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The Company

A Novel of the CIA

#11 in series

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Crisis constantly lurks around the corner, monitored by spies who are always with us. In this breathtaking thriller, a spectacular mole hunt is under way, one that involves not just the CIA—"The Company" to insiders—but Mossad, MI6, and the KGB as well. Robert Littell, master of the espionage novel, has crafted an exciting story of agents imprisoned in double lives, fighting an enemy that is amoral, elusive, and formidable. The Company also lays bare a warfare within the CIA itself, adding another dimension to the spy vs. spy game.
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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      When the English gentleman, Phileas Fogg, wagers with members of his London club that he can travel around the world in eighty days, few people could guess at the strange adventures he and his servant, Jean Passepartout, will encounter on their extraordinary voyage. David Colacci does a fine job in bringing this quaint nineteenth-century novel into our time. Instead of performing accents and gender distinctions that are totally accurate, Colacci adds an amusing flavor to them. The result is an enjoyable listening experience of a work that lives again. E.E.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      This classic adventure story, written in 1873, recounts the experiences of Phineas Fogg and his party as they make the trip described in the title in order to win a wager. Tim Behrens reads in a pleasant and interested voice. His vocal characterizations of men are more distinctive than the one female character with any dialogue (Aouda). The accents of the various nationalities encountered are skillfully handled. Although Behrens reads the narration with an American accent, he capably handles the British accents. Throughout the production, Behrens's pace is consistent, and he seems to enjoy the material. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      On a wager with his chums at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg attempts the trip described in the title of this classic adventure novel. Burton does a fine job reading this skillful abridgment, changing voices effectively and pacing himself well. Classical music is used as an effective bridge between chapters. Superior liner notes include a chapter outline, a brief biographical sketch of Verne and a list of the music used in the program. P.B.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      This audiobook is a rare treat that offers a peek at the past yet remains relevant today. When first published in 1873, Jules Verne's novel represented merely a dream for most people. Despite the quantum evolution of transportation since then, the book is still delightful--from Phineas Fogg's initial bet to the final culmination of his adventure. Michael Prichard's delivery is reminiscent of the no-nonsense style used by the narrators of newsreels. He adeptly captures Fogg's audacious nature, as well as the unique personality of his newly employed valet, Passepartout. The focal point of the story remains Fogg's attempt to circumnavigate the globe using every available type of transportation, including trains, boats, and elephants. No matter how Fogg travels or what he encounters, Prichard brings out his joys, fears, and bravura. D.J.S. SYNC 2015 © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Bill Homewood's voice gives listeners a sense of the elegance of the Reform Club, where Phileas Fogg spends his days. There's a hint of Jules Verne's playfulness creeping in as Fogg is seen through the eyes of his servant, Passepartout. When Fogg makes a fateful wager, the monotony of his life disappears as he embarks on his journey around the world. Homewood's voice takes on a tone of majesty reflecting Verne's awe at the wonders of then-modern transportation. Familiar listeners know that Fogg's famously precise travel plans will run into obstacles. Happily, the English gentleman shows calm resilience, even as he opens his heart while crossing the globe. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 18, 2002
      This impressive doorstopper of a book is like a family historical saga, except that the family is the American intelligence community. It has all the appropriate characters and tracks them over 40 years: a rogue uncle, the Sorcerer, a heavy-drinking chief of the Berlin office in the early Cold War days; a dashing hero, Jack McAuliffe, who ages gracefully and never loses his edge; a dastardly turncoat, who for the sake of the reader will not be identified here, but who dies nobly; a dark genius, the real-life James Jesus Angleton, who after the disclosure that an old buddy, British spy Kim Philby, had been a Russian agent all along, became a model of paranoia; a Russian exchange student who starts out with our heroes at Yale but then works for "the other side"; and endless assorted ladyfolk, wives, girlfriends and gutsy daughters—who are not portrayed with anything like the gritty relish of the men. Littell, an old hand at the genre (he wrote the classic The Defection of A.J. Lewinter) keeps it all moving well, and there are convincing set pieces: the fall of Budapest, the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba and an eerily prescient episode in Afghanistan, in which a character obviously modeled on Osama bin Laden appears, accompanied by a sidekick whose duty is to slay him instantly if his capture by the West seems imminent. It's gung-ho, hard-drinking, table-turning fun, even if a little old-fashioned now that we have so many other problems to worry about than the Russians—but it brings back vividly a time when they seemed a real threat. There are some breathtaking real-life moments with the Kennedy brothers, and with a bumbling Reagan, and with Vladimir Putin, now the leader of Russia, who is here given a background that is extremely
      shady. (Apr.)Forecast: The Afghanistan element will lend itself to handselling, but that will be only icing on the cake of Overlook's full-tilt publicity campaign, which will include national ad/promo, a TV/radio satellite tour and an author tour. Along with Littell's reputation among critics and spy-lit cognescenti, it should all add up to a breakout book with serious bestseller potential. And Overlook's planned reprinting in hardcover of all of Littell's work, beginning with
      The Defection of A.J. Lewinter, should keep Littell's name in readers' minds for years to come.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1070
  • Text Difficulty:6-9

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