Review 323: The Quantum Spy

The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is a full-on spy novel, and not what I typically would read. I pulled this out of my bookshelves a few days ago looking for a quick read, and it definitely was that; fast paced and intriguing. Yet the language style felt somewhat stilted at times, more like what a reporter would write instead of a novelist. That said the realism of the spy world was totally believable.

The basis of the story is the Unites States and China both trying to get a working quantum computer first. The positive development in this area is firmly in the United States (according to this book), while Russia went down a dead-end and is still looking for a way out. China has been advancing due to a mole in the CIA. The small US/CIA team is trying to figure out and catch the mole, while also doing serious damage to the Chinese Ministry of State Security. One of the main characters is Harris Chang an American with Chinese ancestry, whose background plays an extremely important role.

For my own reading this book helped pull me out of a slight reading slump, which is exactly what I hoped for.

I received a free copy of this book at a library conference. I was not required to write a review, but felt like it and, of course, the above opinions are my own.