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    The Ipcress File
    Unavailable
    The Ipcress File
    Unavailable
    The Ipcress File
    Ebook300 pages5 hours

    The Ipcress File

    By Len Deighton

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Len Deighton’s classic first novel, whose protagonist is a nameless spy – later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine.

    The Ipcress File was not only Len Deighton’s first novel, it was his first bestseller and the book that broke the mould of thriller writing.

    For the working class narrator, an apparently straightforward mission to find a missing biochemist becomes a journey to the heart of a dark and deadly conspiracy.

    The film of The Ipcress File gave Michael Caine one of his first and still most celebrated starring roles, while the novel itself has become a classic.

    Editor's Note

    A seminal espionage thriller…

    Missing scientists and a mind control conspiracy are at the center of this seminal espionage thriller and basis for the classic Michael Caine film.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateOct 1, 2009
    ISBN9780007343027
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Ipcress File

    3.5/5

    8 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This did not impress itself upon me in any way, positively or negatively. Perhaps it's just me.
    • 2/5
      This has been praised as a literary thriller that helped shape the espionage thriller genre, and I've seen Deighton compared to Dickens, contrasted favorably to Ian Fleming.Frankly, this struck me as rather juvenile. Unlike Fleming, Deighton doesn't have a background in intelligence, and the book never struck me as plausible. It's more Get Smart than Graham Greene or John LeCarre--or even Tom Clancy. This is Len Deighton's first novel--before this he had been working as an illustrator according to his introduction--and it shows. An illustrator (as opposed to an artist) has to pretty much cover the page. His descriptions are overwritten--engorged with random elements rather than carefully chosen telling details. The narration is even crowded with intrusive footnotes. Set in the early sixties at the height of the cold war, the story is told in a conversational and often sarcastic voice by the unnamed narrator, a British intelligence officer. First person usually allows for a feeling of intimacy and a crisp point of view. Yet this narration was so rambling and confusing I'd go over passages twice to try to get what was going on and failing. And given what I've read in the other reviews, I'm not the only reader confused. A slog to read and not enough payoff to make the difficulties worth it.
    • 3/5
      The plot sticks together like confetti, with the odd witty remark popping in at random intervals, to make the punters feel they're clever. The story really didn't get any truck with me until about halfway through, even then it resembled a novel close enough to get me to the finish. If you call this a classic you're setting the bar too low.