Suspense, action and adventure are the elements of an exciting read. Espionage fiction includes all three these elements, so if you're looking for a real page turner, this is a genre you may want to look into. To know where to start, it helps to look at the beloved characters that came from the best spy thrillers and made it to the big screen.
Although not entirely an espionage novel, Arthur Conan Doyle's 'His Last Bow' had the First World War as theme. The great detective Sherlock Holmes serves as double agent in this tale. However, this was not the only book about spies during World War I. One of the greatest works in the genre is 'The Thirty-nine Steps' by John Buchan. This was later made into an eponymous film by Alfred Hitchcock and became one of the director's most famous movies.
War makes a great backdrop for espionage novels. The war that probably inspired the greatest books in the genre was ironically not really a war, but a conflict of ideologies. Literature's greatest secret agents emerged during the Cold War and worked for American or British Intelligence. The most enduring is the man who likes his martinis shaken, not stirred. Ian Fleming created James Bond in the early Fifties and wrote a series of books featuring the suave agent for Her Majesty's Secret Service.
A real-life spy turned author is Graham Greene. Greene worked for the British Secret Service for a short time during World War II. This life of intrigue inspired novels such as 'The Heart of the Matter', set in Sierra Leone, and 'The Quiet American'. 'Our Man in Havana' is a comic espionage story set in Cuba during the years before Batista's dictatorship came to a fall.
Greene was not the only author who based his novels on his practical experience as spy. John le Carre actually started writing while still working as a secret agent. He worked for MI5 as well as for MI6 in Britain before becoming a full-time writer.
Several of Le Carre's books were turned into movies. One of the earliest was 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'. Following this were 'The Russia House' and then 'The Tailor of Panama'. More recently there were 'The Constant Gardener' and the acclaimed 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. One of the most fascinating female spies was the character Charlie that Le Carre created in his novel 'The Little Drummer Girl', made into a film starring Diane Keaton.
In more recent years, Matt Damon brought another great spy character to the big screen. Jason Bourne first appeared in Robert Ludlum's 'The Bourne Identity'. Ludlum, a former Marine, gave this character starring roles in 'The Bourne Supremacy' and later 'The Bourne Ultimatum'.
Tom Clancy's imagination gave rise to Jack Ryan, another of the characters that appears in the best spy thrillers. Several actors brought Ryan to life, starting with Harrison Ford and 'Patriot Games'. Ford revived the role with 'Clear and Present Danger' a few years later. 'The Hunt for Red October' starred Alec Baldwin, while more recently, 'The Sum of All Fears' provided Ben Affleck with the chance to play the role of a lifetime.
Although not entirely an espionage novel, Arthur Conan Doyle's 'His Last Bow' had the First World War as theme. The great detective Sherlock Holmes serves as double agent in this tale. However, this was not the only book about spies during World War I. One of the greatest works in the genre is 'The Thirty-nine Steps' by John Buchan. This was later made into an eponymous film by Alfred Hitchcock and became one of the director's most famous movies.
War makes a great backdrop for espionage novels. The war that probably inspired the greatest books in the genre was ironically not really a war, but a conflict of ideologies. Literature's greatest secret agents emerged during the Cold War and worked for American or British Intelligence. The most enduring is the man who likes his martinis shaken, not stirred. Ian Fleming created James Bond in the early Fifties and wrote a series of books featuring the suave agent for Her Majesty's Secret Service.
A real-life spy turned author is Graham Greene. Greene worked for the British Secret Service for a short time during World War II. This life of intrigue inspired novels such as 'The Heart of the Matter', set in Sierra Leone, and 'The Quiet American'. 'Our Man in Havana' is a comic espionage story set in Cuba during the years before Batista's dictatorship came to a fall.
Greene was not the only author who based his novels on his practical experience as spy. John le Carre actually started writing while still working as a secret agent. He worked for MI5 as well as for MI6 in Britain before becoming a full-time writer.
Several of Le Carre's books were turned into movies. One of the earliest was 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'. Following this were 'The Russia House' and then 'The Tailor of Panama'. More recently there were 'The Constant Gardener' and the acclaimed 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. One of the most fascinating female spies was the character Charlie that Le Carre created in his novel 'The Little Drummer Girl', made into a film starring Diane Keaton.
In more recent years, Matt Damon brought another great spy character to the big screen. Jason Bourne first appeared in Robert Ludlum's 'The Bourne Identity'. Ludlum, a former Marine, gave this character starring roles in 'The Bourne Supremacy' and later 'The Bourne Ultimatum'.
Tom Clancy's imagination gave rise to Jack Ryan, another of the characters that appears in the best spy thrillers. Several actors brought Ryan to life, starting with Harrison Ford and 'Patriot Games'. Ford revived the role with 'Clear and Present Danger' a few years later. 'The Hunt for Red October' starred Alec Baldwin, while more recently, 'The Sum of All Fears' provided Ben Affleck with the chance to play the role of a lifetime.
About the Author:
For some of the best spy thrillers you can find take a look at www.embracingmidas.com. Find out how Embracing Midas can keep you thrilled to the end when you visit http://www.embracingmidas.com today.
No comments:
Post a Comment