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Blackford Oakes #2
Stained Glass
With the Cold War raging, Blackford Oakes takes a sabbatical from his work as a CIA superspy in order to help restore the war-damaged windows in a fabled German chapel. He finds no peace or sanctuary there, however. Instead, he ends up in the arms of a beautiful KGB agent—and on the horns of a dilemma. He must either betray her or pull the switch on an old friend who is rallying his countrymen to reunite Germany.
According to The New Republic, Stained Glass “cuts closer to the bone than Le Carre has ever cut.” And UPI called it “delightful reading for the spy thriller fan...absolutely must reading.”
232 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
87 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
William F. Buckley Jr.
176 books342 followersWilliam Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American author and conservative commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing style was famed for its erudition, wit, and use of uncommon words.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.
Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.
Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 16, 2021
Buckley, William F. Stained Glass.
Probably more than any other novel, this best illustrates the type of ethics the CIA will use to maintain “security.” From that it is tempting to read the CIA as the hitman for global liberalism. That’s certainly true on one level, but the dilemma that Blackford Oakes faces is a real one. The focus point of the story is the heroic and charismatic German noble, Count Axel Wintegrin. Germany is divided between West and East, the latter living under Soviet terror (made possible by the Allies some five years earlier). Wintegrin is a rising politician who campaigns on the promise of unifying Germany by liberating East German from Communist slavery.
Of course, every human being should rally to such a cause. NATO, however, is reluctant to support Wintegrin, as they fear such a move would trigger World War III. Wintegrin, however, has anticipated and countered every objection to his plan. He is the only one in the West with the backbone to stand up to the Soviet dragon.
Oakes is torn between his desire to help his new friend (and thus liberate millions of people from slavery) and obeying his masters in the CIA. What will Oakes do? The CIA makes it very clear that if Wintegrin starts WWIII, millions would die. The alternative is to dispose of Count Wintegrin and save millions of lives, although leaving millions under socialist slavery. What will Oakes do?
Following upon the heels of the events in Saving the Queen, Stained Glass takes us from the countryside of Merry Olde England (albeit in the 1940s) to post-war Germany. The beauty of the German language and its culture (exorcised from Hitlerism) is apparent in this novel and pulls the reader in.
Probably more than any other novel, this best illustrates the type of ethics the CIA will use to maintain “security.” From that it is tempting to read the CIA as the hitman for global liberalism. That’s certainly true on one level, but the dilemma that Blackford Oakes faces is a real one. The focus point of the story is the heroic and charismatic German noble, Count Axel Wintegrin. Germany is divided between West and East, the latter living under Soviet terror (made possible by the Allies some five years earlier). Wintegrin is a rising politician who campaigns on the promise of unifying Germany by liberating East German from Communist slavery.
Of course, every human being should rally to such a cause. NATO, however, is reluctant to support Wintegrin, as they fear such a move would trigger World War III. Wintegrin, however, has anticipated and countered every objection to his plan. He is the only one in the West with the backbone to stand up to the Soviet dragon.
Oakes is torn between his desire to help his new friend (and thus liberate millions of people from slavery) and obeying his masters in the CIA. What will Oakes do? The CIA makes it very clear that if Wintegrin starts WWIII, millions would die. The alternative is to dispose of Count Wintegrin and save millions of lives, although leaving millions under socialist slavery. What will Oakes do?
Following upon the heels of the events in Saving the Queen, Stained Glass takes us from the countryside of Merry Olde England (albeit in the 1940s) to post-war Germany. The beauty of the German language and its culture (exorcised from Hitlerism) is apparent in this novel and pulls the reader in.
February 21, 2016
Of the Oakes stories, I've found this to be one of the "heaviest" in terms of agonizing over the protagonist's dilemma. It is also one of the more deliberately-staged alternate realities or "what if" scenarios, in which a much more compelling movement for German reunification is inserted into the post-war West German federal elections (a more plausible opponent to Adenauer). Still, it is fun, with relief coming in occasional laugh-out-loud moments of WFB's signature devilish humor. As always with Oakes, it is also fun to play "what is real and what is fiction", something that WFB took delightfully beyond today's restraints of "Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead...".
