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Book Description
Brings alive the Cold War more successfully than anyone since Le Carre
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Secret Kingdom is the second novel in Francis Bennett's Cold War Trilogy. The first novel was set in 1947, this one at another pivotal moment in the Cold War, the summer and autumn of 1956, in the tense months leading up to the Hungarian uprising.
Bobby Martineau, a member of the British SIS, has been posted to Budapest, from where he reports to London about the growing crisis; to his increasing dismay his warning are ignored. The Hungarians, he knows, are prepared to risk their lives against the Soviet oppressors because they believe the West will support them. But they, and Martineau, reckon without the cynical jockeying for position that is going on in London where whole nations can be sacrificed on the altar of career opportunity. Martineau's dilemma is exacerbated by his deepening relationship with the beautiful Eva, a woman well-known to both Russian and Hungarian security forces, and with plenty of reasons for hating the regime.
'The Cold War here is not just a political but also psychological landscape ... In picking out a personal history from the greater tapestry unfolding in the background Bennett has produced a literary thriller of considerable merit.' Peter Millar, The Times
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'Press the bell when you want to be released.' Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is always a joy to discover a writer who is new to you and to soak up every word they write. Francis Bennett's first novel 'Making Enemies' was just such a find and so 'Secret Kingdom' was read with all the same hopes. It is of course difficult to equal a novel like 'Making Enemies' or, as many readers will no doubt hope, better it. This is the test Mr Bennett has set himself in the wake of his first novel. There was some dissapointment in reading 'Secret Kingdom'. I got an overwhelming sense that Mr Bennett had either been edited or advised to cut a lot from his writing. The plot was rather sparse and the characters somewhat flat. The overall effect was a book less taxing for the reader and so less involving too. Compared with the first novel in the series, 'Secret Kingdom' has an air of (and I would prefer not to have to use the phrase) 'dumbing down' about it. Perhaps the publisher feels that to be successful, the novel needs to be opened up. If this is the case, it is a mistake. Readers are a discerning bunch and the complexities and length of a novel are not negative factors in choosing what to read. I must add that there is much to like in the writing of Francis Bennett. On its own, this novel fares very well against other 'big names', and perhaps it is unfair to compare it against its predecessor and not its competition. I am looking forward to the next installment.
Format:Paperback
The middle book of Francis Bennett's trilogy of Cold War spy stories, Secret Kingdom is even better than its predecessor, Making Enemies.
Where the earlier book dealt with the post-World War II race to nuclear weaponry, the present book concerns itself with the situation in Hungary prior to the 1956 uprising against Soviet occupation.
By telling the story from the viewpoint of multiple characters, the author is able to weave a complex tale of well-characterised protagonists and conflicting motivations against a background of historical events. The heart of the novel lies with the British intelligence officer stationed in Budapest who tries, largely in vain, to steer his colleagues away from the distraction of Suez in order that they grasp Soviet intentions, and his relationship with a former Olympic swimming champion who is trying to find out why her best friend was murdered by the authorities, apparently in her place.
This is an excellent book bearing some resemblance to John Le Carre's stories, with romance always liable to turn to tragedy and individuals putting their own preferment before the greater good and adjusting their principles accordingly. Faber has `re-discovered' Francis Bennett's trilogy and re-issued it under its Faber Finds imprint. I recommend you discover it too; try and read the books in chronological order of their settings, as there is some overlapping of characters between them.
Where the earlier book dealt with the post-World War II race to nuclear weaponry, the present book concerns itself with the situation in Hungary prior to the 1956 uprising against Soviet occupation.
By telling the story from the viewpoint of multiple characters, the author is able to weave a complex tale of well-characterised protagonists and conflicting motivations against a background of historical events. The heart of the novel lies with the British intelligence officer stationed in Budapest who tries, largely in vain, to steer his colleagues away from the distraction of Suez in order that they grasp Soviet intentions, and his relationship with a former Olympic swimming champion who is trying to find out why her best friend was murdered by the authorities, apparently in her place.
This is an excellent book bearing some resemblance to John Le Carre's stories, with romance always liable to turn to tragedy and individuals putting their own preferment before the greater good and adjusting their principles accordingly. Faber has `re-discovered' Francis Bennett's trilogy and re-issued it under its Faber Finds imprint. I recommend you discover it too; try and read the books in chronological order of their settings, as there is some overlapping of characters between them.
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