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Len Deighton

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The Ipcress File (Penguin Modern Classics) Kindle Edition

by Len Deighton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 2,118 ratings

Book 1 of 4: The Harry Palmer Novels

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*NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES*

A high-ranking scientist has been kidnapped. A secret British intelligence agency must find out why. But as the quarry is pursued from grimy Soho to the other side of the world, what seemed a straightforward mission turns into something far more sinister. With its sardonic, cool, working-class hero, Len Deighton's sensational debut The Ipcress File rewrote the spy thriller and became the defining novel of 1960's London.

'Changed the shape of the espionage thriller ... there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read' Daily Telegraph

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘A spy story with a difference.’ Observer

‘A master of fictional espionage.’ Daily Mail

‘The poet of the spy story.’ Sunday Times

‘The Ipcress File helped change the shape of the espionage thriller…the prose is still as crisp and fresh as ever…there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read, or re-read.’ Daily Telegraph

‘The self-conscious cool of Deighton’s writing has dated in the best way possible…a stone-cold cold war classic.’ Guardian

‘Deighton is so far in the front of other writers in the field that they are not even in sight’ Sunday Times

‘Nobody now seriously doubts that Deighton is the most credible of all the spysmiths’ The Scotsman

‘Regarded as the cold war spy thriller that made all subsequent examples of the genre possible…however much of a classic the film is, the book is a completely different proposition. It’s more intricate and far superior…a must for anyone who likes this kind of fiction.’ Loaded

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Born in London, he served in the RAF before graduating from the Royal College of Art (which recently elected him a Senior Fellow). While in New York City working as a magazine illustrator he began writing his first novel, ‘The Ipcress File’, which was published in 1962. He is now the author of more than thirty books of fiction and non-fiction. At present living in Europe, he has, over the years, lived with his family in ten different countries from Austria to Portugal.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B1GMBG5C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (May 26, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 26, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2944 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 241 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B009NPMXM6

Best Sellers Rank: #653,435 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,724 in Historical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #2,160 in Military Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #2,166 in Technothrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.0 2,118 ratings

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Ian R. Bruce

Great Fun Even 60 Years On

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2023

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Deighton has a wonderful writing style and this is a really fun book to read, over 60 years after it was originally published.

The voice of the unnamed narrator is pitch-perfect 1960s snark, the dialog crackles, and the descriptive passages are vivid. He's a great writer. A couple of examples:

"His face was 11 am November 11th."

"Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man, right? Well, communism is exactly the reverse."

Great fun.

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Frank Donnelly

A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2019

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"The Ipcress File" is a early spy novel Len Deighton published in 1962. It is of medium length and has no obscene language. It is relatively complicated and, at times, left me confused. I liked the novel a lot, but it is not always an easy read, required my full attention, and may not suit the taste of a reader seeking a simple light entertaining reading experience.

The story is written in first person. The protagonist/narrator is unnamed. He exudes a casual, laconic manner and makes numerous sarcastic comments. He seems more human and I like him better than I like James Bond.

I have only read a few early novels of Ian Fleming. In terms of early novels, I found this to be a more mature and more sophisticated novel than the early Ian Fleming novels that I have thus far read. I liked this novel more than the early Ian Fleming novels.

Mister Deighton makes many references to British Culture and many historical references within this fine novel that, as an American, I sometimes found a bit confusing. I knew some, but not all of the historical and literary references, but I enjoyed studying the ones I did not know. That is a matter of taste and not everyone wants to "study" as they read a novel. Some of the cultural references left me at a loss, but that did not really keep me from following the storyline.

In summary, I moderatly like this novel. I definitely intend to read another novel by Len Deighton. The novel is at times confusing and is not necessarily a light easy read. Thank You...

15 people found this helpful

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Cphe

The Ipcress file

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2015

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I've noticed this book mentioned on a lot of espionage/thriller lists over the years but hadn't got around to reading it, nor have I seen the movie. I was in a way expecting it to be a rollicking good read but it wasn't quite that for me. I did like that the narrator was unnamed and I thoroughly enjoyed his sense of black humor, and deadpan dialogue. The thriller/espionage component was interesting as well.

However there were a few too many gaps in the delivery of the plot. Not everything was explained adequately, to my satisfaction. There seemed to be a lot of time spent on the mundane. I couldn't help but feel that there wasn't enough characterization with some of the secondary characters to give the novel a more rounded feel.

Nevertheless I'm glad that I eventually got around to reading.

2 people found this helpful

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H.L.J.

Believe nothing you're told - Trust no one you meet - Lie about everything you do - You're a Spy.

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2022

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Len Deighton, in his first spy novel, initiates his readers into the English spy business as it muddles about during the earliest days of the Cold War. Here you meet men and women who survived the last war and who remain just cynical enough to accept the shades of gray on gray found in the No Man's Land of international espionage. Quick read, smooth writing style coupled with an understanding of the unique humor generated when Fate seems to have taken a personal interest in your life and regularly issues threats against it.