Perhaps the most artful part of this novel is detailed description of the restoration of St. Anselm's chapel, a 14th century gothic church on the estate of Count Axel Wintergrin. Wintergrin is the subject of Oakes' mission and the reconstruction, consistent with American aid offered to post-war Germany, is his cover. Yet a fair portion of the novel is devoted to describing the careful and well-executed pursuit of restoring the chapel to its former beauty. The project becomes Oakes' true passion as well as his only escape from the grim turns his official objective takes.
Perhaps the most artful part of this novel is detailed description of the restoration of St. Anselm's chapel, a 14th century gothic church on the estate of Count Axel Wintergrin. Wintergrin is the subject of Oakes' mission and the reconstruction, consistent with American aid offered to post-war Germany, is his cover. Yet a fair portion of the novel is devoted to describing the careful and well-executed pursuit of restoring the chapel to its former beauty. The project becomes Oakes' true passion as well as his only escape from the grim turns his official objective takes.
February 2, 2020
William F. Buckley Jr. is hailed as one of the top conservative writers of the 20th century. He even wrote some of Reagan’s speeches. I've been wanting to read one of his novels for some time, and picked this up at an estate sale for $1 (First edition, too!). This is the first book I've read by him, and frankly I am disappointed with Stained Glass. I expected this to be a first-rate espionage thriller, along the lines of Bourne Identity or James Bond. Instead this ended up being everything I hate in a book!
I couldn’t care less for the main character, Blackford Oakes. While he is smart and good looking, he is a hypocrite and a mindless drone. I disapprove of the supporting American CIA and negotiating background characters. They are sleazy, spineless, and will do anything in the name of "peace". I loathe the ending. It counters everything America supposedly stands for. The only redeeming aspect of Stained Glass is Axel Wintergrin, and the plot of rebuilding a ruined chapel, St. Anselms.
To play devil’s advocate, it should be stated this is the second book in a series, of which I was unaware when I began reading. Perhaps if I had read the first book, I wouldn’t dislike Blackford as much. That being said, I’ll flush out more below why I don’t like him.
SPOILERS – You’ve been warned
In case you are wondering why this book is called Stained Glass, it’s actually the method of how Axel Wintergrin is murdered. He sits down to examine the various shades of stained glass for the chapel, and the apparatus to view the glass is rigged to electrocute him. This irritates me, firstly because they kill the best character is this book and secondly, they take the one source of joy in the book, the rebuilding of a destroyed Medieval chapel, and twist it to nefarious purposes. It is inconceivable to me.
Axel Wintergrin is the only redeeming character in Stained Glass. He is reasonable, accountable, honest, and is a perfect foil to Hitler. While Wintergrin is seeking to become chancellor of Germany, it’s not to unite and imperialize Europe-he merely wants to reestablish the Germany state under one leadership and start a new path for Germany in the modern world.
The fact that America bends to USSR’s blackmail is unfathomable to me. Axel is correct in assuming the USSR is all bark and no bite, yet the CIA yields at the slightest challenge. What the actual fuck?! And then to keep claiming that this guy Rufus is the brightest mind who has prevented countless disasters, thinks assassinating Axel is the correct course of action? I don’t believe Rufus is intelligent at all.
Additionally, it bothers me on a personal level that Blackford can have an American girlfriend yet feel it's okay to sleep with other women. For a man supposedly tortured between his morals and his love of America, he has zero qualms about cheating.
I couldn’t care less for the main character, Blackford Oakes. While he is smart and good looking, he is a hypocrite and a mindless drone. I disapprove of the supporting American CIA and negotiating background characters. They are sleazy, spineless, and will do anything in the name of "peace". I loathe the ending. It counters everything America supposedly stands for. The only redeeming aspect of Stained Glass is Axel Wintergrin, and the plot of rebuilding a ruined chapel, St. Anselms.
To play devil’s advocate, it should be stated this is the second book in a series, of which I was unaware when I began reading. Perhaps if I had read the first book, I wouldn’t dislike Blackford as much. That being said, I’ll flush out more below why I don’t like him.
SPOILERS – You’ve been warned
In case you are wondering why this book is called Stained Glass, it’s actually the method of how Axel Wintergrin is murdered. He sits down to examine the various shades of stained glass for the chapel, and the apparatus to view the glass is rigged to electrocute him. This irritates me, firstly because they kill the best character is this book and secondly, they take the one source of joy in the book, the rebuilding of a destroyed Medieval chapel, and twist it to nefarious purposes. It is inconceivable to me.
