The Looking Glass War

A top-secret British operation is underway to uncover facts regarding Soviet missiles in Germany. The government lures a German-speaking Pole turned Englishman, Fred Leiser, back from retirement to reverse potential international upheaval. Michael Jayston accompanies the listener on a fascinating insider's tour of an international spy network and introduces the dedicated and complicated cast of characters who risk all to carry out their missions. Jayston exposes the unabashed greed of the government's motives as its members manipulate the rusty Leiser. The mission through Germany is elaborate and demanding, and Jayston's description of Leiser's dire predicament never loses momentum. The listener will experience an intelligent and powerful performance by a master! B.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

May 31, 2010
Le Carré's fourth George Smiley novel is handsomely dramatized in this BBC Audio production. Early in the 1960s the cold war is in full swing, and the Department, a holdover from the WWII section of British intelligence, forms an uneasy alliance with its rival agency, the Circus, when it is suspected that Soviet missiles may be in the process of being placed along the West German border. Death, lies, betrayal, secrets, secrets, and more secrets all add up to the kind of rich espionage story fans have come to expect from le Carré. Though this production, by necessity of time, is forced to leave out much of the book on which it's based, the dramatization captures the essence of the material, and the actors expertly brings their characters to life and are supported with excellent production values.

If you want to know why le Carré's Cold War spy novels have become classics, all you need do is listen to this superb audio dramatization from the BBC. The stodgy British espionage agency, "the Department," nearly dormant and jealous of the more modern and dynamic "Circus," attempts to revive its stature by sending an operative into East Germany to investigate rumors of an arms build-up. The bumbling, craven motives of the Department/Circus rivalry crash heavily on the back of the idealistic Polish-born operative, stranding him behind the Iron Curtain. The adaptation and performances are resonant and exciting. This kind of stimulating adult mind-fodder is all too rare in contemporary audio drama. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine