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Empire State
 
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Empire State (Hardcover)

by Henry Porter (Author)
2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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1 new from CDN$ 16.54 4 used from CDN$ 0.01

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Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

With Empire State Henry Porter continues his reinvention of the traditional British spy thriller. This is, in places, in the tradition of Buchan--high adventure in exotic places--and yet entirely lacks the sexism and racism of Buchan at his worst; Le Carre is an important influence, but the scepticism about British policy, let alone American, is even more radically sceptical than Le Carre at his most cynical.

The death of a presidential adviser, the murder of an airport worker at Heathrow and the mass killing of a band of immigrant workers trying to cross into Macedonia all prove part of the same complex intrigue. Harland, who dominated Porter's A Spy's Life gets involved less because of his prowess than because his back injuries have led him to a fashionable osteopath who proves complexly important.

In London, canny intelligence woman Isis deals with office intrigue, and with such technicalities as DNA samples from the insides of computer keyboards before haring off to islands in the Nile. What Porter is best at, and what we effectively get here, is just this--that sense of hard, clever legwork followed by bursts of violent action and desperate revelations. --Roz Kaveney

Review

REVIEWS '...a powerful, propulsive piece of thriller writing... Porter has consolidated his reputation for writing some of the best espionage thrillers around.' THE OBSERVER 7/9/03 'his landscapes, language and action are intriguing. Here is a spy writer whose work is becoming increasingly unbeatable.' Bill Greenwell, THE INDEPENDENT 13/9/03 'Like the best espionage writers, Porter is an expert at spinning plates. We are flashed all over the world.' William Leith, DAILY TELEGRAPH 13/9/03 'Porter is certainly filling the gap left by Len Deighton and John Le Carre...' EVENING STANDARD '... a tour-de-force, which is stunning in its execution and masterful in its attention to detail... The future of the spy novel is in safe hands. The man writes like a dream. Challenging, ambitious, thoughtful, authoritative, he's a le Carre for this century.' GLASGOW HERALD "A revelation and the best book of the year by far." THE HERALD (GLASGOW) '...demonstrates a vast knowledge of security systems and a deep appreciation of the changing state of world safety.' www tangledweb.co.uk 'Buttock-clenching suspense as secret agent Robert Harland returns to sniff out some murky political goings on.' TATLER 01-10-2003 'This is a gift from one of the key espionage writers of the 21st century' GOOD BOOK GUIDE 01-10-03 'Henry Porter is the writer of espionage thriller for the new millenium. In his new, remarkably timely novel, Empire State, porter once again proves he is at the cuting edge of international political espionage' EYE SPY October 2003 'Empire State is tightly written, well-paced and cleverly constructed. The backgrounds are well done, be they seedy Islamic bookshops on Westbourne Grove or Cairene cafes, and the action sequences are all that they should be. Porter definitely knows what he's doing and he does it very well. More, please' THE SPECTATOR, 25-10-03 'Empire State is plausible, scary and exciting with unstressed know-how and espionage tatics that sound authentic ... In more ways than one, Porter's excellent novel extends our education' LITERARY REVIEW, 01-10-03

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Empire State
67% buy the item featured on this page:
Empire State 2.0 out of 5 stars (2)
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A Spy's Life 4.0 out of 5 stars (3)
CDN$ 9.89

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
2.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3.0 out of 5 stars Confusing and Awkward, May 25 2004
By Robert J. Lusk (Moncton, New Brunswick) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Empire State (Paperback)
I am almost finished reading Empire State and it has really been a struggle to get this far. I am still waiting for some type of connection between the opening attack and the subsequent events. But having just read another review of this book, I am not sure I will find one.

The maze of British intelligence services and their various personnel is confusing and quite difficult to follow. And the heroine Isis Herrick, who is suppose to be the "best of best", continually screws up at almost every step along the way.

But what I find most annoying is the author's apparent ignorance of how North Americans speak. The phraseology used by American characters just doesn't cut it. When one American puts some money in another's pocket to pay him off, he says "Here is a little something to be going on". Maybe in England but on this side of the pond it would be something like "Here is a little something for your efforts". There are many other such instances which make the characters seem artificial.

But I will perserve to the end and just maybe by then it will all make sense.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Not in the Same League, Dec 11 2003
By Michael Olson (Victoria, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Ce commentaire est de: Empire State (Paperback)
Empire State is a dreadful book - devoid of suspense, with a muddled plot and a cast of cardboard characters who communicate chiefly via cell-phones and laptop computers. Instead of compelling action, we are subjected to endless exposition describing foreign intrigues, whose significance the reader can only guess at. Even the connection between the opening attack and the events that follow is unclear. What did it accomplish? Was it a diversion? Who done it? You got me.

According to the cover blurb, Robert Harland, the hero of A Spy's Life, returns in Empire State, assisted by female MI6 officer, Isis Herrick. In fact, Herrick is clearly the center of this novel, whereas Harland, relegated to infrequent walk-on's, is hobbled throughout by indecision and chronic back pain. As for the book's sole romantic encounter, it is a tepid interlude, over before it begins. I guess even spies grow old.

If Empire State is "an espionage thriller for the new millennium", then give me back the cold war. In Mr. Porter's brave new world, the Americans and the Brits are ever at each other's throats, the bad guys' intentions are murky at best and the confusing array of British Intelligence Services (SIS, MI5, MI6, etc.) persist in wasting their time in-fighting.

I recently reread Porter's first book, Remembrance Day. Now there was a real thriller: suspense and action galore, good locales, minimal gadgetry, believable protagonists and very nasty villains. A Spy's Life was a notable come-down from that book, and Empire State is not in the same league at all.

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