I am quite fond of the saying that “truth is stranger than fiction.” As those of us who read spy fact (and those fiction works which blur the boundaries between the two) know, it is often the case. The film The Good Shepherd, directed by Robert De Niro and released by Universal Pictures in...
Coming up in the next few weeks on the Spybrary Spy Podcast We celebrate Episode 50 with the man who kicked it all off on Episode 1 – Rob Mallows from Deighton Dossier. (Brief episode where we talk about the Berlin meet up and read a special message sent to...
Transmission received from Spybrarian Matthew Kresal: Review of The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carre. One of the familiar tropes of the spy genre is an intelligence agency recruiting a civilian into an operation. In fact, one might even say it's become a cliche at this point. So perhaps it comes as something of...
Follow in the steps of Bernard Samson – Len Deighton Meetup – Berlin Update: Listen to a special message that Len Deighton has sent us on Episode 50 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast! Rob Mallows from the Deighton Dossier returns to the show to talk with Spybrary Spy Podcast host Shane Whaley. We talk through...
Chances are, if you're reading this blog post, you're a podcast listener. Non-fiction podcasts such as Spybrary aren't the only things out there though. The rise of the podcast has also led to a renaissance in audio drama, the medium of sound and story formerly seen as being on the brink of extinction. One of...
Some films seem to stand the test of time. Not only are they popular on release but they find new audiences throughout the decades that follow. Where Eagles Dare, first released fifty years ago this year, is one such example. Starring the perhaps unlikely mix of Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, this mix of spy...
Today is Memorial Day in America. Most of us will take a moment to think about those who lost their lives fighting for our freedom. Memorial Day got me thinking though, what about our brave men and women in the clandestine services? Shouldn't we spare a moment to think about them as well? So this...
007 is dead, that's what the book marketers are screaming at the legion of 007 fans who are eagerly awaiting the second James Bond novel ‘Forever and a Day.' Are the publicity boys and girls teasing us? Is 007 really dead? Alas this is not a review and as its likely at time of blogging...
Those who have heard my previous appearances on the podcast, such as my pitching the TV series The Prisoner to Shane in episode 22, will know I have a particular fondness for science fiction. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that I enjoy works that cross between science fiction and spy thriller. The film...
If you are at all a reader of non-fiction related to the world of espionage, the name Ben Macintyre is likely a familiar one. He is, after all, the author of such books as Agent Zigzag and the superb Kim Philby biography A Spy Among Friends. Back in 2008, however, he covered the most famous...
