The Quantum Spy: A Thriller

I bought this book primarily because it involved quantum computing. There wasn't as much focus on quantum computing as I had hoped, but I thought the book had an interesting plot and good character development.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be believable. I read one review that said the book was predictable. I did not find that to be the case. The story deals with technological aspects which I enjoy the most. Highly recommend!

David Ignatius tells a tightly woven story with highly developed characters and attention to detail that makes this a must read. It fits perfectly with today's current events but with a look into the future of computing.

Two stars is generous, this piece of fluff does not even contain sufficient material for a short story. Definitely not a thriller, more an arduous character study, thin and undercooked.

Agonizingly languid in pace, stuffed full of pointless dialogue, meandering in search of a plot line, a sparse cast of pathetic cliches for characters, it really feels like he knocked this out in the space of a long weekend. A complete waste of time.

Read anything by John Le Carre, Jason Matthews, or any other writer who respects their audience enough to publish real work.

A huge step up from the current capacities of our present day computers comprises the theme of David Ignatius' book. The concept is a Quantum computer which is depicted as being so fast with the ability to decript any encryption in existence. The possession and use of such a device will easily make anyone having and using it masters of the digital world.
The novel depicts a conflict between the United States and China to get the wherewith-all to develop the first working model of a Quantum computer. Harris Chang, an agent of the CIA, is assigned to investigate a possible breach of a Quantum research lab by a suspected Chinese informant. The hunt for the suspected mole leads Chang into a world of cutting edge technology and into a situation where he is involved in a fine line between loyalty to his country and possibly treason.
The possibilities presented by this computing advance are described by Mr Ignatius' book in easily understood language. His description of the stresses and strains placed on Harris Chang make for an excellent introduction and understanding of this man. Chang is, by his own definition, not a Chinese American, but an American by birth and inclination. His investigations are underscored by a possible mistrust by his boss and co workers of his ethnicity. The novel itself is backed up by the description of what could be the results of possession of the first working models of this huge advance in computation.
Extremely well written and easily carrying the reader into a world of digital advance and allowing him or her reading the book with a rapt attention to the situations and characters involved.

I can't believe I actually finished the book. The title is misleading because you can learn much more about quantum computing by looking up its dictionary definition that you will from this book. The plot felt old and tired before I was half-way through and it just got worse. I can't recommend this book.

I can't believe I actually finished the book. The title is misleading because you can learn much more about quantum computing by looking up its dictionary definition that you will from this book. The plot felt old and tired before I was half-way through and it just got worse. I can't recommend this book.

My primary reason for disliking the novel was the stilted dialogue. The word "tradecraft" is used approximately 35 times. Supposedly experienced CIA colleague characters speak to one another as if neither of them is familiar with the tools of the trade. "She placed my phone in a bag that blocked wireless signals." As if Faraday pouches weren't for sale on the store these days.

The second most annoying part of the novel was the clumsy handling of ethnicity and sex. I don't know which episode was worse -- the woman character spelling out to the reader (in duplicate, first in her mind and then by way of explanation, in wooden dialogue to another character) that she was going out of her way to help another female colleague because of the times she had been hurt by the spy game patriarchy in the past, or the American-of-Chinese-descent main character bristling over and over and over when his ethnicity is mentioned until he finally rolls up his sleeve and demands that his boss reads his USMC tattoo. So terrible.

I read the entire novel but I wish I hadn't because the climax had absolutely no spirit or excitement.

The Quantum Spy
Mysterious Book Report No. 319
by John Dwaine McKenna
It’s indisputable that the next war will be fought in cyberspace. Some scientific and military experts believe in fact, that World War III has already begun . . . that the opening skirmishes are evidenced by the endless hacking attempts on the most secure of websites . . . where our adversaries are going after America’s commercial, financial, governmental, scientific and military secrets in hopes of besting the United States by destroying the economy and infrastructure. By doing so, the enemies of America could defeat her without firing a shot. Because of this, the race is on to build ever more powerful and faster computing machines. And the fastest, most powerful of all is a computer based on quantum mechanics . . . something so outlandish that when he discovered it, Albert Einstein himself was baffled, and thought he’d made a mistake somewhere in his equations. He was in fact, never able to find the mistake, which predicted that something could exist in two different places at the same time. But in fact, they can. They’re only able to do so for a fraction of a second however, and there’s the rub. They’re unstable. But they’re the basis of the fastest computers ever dreamed of, and all of the advanced countries in the world are racing to develop the first quantum computer . . . which would give the owners of that technology the absolute ability to take over every other computer in the world. It’s the subject of a pulse pounding new thriller entitled The Quantum Spy, (Norton, $25.95, 320 pages, ISBN 978-0-393-25415-0) by David Ignatius, in which the United States has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing that will allow them to dominate the field for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately however, the technical details wind up in the hands of the Chinese Ministry of State Security less than 48 hours later because there’s a spy—known as a mole—embedded deep in the American Secret Services. It’s up to a CIA officer named Harris Chang to catch the traitor. Thus begins the gripping cyber-thriller which goes from the city of Singapore, to the Pacific Northwest, to the mountains of Mexico and beyond. The investigation is intense, obsessive, destructive and ultimately uncertain, due to the leaks exposing our deepest secrets . . . or are they false trails to deceive the Chinese? Chang, a west Point graduate and decorated combat veteran, will begin to question everything he knows about honor, duty, and country, as well as his heritage, loyalty, morality, and ultimately, the truth. This novel is a sophisticated and up-to-date look at contemporary spying and the consequences of the cutting edges of science. It is a nail-biter of the highest order. If you, like me, love spy novels, don’t miss this one . . . it’s absolutely positively one of the best and most current espionage tales since Barry Lancet wrote The Spy Across the Table!

