Legacy of Spies

Book review.

I have previously written about George Smiley in Le Carre books, and how it applies to my criticism of the “movement.”  I may as well make a brief statement about the latest (likely, last) Smiley book, Legacy of Spies.

I would give this book, at most, three stars out of five; it is a pale and weak successor to masterpieces like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s People.  An insipid story premise, a flaccid structure and pace, and, finally, an ending that comes to no real conclusion whatsoever. Not good at all.

From a nationalist perspective, at the end of the book, Smiley (who must be over 100 years old at this point), is revealed as an anti-Brexit Europhile.

Now, one can be an anti-Brexit Europhile from the Far-Right, like Richard Spencer, but that’s not what we are talking about here.  Cornwell/Le Carre is a leftist, and so Smiley’s Europhilism is that of Angela Merkel, not that of Richard Spencer or of Francis Parker Yockey.

All in all a mediocre book, and one not compatible with European EGI.

The book does tie up two loose ends from the aforementioned previous Smiley books (no spoilers): the fates of Karla and of Jim Prideaux (including a definitive statement as to whether Smiley/Guillam knew Prideaux killed Jim Haydon and their opinion of that).