Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding story
Review: This is one of the best "spy" stories I have read in quite awhile. Mr. Littell is one of the best writers of the genre and I have never been dissappointed by any of his books. This is a lengthy story, but one that is hard to put down. The characters are very real and present a side of the spy business that we never see in movies or television. I particularly like the depiction of James Angleton. I read a biography of this man many years ago, and found his character in "The Company" to be true to life. The plot covers a lot of ground, from Berlin in the aftermath of WWII, to the Russian conflict in Afghanistan, with a detailed treatment of the bay of pigs disaster. The story grabs you, however, and moves along well. Once you finish it, you will wish that it had lasted even longer.If you are a fan of spy stories or want to know more about the workings of the CIA, then this is a book you need to read.
Rating:
Summary: The American John Le Carre
Review: Robert Littell proves, once again, that he is the connoisseur of the American spy novel. In "The Company", he presents us with more than just a glimpse of a culture, or better yet, a fraternity, that has no written history for any of us to review. He deftly mixes real life heroes and real life villans with excellently written fictious heroes and equally well written villans. Some of his fictional characters represent real people. That's what makes this book so compelling to read. It is close to 900 pages long and yet, when you are done, he leaves you longing for more. While reading it, it just doesn't seem like 900 pages. An almost family affair, we see a generational history of the CIA depicted through characters both real and imagined. Littell shows us both the CIA "successes", such as the defeat of the movement to overthrow Gorbachev, to its failures, such as the Bay of Pigs and the Hungarian revolution in 1956. He gives us keen insights into many of these events. One will recall vividly the people escaping from Hungary who, literally, followed in each others footprints, so as to throw off their numbers from the pursuing Soviets. Or the comment from Bobby Kennedy following the Bay of Pigs disaster, where the new Administration needs a victory and, looking to a small backwater in the far east, he predicts, "Vietnam could be the answer to our prayers". This even as his brother, the President states, "Vietnam is too far away. No one will notice." But it's not just the history or the historical tidbits - such as how many different ways were proposed to kill Castro, including botulism in his cigars, LSD in his home ventilating systems, or exploding sea shells where he went skin diving - it is often the description of the human side where Littell excels. For example, the agent, who upon capture, reflects on the measure of "liberation" in that exposure is no longer to be dreaded. Or the Company wife who shouts to her husband, "One of the reasons I hate it (the CIA) is because you love it!" Littell deftly takes us on this journey from 1956 Berlin to the present. Robert Hanssen is here, even though he is not a Company man and we also see how monies are poured into the career of a former KGB man who becomes deputy mayor of St. Petersburg - Vladimir Putin. Littell takes us on this ride and we never feel the bumps. Well done. Easily the best book of the year.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate spy novel
Review: At first, I though 1200 pages (I have the UK paperback) was a bit long. Very long. But once I got into this book, I couldn't put it down. There are dozens of characters, and the plot follows the great events of the second half of the 20th century, with a drive that is rare in spy novels. Littell is a master at creating atmosphere, and his characters stick with you like chewing gum from a hot sidewalk. I read this in just a few days, in spite of its length, staying up far too late to do so. I'm looking forward to his next book.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic Historical Novel Of The CIA - And A Must Read!!
Review: Robert Littell has managed to write a densely plotted history of the Cold War and the CIA, spanning 45 years and almost 900 pages, without including a single boring moment. On the contrary, as one of the other reviewers noted, I was sorry to have the book end so soon. Littell manages his storylines, and characters so expertly that I had no difficulty keeping track of the events, the agents - single, double and triple, and all the political and undercover operations, the often deadly twists and turns, intrigues and espionage that actually happened in real life during the 20th century. If anything, the novel, which was impeccably researched, brought back the entire history of the Cold War to me, in many cases reminding me of the news events of my childhood. "The Company" begins in 1947, when President Harry Truman established the Central Intelligence Agency. The main plot is centered on the personal and professional lives of three young CIA recruits, Jack McAuliffe, E. Winstrom Ebbitt III, (Ebby), and Leo Kritzky. The three men's various assignments with The Company take the reader through the Hungarian Insurrection, the building of the Berlin Wall, the behind the scenes reality of the plots to assassinate Fidel Castro and the fiasco at the Bay of Pigs, the Suez Canal crisis, the US and Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the aborted putsch again Mikhail Gorbachev, and all the other events that made up the period in world history known as the Cold War. The novel weaves a fine tapestry of historic and fictional characters who participated in real life events which shaped today's world. The book almost reads like nonfiction. Figures like Harvey Torriti, code named "the Sorcerer," the hard drinking cowboy, who is the super effective head of Berlin base at the beginning of the Cold War, populate the novel. There are the equally effective KGB, M-16 and Israeli Mossad counterparts, all running agents in the field, all manufacturing disinformation and managing top secrets. The KGB operative, Yevgeny Tsipin and Soviet spymaster Starik (the Old Man), also play major roles in this saga. The author captures the camaraderie and esprit de corps of the men and women in the CIA - their discipline, dark humor, and high expectations, of themselves and each other. Mr. Littell's introduction of actual historical figures really heightens the book's interest. The defection of the British moles, Kim Philby, Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess to the Soviet Union is recounted in the most chilling manner. Littrell raises the suspense level considerably when he shows the close and trusting friendship between Philby and the CIA's historic counterespionage chief, James Jesus Angleton. Harold Wilson, Eisenhower, President John Kennedy and his brother Bobby, Kruschev, Ronald Reagan, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Henry Kissinger, William F. Buckley, G. Gordon Liddy, and even the upwardly mobile Vladmir Putin have roles in this epic historical novel, as do all the former CIA directors. Frank Sinatra, Judith Exner, Marilyn Monroe, Sam Giancana and other mob figures also have bit parts. Littell's book is absolutely riveting. He has taken most of the events straight from history and his narrative is just as exciting as being an actual eye witness. His characters are absolutely 3-dimensional, and very easy to care about. His writing style may not be as elegant as John LeCarre's but it certainly carries the reader along at a good clip. And "The Company" is almost impossible to put down. Littell likens the world of espionage to that of "Alice In Wonderland." Once the jump down the rabbit hole is made, nothing is ever the same - everything turns upside down.
