As per the title. I'm looking to get into some novels revolving around spycraft for a project I'm working on, so I want some of the cream of the crop options, the genre definers, but I'm looking to avoid some of the themes I suspect are likely to be common, like how great and cool America and the military and war are.
That's not to say that I need them to be actively anti-war. I understand that this is about spycraft, and that often goes hand in hand with war. I just don't want to be inundated with how cool it is to to be a spy for the USA, and how infallable America is as an entity.
Edit: For a little bit if additional context, the project I'm working on is fantasy, so I'm not necessarily concerned if these recommendations are hyper realistic per se, because I will probably have a blend of realistic spy work and Fantastic action. Already excited by the recommendations I've been given though
by Zibani
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Anything by John Le Carré, I’d start with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which is the first book in the George Smiley Trilogy.
Le Carré was a real British spy who wrote Smiley as a response to James Bond. He wanted to show how spycraft was muddy boring work mostly carried out by office workers. He often deals with themes of British imperial impotence after WWII.
Imo he’s THE greatest spy writer and one of the greatest writers to ever live. Hope you like him.
I would say those themes are more common in action thrillers; for spy reading the John Le Carres, Len Deightons, Brian Freemantles of the world aren’t writing from an American perspective (and moral ambiguity is a common theme in the genre as they defined it). I’d recommend those three authors, and also a great standalone book to dip your toes in the genre: Big Bear, Little Bear by David Brierley
I have the book pdf please send me a dm
Alan Furst’s Night Soldiers series. Does not have to be read in order or in full, it’s about European operatives before and during WWII.
Eric Ambler’s The Mask of Dimitrios is like the originator of the ‘normal guy gets caught up in a web of intrigue’ trope.
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. It’s about an American spy who worked as a Nazi propagandist and now facing the consequences of his war crimes after the American government disavow him.
Mortals by Norman Rush for some pretty modern takes on these lines. It’s the best book I’ve read so far this year