς αν ψάξει στα διάφορα παλαιοβιβλιοπωλεία. Επίσης, θα μπορούσε κάλλιστα να γίνει και ταινία, με σκηνοθέτη τον Κρίστοφερ Νόλαν.
September 15, 2025
NESSUNA CERTEZZA
Quando lo lessi sei anni fa, non gli dedicai che qualche lode in coda alla recensione de "L'uomo che credeva di essere se stesso". Ad oggi, non posso che confermare quegli elogi, aggiungendo che i colpi di scena formidabili sono in realtà ben tre, incluso quello finale, tutti ugualmente destabilizzanti. Figuratevi che li avevo ancora scolpiti nella mia memoria, nonostante fossero passati secoli!
Il fatto è che l'effetto sorpresa non agisce solo a livello della trama, la quale è così enigmatica e avventurosa che non vorresti staccartene mai. Esso ha a che fare con una vera e propria epifania, con la realizzazione improvvisa che in fondo non abbiamo alcuna certezza se ciò che vediamo e viviamo sia reale o plasmato dalla nostra mente.
"La scienza è un'arma a doppio taglio. È pura solo nella mente, nel momento in cui la si concepisce […]. Ma appena finisce qui, nel mondo, si trasforma in ciò che il mondo vuole che sia. Guerra batteriologica, olocausto nucleare o una cura per il cancro."
" Chuang Tzu [...] disse che aveva sognato di essere una farfalla e, al risveglio, non sapeva più se era un uomo che aveva sognato di essere una farfalla, o una farfalla che stava sognando di essere un uomo. [...] Non possiamo nemmeno sapere se il mondo esterno c'è davvero. Per quanto ne sappiamo, potrebbe semplicemente essere frutto della nostra immaginazione. [...] E alla fine non [...] fa differenza, perché le cose che sperimentiamo sono le stesse, che giungano a noi o da noi. Sono lì, ed è tutto ciò che conta."
Si tratta di un tema affrontato da Ambrose anche negli altri due sue capolavori, il romanzo sopracitato e "Superstizione". Una trilogia ideale spettacolare, capace di mandare all'aria ogni tua sicurezza mentre ti appassiona con una serie di avvenimenti superavvincenti e una prosa vivacissima. Sono felicissima di avere avuto il tempo di rileggerla.
Quando lo lessi sei anni fa, non gli dedicai che qualche lode in coda alla recensione de "L'uomo che credeva di essere se stesso". Ad oggi, non posso che confermare quegli elogi, aggiungendo che i colpi di scena formidabili sono in realtà ben tre, incluso quello finale, tutti ugualmente destabilizzanti. Figuratevi che li avevo ancora scolpiti nella mia memoria, nonostante fossero passati secoli!
Il fatto è che l'effetto sorpresa non agisce solo a livello della trama, la quale è così enigmatica e avventurosa che non vorresti staccartene mai. Esso ha a che fare con una vera e propria epifania, con la realizzazione improvvisa che in fondo non abbiamo alcuna certezza se ciò che vediamo e viviamo sia reale o plasmato dalla nostra mente.
"La scienza è un'arma a doppio taglio. È pura solo nella mente, nel momento in cui la si concepisce […]. Ma appena finisce qui, nel mondo, si trasforma in ciò che il mondo vuole che sia. Guerra batteriologica, olocausto nucleare o una cura per il cancro."
" Chuang Tzu [...] disse che aveva sognato di essere una farfalla e, al risveglio, non sapeva più se era un uomo che aveva sognato di essere una farfalla, o una farfalla che stava sognando di essere un uomo. [...] Non possiamo nemmeno sapere se il mondo esterno c'è davvero. Per quanto ne sappiamo, potrebbe semplicemente essere frutto della nostra immaginazione. [...] E alla fine non [...] fa differenza, perché le cose che sperimentiamo sono le stesse, che giungano a noi o da noi. Sono lì, ed è tutto ciò che conta."
Si tratta di un tema affrontato da Ambrose anche negli altri due sue capolavori, il romanzo sopracitato e "Superstizione". Una trilogia ideale spettacolare, capace di mandare all'aria ogni tua sicurezza mentre ti appassiona con una serie di avvenimenti superavvincenti e una prosa vivacissima. Sono felicissima di avere avuto il tempo di rileggerla.
February 17, 2017
Some parts were brilliant but it wasn't enough to carry the plot for me.
June 30, 2009
Surprised at the fact that many people read this book, but never bothered to review it. But then again David Ambrose's works are ingenious in their nature so they may represent a bit more challenging than the average $5.99 paperback story.
