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For now, here's my tier list (and ranking) of the books. Implicit (well, now explicit) spoiler warning for all books ahead. Tier list in graphic form (no spoilers): https://i.imgur.com/StOql8s.jpg
Claire Shipman has 15 books on Goodreads with 64722 ratings. Claire Shipman’s most popular book is The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assur...
- The Early Work 1961-68
- Peak Cold War Espionage 1974-86
- The Post-Cold War World 1989-2001
- The War on Terror and Beyond 2003-19
- Final Rankings
- Reading Order
1: Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1963 #3) What else could it be? It was a breakthrough novel for a reason. Taut, tense, brilliant characters, proper plot, brilliant prose, the nasty sting in the tail, a distillation of his disgust with a world he was about to leave behind. Still the best answer to the “if you only read one…” debate in the hope tha...
1: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974 #6) For my money, the greatest spy thriller ever written. The best author, in his best period, doing his version of the biggest scandal ever to engulf British intelligence, the quest for the mole at the heart of the Circus. It is beautifully written and plotted and I can’t imagine it will ever be bettered. And ...
1: The Constant Gardener (2001 #17) For many this is le Carré’s forgotten period but it was actually extremely productive as he turned his attention to the dissection of modern industries and rampant capitalism where moral certainties, even in so far as they existed in his fiction before this, were gone. He was never better than in this tale of a m...
1: Agent Running in the Field (2019 #24) Lots of you will hate this ranking. To its critics this is a shrill bellow from an old man disillusioned by Brexit, but I think you’ve got it wrong. Brexit drives the deftly-drawn characters (and presumably the author’s rage) but the last laugh is on the remoaner tendency, which is a great bit of Le Carré su...
I find it impossible and meaningless to rank books across the ages within their tiers. Any one of the first four has a case as the greatest ever espionage novel. FWIW here they are: MASTERPIECE: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Spy Who Came in From the Cold, The Honourable Schoolboy, A Perfect Spy EXCELLENT: Smiley’s People, The Constant Gardener, Our Ga...
If you want to know what the fuss is about, start with Spy Who Came in from the Cold, then move on to the Karla Trilogy and then read the other excellent and very good books. If you are nervous about his style and want something easy to introduce you to things you could try Call for the Dead first or something like Tailor of Panama or Absolute Frie...
The Mortal Instruments (Books 1-3) - Clary is my least favorite of Clare’s protagonists and while the books are okay they’re also just kind of average compared to the other series. CoG was the perfect ending to the series though which is why I haven’t (And won’t) read books 4-6.
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works: Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Sep 15, 2013 · I’ve listed my six personal favorites, ranked in order of admiration, with notes and some spoilers. (I’ve included a complete list of the Aubrey-Maturin novels below these reviews for convenience.) #1 Post Captain (1972) Patrick O’Brian’s magnificent sophomore work is the crown jewel of the series.
Out of Stock. Looking for books by Claire Shipman? See all books authored by Claire Shipman, including The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know, and The Confidence Code for Girls: Taking Risks, Messing Up, and Becoming Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self, and more on ThriftBooks.com.