Axel Wintergrin is the only redeeming character in Stained Glass. He is reasonable, accountable, honest, and is a perfect foil to Hitler. While Wintergrin is seeking to become chancellor of Germany, it’s not to unite and imperialize Europe-he merely wants to reestablish the Germany state under one leadership and start a new path for Germany in the modern world.
The fact that America bends to USSR’s blackmail is unfathomable to me. Axel is correct in assuming the USSR is all bark and no bite, yet the CIA yields at the slightest challenge. What the actual fuck?! And then to keep claiming that this guy Rufus is the brightest mind who has prevented countless disasters, thinks assassinating Axel is the correct course of action? I don’t believe Rufus is intelligent at all.
Additionally, it bothers me on a personal level that Blackford can have an American girlfriend yet feel it's okay to sleep with other women. For a man supposedly tortured between his morals and his love of America, he has zero qualms about cheating.
May 19, 2020
I'm not usually a reader of spy or suspense type works, so I came across this with low expectations.
It's the only book in the series I've read. So I don't know offhand if I missed anything by not reading the preceding.
For me it got interesting in the last quarter of the book, but the slow build up was tedious for my taste.
It's the only book in the series I've read. So I don't know offhand if I missed anything by not reading the preceding.
For me it got interesting in the last quarter of the book, but the slow build up was tedious for my taste.
June 8, 2009
I’m old enough to remember a divided Germany and, very dimly, the Berlin Wall. But today’s world is rather different, so it is always interesting to read a book written during those decades of a divided Germany and a worldwide struggle between East and West. Stained Glass by William F. Buckley is one such story entrenched in the Cold War. It is full of secret agents, political intrigue and people talking to each other in code. I would compare it to a James Bond movie, except I’ve never seen a James Bond movie. So I’ll say instead that it is almost what I’ve always expected a James Bond movie to be, only with an American secret agent, and a larger vocabulary (I had to use a dictionary twice to figure out a word, when I don’t usually look up new words while reading, but rely on the context to give me the meaning).
Blackford Oakes is an American secret agent, and he is sent to West Germany to shadow Count Axel Wintergren, a German who is running for the chancellorship and whose platform consists of one plank: unification of East and West Germany. Because Wintergren threatens violence to achieve his aims, the goverments in Washington and Moscow get nervous. Moscow accuses Washington of supporting Wintergren, while Oakes’ superiors in Washington are worried that Wintergren will start a third world war, not 10 years after the conclusion of the second. When Moscow discovers Oakes, it raises a host of questions: is there a Russian agent in Wintergren’s entourage? Will that agent try to kill Wintergren? And can Wintergren win the election?
Stained Glass was an interesting book and a radical departure from what I usually read. Maybe I’ll give another spy-thriller a try. Maybe I’ll even try a James Bond novel…
Blackford Oakes is an American secret agent, and he is sent to West Germany to shadow Count Axel Wintergren, a German who is running for the chancellorship and whose platform consists of one plank: unification of East and West Germany. Because Wintergren threatens violence to achieve his aims, the goverments in Washington and Moscow get nervous. Moscow accuses Washington of supporting Wintergren, while Oakes’ superiors in Washington are worried that Wintergren will start a third world war, not 10 years after the conclusion of the second. When Moscow discovers Oakes, it raises a host of questions: is there a Russian agent in Wintergren’s entourage? Will that agent try to kill Wintergren? And can Wintergren win the election?
Stained Glass was an interesting book and a radical departure from what I usually read. Maybe I’ll give another spy-thriller a try. Maybe I’ll even try a James Bond novel…
November 10, 2021
Started slow but got good near the end. Buckley was always a talker, and there is certainly way too much exposition in this novel. But despite the flab the bones are good. I found less silliness than in the previous (first) novel also, which didn't hurt. Because of the public nature of this novel's crisis, it is a bit of alternative history in which Germany might have been reunited much sooner--unless World War III broke out (versus the Soviets, of course). The hero was not as much being, well, heroic as he was maintaining the status quo. But in this ever-shifting world, that itself can be a noble calling.