In The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk, Mr. Ambrose reasserts himself once again as a master at the mysterious and wildly entertaining genre of what I like to call 'psychological transparency' as causes readers to question their basic understanding of cognition and reality. As with his Superstition or The Man Who Turned Into Himself, Charlie Monk doesn't disappoint with action, brain twists and suspense until the final page.
The story evolves around a highly trained government hit man who is a bit more complex than we are left to imagine. When strange things begin to happen with and around Charlie, we find ourselves on a wild roller coaster in pursuit of discovering who/what Charlie Monk really is.
This book delivers a lot more than expected. A high recommendation from me.
In The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk, Mr. Ambrose reasserts himself once again as a master at the mysterious and wildly entertaining genre of what I like to call 'psychological transparency' as causes readers to question their basic understanding of cognition and reality. As with his Superstition or The Man Who Turned Into Himself, Charlie Monk doesn't disappoint with action, brain twists and suspense until the final page.
The story evolves around a highly trained government hit man who is a bit more complex than we are left to imagine. When strange things begin to happen with and around Charlie, we find ourselves on a wild roller coaster in pursuit of discovering who/what Charlie Monk really is.
This book delivers a lot more than expected. A high recommendation from me.
April 4, 2018
È un buon romanzo distopico al quale manca qualcosa. I protagonisti si trovano coinvolti nell'attività di un'agenzia governativa che gode delle libertà tipiche dei servizi di intelligence. La storia suscita riflessioni sul tema "tutto ciò che può essere fatto sarà fatto": l'agenzia agisce in modo particolarmente spregiudicato con la giustificazione che "se non lo facciamo noi lo farà qualcun altro", ma i personaggi si ribellano. Interessante, non superficiale, trama intrigante, sviluppo weird ma troppo razionale e risolto. Inoltre, per puro caso, dopo questo ho letto il romanzo che ha probabilmente ispirato Ambrose: Fiori per Algernon, cosa che mi ha aiutato a capire cosa manca al romanzo di Ambrose. Anche in Fiori per Algernon c'è un "Charlie" che viene forzatamente reso più intelligente, ma la resa psicologica è nettamente superiore.
July 27, 2017
This is my second book from David Ambrose. Im glad I picked it up in second hand store. I loved The man who turned into himself so I wanted to read more from the author. And I wasnt disapointed! It was easy to read (english is not my native tongue) and comprehend, it had action and twists toward the end. It made me think forward and consider possible endings of the book. But it was a surprise to me. After the last sentence, I had a smile on my face. I definitelly want to read the next book of his - Superstition.
I dreamt I was a butterfly, and didn't know when I awoke if I was a man who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who now dreamt he was a man.
I dreamt I was a butterfly, and didn't know when I awoke if I was a man who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who now dreamt he was a man.
December 24, 2010
David Ambrose's books always take me into places I've never been or even considered much. This one was about genetic engineering and virtual reality. When it was written in the late 90s it probably seemed far-fetched, a decade later and you wonder if its already happened. Good book, I won't say too much as it'll spoil the story.
February 13, 2009
A good thriller, conspiracy theory story with mind-control secret experiments and a little bit of a science fiction. It was an easy read that started as a thriller and finished with virtual reality, human-chimp hybrids and moral arguments in science.
October 11, 2014
Dear publishers of the Internetian Age:
When you use a scanner you have to proofread the results.
The kindle version of this book is full of typos. My favorite is thaist. From the context it should have been thrust.
The story was alternately interesting and dumb.
When you use a scanner you have to proofread the results.
The kindle version of this book is full of typos. My favorite is thaist. From the context it should have been thrust.
The story was alternately interesting and dumb.
December 22, 2007
I bought this at a discount bookshop in Auckland, New Zealand while there on an army exercise. A science fiction/action/thriller fluff of a novel, which never truly entertained.
March 13, 2018
Brilliant novel which led you on a journey and reached a satisfying destination.
One that I look back on with great fondness.
One that I look back on with great fondness.
December 4, 2009
I liked the first half of the book and I liked the concept but that was about it.
August 4, 2011
this is my first book by Ambrose; on the fence so far
October 21, 2014
Fascinating premise.
January 29, 2016
It's been a few months since I read this book. Interesting premise, but it reads a bit like a James Bond movie script of the dreadful Pierce Brosnan era. I enjoyed the book, though.
January 19, 2015
Premise is very solid, but execution is lacking. Everything up to a point mid-plot is built well, then the novel is slapped together in a mache' of poorly written, Hollywoodesque derivative.
September 10, 2015
It's really good, and messes with your mind!
July 23, 2016
I'm not entirely sure about this book, the topic is fascinating, but the writing wasn't that captivating.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews