Review: Great concept well executed
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 8, 2013
"Operation Parsifal", Book 2 in the Ian Fleming Files series is a remarkable achievement both in terms of historical accuracy and as a "Bond" / spy thriller.Ian Fleming acts as a spy in her majesty's service and is sent to Egypt to recruit a German deserter and the mistress of a German industrialist to the British Intelligence. Parsifal is a secret organisation to bring down Hitler and replace him with a new Chancellor and naturally the Allies take an interest in this internal power battle and its consequences for Europe.As writer of historical fiction about the era I was stunned at the detailed research and the accuracy of the people, places and the times: The physical descriptions of the Nazi big wigs and industrialists, the scenes set in a bombed and semi-destroyed London and the feeling amongst the German nation so briefly before the end of the Reich to name but a few, all are portrayed with competence and perfection.The story itself also held great interest for me. I have seen all Bond films and very much enjoyed that Parsifal is written in a similar style but with a real historical connection rather than the invented villains with no connection to reality. For me that concept really worked and I found myself quite glued to the pages, wondering where the story line would take us next: Berlin, the Eagle's Nest or Fort Alderney in the channel islands.Not only does Stevenson know his Bond and Fleming, he writes eloquently and with appropriate pace. There were no redundant stretches in the story line, dialogue and characters were well composed and made this a very enjoyable read. Now I'd like to know more about Fleming and his life so I could figure out how much of this is true and what was added as fiction.An intriguing and worthy read.