January 2, 2023
I'm going to be generous and give it two stars. It started out pretty good and I thought the politics/philosophy was pretty good. It basically just kept getting worse. There was an entire tedious chapter on Erika's back story that sucked, and while Blackford was supposed to be under cover with an alias, by the end of the book everyone was referring to him by his real name. I may have missed something, but I don't think so. In any case, characters were shallow, and Blackford does pretty much nothing to make us care about him or think of him in any way as a "good" character. The ending fizzles. I'll give him another chance but not right away...
May 11, 2023
There is lots to like about this book--set in early post WWII West Germany, WF Buckley's Yalie CIA agent, Blackford Oakes is sent as an engineer to a Westerwald aristocrat who wants to restore his family's ancient chapel, down to the exquisite shade of blue of the stained glass windows. Oakes is a smart enough Yalie who studied "some" engineering and had some quick training also in London as a cover before his assignment to the German count, Axel Wintergrin. Besides sparing no expense to restore his family's chapel (his family's own apparently limitless money is supplemented by US government cultural funds), the Count is also leading a movement to reunite Germany, based on his shrewd calculations that the USSR would not invade the West due to Russia's weakened state post WWII.
Wintergrin is the perfect post WWII German. He served in Norway's underground resistance against Hitler Germany, only returning to Germany after the end of WWII. After the War, Wintergrin calls his fellow citizens in Germany to unite and call Russia's bluff. He is brilliant and his speeches and anticipation of the normal sliming tactics of politics are one of the highlights of the book. Stalin is clearly aiming to assassinate Wintergrin, but if it gets out he did it, there could be popular outrage with--we are told-- the people or at least with the military. Stalin demands concerted action with its Cold War enemy--the USA. The "fix" is in--if the two powers cannot find a way to rig the elections and have Wintergrin lose the election, they will have to assassinate Wintergrin.
Buckley writes, from time to time brilliantly and from time to time like an esoteric Crossword afficionado-- hunting for obscure and recondite words. But amidst the silliness of Blackford Oakes--a wannabee Sean Connery--Buckley focuses on the all too real situation where the USA participates in the assassination of a leader who is probably completely right in his calculus of the probabilities that Russia would not intervene militarily if West Germany in 1953 proceeded to push for a genuine fair election to reunite. However, we see the USA agree with Stalin that the risk of further bloodshed however unlikely is not worth it.
Oakes is tasked with completing the "exquisite" restoration of Wintergrin's chapel, and then shooting the Count before he likely wins the general election and replaces Adenauer as PM. The Count has out-tricked the newspapers, the CIA and the KGB--both of which agreed to assassinate the count out of fear that the New Germany will rise again. There follows a lot of double crossing and uncertainty, with everyone playing almost everyone off on each other.
Oakes receives his orders to work with the beautiful Russian spy and is conflicted when he is ordered to kill his German friend. Unsurprisingly, Oakes survives and gets the girl--who works for the Russians. As a weak response, Oakes makes a few speeches to the Russian spy defending the US democratic system against the violent gangster state in Russia--after which he makes wild and passionate love to the Russian anyway--being unfaithful in the process to his girlfriend back home--a pretty unattractive aspect of Oakes' character without his apparently losing much sleep over it.
Despite at times turgid or hypersyllabic prose, smug Yalie poses, and some logical flaws, "Stained Glass" is a pretty good "inside the CIA" spy novel, with smugness balanced against some pretty funny exchanges--intended, I think. Some of the diplomatic bluffing and finessing stated positions, etc, is pretty clever, as when Wintergrin is able to explain why Stalin is bluffing about his stated intent to launch an invasion should Axel win, although the Americans seem nonetheless afraid to challenge their DC based experts and their erstwhile allies in the WWII. The German in the book is also correct, which is not always the case in other spy novels.
Oakes ultimately faces a moral dilemma: he has to choose between (1) his CIA bosses, who seem to be treating him right although they make decisions from afar and without the benefit of real time, or (2) his conscience. Though I think Oakes' ego and flippant selfishness are pretty unattractive, one can't help but root for him, all to a happy if ambiguous end. I liked the book, but would say the smugness and at times needlessly verbose language put the book at 3.4 instead of 3.8.