In THE QUANTUM SPY, the CIA and Chinese intelligence agencies duel one another in a high-stakes match as they pursue research secrets surrounding quantum computing. Whichever country is first to harness that technology will possess unimaginable power, a sort of information processing equivalent of a nuclear bomb.

As I read through the first two-thirds of the book, it seemed to me to be a solid four-star winner, an engrossing novel showcasing the real-world tradecraft (not the fictional James Bond-type stuff) employed by spy agencies. The book’s protagonist, Harris Chang, a Chinese American CIA officer, discovers the Chinese have managed to place a mole high up in the agency’s hierarchy.

It’s the final third of David Ignatius’ newest thriller, however, where it earns five stars! The tension ratchets up to an extreme level when the Chinese murder a CIA operative and set up Chang to look like the mole and as a person complicit in the murder. The Chinese are so successful at doing this that many in the agency and the FBI believe Chang is indeed the Chinese infiltrator (there’s more than a little racism going on here).

Chang elects to prove his innocence and that he’s a “true” American by undertaking a dangerous undercover mission involving the real mole and the head of a Chinese spy agency. If the operation fails, Chang will end up either captured or dead at the hands of the Chinese. It’s a nail-biting, page-turning conclusion.

David Ignatius has crafted a great novel with robust, believable characters where even the “black hats” don’t necessarily have all evil intent, nor the “white hats,” all noble ones. If you’re into well written thrillers that reflect the reality of spydom (à la John le Carré), don’t miss THE QUANTUM SPY.

David Ignatius is quite an accomplished journalist and novelist. He focuses on spy thrillers, of which I’ve read two now - The Director about a newly appointed CIA Director in a time of crisis; and his latest, The Quantum Spy, also about the CIA, this time focusing on a technology race between China and the United States. Ignatius knows where to find his material - as a 30 year veteran of The Washington Post, he covers politics and is well respected in the community, providing him access to some credible advisors.

The Quantum Spy focuses on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Deputy Director John Vandel and agent Harrison Chang. They want to protect U.S. scientific development of one of the most important technology advances in history - quantum computing, which can process data millions of times more quickly than existing computing capabilities - and thwart efforts of the Chinese spy agencies to intercept any growth in the technology’s progress.

Quantum computing and its development is real, so the subject is certainly intriguing. Ignatius just scratches the surface of what it is and what the potential could mean to both the private and public sectors, and that’s just enough for this novel. It’s a race for sure and its implications astounding. Governments around the world are striving for the early advantage.

Harrison Chang is chosen by Vandel for this particular mission for two reasons: Chang is a former Army Ranger who saved Vandel’s life in Iraq, and he’s American of Chinese descent. Chang is quite proud of his very American accomplishments - high school football star, West Point graduate, Army veteran, and now a CIA agent - it’s the American dream. And he seems to be quite good at working over his targets; getting them to cave under pressure and give up valuable information. In doing so, he uncovers a “rukou” - a Chinese doorway into the heart of U.S. intelligence. In other words, there is a mole feeding the Chinese with information about highly classified quantum computing programs that have gone “dark” and operating under one of the U.S. three letter agencies.

Vandel assembles a small team working covertly even within the CIA. Their mission is to not only ferret out the mole, but to wreck havoc within the Chinese intelligence community. He sends Chang as his frontman to stir the pot - and it works. Chang darts across the country from Langley to San Francisco, to Vancouver and Mexico City. Meanwhile, the Chinese Minister of State Security has his own problems - the Ministry is falling apart due to corruption, the People’s Liberation Army Generals have competing interests, and he has to protect his most important asset and trump card, the “rukou”.

It’s a fun ride and an easy read. Like many journalists turned novelist though, Ignatius writes like a reporter. Clearly successful, it works for him. It’s a great subject though written for someone looking for lightweight fiction. My biggest issue was once again his treatment of a leading female character. Denise Ford is portrayed as a smart, smooth, and clever operative. Though she makes some ridiculous mistakes. Ignatius did this in The Director as well. I just can’t reconcile the set up of these characters as strong and dominating, yet actions and dialogue so foolish. To be fair, the dialogue overall was not too imaginative.