3 people found this helpful

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PraxJarvin

Compelling but deliberately obtuse read

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2022

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I powered through The IPCRESS File in about two days, downing 100 pages in a single afternoon. It's a compelling read, with engaging characters and some pretty prose. With that said, the book is written in a deliberately obtuse manner. It can be hard to track location and time and sometimes information is purposefully elided. While I followed it well enough, I sometimes felt like the book was designed to keep me from getting ahead of it. It's a great spy novel, though you may feel a bit cheated by what exactly the IPCRESS File is. (It appears so late in the book that I began to suspect we'd just be told the book was the file.) The Penguin version is great, a cool cover and compact style.

One person found this helpful

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Ron Webb

Good reading

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2022

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The "clever" analogies and sarcasms are a bit like a typical detective novel, but the narrative is engaging and the complexity is well worth unravelling. I enjoyed it very much.

One person found this helpful

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ANard

Hard to follow.

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2022

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Not an entertaining or well written book. It's a convoluted style and one has to go back and try and figure out what's going on. I would not consider this one of Deighton's better books.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2022

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Have long known of this novel and finally read it, and it is well worth the time. Very much a product of its time with A-bomb testing, brainwashing and cigarettes in every scene! The writing style is unlike, and a little more challenging than, most spy novels which pull the reader along in the plot. Here the story is told solely from the narrator's perspective - and he very clearly does not know all that is going on - or why. May sound silly, but the writing reminded me a bit of Faulkner where the events and dialogue are simply presented to the reader as raw data - what was once called "modern" prose.

3 people found this helpful

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Robert Morton

The IPCRESS File

Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2024

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Len Deighton’s books are always a firm favourite of mine, whether it’s fiction or history . This is a re-read of the series of espionage stories that I enjoyed in the late seventies . Great to have them back in print. They are great spy yarns. Highly recommended.

Dagoberto Bicca

Impede a cópia para tradução.Lástima

Reviewed in Brazil on June 19, 2022

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Somente o impedimento de cópias de trechos para tradução
Assim não vou mais comprar

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SHEILA

Not as gripping as I expected

Reviewed in Spain on May 7, 2022

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Not as gripping as I had expected

Sharad Sakorkar

Difficult Read

Reviewed in India on June 25, 2020

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I am a great fan of Len Deighton. I tried to read Ipcress File, Deighton's first book, in the seventies in my early youth and failed to go beyond the first hundred pages. I tried once more after I bought a paperback in the local bookstore but was unable to complete as there was a long gap and had forgotten the story which meant starting all over again! I bought the kindle edition and decided to read it in a few sittings. Not to be. But I had kept a cast of characters and small notes of important events in the book.

His hero in this book is a working-class chap, crafty, and street smart. Harry is what he was referred to in the novel and was christened as "Harry Palmer" in the movie of the same title, that was made after the success of the novel. Harry gets seconded to WOOCP(P), acronym never explained, a special intelligence unit directly under the charge of cabinet and center of inevitable envy of other intelligence units. Harry is reporting to Dalby, the head of WOOC(P). The disappearance of top biochemists is creating waves in Whitehall and Dalby ropes on Harry to investigate. Jay, as it turns out to be in the business of capturing the scientists and offering them to any party who would pay enough. Harry discovers that Americans are doubting him to be working for KGB. There are a number of confusing twits and the needle of suspicion oscillating uncontrollably. Harry along with Dalby and Harry's new hire Jean are made to attend an atomic bomb test site of the US government in the Pacific Ocean on an atoll where Harry gets abducted. An attempt is made to indoctrinate him with sophisticated brainwashing techniques.
The story is quite complex and confusing, to say the least. In the end, I realized that my loyalty to Deighton and an urge to be not having to say that I haven't read his first hit offering, kept me going. I like his subsequent books, especially, Funeral in Berlin, Billion-Dollar Brain, Winter, and the Bernard Samson series. Okay, so what I enjoyed in the book? Deighton's cocky style, of course.

Witty, sometimes funny, and sarcastic descriptions and conversation is the inimitable feature of Deighton's prose. Throughout the book, I enjoyed this characteristic of Deighton's writing. If anything, the introduction written by Deighton in 2009 is sufficient to prove this. Sample this "Being unaware of what's coming ahead can be an advantage. It shines a green light for everything from enlisting in the foreign legion to getting married. So, I stumbled into writing this book with a happy optimism ignorance provides." Or, "Ross was a regular officer; that is to say, he didn't drink gin after 7.30 p.m. or hit ladies without first removing his hat. We had decided to hate each other. Being English, this vitriolic relationship manifested itself in oriental politeness."

Whatever said, with an occasional spell of boredom that the reader has to endure, the plot becomes interesting and gripping after Harry's abduction. Look, I like Deighton, do you? If, yes, go for it and savor.

One person found this helpful

Ruggles

Totally Over-rated

Reviewed in Japan on September 3, 2021

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Compared with his later novels this one feels amateurish, contrived and juvenile. I expected much more considering the unwarranted praise it seems to have received.

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The Ipcress File (Penguin Modern Classics) Kindle Edition

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