Wintergrin is the perfect post WWII German. He served in Norway's underground resistance against Hitler Germany, only returning to Germany after the end of WWII. After the War, Wintergrin calls his fellow citizens in Germany to unite and call Russia's bluff. He is brilliant and his speeches and anticipation of the normal sliming tactics of politics are one of the highlights of the book. Stalin is clearly aiming to assassinate Wintergrin, but if it gets out he did it, there could be popular outrage with--we are told-- the people or at least with the military. Stalin demands concerted action with its Cold War enemy--the USA. The "fix" is in--if the two powers cannot find a way to rig the elections and have Wintergrin lose the election, they will have to assassinate Wintergrin.
Buckley writes, from time to time brilliantly and from time to time like an esoteric Crossword afficionado-- hunting for obscure and recondite words. But amidst the silliness of Blackford Oakes--a wannabee Sean Connery--Buckley focuses on the all too real situation where the USA participates in the assassination of a leader who is probably completely right in his calculus of the probabilities that Russia would not intervene militarily if West Germany in 1953 proceeded to push for a genuine fair election to reunite. However, we see the USA agree with Stalin that the risk of further bloodshed however unlikely is not worth it.
Oakes is tasked with completing the "exquisite" restoration of Wintergrin's chapel, and then shooting the Count before he likely wins the general election and replaces Adenauer as PM. The Count has out-tricked the newspapers, the CIA and the KGB--both of which agreed to assassinate the count out of fear that the New Germany will rise again. There follows a lot of double crossing and uncertainty, with everyone playing almost everyone off on each other.
Oakes receives his orders to work with the beautiful Russian spy and is conflicted when he is ordered to kill his German friend. Unsurprisingly, Oakes survives and gets the girl--who works for the Russians. As a weak response, Oakes makes a few speeches to the Russian spy defending the US democratic system against the violent gangster state in Russia--after which he makes wild and passionate love to the Russian anyway--being unfaithful in the process to his girlfriend back home--a pretty unattractive aspect of Oakes' character without his apparently losing much sleep over it.
Despite at times turgid or hypersyllabic prose, smug Yalie poses, and some logical flaws, "Stained Glass" is a pretty good "inside the CIA" spy novel, with smugness balanced against some pretty funny exchanges--intended, I think. Some of the diplomatic bluffing and finessing stated positions, etc, is pretty clever, as when Wintergrin is able to explain why Stalin is bluffing about his stated intent to launch an invasion should Axel win, although the Americans seem nonetheless afraid to challenge their DC based experts and their erstwhile allies in the WWII. The German in the book is also correct, which is not always the case in other spy novels.
Oakes ultimately faces a moral dilemma: he has to choose between (1) his CIA bosses, who seem to be treating him right although they make decisions from afar and without the benefit of real time, or (2) his conscience. Though I think Oakes' ego and flippant selfishness are pretty unattractive, one can't help but root for him, all to a happy if ambiguous end. I liked the book, but would say the smugness and at times needlessly verbose language put the book at 3.4 instead of 3.8.
July 1, 2020
A thoroughly average spy novel that spoils the end of Murder on the Orient Express (end of Chapter 9) and contains one of the worst sex scenes I've ever read (end of Chapter 13).
Does Count Alex Wintergrin live to reunite Germany in 1952? You'll never guess!
The best bits involve the reconstruction of a 700 year old chapel, about which both the protagonist Blackford Oakes and his patron Wintergrin are equally passionate.
The ultimate apologetics for killing men wrongly (yet rightly!) in the name of "peace" are pretty gross.
"...she lay down turning her head away while he untethered himself and came down on her violently, while she looked him in the face, squeezing him past pain to pleasure. He breathed with difficulty and suddenly she was Florence Nightengale dressing his wounds..."
Does Count Alex Wintergrin live to reunite Germany in 1952? You'll never guess!
The best bits involve the reconstruction of a 700 year old chapel, about which both the protagonist Blackford Oakes and his patron Wintergrin are equally passionate.
The ultimate apologetics for killing men wrongly (yet rightly!) in the name of "peace" are pretty gross.
January 8, 2019
spy novels have moved well past this, so don't bother. worst of all, a passage mid book is in the running for "worst writing about sex".
December 24, 2020
Summary: When a charismatic German who fought against the Nazis in the resistance in Norway campaigns to become Chancellor on a platform to reunite Germany, Soviets and Americans come together to block this, with Blackford Oakes at the center, restoring a family chapel of the candidate.
