Le protocole de l'ombre

by Simmel

Unter mysteriösen Umständen gelangt der Fernsehjournalist Daniel Ross in den Besitz eines hochbrisanten Video-Dokuments, dessen Bekanntwerden einen Aufschrei der Empörung um den Erdball schicken wird. Die Geheimdienste der beiden Supermächte kennen nur noch ein Ziel – die Ausstrahlung dieses gefährlichen Films muss unbedingt verhindert werden.

556 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Monthly Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because on its back, there's a review stating that Simmel's work can keep up with John le Carré's and I have been into spy novels as of late. Unfortunately, after reading I cannot completely agree with the statement that lured me in.

The story takes place in 1984 as Daniel Ross, a German journalist addicted to pills, is suddenly drawn into a world conspiracy involving the U.S. and the Sowjet Union by his father, a former Nazi hiding in Argentinia. A world-encopassing hunt for the truth ensues.

The story is good enough but feels drawn out at times. All in all, the 600 pages could have been shortened to at least a 400 page story without actually losing much of the content but becoming more enjoyable. Another issue I had was that the content of the conspiracy just wasn't interesting enough to me. Maybe that is because in the aftermath of the Cold War, which was still going on when the book was published, we've come to realize that something like the secret protocol probably existed (maybe just as an unspoken agreement).

What has felt eerily predictive of the world's reaction to Edward Snowden's story is what happens in the book after (spolier alert!) the story gets published and nothing changes. Simmel hits the nail on its head here and certainly improved my opinion of "The Secret Protocol" in the very last few pages. Even though it will never be a favortie of mine and I probably won't ever become a fan of Simmel's, I'm still looking forward to "It Can't Always Be Caviar" waiting on my bookshelf.

[Gürkan Çoşkun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simmel’in kitapları arasından okuduğum inandırıcılığı en az olan, konu olarak da en zorlama kitabı Karanlıktakiler Gözükmez kitabıydı.

Kurgu, İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonlarına doğru Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Rusya’nın Tahran’da gizli bir anlatmayla dünyayı bölüştüklerinin ispat etme çalışmasını konu alıyor.

Daniel ve Mercedes birçok zorlukta karşılaştıklarını bu serüvende bu antlaşmayı ispat edebilmek için ABD ve Rus gizli servisi tetikçileriyle zorlu bir mücadeleye girişiyorlar.

Ne yazık ki vasat bir Simmel kitabı okudum. Kurguyu, anlatımı, olaylar arasındaki geçişleri, karakterleri beğenemedim.

Sadece Daniel ve Mercedes’in aşkına üzüldüm. Onca yaşanmışlığa yazık oldu.

3/6

[Judith Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a big fan of this author since I first encountered him about 30 years ago. He writes about Nazis, this book covers a tale set in the U.S. and Argentina. There is a film showing how the U.S. and Russia have divided the world between them: the question is, is it real or is it a forgery. Nicely complicated and mysterious.

[Wilma Krom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi boek, triest einde, maar wat ontzettend jammer is in de vertaling is de onzinnige titel "de stem van sibylle" Het dekt absoluut de lading niet, sterker nog de stem van Sibylle doet er helemaal niet toe. Zij die in het donker blijven zie je niet, dat dekt de lading, daar draait het om.

[Chris]

Ned. Titel: de stem van sibylle

[Susanne]

Læst på dansk.

Titel : I mørke er alle katte grå.