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A review by andrewschreck
The Director by David Ignatius
3.0
Overall I was pretty disappointed with this book. It read like a marginal, yet entertaining movie. It's worth your time if you enjoy spy books, but don't expect too much from it (and that is why I still give it a 3, I expected too much from it)
I was really looking forward to reading this as Ignatius has shown up in many lists as a great author of spy novels, perhaps an heir to LeCarre, so I was expecting too much. But as a journalist who covers the Intelligence industry I expected there to be an adherence to believability, but found it lacking in so many areas (they secret Weber away for 7 days during a massive cyber attack and keep him completely incommunicado...really? No one in the government thinks that they should at least be able to get a secure line to the Director of the CIA during an international cyber/monetary crisis???)
I found the writing overwrought and too many things were unbelievable throughout. Weber is introduced as a tech-savvy, business leader change agent and he's used as a plot device to help the average reader understand the basics of technology - but again, its poorly done. I'm supposed to believe that a tech industry, (unwitting) civil liberties advocate who has served on Government Intelligence advisory boards doesn't understand the basics of GPS tracking on his electronics device? He doesn't need to be a "spiked hair hacker with multiple piercings and proclivity for deviant sexual acts" to understand that concept.
YMMV with this book. It's entertaining and the global cabal to ensure the continued dominance of the American-Anglo dominance of the world is an intriguing angle.
I was really looking forward to reading this as Ignatius has shown up in many lists as a great author of spy novels, perhaps an heir to LeCarre, so I was expecting too much. But as a journalist who covers the Intelligence industry I expected there to be an adherence to believability, but found it lacking in so many areas (they secret Weber away for 7 days during a massive cyber attack and keep him completely incommunicado...really? No one in the government thinks that they should at least be able to get a secure line to the Director of the CIA during an international cyber/monetary crisis???)
I found the writing overwrought and too many things were unbelievable throughout. Weber is introduced as a tech-savvy, business leader change agent and he's used as a plot device to help the average reader understand the basics of technology - but again, its poorly done. I'm supposed to believe that a tech industry, (unwitting) civil liberties advocate who has served on Government Intelligence advisory boards doesn't understand the basics of GPS tracking on his electronics device? He doesn't need to be a "spiked hair hacker with multiple piercings and proclivity for deviant sexual acts" to understand that concept.
YMMV with this book. It's entertaining and the global cabal to ensure the continued dominance of the American-Anglo dominance of the world is an intriguing angle.