OT - What espioange/war novels do you read? [SURVEY]

Mary Shafer wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 24 Apr 2004 12:53:23 -0400, Eric Pinnell see my web site
wrote:

I am having a dispute with a literary agent and I am conducting
this on-line book survey to add ammunition to my argument. I would
greatly appreciate it if you could answer this survey honestly, but
please dot not send answers via email. Thanks.


1) Who are you favorite espionage/war authors and why?

For espionage, John Le Carre' and Len Deighton, because they write so
well. Nelson DeMille fits in here somewhere, too. For war, CS
Forester, Patrick O'Brian, Larry Bond, Mark Barent, Neville Shute,
Eric Flint, David Weber, Elizabeth Moon, Somebody Frezza, James
Clavell. Their books are believable, their characters are real, and
their plots are complex and interesting.

Ethell, Price, Boyne, Rasimus, Tuchman. Non-fiction.

2) Who are your least enjoyable espionage/war authors and why?

I don't really know. What's-his-name, the guy that writes the books
with Dirk Pitt in them.

3) What determines if the book you read is a keeper or a reject?

How much it engages my interest and how believable it is. Make a big
error (geosynchronous polar orbit or an F-106 passenger conversion)
and it's all over.

4) Other than 38 North Yankee and Red Phoenix, have you read any books
about a war in Korea? If so, what are the titles?

Yes. Dog Soldiers (I think).

5) Assuming a book was well written about a war in Korea, would you
read it, or do you believe the Korea scenario has been overdone?

Yes, I would. No, I don't. I've seen very little about Korea.

6) Do you prefer war or espionage stories?

Yes.

7) What story would you like to read?

Something with interesting characters and lots of technology. No
romance unless it's very well done, which is extremely uncommon.

8) Do you still buy espionage/war novels, or do you feel that the
genre is overdone?

Yes, I do. No, I don't, at least not in well-written books.

9) If you've reduced or stopped purchasing espionage/war novels, what
other genres do you read instead?

I haven't stopped or slowed reading them, but I've always read other
genres as well. Mysteries. Science fiction. Fantasy. "Mainstream"
fiction. Biography. Linguistics. Food and cooking. Beading.
History.



La Carre is counterespionage and Fleming is special ops, neither of
which is strictly intelligence. Overhead surveillance and radio
intercept are intelligence but about as dull as you can get if you
don't have Clancy's live action satellite.