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David McK (3721 KP) rated Argylle (2024) in Movies
Aug 29, 2024
Heathski (173 KP) rated The Americans - Season 1 in TV
Feb 15, 2019
Great acting (1 more)
Tense and thrilling
Fantastic series
A fantastic tv series. Got completely hooked on it, although its not something I'd automatically look at, Im glad I did. It's tense and emotional, wraps you up and draws you into their world of deception and intrigue. Best spy fiction I've ever watched.
Erika (17789 KP) rated A Spy Among Friends: Philby and the Great Betrayal in Books
Feb 18, 2018
If you're looking for a non-fiction book that reads like fiction, this is definitely a must-read.
Kim Philby is infamous, he was responsible for compromising countless agents/missions from the 1930s to the 1960s. He's the inspiration behind a lot of spy fiction, one of the biggest ones being Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The book has a few main sources, Philby himself in his strange memoir written after he fled to Moscow, Nicholas Elliot, a friend and co-worker from MI-6, and James Angleton, also a friend from the CIA. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but there were so many signs of treachery, it's hard to believe that it took 30 years to finally get a confession from him.
And, I mean, come on, the dude decided on giving himself the nickname of Kim, like the character in Rudyard Kipling's novel.
Kim Philby is infamous, he was responsible for compromising countless agents/missions from the 1930s to the 1960s. He's the inspiration behind a lot of spy fiction, one of the biggest ones being Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The book has a few main sources, Philby himself in his strange memoir written after he fled to Moscow, Nicholas Elliot, a friend and co-worker from MI-6, and James Angleton, also a friend from the CIA. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but there were so many signs of treachery, it's hard to believe that it took 30 years to finally get a confession from him.
And, I mean, come on, the dude decided on giving himself the nickname of Kim, like the character in Rudyard Kipling's novel.
Erika (17789 KP) rated The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War in Books
Feb 23, 2019
This is yet another non-fiction spy story by Ben Macintyre that reads like a novel. This book features the double-agent that began working for the KGB, and became an agent for the UK for ideological reasons.
My favorite section was the escape section, it was completely riveting and entertaining. I can't wait for Macintyre's next book.
My favorite section was the escape section, it was completely riveting and entertaining. I can't wait for Macintyre's next book.
Andrew Grant recommended The Miernik Dossier in Books (curated)
Merissa (13828 KP) created a post
Mar 3, 2026
The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated Not Quite Lost: Travels Without A Sense of Direction in Books
Oct 6, 2020
Reading fiction is a one way to escape today's harsh reality. However, sometimes you can also do that with a non-fiction book as well. From my experience, this is particularly true of travel books, which take us to locations both known and unknown, and see them through the eyes of another. In this travel diary by Roz Morris, we get all of that, and so much more, including large doses of humor. You can read more about what I thought of this book in my review here (which includes a cliffhanger for a future blog post as well). https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2017/09/16/the-guestbook-spy/
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers - Season 4 in TV
Aug 17, 2020
Difficult not to use words like iconic to describe this; the two seasons with Diana Rigg (this is the first of them) is what defines this series in the public recollection. Gentleman spy John Steed and his leather-clad friend Emma Peel investigate a wide range of threats to British society as we know it, ranging from the relatively mundane (attempts to assassinate visiting dignitaries) to the positively outlandish (man-eating Martian plants with mind-control powers).
Occasionally a bit tonally uneven, but still mostly a joy to watch even after all these years: the two leads are clearly enjoying themselves hugely and so are the characters (most of the time). The best episodes have a sort of intelligent silliness about them which is almost irresistible: they sustain a mixture of spy spoof, black comedy, and science fiction which many have tried to copy but few have achieved. This is the Avengers in its imperial phase.
Occasionally a bit tonally uneven, but still mostly a joy to watch even after all these years: the two leads are clearly enjoying themselves hugely and so are the characters (most of the time). The best episodes have a sort of intelligent silliness about them which is almost irresistible: they sustain a mixture of spy spoof, black comedy, and science fiction which many have tried to copy but few have achieved. This is the Avengers in its imperial phase.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974) in Movies
Nov 23, 2020
Last Film With Christopher Lee as Dracula (1 more)
A huge Disappointment
Out With Boredom
The Satanic Rites of Dracula- was a huge disappointment. It was boring, and only was intresting when Dracula was on screen. The first 30 minutes doesnt seem like a dracula film, i was confused on what i was watching. It sad because this was the last time you get to see Christopher Lee as Dracula. And it was a disappointment.
The plot: British-made chiller about a blood-thirsty count who takes up residence in modern London to develop a new strain of bubonic plague, with the evil intention of annihilating all life on Earth.
Work began on what was tentatively titled Dracula is Dead...and Well and Living in London in November 1972.
The film itself is a mixture of horror, science fiction and a spy thriller, with a screenplay by Don Houghton, a veteran of BBC's Doctor Who. This is the problem its trying to be more sci-fi and a spy thriller than horror.
This was the final Hammer film that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing would make together. The two stars would eventually reunite one more time in House of the Long Shadows, ten years later.
A huge let down.
The plot: British-made chiller about a blood-thirsty count who takes up residence in modern London to develop a new strain of bubonic plague, with the evil intention of annihilating all life on Earth.
Work began on what was tentatively titled Dracula is Dead...and Well and Living in London in November 1972.
The film itself is a mixture of horror, science fiction and a spy thriller, with a screenplay by Don Houghton, a veteran of BBC's Doctor Who. This is the problem its trying to be more sci-fi and a spy thriller than horror.
This was the final Hammer film that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing would make together. The two stars would eventually reunite one more time in House of the Long Shadows, ten years later.
A huge let down.
Erika (17789 KP) rated The Locksmith's Daughter in Books
Jan 21, 2019
An Elizabethan novel without royals as the main characters.
Recently, I haven't wanted to read any historical fiction novels. I feel like recently, a lot of them are either focused on royals, or on WWII. Harper Collins sent one of their promo emails at the beginning of this month, and after reading the description, I had to have it.
I really liked the main character, Mallory, made some dumb decisions, like everyone, but it was nice to see that she legitimately learned from her mistakes.
After Mallory ruined her reputation, her father seeks out the Spymaster of Elizabethan England, Sir Francis Walsingham, to give her a job. She becomes a spy, seeking out Catholics. Again, I was thankful that the Queen only appeared in person once.
Harper Collins totally got me on this one, and I was glad to read it.
I really liked the main character, Mallory, made some dumb decisions, like everyone, but it was nice to see that she legitimately learned from her mistakes.
After Mallory ruined her reputation, her father seeks out the Spymaster of Elizabethan England, Sir Francis Walsingham, to give her a job. She becomes a spy, seeking out Catholics. Again, I was thankful that the Queen only appeared in person once.
Harper Collins totally got me on this one, and I was glad to read it.