Count Axel Wintergren participated in the Nazi invasion of Poland, disappearing and turning over Nazi invasion plans to the Poles. For the remainder of the war, he fought with the resistance in Norway, returning to his village and family enclosure after the war. Elections for the Chancellorship in West Germany are coming with Konrad Adenauer the leading candidate. That is until Wintergren. Over the months, he has slowly built a following throughout the country, then announced his candidacy. The country is electrified with this youthful face with a radical idea that captures their hearts: reunite Germany. Outside of Germany no one likes this idea. Not the Soviets whose sphere of influence includes East Germany. Not the Americans who recognize the possibility that World War III could break out with NATO dangerously unprepared and the only deterrent being America’s nuclear arsenal.
Enter Blackford Oakes, whose engineering skills qualify him to restore the St. Anselm chapel on Wintergren’s estate, allowing him to get close to Wintergren, to pass along intelligence, to dissuade…and more? There are two surprises for the Americans. One is that Oakes cover is blown. Chief KBG agent for Europe Boris Bolgin know who he’s working on. The other is that the Soviets have their own agent, Erika Chadinoff, working as Wintergren’s translator. The bug in Oakes’ room at the chateau traces back to her room.
All of this brings the Americans and Soviets into a most unlikely alliance. Wintergren must be stopped. When attempts to torpedo his standings in the polls through apparently compromising personal information fail and backfire, they conclude there is only one option left, to eliminate Wintergren. Both Bolgin and his CIA counterpart look to Oakes to do the deed.
There is just one problem. Oakes has come to respect and admire Wintergren as one of a kind in his generation. Meanwhile, Wintergren’s security man has growing suspicions of Oakes, as does Wintergren’s mother. All this with global thermonuclear conflict hanging in the balance.
Actually, it doesn’t fall to Oakes alone. Erika Chadinoff is in on the alliance. Actually, they had already formed an intimate alliance of sorts, the typical spies in bed trope, despite Blackford’s relationship with Sally back home. It almost felt to me a bit obligatory and predictable. Far better, and more consonant with Buckley’s values would have been an unconsummated relationship, albeit with some sexual tension thrown in. That would have been more interesting.
The shame of this is that it wasn’t needed. The build up to the election, the moral dilemma and the international ramifications are plenty to make this an interesting story. The bromance between Wintergren and Oakes is far more riveting than the romance.
Count Axel Wintergren participated in the Nazi invasion of Poland, disappearing and turning over Nazi invasion plans to the Poles. For the remainder of the war, he fought with the resistance in Norway, returning to his village and family enclosure after the war. Elections for the Chancellorship in West Germany are coming with Konrad Adenauer the leading candidate. That is until Wintergren. Over the months, he has slowly built a following throughout the country, then announced his candidacy. The country is electrified with this youthful face with a radical idea that captures their hearts: reunite Germany. Outside of Germany no one likes this idea. Not the Soviets whose sphere of influence includes East Germany. Not the Americans who recognize the possibility that World War III could break out with NATO dangerously unprepared and the only deterrent being America’s nuclear arsenal.
Enter Blackford Oakes, whose engineering skills qualify him to restore the St. Anselm chapel on Wintergren’s estate, allowing him to get close to Wintergren, to pass along intelligence, to dissuade…and more? There are two surprises for the Americans. One is that Oakes cover is blown. Chief KBG agent for Europe Boris Bolgin know who he’s working on. The other is that the Soviets have their own agent, Erika Chadinoff, working as Wintergren’s translator. The bug in Oakes’ room at the chateau traces back to her room.
All of this brings the Americans and Soviets into a most unlikely alliance. Wintergren must be stopped. When attempts to torpedo his standings in the polls through apparently compromising personal information fail and backfire, they conclude there is only one option left, to eliminate Wintergren. Both Bolgin and his CIA counterpart look to Oakes to do the deed.
There is just one problem. Oakes has come to respect and admire Wintergren as one of a kind in his generation. Meanwhile, Wintergren’s security man has growing suspicions of Oakes, as does Wintergren’s mother. All this with global thermonuclear conflict hanging in the balance.
