Book Review – The Spy and the Traitor

Rating – 5/5

Brilliant ! No other word describes this book better. Oleg Gordievsky was a KGB agent who spied for the British MI6 during the Cold War. This book is the story about how Oleg started spying for the British , the impact of his revelations on steering the course of the Cold War and finally his exfiltration which is nothing short of a Hollywood climax.

People spy on their own country/ people for various reasons ranging from ideological, romantic, monetary or vengeance for a mistreatment but not every spy is able to achieve as much success as Oleg did (how much ever Spy movies want us to believe otherwise).

Ben Mcintyre is master storyteller when it comes to narrating stories from the Cold War or the World War. The research behind this book is phenomenal and it clearly shows. There is always the fear that while representing the facts, the story can get very impersonal and read like a report but it is a salute to the talent of the author that he has kept the human emotions at the forefront all through this book and hence it reads nothing short of a spy fiction thriller.

Anybody who is a fan of spy fiction and a cold war enthusiast needs to get their hands on this book to understand what happened and what could have happened if not for the men and women working behind the scenes.

Short Book Review – Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

A beautiful and gripping fantasy novel.

Neil Gaiman paints a beautiful fantasy world which is at once magical, intriguing and at once scary, gory and filthy. The use of humour throughout the book is fantastic and leaves you gasping for more.

Review- Wizards : The Story of Indian Spin Bowling by Anindya Dutta

Rating – 4/5

A book that chronicles the journey of Indian cricket through its artist, the spinners. Any Indian cricket fan or a cricket tragic needs to read this book to learn the history of the sport in India. The book, in a way, also describes the growth of India as a nation through the eyes of its various captains and spinners.

The book reads as a beautiful river flowing through the various landmarks of Indian cricket and not as some Wisden player profile. It not only chronicles the history of spin but also the history of Indian captains because it is very clear that a captain’s involvement/non-involvement is of prime importance in the growth and success of a spinner.

Worth a read and I hope the author keeps updating this book every 5 years or so to keep this journey going…