SAS contre C.I.A

SAS #2

by Gérard de Villiers

L'Iranien avança vers Malko, balançant son arme. Il avait une carrure impressionnante, le crâne rasé, un visage gras où de petits yeux bougeaient sans cesse. Il bondit, la massue haute, et l'abattit. Malko fit un bond de côté et un nuage de poussière jaillit du mur, là où aurait dû se trouver sa tête.

Déjà, l'énorme brute refaisait un moulinet et le second agresseur, ayant fini de broyer le vieux marchand, accourait à la rescousse...

Genres: Espionage, Fiction, France

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Gérard Adam de Villiers est un écrivain, journaliste et éditeur français.



Gérard Adam de Villiers is a French writer, journalist and publisher.

Reviews

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I think that Mr. de Villiers is somehow underrated, as his works, besides (too much...) drinking and love scenes have all the ingredients of an ordinary thriller.
Speaking just about this one, we have a fictional piece of history, which could be a real one anytime, as the CIA is planning un coup d'État against the Chah d'Iran. But Malko's chiefs have another ideas, so someone will lose this battle...

[Holger Haase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malko Linge is a James Bond style hero of a long running French pulp fiction paperback series. In France you can still buy current and back issues without any problems. In the 70s some of his adventures were also translated into English (in the UK and then separately the US). He also proved very popular in Germany where his exploits over a long period of time were sold primarily in train station book stores as ideal action fodder to while away a few hours on a journey.

This book was the very first to be translated into English in 1969 and only the second in the original French series. Later editions would make a bigger deal of the character's name on the cover. Here he is hidden under his title S.A.S. (Son Altesse Sérénissime - His Serene Highness) as our eponymous hero is an Austrian prince who takes on espionage work in exchange for money to pay for repairs for his crumbling castle.

As is often the case with pulp paperback covers, the model here bears no resemblance to anyone in the book. The most fascinating aspect of the story is that it plays in pre-revolutionary (i.e. pre-"Argo") Iran and involves a plot to kill the Shah. I can't remember ever seeing the country being portrayed as a Western friendly hotbed of intrigue!

[Davide Riboli · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'Iran prima del disastro della rivoluzione guidata da Kohmeini, in compagnia di Sua Altezza Serenissima, il principe Malko Linge

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"S.A.S. εναντίον CIA", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.

Δεύτερο βιβλίο του Ζεράρ ντε Βιλιέ με ήρωα τον Μάλκο Λίνγκε που διαβάζω μέσα σε λίγες μέρες και νιώθω ότι έφαγα ένα κόλλημα, ότι άρχισα να εθίζομαι στην... παραλογοτεχνική αυτή κατασκοπευτική σειρά δράσης. Μάλιστα τις τελευταίες μέρες αγόρασα έξι από τα πρώτα βιβλία της σειράς, για να έχω απόθεμα (στο μεταξύ στη συλλογή μου έχω καμιά εικοσαριά αδιάβαστα). Το συγκεκριμένο μου άρεσε λιγάκι περισσότερο από το προηγούμενο, μιας και μου άρεσαν περισσότερο τα σκηνικά του, αφού η όλη ιστορία διαδραματίζεται κυρίως στο Ιράν. Εδώ ο Λίνγκε θα μπλεχτεί σε μια περίεργη ιστορία, όπου ένας ανώτερος αξιωματούχος της CIA κάνει τα δικά του, για να πέσει ο Σάχης (όταν υπήρχε ακόμα Σάχης στο Ιράν). Μονοδιάστατοι χαρακτήρες, πλοκή που δεν πείθει απόλυτα σε μερικά σημεία, λίγος σεξισμός και σωβινισμός, αλλά και μπόλικη δράση, ωραία σκηνικά, σούπερ ατμόσφαιρα, ευκολοδιάβαστη γραφή, θα έλεγα ότι διαθέτει όλα τα καλούδια ενός ψυχαγωγικού παλπ κατασκοπευτικού θρίλερ. Ξέρω τι διαβάζω, μεγάλες απαιτήσεις από τέτοιου είδους βιβλία δεν έχω, οπότε στο τέλος περνάω απολαυστικά την ώρα μου, ξεκουράζοντας και λίγο τον εγκέφαλο. Λίαν συντόμως θα διαβάσω και άλλο βιβλίο της σειράς.