Actually, it doesn’t fall to Oakes alone. Erika Chadinoff is in on the alliance. Actually, they had already formed an intimate alliance of sorts, the typical spies in bed trope, despite Blackford’s relationship with Sally back home. It almost felt to me a bit obligatory and predictable. Far better, and more consonant with Buckley’s values would have been an unconsummated relationship, albeit with some sexual tension thrown in. That would have been more interesting.
The shame of this is that it wasn’t needed. The build up to the election, the moral dilemma and the international ramifications are plenty to make this an interesting story. The bromance between Wintergren and Oakes is far more riveting than the romance.
November 30, 2021
A truly engaging spy novel, which starts of slow but gets better, so if you find the initial parts vexing, hang in there, it gets better. Some excellent "wordsmithy" writing by Buckley. My first Blackford Oakes mystery, will definitely look through the others.
“Parsifal is the opera that begins at five-thirty and when you look at your watch three hours later, it is only five forty-five.”
“Colonel Bolgin, we are here to murder a human being not history.”
"He just managed to make the frogs look good while disemboweling them!”
"Sarcasm was his crutch, his staff of life, his very best friend, come now, at twilight on execution eve, to his rescue; the first service, at 6:30 a.m., it would perform for its master in a long, long day of servitude."
"His dreams were tormenting, confused. He was at Yale, entering an examination room without having read any of the books, but when he reached for them they quicksilvered their way through his fingers. He was in Washington, surreptitiously dropping the addresses of the safe houses to the Soviet ambassador, when a hand clapped him on the shoulder: it was J. Edgar Hoover. He was in Buckingham Palace at a ball when suddenly his trousers slipped down, and he was wearing no underwear. Suddenly he was the Dutch boy back at the dike. He looked down, to find that Holland was being kept from flooding by—a wine bottle pressed into the dike. Now he was taking Holy Orders in a reconstituted chapel at St. Anselm’s, and felt peace at last, and slept."
Something I was surprised to read, given Buckley's conservatism, was not the tension in the relationship between Oakes and Erika, which I would say would have been normal, but rather the sexual relationship that is described, albeit mostly veiled wittingly. I think this was unnecessary, and as another reviewer noted, the bromance between Axel and Oakes was more engaging.
“Parsifal is the opera that begins at five-thirty and when you look at your watch three hours later, it is only five forty-five.”
“Colonel Bolgin, we are here to murder a human being not history.”
"He just managed to make the frogs look good while disemboweling them!”
"Sarcasm was his crutch, his staff of life, his very best friend, come now, at twilight on execution eve, to his rescue; the first service, at 6:30 a.m., it would perform for its master in a long, long day of servitude."
"His dreams were tormenting, confused. He was at Yale, entering an examination room without having read any of the books, but when he reached for them they quicksilvered their way through his fingers. He was in Washington, surreptitiously dropping the addresses of the safe houses to the Soviet ambassador, when a hand clapped him on the shoulder: it was J. Edgar Hoover. He was in Buckingham Palace at a ball when suddenly his trousers slipped down, and he was wearing no underwear. Suddenly he was the Dutch boy back at the dike. He looked down, to find that Holland was being kept from flooding by—a wine bottle pressed into the dike. Now he was taking Holy Orders in a reconstituted chapel at St. Anselm’s, and felt peace at last, and slept."
Something I was surprised to read, given Buckley's conservatism, was not the tension in the relationship between Oakes and Erika, which I would say would have been normal, but rather the sexual relationship that is described, albeit mostly veiled wittingly. I think this was unnecessary, and as another reviewer noted, the bromance between Axel and Oakes was more engaging.
September 15, 2025
Although I'm not a conservative (and much less as conservative as Buckley), I've always enjoyed his way with language. I believe this is the first novel of his I've read, and I will read SAVING THE QUEEN.
STAINED GLASS was written in 1978 and deals with a then divided Germany. The Americans are (mostly) the good guys and Buckley has zero fondness for Communism. However, the hero is conflicted, has flaws and, as with all spies, must improvise his way out of fixes.
Oakes is handsome and well-mannered, but not super-human. The other characters are well-drawn and Buckley's famous vocabulary is evident, but does not overwhelm.
I wish I had read this in 1978.
STAINED GLASS was written in 1978 and deals with a then divided Germany. The Americans are (mostly) the good guys and Buckley has zero fondness for Communism. However, the hero is conflicted, has flaws and, as with all spies, must improvise his way out of fixes.
