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A review by attaboy
The Looking Glass War by John le Carré
3.0
I read this not long after The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, eager to continue the series after that book’s gripping and chilly examination of morality, betrayal and loneliness. The Looking-Glass War touches on similar ideas in an even more bleak and merciless story.
My interest flagged slightly as it became clear that, unlike Alec Leamas, none of the characters comes close to seeming like a protagonist. This is a deeply cynical story, with many fools, no heroes, and no redemption. I found the main characters a little flimsy at times, and the middle dragged a bit as the story sets up.
Nevertheless, it is a concise and scornful portrayal of a morally bankrupt bureaucracy that can scarcely decide what it wants. The pace picks up satisfyingly in the very tense climax.
My interest flagged slightly as it became clear that, unlike Alec Leamas, none of the characters comes close to seeming like a protagonist. This is a deeply cynical story, with many fools, no heroes, and no redemption. I found the main characters a little flimsy at times, and the middle dragged a bit as the story sets up.
Nevertheless, it is a concise and scornful portrayal of a morally bankrupt bureaucracy that can scarcely decide what it wants. The pace picks up satisfyingly in the very tense climax.