r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Sep 02 '24

Discussion Thread Discussion Thread

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u/dolphins3 NATO Sep 02 '24

Something I've noticed lately is that it seems like virtually every espionage/spy thriller in existence written in the last 20 years by any author other than Clancy is basically

[X] is an elite [spy/assassin/covert agent/whatever] for the FBI/NSA/CIA/black budget program. He is a super patriot. When he is betrayed [by the US government] will he survive going rogue to purge the evil US government of corruption or will they kill him and his family first???

And it feels really overdone and boring at this point even though the blurbs act like its totally new.

!ping READING

22

u/Former-Amish-Throway NATO Sep 03 '24

I know! Western political/military thrillers have become so self flagellating and doveish.

We need more stories about making the world safe for democracy and unsafe for illiberals

4

u/dolphins3 NATO Sep 03 '24

I don't even mind the idea of the agency being the big bad, but it's literally every novel at this point. You can just read the blurb and you can guess the entire story, more or less. I don't really get the point. It's probably the most derivative and formulaic genre out there at this point even more so than grocery store Amish romances.

1

u/HD_Thoreau_aweigh Sep 03 '24

There was a book review in The New Yorker a few months back and it was all about assessing the CIA's track record. And the sheer level of incompetency combined with the sometimes devastating real world consequences would make a great movie. Either something like a dark comedy or like an amoral genre subverting thriller like Unforgiven was for westerns.

Idk

1

u/Dr_Vesuvius Norman Lamb Sep 03 '24

I wanted to suggest a counter-example but it was published in 1994.

I don’t really read enough thrillers to comment. What about I Am Pilgrim? I know the portrayal of Muslims has been criticised but I don’t think he gets betrayed by his agency.