Oakes is handsome and well-mannered, but not super-human. The other characters are well-drawn and Buckley's famous vocabulary is evident, but does not overwhelm.
I wish I had read this in 1978.
June 22, 2025
I enjoyed Stained Glass much more than Saving the Queen. I am not sure if WFB improved as a novelist of if I found the plot and characters more engaging. One reason it was more engaging is that it presented a historical moment, the tensions around Germany during the early Cold War, that is fascinating and yet full of tension. Add to that the moral and ethical questions at the heart of the novel and it is an enjoyable read. Of course, it is also interesting to me to think about Buckley’s political views about the time period covered in fiction and how he tries to bring that out in the novel.
June 7, 2021
Another great surprise, perhaps as much as the first Blackford Oakes novel. Once again Buckley touches the tropes enough to make me think I know what I'm in for and then surprises me with a poignancy I did not think the novel had earned. Once again as morally complex as Le Carre, perhaps even more so because Buckley has a pragmatic kind of hope even in the midst of his anger--something that many will not share but cannot call naive.
May 12, 2022
Suppose a very charismatic and very intelligent leader had surfaced in a post-war Germany, with the world still reeling from the horrors of Hitler? Suppose he urged the re-unification of Germany, something forbidden by the treaties? How would the world powers react? How would Blackford Oates react? In Stained Glass he is still a young and idealistic spy and he faces that moral challenge.
September 11, 2024
I read a couple of these books back in high school and college and now I am trying to do the whole series. The internet does make some things easier after all. This is definitely one of the better ones but I have to disagree with the conclusion at the end of the book about the necessity of action. Inaction is always a choice and in many cases potentially the best one.
June 1, 2018
At the time I read these novels (the late 1980's and early 1990's), I found them to be pretty good... sort of a cross between Matt Helm and James Bond. Not quite up to Ian Fleming's standards, but not quite as dated by then either.
August 28, 2018
The second in the Blackford Oakes series. With the protagonist’s backstory established, this installment captured my interest more than the first did. Looking forward to reading what lies in store for Oakes next book.
June 21, 2024
This is the second book in the series about a CIA agent working in various areas. This time he is helping to fix a cathedral in West Germany. The book is less humorous than the first, but it has Buckley's unique, intellectual writing style.
August 28, 2025
History as fiction … or fiction as history?
If anyone can re-write history in a believable way it is certainly the one-and-only William F. Buckley, Jr. If only he had been my college history professor!
If anyone can re-write history in a believable way it is certainly the one-and-only William F. Buckley, Jr. If only he had been my college history professor!
February 20, 2026
Fascinating novel set in 1950s about the dilemma of E Germany under Soviet rule, more possible war, and a CIA agent struggling with a moral code. The restoration of the St. Anselm’s chapel as backdrop for the plot was terrific.
August 2, 2018
*5/5
That novel tells Specipic stories about the Eastern Bloc Countries and to pursuit to Death..
That novel tells Specipic stories about the Eastern Bloc Countries and to pursuit to Death..
March 28, 2020
Mercy, Blackford has to be involved with the death of someone that he admires.
June 21, 2020
Second book of the series. Very interesting story line from the Cold War.
July 17, 2020
Read in 1978. The second of eleven Blackford Oakes spy novel. Intricate plotting and solid spy craft.
November 22, 2020
Enjoyed this mystery!
First mystery by Buckley that I have read. Excellent plot, well written. I will read more of these mysteries. I recommend it!
First mystery by Buckley that I have read. Excellent plot, well written. I will read more of these mysteries. I recommend it!
September 14, 2025
This only picked up in the last 25% or so? The rest of it was just really tedious.
November 2, 2025
What was that...stick to political commentary, WFB, Jr.
Read
October 13, 2011At first glance this book is simply another good thriller. However, Mr. Buckley offers a subtle view into the 'what if' environment which adds depth to an otherwise common tale. His personal history makes me wonder about the fact-fiction ratio. His knowledge of words exceeds that of most readers so having a dictionary handy is helpful; but I appreciate the challenge. I thoroughly enjoy reading any of his works. On another note, I read a paperback version printed in the vey early 1980s and was surprised to find three obvious tying errors. I find errors very commonplace today but can't believe he or his publishers would accept such imprefections - ever.
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