Germans;
Communists;
the IRA;
Jihadists.
We may add -
alternative reality: SM Stirling's OSS must spy on the Draka;
future history: Dominic Flandry against the Merseians.
Marr does not mention that, when it became implausible for the British Secret Service to continue defeating the Russians, Ian Fleming invented the private criminal organization, SPECTRE. He does mention the difficulty of infiltrating a society where the population looks different. Frederik Forsyth invented a rare British agent of partly Arab descent. Anderson's Terrans discuss the difficulty of infiltrating Avalon - and no one is going to be disguised as a Merseian.
Marr rightly says that popular fiction, e.g., by Neil Gaiman and Ian Fleming, is well written and reflects life. Poul Anderson and SM Stirling are not on his radar but should be.
Addendum: I forgot one group of villains, Stieg Larsson's secretive section within Swedish Security.
5 comments:
You may find "Black Chamber" interesting, Paul -- it's spy fiction proper (the protagonist is a spy), though also alternate history. (When the publisher finally get you a copy.)
Mr Stirling,
Far out.
Paul.
Dear Mr. Stirling and Paul!
I too look forward to purchasing a copy of BLACK CHAMBER when it is finally published.
Paul: I think you forgot one alternative. I can imagine Imperial citizens of Merseian race from the planet Dennitza becoming agents of the Naval Intelligence Corps. People like them would have a better chance of infiltrating the Roidhunate than agents from other species.
WHY should it have become unconvincing for Fleming to continue showing British Intelligence opposing and thwarting Soviet intrigues and designs? The real world Soviet KGB kept on doing precisely that till the Soviet collapse in 1989-91.
I never did find SPECTRE a satisfactory alternate villain to the Soviet SMERSH. Why should a private criminal organization act and behave in ways that would inevitably provoke a FIERCE reaction from powerful nations? I argue that such a group would need a CAUSE which it members believe in so strongly that they would be willing to endure the risks and costs. Here I have the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbullah, Al Qaeda, ISIS, largely in mind. Their fanatical belief in Islam and the rightness of waging jihad was what drove them, not a desire for extorting money a la SPECTRE.
Sean
Sean,
British Intelligence had been heavily compromised and Britain was no longer a world power.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Too true! The unspeakably vile Kim Philby comes to mind as an example of an Intelligence officer who was a traitor. Not that we in the US can afford to point fingers! We had our own traitors as well, such as Alger Hiss.
Sean
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