Recommend Me Some Books Please

[Mr._Blinky]

Okay, this one is a little complicated, so I appreciate any help you fine folks are willing to give me.

I'm currently in the process of writing a novel. The thing is that the novel I'm writing is best summed up as Post-Apocalyptic Cyberpunk Spy-Noir, and while I have a lot of experience with both post-apocalyptic and cyberpunk novels, I'm fairly unread when it comes to spy and noir novels. Since I've always found it best to read other examples of a genre before writing in it, I thought I'd ask around here to see if anyone had ideas for novels to pick up.

I'm not really looking for anything too heavily stylized, like things in the mold of James Bond. Mostly I'm looking for something more along the lines of realism or at least grittiness, an example being Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park. Something heavier on the investigative side than the action side, and again, not really the suave super-spy James Bond stuff. Spy novels are good, as are detective novels, and anything that blends the two is excellent. Bonus point if it's a classic that I have a good chance of finding at a local library.

Thanks in advance for any help you all can give me.:smallsmile:

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Frederick Forsyth and John Le Carré are both amazing spy writers - very real, very gritty. Not so much of your flash bang shooty heroics, more double triple crosses, secrets and lies. Try any of their books.

If you can wade through his other deranged sections (and they are really deranged), William S Burroughs is full of spy tropes, psychedelic, dark and paranoid. Just what you want from a cyberpunk noir. Try Interzone.

[TheBST]

John Le Carré

This. 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' in particular.

For a Noir atmosphere, you can't go wrong with Dashniel Hammett or Graham Greene.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

This. 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' in particular.

For a Noir atmosphere, you can't go wrong with Dashniel Hammett or Graham Greene.
Seconding Greene - he was a fantastically literary writer, working in popular genres. His Brighton Rock is a great adventure / character study.

[Cyrion]

Something else that your library might have- a collection of old detective radio shows (Phillip Marlow, Sam Spade, Nero Wolfe, Boston Blackie, The Fat Man, etc.). They'll give you a really good feel for the genre from a slightly different perspective.

[jlvm4]

P.K. **** the author

Edited: since the author's last name won't get through the filters: it's also a nickname for Richard and Nightwing's first name. :smallsmile:

[Optimystik]

For Sci-Fi Noir, you can't go wrong with S. Andrew Swann's Forests of the Night series.

[The Big Dice]

Robert Ludlum and Craig Thomas for cold war era spy antics.

[Mr._Blinky]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. I just checked my college's library catalogue online, and it looks like we actually have most of these. I'll try checking a few out tonight.:smallsmile:

[reorith]

seconding the philip k. dïck recommendation. pick up flow my tears, the policeman said. it is about a dude that has to navigate through some unfamiliar underground stuff.

[Dr.Epic]

I'm not sure if this fits but 1894? It's my favorite book and a classic. Not to mention it kind of fits what you're looking for: dystopian has some similarities to post-apocalyptic. Not to mention there's a lot of talk of war and spies in 1984.

[Cyrion]

I'm not sure if this fits but 1894?

A typo, or a post-apocalyptic novel about the rise of self-aware difference engines and the vengence of steampunk?

That reminds me- check out (if you haven't already read) Gibson's Neuromancer series or Burning Chrome. It's not in the detective genre, but he's got a very vivid and immediate writing style that could serve the genre well, and he's one of the defining writers of cyberpunk.

And THAT reminded me of Asimov's Robot Novels. Not noir by any means, but they are futuristic detective novels. Also, Larry Niven's Flatlander stories are classically constructed detective stories set in the future.

[Mr._Blinky]

Already read Neuromancer and Burning Chrome, thanks. And yeah, they were pretty excellent, and Gibson is one of the main writers I'm using as a resource.

I've read 1984 before as well. Not really what I'm looking for, but dystopian does work somewhat well with the setting I'm doing.

I ended up going to my library yesterday and picking up a copy of A Scanner Darkly and several John le Carre books. I figure I'll read them all over the course of a few weeks and then move onto the next writer.

[Dr.Epic]

A typo, or a post-apocalyptic novel about the rise of self-aware difference engines and the vengence of steampunk?

Dude, it's the prequel.

[Errandir]

I'll put in another word for John le Carré, but I'd recommend starting with the Karla trilogy - the first book is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

[Britter]

Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon is pretty solid sci-fi noir detective stuff, sort of a fusion between Blade Runner and Philip Marlowe. It is a pretty deep book, in my opinion, and can be incredibly violent at times as well. the sequels are not as good, but they do detail different areas of the sci-fi spy/mercanary/detective genre.

[Shyftir]

Tom Clancy's Without Remorse is pretty solid as far as realistic spy-novel goes.

I have to second Robert Ludlum, if you thought the Borne movies were good... let me just say the book version would kick the movie version's butt so fast the movie version wouldn't even realize it until he was already dead.