JANA
Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE FOR LOVERS OF SPY FICTION
Review: "The Company" is simply the best spy novel that I have ever read.
As an alumnus of the CIA and an unabashed lover of spy fiction
in all of its forms,I also tend to be a tough critic. However,
Littell has created a masterpiece.He skillfully blends real-life
and fictional characters and weaves a story based around real events -- the Soviet invasion of Hungary,the Bay of Pigs,the
Able Archer incident that could have led to World War III,and
the attempted coup against Gorbachev that finally put an end to the Soviet Union. This approach easily could have gone awry.Since
most of the actual events and real-life characters are well-known,the book could have either been boring or incredible.
Instead,it is a compelling story in which the reader cares about all of the characters and gets completely caught up in even the
familiar events of the past.Littell treats all of his characters
-- even the "villains" -- relatively sympathetically,which makes
the whole novel more interesting and compelling.Most important,he
demostrates that he is a masterful story teller.I was genuinely
sad to finish this book.I would have gladly read another 900 pages!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best and most all encompassing spy novels ever
Review: This remarkable book captures the history of the CIA during the cold war from it's early days in post W.W.II Berlin to the downfall of the Gorbachev government. The Yugoslavian revolution, the Kim Philby affair, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, as well as the Iran Contra scandal are also covered in some detail. These separate episodes are kept together by a group of CIA operatives that we get to know quite well. As the time frame of the story is in decades, the characters are multigenerational. As is appropriate, we do not get to know these CIA agents intimately but get to know them more by their deeds and their dialogue. Nonetheless, the characters are suffused with a great deal of humanity. We deal with loss of love, death, honor, as well as, what compels an individual to betray their country.
THE COMPANY is one of the longest and biggest books I have ever read. It is also one of the best. If there weren't so many other books to read on my shelves, I am not sure I would have ever wanted it to end. It has been nominated by the CWA for multiple daggers including the Gold Dagger and the Steel Dagger. This bears testimony for the quality of the book in that it is so long, yet the judges were able and willing to get through it. One would be hard pressed to find a better and more all encompassing spy novel than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Intriguing Work
Review: I truly enjoyed _The Company_, which was the first ~1,000 page novel that I absolutely could not put down. Littell did a brilliant job at combining an intriguing plot with historical fact. Admittedly, I was entertained by Clancy's _Rainbow Six_, yet, this work was far deeper and engaging. Unlike Clancy's style, personality and psychology overshadow fancy technological gadgetry, which is likely more indicative of how the most prestigious government agency operates. I am now a fan of the Littell spy novel. Keep them coming.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Brilliant
Review: I genuinely enjoyed reading this lengthy tome. It's quite a book, and the insertion of fictional characters and possible or probable events into real history helped give you the feeling that you were reading the real inside workings of the CIA. It also cleverly laid the blame for some CIA foibles at the feet of fictional characters, enabling the author to explore those events without risking the embarassment of any real people. Unfortunately, two of the most pivotal historical American events that took place during my lifetime were whizzed past in this novel: the Viet Nam war and the assassination of John Kennedy. I guess some things are still too hot to touch. I have one other minor complaint: the White House conversations involving former president Reagan rang false. I watched Reagan on television for eight years, and the figures and patterns of speech assigned to him in the novel didn't fit the reality I remember. He may really have been befuddled, as he is portrayed here, but he continued to speak publicly with confidence and authority even after the assassination attempt. I would have imagined him speaking just as well in an important meeting like the one imagined in the book. For fans of the spy novel, cold war era, I would highly recommend this book. In addition, conspiracy buffs and fans of James Ellroy's American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand will probably enjoy this.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks depth for its length
Review: After reading the reviews on Amazon, I was anxious to read The Company. Now having read it, I am logging on to report my dissatisfaction. For a book of this length and the time it takes from your life to read it, it does not deliver. Although it covers major events in US history since WWII, it offers only the most sketchy analysis. Character development is terrible. Save your money and your time.
Rating:
Summary: Without a doubt, the best of its kind
Review: I bought this book after having read its raving review in The Economist. Without a doubt, this is the best spy-novel I've ever experienced-they simply do not get any better. The book has it all, from masterfully developed characters over the course of their careers, to an utterly engaging storyline, to a bit of history surrounding such events as the Hungarian uprising in 1956 and the Bay of Pigs. Robert Littell's terrific ability to mix fictional characters and events with those of real-life make the story that much more believable. I was kept on the edge of my seat for 900 pages, with the only letdown occurring at the end of the book, when there was simply no more to read.
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