[ezdupree]

I was wondering if anyone out there could recommend some good Spy Fiction, Saving the World type novels. I have recently gotten into this genre of books and have read all the "Covert One" novels by Robert Ludlum and others, and all of Brad Thor's books which are excellent, but am having a hard time finding something comparable. I have tried Vince Flynn but find that he takes too much time to get going and I really like when a book jumps out and grabs you.

If anyone out there knows of a good book or author I should try, I would be eternally Grateful.

[Holbrook]

Prominent writers of spy fiction, that I have read, spans spying from the First World War until the present day. A lot wrote during the "Cold War" and are classic!

John Buchan
Tom Clancy
Len Deighton
Ian Fleming
Ken Follett
Frederick Forsyth
Graham Greene
Adam Hall
Jack Higgins
Anthony Horowitz
John le Carré
Robert Ludlum
Somerset Maugham
Andy McNab

[FremenWarrior]

Alternative spy fiction like Clive Cussler (especially Dirk Pitt novels like "Sahara" and "Atlantis Found")

[xvart]

While not world changing, you should check out Brotherhood of the Rose and Fraternity of the Stone. Two phenomenal books.

xvart.

[AuntiePam]

The James Bond books are the only "saving the world" spy fiction I've read, but I'll recommend some others anyway.

The Amateur by Robert Littell

Anything by John LeCarre -- especially the Smiley books

Anything by Trevanian -- but remember that his Sanction books (and Shibumi) can be read as parodies, so they might seem a bit over the top. You can take them seriously or you can giggle -- either way, they're good reading.

Early Ken Follett -- he got a bit silly with The Third Twin and I haven't read him since, but Eye of the Needle, Lie Down With Lions, The Key to Rebecca are quite good.

[DurzoBlint]

While not world changing, you should check out Brotherhood of the Rose and Fraternity of the Stone. Two phenomenal books.

xvart.

I'll second those recommendations. Morell also wrote (Rambo) First Blood.

Most of the above mentioned is a great place to start a few of my old reads are

David Hagberg his other name is Sean Flannery
Robert Littell (his novel The Company was a tv movie staring Michael Keaton)
Joe Buff
Larry Bond (wrote the Harpoon training program for the Navy)
Dale Brown
Patrick Robinson
W.E.B. Griffith (I like the President's Agent Series)

For various time periods of Spy thriller fiction I would look up on wikipedia.org under the key words spy thrillers it covers the gambit from WWI to Sci-fi and has a list of authors that you can click to get more information, here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_fiction

[leel]

May I suggest Daniel Silva. He has 10+ books beginning with:
The Unlikely Spy - WWII England
The Marching Season - Irish vs England vs Catholic vs Protestant
The English Assassin
The Kill Artist
The Mark of the Assassin

I bought 9 Silva books on e-bay for about $2.00 per book

[GermX]

I would suggest these two. I got on a small spy kick a year ago

Garfield's Hopscotch

and

Higgins' The Eagle has Landed

[DurzoBlint]

Also, The Company by Robert Littell. I read it a long time ago and I remember it spanning a few decades of a few individuals within the company and a traitor. I remember it as a decent read.

If I recall the book was turned into a miniseries or a TV movie starring Michael Keaton.

[Glelas]

Who does good contemporary/modern day spy fiction? Current events or relevant issues instead of the WWII and cold war stuff?