Who will guard the guards?

The prose is superb. The character development exquisite. Difficult to imagine that this was written in Spanish and translated into English. Hats off to both author and translator
The ethical dilemma in the book is all too stark. Terrorism by definition is asymmetric and to counter it effectively and protect the citizenry, different rules need to be applied.
The dilemma is summarised in the Latin expression "Quis custodiet ipos custodes?" Who will guard the guards?

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engaging writing and performance

the writing is beautiful. narration excellent. the only issue was keeping the characters separate. probably an Anglophone's issue.

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1 person found this helpful

The cults of terrorism

Wonderful writing by a great author. Sad to lose him. Superb performance by Ben. Recommended

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Philosophical spy story

A nice, but sometimes a trifle theoretical spy story. One that doesn’t create internal conflicts in the protagonist the way le Carré does, questioning the right of the “good guys” to play the spy game. Instead, Marias’s protagonist turns his nose up when talking about the enemy and their motives, and their psychology is never dwelled upon or understood, only scoured at. For le Carré every conflict, to be fully grasped, has to be studied from several povs: one can’t really defeat one’s enemies without understanding them in depth, without bringing them in to story as subjects on their own right. For Marías The IRA and ETA are unambiguously bad, but we never get a chance to meet them, hear them speak, or act as human beings who have a different set of values and motives to their actions. The lack of changed perspectives in Marías stands in bleak contrast to JLC. Also Maria’s claim that the Basques where never oppressed doesn’t hold closer scrutiny. A good book, but a very one eyed account.

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Slow to get going, but well worth it!

This is my first experience of this author. I learned of him and his many works via a radio programme about his life, his writing and which included an interview with his very accomplished translator. For quite a time after starting it, I was very unsure where this book was taking me and I began to wonder whether I would have the patience to persevere with it, but I am so glad I did. Marias is a very skillful and insightful writer. I became totally absorbed in the dilemmas and the somewhat troubled mind of Tomas Nevison, especially as the events that form the backdrop of this book have all occurred in my lifetime, and they were pretty horrific.

I would love to listen to more of his material on Audible, but there is very little available, other than in his his native Spanish. Although I am very fluent and confident in Spanish, I would hate to miss the least little thing, so I'll hang fire for the meantime and hope more titles come out in English, especially as his translator is so excellent - perhaps Audible don't have the rights to the other works narrated/translated into English?

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A first class experience

A remarkable performance from the narrator.
The story is intriguing with ethical considerations and dilemmas which stay in the mind.
I found it beneficial to note down the names of key persons to help to distinguish them

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Dull dull dull

Not a bad story but could be condensed down to about 1/10 of its length. Interminable meetings drag on for pages and pages and nothing actually happens. There is basically no action at all and the plot could be summarised on a postage stamp. A good book for insomniac, this one would send anyone to sleep

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