Customer Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Fantasic
Comment: I have read and enjoyed this book several times, and given away quite a few copies.
WWII from the point of view of an 20-something boffin. Great story telling, both from the technical side of cryptography and the politics and office shenanigans of the British government.
It has some tear-jerking stories of death and suffering, a few points of the cold-blooded ruthlessnes of the spy business, and Marks' sense of humor can either come off as self-deprecation or arrogance, depending on your take.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Funny Cryptographer
Comment: Of all WW II memoirs, Leo Marks has probably written the most distinctive and unusual. In the prime of his youth, a young Leo failed in his attempt to enter Bletchley Park's hallowed ground, and was instead sent to the SOE, Special Operations Executive, charged with Churchill's mandate to "Set Europe Ablaze." When Marks arrived at the SOE, the coded transmissions of secret agents were based around famous poems, but unfortunately the Germans had access to the same libraries of classics and were easily breaking the codes. Up against the establishment and tradition, Marks fought to introduce indecipherable one-time pads of his own invention, fighting British conservatism and bureaucracy to push through his innovations. What makes Mr. Marks' book so different is not only the story he tells, but his natural gift for writing. His distinctive literary ability would have stood him well as a man of fiction, letters, or script, and his turn of phrase is both unexpected, witty, graceful, and as much a lesson as "The Elements of Style" is to writers today. Leo Marks is a funny man, and there is nothing better than an eighty-year-old with total recall and self-depreciating humor who actually achieved something; Leo briefed Violette Szabo before she went to meet her fate and admits to falling in love with her in those few hours. The poem he wrote about her is the highlight of the book, an unusual statement from a reviewer who loathes poetry! There are only a few interesting works on cryptology, the other that comes to mind is actually fictional, Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon."
Customer Rating:
Summary: Between Silk and Cyanide
Comment: A thoroughly intriguing story. Factual yet reads like a suspense novel...couldn't put it down
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent pleasure reading
Comment: This well written narative takes me back to my first visit to the below ground war rooms that Churchill occupied during WWII. The reader shares the excitement, terror, frustration, humor and pure determination of the Brits. Great read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Rambley, but a fun read
Comment: This is not the most organized of books, certainly. It doesn't have any idea of the bigger picture, and it deals with things as they come up chronologically. That being said, Marks writes with an entertaining style and a certain flair for sharing some of the most poignant and moving stories that he experienced. This book is a must-read for anybody interested in World War II or cryptography.
Summary: Absolutely Fantasic
Comment: I have read and enjoyed this book several times, and given away quite a few copies.
WWII from the point of view of an 20-something boffin. Great story telling, both from the technical side of cryptography and the politics and office shenanigans of the British government.
It has some tear-jerking stories of death and suffering, a few points of the cold-blooded ruthlessnes of the spy business, and Marks' sense of humor can either come off as self-deprecation or arrogance, depending on your take.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Funny Cryptographer
Comment: Of all WW II memoirs, Leo Marks has probably written the most distinctive and unusual. In the prime of his youth, a young Leo failed in his attempt to enter Bletchley Park's hallowed ground, and was instead sent to the SOE, Special Operations Executive, charged with Churchill's mandate to "Set Europe Ablaze." When Marks arrived at the SOE, the coded transmissions of secret agents were based around famous poems, but unfortunately the Germans had access to the same libraries of classics and were easily breaking the codes. Up against the establishment and tradition, Marks fought to introduce indecipherable one-time pads of his own invention, fighting British conservatism and bureaucracy to push through his innovations. What makes Mr. Marks' book so different is not only the story he tells, but his natural gift for writing. His distinctive literary ability would have stood him well as a man of fiction, letters, or script, and his turn of phrase is both unexpected, witty, graceful, and as much a lesson as "The Elements of Style" is to writers today. Leo Marks is a funny man, and there is nothing better than an eighty-year-old with total recall and self-depreciating humor who actually achieved something; Leo briefed Violette Szabo before she went to meet her fate and admits to falling in love with her in those few hours. The poem he wrote about her is the highlight of the book, an unusual statement from a reviewer who loathes poetry! There are only a few interesting works on cryptology, the other that comes to mind is actually fictional, Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon."
Customer Rating:
Summary: Between Silk and Cyanide
Comment: A thoroughly intriguing story. Factual yet reads like a suspense novel...couldn't put it down
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent pleasure reading
Comment: This well written narative takes me back to my first visit to the below ground war rooms that Churchill occupied during WWII. The reader shares the excitement, terror, frustration, humor and pure determination of the Brits. Great read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Rambley, but a fun read
Comment: This is not the most organized of books, certainly. It doesn't have any idea of the bigger picture, and it deals with things as they come up chronologically. That being said, Marks writes with an entertaining style and a certain flair for sharing some of the most poignant and moving stories that he experienced. This book is a must-read for anybody interested in World War II or cryptography.