Slough House is Jackson Lamb's kingdom; a dumping ground for members of the intelligence service who've screwed up: left a secret file on a train, blown a surveillance, or become drunkenly unreliable. They're the service's poor relations - the slow horses - and bitterest among them is River Cartwright, whose days are spent transcribing mobile phone conversations. But when a young man is abducted, and it's threatened that he'll be beheaded live on the Internet, River sees an opportunity to redeem himself. Is the victim who he first appears to be? And what's the kidnappers' connection with a disgraced journalist? As the clock ticks on the execution, River finds that everyone involved has their own agenda ...
Slöa HÀstar Àr en fantastisk bok om MI5:s slutstation för anstÀllda som gjort bort sig pÄ nÄgot sÀtt och som omplacerats sÄ att de kan göra minimal skada. Tanken Àr att de ska sitta dÀr och göra trÄkiga uppgifter tills de slutar, men pÄ nÄgot sÀtt dras de ÀndÄ in i en hÀndelsekedja som gör att det hamnar i hÀndelsernas centrum. Otroligt bra berÀttad, med ett avslappnat tempo. Sedan Àlskar jag kontors-spion historier likt filmen Spy Game, och det kÀnns som detta Àr lite i samma genre.
Kan helt klart rekommendera denna bok som sommarlÀsning.
I'm embarassed to say that I prefer the TV adaptation of Slow Horses, and don't think viewers will get anything out of reading the original novel. Typically I expect that the novel is deeper, smarter, and more complex than a TV series. Unfortunately for us readers, the adaptation is very faithful to the source material while suffering the sin of not having Gary Oldman.
The TV series provides many more scenes of Jackson Lamb tearing it up, delivering hilarious verbal abuse that is part of the charm of Slow Horses. The showrunners gave Gary Oldman more material and as a result, the novel feels like it's holding out on us. There's also a sense of effortless gravitas in an actor of his skill, and so while the novel tries to surprise you with Jackson Lamb's hidden talent, viewers instinctively know that underneath the dirty jacket is a man âŠ
I'm embarassed to say that I prefer the TV adaptation of Slow Horses, and don't think viewers will get anything out of reading the original novel. Typically I expect that the novel is deeper, smarter, and more complex than a TV series. Unfortunately for us readers, the adaptation is very faithful to the source material while suffering the sin of not having Gary Oldman.
The TV series provides many more scenes of Jackson Lamb tearing it up, delivering hilarious verbal abuse that is part of the charm of Slow Horses. The showrunners gave Gary Oldman more material and as a result, the novel feels like it's holding out on us. There's also a sense of effortless gravitas in an actor of his skill, and so while the novel tries to surprise you with Jackson Lamb's hidden talent, viewers instinctively know that underneath the dirty jacket is a man to be reckoned with.
On the other hand, the novel is a bit more intellectually complex. It's shorter and more focused. The adaptation also suffers from watering down its themes with Hollywood-action and requirements to give all major actors/actresses a certain amount of screen time. These are all qualities that do credit to the original source material. Sadly, the downside is to not see Gary Oldman. And that's just not worth it.
Recommended with reservations -- seriously, just go watch the TV series.
