Declarations of War

By Len Deighton

Book Overview

This dazzling array of stories, Len Deighton's only collection of shorter fiction, spans 23 centuries of warfare. Deighton's gripping tales range from? Hannibal's march on Rome--when strange, moving... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0586038116
• ISBN13: 9780586038116
• Release Date: January 2015
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.7" x 4.4"

Customer Reviews

War Stories by a War Expert

Len Deighton (LD)'s late debut and worldwide success with The Ipcress File in 1962 inspired him to write some 40 more books. Most of them dealt with espionage, incl. three trilogies with the same protagonist/hero, and some on French cooking. A number of highly-acclaimed books of LD have focussed on WW II: Bomber describes the terrifying risks accepted by hastily-trained flying personnel trained and primed to disable wartime-Germany; Winter is a warm, convincing history of a German family from 1899 to 1945; SS/GB is a plausible account of what life would have been like in the UK if Hitler Germany had won the Battle of Britain, and the resistance it would have provoked. Comparing LD with John Le Carre (JLC)(and Ian Fleming (IF), creator of James Bond), all highly-successful British spy writers in the 1960's and 70s, would require many pages. They are very different writers, but all three played intelligence roles in real life. Leaving aside IF, LD is a compulsive and fast writer, turning every idea into a chapter or a story. His early heroes are often nameless and versions of himself, writing in the I-form, turning readers into helpless creatures galloping after the hero to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot. The plots of LD's early novels appear more improvised and more infused by chatter, irony, and flippancy than JLC's. His early preoccupation with nascent forms of technology and the impact of WW II more than compensate for these weaknesses, if they are weaknesses. In contrast, all JLC's novels appear carefully plotted in advance, and show little interest in the technological advances made in earlier years and decades. Also, his attitudes towards the British ruling stratum are different from LD's. Whilst LD's heroes are flippant about authority and the upper class, JLC's often sad, past-their-prime protagonists are either part of, or married into this cast. JLC is British, LD is mid-Atlantic as regards foreign allegiance and sympathies. Collections of short stories are hard to review in a few hundred words. Declarations of War is a brief collection of 13 stories, outburst of LD's desire and urge, during his most creative years, to provide the reader with more material to make informed judgments on warfare and espionage.

A different look at wars

In a wonderfully written book of short stories, Len Deighton looks at wars from a different angle. There is no heroics, no hero braving enemy fire and single handedly thwarting the oppositions plans. This book is about the real truth. About soldiers in despair, fearing their lives everytime they go out. It is about how wars change people. Wars are about danger and death, and not about medals and awards. For every single person receiving a bravery award, countless unknown soldiers have laid down their lives. A lovely book. Read it and be transported into the battlefield. On guard!