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This book made me come up with the statement that "sociopathic altruism" is the best way to sell.

But please note that the author's success stories are cringe af. I don't think they are real success.

I read it anyway because I'm a fan, and I don't regret it.

The problematic thing was that the characters (and Dworkin) behave like teenagers.

The story is pretty great and has an [unresolved] whodunit element. I also have a hypothesis about it.

I like to isolate a thought in a book, and while all the Zelazny's works had one or more, even the short stories, this book doesn't seem to have any.

It's a nice attempt, so three stars and I would only suggest this to Amber superfans.

A standout for me was the story of Peggy Lambert, about which there is virtually no information online.

A SIS spy and a wife of a fellow intel officer[1], before they had to evacuate during the soviet occupation, she became the person who has smuggled the first ever minox Riga cameras[2] to the West from Riga, Latvia.

Afterwards, these cameras became a staple amongst the espionage gadgets.

The other thing (which has deeply disturbing) was the stories of torture of captured agents, which is another reminder that there is more to intel gathering than just boredom and risk. When it goes wrong, it goes really wrong.

[1]: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Benton [2]: www.spymuseum.org/exhibition-experiences/about-the-collection/collection-highlights/minox-riga-camera/