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series and am sad that it's no longer in publication and is hard to find. Actually about 5 of the books have been reprinted and that's how found out about it. The entire series from this very prolific author was written in the 1970's in French and about 25 of them (out of 200?) had been translated into English during that time. This particular book was one of a short run by Pinnacle Books in paperback.

I like this series because it's a spy protocol written during the Cold War. Each book is short and the action is fast with no boring parts. The writing is easy to read and quite enjoyable. I bought this book used but I won't be getting anymore because they are quite expensive.

This one is about Malko (the protagonist spy) traveling to Shah era Iran to deliver some money and to stop a plot overthrowing him. There is a lot of cliche action in the book but I don't mind it. I enjoyed it and it was a quick read.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un petit détour que j'ai fait depuis les romans édifiants de Tom Clancy par la ruelle lugubre des fameuses (et malfamées) séries "poche" SAS. A part la pin-up sur l'étiquette, c'était une expérience assez regrettable :) mais bon, quand on a 13 ans on n'a pas vraiment de capacité de distinction de la grande littérature MDR.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malko stort zich in een nieuw avontuur, ditmaal in Iran. Al snel ontrafelt zich een complot om de Sjah te vermoorden. Kan zijve doorlucthige prins de aanslag verijdelen?

SAS Contra CIA is misschien niet zo goed als sommige andere delen uit de SAS serie, maar DeVilliers is elke keer toch weer in staat om ons te voorzien van een uurtje of drie heerlijke ontspanning.

[Redderationem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continua la mia lunga cavalcata sulle orme di Malko Linge seguendone le peripezie in ordine filologico.
Sempre una piacevole lettura. Un susseguirsi di avventure al quale non mancano però alcune piccole incongruenze qua e là. Cosa che il ritmo della narrazione fa rapidamente dimenticare e perdonare.

[Koen]

yes pulp fiction, but fast reading and not that terrible at all....just some quick through reading and I'll do some more of him

[Παναγιώτα Μι. · Rating 1 out of 5]

It might have spoilers but who reads this thing anyway these days.
The good thing is that it can be read quite easily, i read it in less than a day because of the interesting plot. That being said the writer thought that a guy (close ?) to his 40s would be so popular among 18/20-year-old girls that it made me sick. On top of that he is supposed to be an agent but tells every person he meets almost immediately he is sent to iran by the American government. I seriously don't get how he managed to become an agent guys. He is given ten million dollars and he manages to loose it the day after his arrival at iran 🤣. Don't get me started on how women are portrayed in this story. At a party he attended he thought to himself that all the ugly women were on their own eating peanuts while the nice ones where making out with men. So yeah that draws the picture for you.
The good thing is that this book is discontinued nowadays so there is really no reason for a review but it's summer and i had enough time to read this thing so i might as well write a one lol.

[Éric Kasprak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le deuxième SAS, cette série mythique - du moins au niveau des pochettes - que j'ai croisé plusieurs fois dans ma tendre jeunesse, sans jamais en avoir lu un... Comme pour le premier roman, l'histoire de SAS contre C.I.A est intéressante et bien rythmé, l'écriture est bonne et le héros reste un peu particulier mais attachant. Avec plus de 200 histoires de SAS j'imagine que les livres doivent se raffiner et s'améliorer en chemin, mais déjà avec ces deux livres, je trouve le style de l'auteur très facile à lire et les histoire pleine de rebondissements et de réalisme. De plus, comme chaque histoires de la séries est écrite avec une facture journaliste, je me promènerai donc à travers les courants de l'actualité diplomatique de l'époque. Ça ne peux pas faire de tord.