If you like quick spy stories, this is a good one. Look elsewhere for literary mastery.

Like many a spy thriller, _The Quantum Spy_ is basically about a game of chess between two spymasters, John Vandel (DDO for the CIA) and Li Zian (head of China's Ministry of State Security). And, like a technothriller, it has a technological Maguffin which is vital not only to the plot, but to its resolution.

The Maguffin is quantum computing. The CIA is spending a lot of money effectively buying up companies with a promising approach to QC, and then making them "go black." (It apparently does not occur to the Company that letting these companies work together might improve their performance.) During the course of the book, the problem of QC is not solved, any more than it is in the "real" world; but a partial solution proves sufficient to give Vandel the checkmating move.

Oh, come on, like you didn't know the Good Guys were going to win?

Of course, as in any good spy thriller, part of the fun is figuring out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. We learn fairly early that Li has a mole deep in the CIA, reporting to him on everything the Company learns about QC. So a big part of the plot is Finding The Mole.

The hero of the tale, if there is one, is Harris Chang, a CIA operative. He is involved in the operation that discovers that there is a mole and sets the whole thing off. Due to a very clever move by Li, he comes under suspicion of the FBI, and his loyalties are put to the deepest test.

I won't say this is the best book I've read this year, but it was a good, enjoyable read with enough tension to satisfy.

There’s nothing more satisfying than a fast-paced thriller with a heart, and THE QUANTUM SPY delivers on both fronts. David Ignatius, the respected columnist for the Washington Post and a talking head on MSNBC, has written 10 thrillers, many with an international theme. His latest takes the reader to Asia and back, and features a cast that includes Chinese spies and a Chinese American CIA operative who becomes entangled with them.

Ignatius has woven into this story of rival factions in both countries a subplot about the race to create a quantum computer. This gives the novel a sense of timeliness, but also makes the reader appreciate how critical success is to each country. The author explains why, in terms that are clear enough to be understood by the casual reader, who learns how it is being developed, who is funding it, and the extraordinary feats it can achieve.

However, what makes this such a good read is that Ignatius has developed characters who go beyond the caricature of the wily, cynical spy. The book opens in Seattle, where “Mr. Green” is talking to the head of a quantum computing company in which the government has invested. It then cuts to Singapore, where a Chinese scientist is being pressured to work for the CIA or risk exposure for the money he’s been hiding in offshore accounts.

There we meet Harris Chang, a Chinese American ex-Army Ranger who is helping squeeze the scientist. It doesn’t hurt that he speaks some Chinese and can move about in Asia without drawing attention to himself. Chang is a real patriot --- until he begins to doubt his government’s and his own loyalties. The Chinese have no compunction about exploiting Chang’s doubts, and in so doing, they force him to think about the duality of ethnicity and upbringing.

Ignatius keeps the action going as factions in China try to exploit American spies, and the CIA works to find out which double agent --- known only by the name “Rukou” (The Doorway) --- is helping them. There are secrets that, if shared, could change the course of each country and its respective dominance and stability. The novel’s plot twists feel real, as though the author had uncovered these very stories while plying his journalistic trade. The reader comes away with a sense of how much higher the stakes are now that our computing capabilities have increased to the point where they pose as great a threat as nuclear arms. It’s a chilling prospect.

Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley

I was surprised at how little "Quantum" is in the story line. At most this is a fairly vanilla spy story with some embroidery about Quantum computing and an odd commentary on Asian-American relations. The premise find the mole is the weakest part of the book. The characters motivations hardly believable and the ending way too PC for me.

Its an easy read, not overly complex, a relatively small set of characters, so on that score its okay, be a great beach read....

A great thriller with a civil rights twist. Harris Chang, a Chinese American born in Flagsgtaff, Arizona, is recruited by the CIA while still on active military duty in Iraq. He ‘bleeds red, white, and blue’ and just wants to serve his country. He is sent on a mission to recruit a Chinese scientists to work with the CIA on creating a quantum computer. Harris using an alias, Peter Chong, feels that he has convinced the scientist to defect. However, the scientist hangs himself leaving his leather diary in the hands of the CIA. From that point on there is much suspicion on the part of the CIA that Harris Chang might not be as loyal as he appears. Is he actually leaning toward China? His boss, John Vangal, raises suspicion making Chang wonder why his boss and old friend would suspect him. The race between China and the U.S. to get the first quantum computer is real and the entire book is very timely. The intrigue and behavior of the spy world is intense. The Chinese have a mole in the CIA and Vangal is determined to find out who. Is it Chang? Is it another former rising star? How far will Vangal go to get to the bottom? I listened to this book on audible and the narrator, Edoardo Ballerini, was excellent. If you like espionage stories like the ones of LeCarre, you’ll like this one.

The book had an interesting topic, but it severely lacked depth. No character depth, no action, no suspense. Conversation was unrealistic. It felt as though the author didn’t want to write the book. I felt no connection to anyone. I hate bashing the work of others but this was just emotionless.