The Crook Factory

What's not to like???Fun novel that takes a fictional stab at what Hemingway was doing some of the time while living in Cuba.If you like Simmons other books, beware it's not in his usual genre.If you have an open mind (or, just like good historical fiction with a crime/mystery/spy twist) then you will enjoy this outing.I also highly recommend Darwin's Blade and the Kurtz novels from Mr. Simmons. They are good reads as well.

I'm a fan of Dan Simmons. His standout books, for me, are Hyperion, Carrion Comfort, and Crook Factory. Crook Factory edges the others out. Sure, I like my sci-fi hard, and I suppose a book like this, based in 95% fact, has the realism I crave. But it's more than that. This book is gold. It achieves perfect congruence. It persists in the mind long after the final words. Heck, it made me want to learn Spanish, read Hemingway, and become a novel writer, to boot. I wish one out of 10 books I read were as good as Crook Factory.

Focusing on an unexplored corner of Hemingway's life, Simmons combines a spy story with an historical novel which I read straight through. He creates characters we can identify with and care about at the same time that he acquaints us with a fully textured portrait of Hemingway and insights into J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI. Simmons is one of the few writers that can create a compelling story in any genre he chooses. I have read every book he has written. Crook Factory is of the same caliber as the others I put at the top of his work: Phases of Gravity, Hyperion, Summer of Night, and Children of the Night. FBI agent Joe Lucas, the story telling main character, is someone I want to know more about. Cameo appearances by Ian Fleming, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergmann and Marlene Dietrich set just the right atmosphere for a stylish spy story. And the action scenes are riveting. I highly recommend this book.

[EXCEPT FOR THE FIVE STARS, IGNORE THE REVIEW AFTER THIS ONE -- THE READER WASN'T PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION!!] (From the Bloomsbury Review, Spring/Summer 1999): Dan Simmons has won critical acclaim and ardent readerships in a wide variety of genres: horror, science fiction, mainstream. He's picked up literary awards with the regularity of a champion outfielder shagging fungoes. Writing wise, there seems to be nothing he can't accomplish. So the publication of "The Crook Factory," an historical, literary thriller, is sure to win Simmons another batch of readers and award nominations. Joe Lucas, an amoral special agent in the FBI, finds himself assigned to a case that seems designed as punishment. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover has tasked him with keeping tabs on an amateur spy network in Cuba. The network has been coined "The Crook Factory" by it's ringleader - none other than Ernest Hemingway. Completely unaware of Hemingway's stature and celebrity as a writer (he doesn't read "make believe" books), Lucas' perspective and growing awareness of Hemingway is offered through fresh, unspoiled eyes. Upon reaching Cuba, Lucas is thoroughly unprepared for what he finds. In Hemingway, he discovers a braggart who embellishes upon every life story. A writer who, despite an awareness of his own talent, constantly questions his own worth. And after joining up with Hemingway's eight-man spy network, Lucas discovers a spiderweb of machiavlleian schemes involving the intelligence agencies from three different countries that could affect the outcome of World War II. Worse, Lucas learns that Hemingway's "crook factory" has uncovered a vital piece of intelligence which puts all of them in mortal danger, and calls into question the loyalty of operatives in his own agency. Unsure of his own sources (or who might be behind American side of the conspiracy), Lucas partners with Hemingway in a perilous venture to get to the bottom of the mystery. Unlike most of his other novels (most notably, "Song of Kali," "Carrion Comfort," "Phases of Gravity," "The Hollow Man" and any of the books set in his "Hyperion/Endymion" universe), "The Crook Factory" is not filled with the usual subtexts and symbols which make reading Simmons' novels such a rich experience. But that doesn't mean this novel is empty of intellectual sustenance. On the contrary. It's full of musings upon abusive government and bureaucracy. And there are ruminations upon the act of creative writing - passages that do not seem out of place, given that Hemingway is a central figure. Here, the legend coaches Lucas on the fine points of his craft: "You can't just transcribe things from the outside in, that's photography. You have to do it the way Cezanne did, from inside yourself. That's art." The difference between this novel and most of Simmons others can be likened to Graham Greene's "serious" novels ("Brighton Rock," "The Quiet American") and his "entert

(from "The San Antonio Express-News," Feb '99) Writer sui generis Dan Simmons refuses to be pigeon-holed. His first novel ("Song of Kali," a psychological thriller) garnered a World Fantasy Award. Horror novels like "Carrion Comfort" and "Summer of Night" earned awards and admiration from peers like Stephen King and Dean Koontz. And his critically acclaimed, award winning quartet of SF ("Hyperion, "The Fall of Hyperion," "Endymion" and "The Rise of Endymion") are perennial bestsellers that have cemented his reputation in that genre. Not one to rest on his laurels, Simmons new novel, "The Crook Factory," explores an entirely different genre: literary espionage. Like those before it, this book is filled with crackerjack writing, a page-turning plot, and characters which will haunt the reader long after the book is finished. Joe Lucas, an amoral special agent in the FBI, finds himself assigned to a case that seems designed as punishment. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover has tasked him with keeping tabs on an amateur spy network in Cuba. The network has been coined "The Crook Factory" by it's ringleader - none other than Ernest Hemingway. Completely unaware of Hemingway's stature and celebrity as a writer (he doesn't read "make believe" books), Lucas' perspective and growing awareness of Hemingway is offered through fresh, unspoiled eyes. Upon reaching Cuba, Lucas is thoroughly unprepared for what he finds. In Hemingway, he discovers a braggart who embellishes upon every life story, and a writer who, despite an awareness of his own talent, constantly questions his own worth. And after joining up with Hemingway's eight-man spy network, Lucas discovers a spiderweb of machiavlleian schemes involving the intelligence agencies from three different countries that could affect the outcome of World War II. Worse, Lucas learns that Hemingway's "crook factory" has uncovered a vital piece of intelligence which puts all of them in mortal danger, and calls into question the loyalty of operatives in his own agency. Unsure of his sources (or who might be behind the American side of the conspiracy), Lucas partners with Hemingway in a perilous venture to get to the bottom of the mystery. Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, and a host of others make appearances in this story. What's more, as Simmons testifies in an afterword, ninety-five percent of the events are true. But in the end, what resonates deepest are the characters: Joe Lucas, who goes through a moral and emotional transformation; and, most especially, Ernest Hemingway. Capturing an historical persona within in the confines of a novel is no easy task. But Simmons does an incredible job. Readers will come away from this book feeling as if they actually lived alongside the great writer. Part spy novel, part history lesson, and part thriller, "The Crook Factory" is ample proof that the talents of Dan Simmons can't be constrained by any genre. (from "The