Sunday Book Reviews –

Bookshelf books, photo by Alien Motives

Everything Is Under Control by Robert Anton Wilson with Miriam Joan Hill (1998, Quill)

For months after this site began, I would produce a weekly article debunking one conspiracy theory or another. Sometimes they would be addressed by providing links to direct evidence refuting the allegations; sometimes the illogic undergirding the theories would be examined. The one consistent factor was that there were always more theories to be addressed. I found myself somewhat overwhelmed by how expansive the belief would be in the most ludicrous or unjustifiable theories.

Over the last two years, it’s only gotten worse, and it’s culminated with the belief of hundreds of thousands of people that the election was somehow stolen despite a consistent inability to produce any supporting evidence whatsoever. The recycling of the same disproven theories, the reliance on witnesses with a history of criminal fraud and lying under oath… none of it matters. The rejection of reality can be maddening.

This book was written long before the recent developments, and as such is useful as a research aid on the development of modern conspiracy theory. It is effectively an encyclopedia of conspiracy, not detailing all of the theories but attempting to address what the authors considered the major ones. Wilson approaches all of the theories with a fairly unjaundiced eye, willing to grant the benefit of the doubt but unwilling to accept obvious falsehood. He also presents some of the rare examples of conspiracies actually occurring. The result is an illuminating book that doesn’t make the reader feel sullied by the poison which typically accompanies most modern conspiracy theory.

The Looking Glass War by John Le Carre (Coward-McCann, 1965)

This is billed in its current edition as one of the Le Carre “Smiley” novels. It’s technically true, as Smiley does appear as a character in the book, but his presence is minimal. The reason for this becomes apparent as the book progresses.

George Smiley was created by Le Carre as a counterpoint to James Bond. Rather than the suave. commanding man of action, Smiley is overweight, unassuming, and methodical. This occasionally leads to his opponents underestimating him, whereupon they learn that he is also brilliant and cunning. Smiley is a master of espionage, and Smiley wins.

This book presents another yet alternative to the Bond-era espionage stories, and one all too realistic: the fog of war. While most spy thrillers are tales of heroism, this book shows the destruction of spirit that can result from making the wrong choices for the best reasons and the dangers of uncertainty.

It’s not a thriller so much as a character study and tragedy set against an effort to recover information from behind enemy lines. Even as a historical piece, the book works very well today.

The writing structure is fairly pedestrian, but Le Carre targets his audience perfectly, neither speaking down to them nor abandoning his penchant for description.

If you’ve read a number of spy thrillers, you’re in the mood for something realistic and you don’t mind a bleak story, this is worth picking up. If you’d prefer to avoid darker works right now, I’d recommend Le Carre’s other Smiley novels, and leaving this one aside.

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About AlienMotives 1991 Articles
Ex-Navy Reactor Operator turned bookseller. Father of an amazing girl and husband to an amazing wife. Tired of willful political blindness, but never tired of politics. Hopeful for the future.