The Unending Game
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- Create Date：2021-10-25 06:53:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Vikram Sood
- ISBN：0670091502
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Reviews
Bhaskar Singhal
，
This book is not about any mission or any personal memoir but it provides valuable insights into the intelligence world for those who are interested in the world of espionage。Definitely a recommended read。
Mukul Jain
，
After reading two books by another ex RAW head， Mr。 Dulat， I was expecting more than what I got。 He talks about intelligence in general but had nothing about how RAW works or anything from his experience。 He looked intrested in consipiracy theories and exploits/failures of CIA and KGB。 He even devoted a whole chapter to secret societies and how they consipire to get world leaders elected and make wars which felt straight out of some Hollywood series and had little relevance to actual theme of th After reading two books by another ex RAW head， Mr。 Dulat， I was expecting more than what I got。 He talks about intelligence in general but had nothing about how RAW works or anything from his experience。 He looked intrested in consipiracy theories and exploits/failures of CIA and KGB。 He even devoted a whole chapter to secret societies and how they consipire to get world leaders elected and make wars which felt straight out of some Hollywood series and had little relevance to actual theme of the book。Also the writing was incoherent， content dispersed and repetitive。 。。。more
Shikhar Amar
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Intelligence agencies are the sword arms of the nation （not the government） in the furtherance of its foreign security interests and protectionIt was a delight to read this book。 It takes us through the overview of how this profession works but it was not as detailed as I thought it would be。 The book is filled with red alerts which is a must-read for all policy makers and well-wishers of India。People get the government they deserve and a government gets the intelligence it deserves。 Our rulers Intelligence agencies are the sword arms of the nation （not the government） in the furtherance of its foreign security interests and protectionIt was a delight to read this book。 It takes us through the overview of how this profession works but it was not as detailed as I thought it would be。 The book is filled with red alerts which is a must-read for all policy makers and well-wishers of India。People get the government they deserve and a government gets the intelligence it deserves。 Our rulers have mostly learnt nothing and have forgotten that Pakistani leaders sent in soldiers masquerading as so-called ‘freedom fighters’—they were actually terrorists—in 1947， 1965， 1999， 2001 and then in 2008。 Kashmir continues to be troubled。 We cannot indulge in glib talk about fighting terror jointly with Pakistan。 It is like investigating murder with the help of the murderer。He doesn't shy from calling a spade a spade。 The book is filled with such caution which gives us insight into the security threats concerning India。The animus that Pakistan has for India will endure。 It is not about to give up the weapon of state-sponsored terrorism as a force equalizer against a stronger India。 Pakistan’s drift towards Islamic radicalism is now a certainty， with the Pakistani Army and Islamic radicals using the same curriculum and slogans in their training academies and battalions。 The Deep State will find it difficult to shake this off without trauma。 Its close bonds with China may turn into bondage but it need not inspire us to schadenfreude because that would mean that we have China on our western flanks as well。 It would be prudent for our policymakers to remember that Pakistan was created for a certain purpose and its leaders now believe that their salvation and continued existence lie in perpetual enmity with India。 This approach of its leadership—military and civil—is only slightly more sophisticated than the kind adopted by its many radical extremist Islamists who are becoming increasingly relevant in Pakistan’s politics。His prophecy that China will be a greater threat is becoming a reality after each passing day。Doklam in Bhutan close to the India–Bhutan–Tibet border in June and August 2017 were an indication of the growing impatience in Beijing。 China and not Pakistan will remain the biggest threat to Indian security interests and prosperity。 It will coerce when suitable and trade when convenient， but will not concede on core issues like territory or give space when in search of resources and markets， or entry into the UNSC or the Nuclear Suppliers Group。He states that "external intelligence， espionage and covert operations are a country’s first line of offence and defence。 Indira Gandhi， Rajiv Gandhi and， years later， Atal Bihari Vajpayee realized this。 They understood the benefit of advice from an agency that would tell them the truth as it existed and not as what they wanted to hear。 For this， they kept the agency in a cocoon， sheltered from coalition or regional politics。 "By the end of the book， he is successfully able to hammer the fact that we must never forget that these agencies are as important as the military might of the country。 。。。more
Khushboo Racca Dubey
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I picked up this book thinking it will reveal some interesting anecdotes of RAW’s and IB’s past missions， their functioning and spies。 I was greatly mistaken。 The only chapter on RAW is the last one that stresses upon the lack of foresight of the organisation making it redundant with its international counterparts and the investment （ time， energy and monetary） required in identifying， training and maintaining the talent acting as foot soldiers My slim knowledge （ obviously through movies and ne I picked up this book thinking it will reveal some interesting anecdotes of RAW’s and IB’s past missions， their functioning and spies。 I was greatly mistaken。 The only chapter on RAW is the last one that stresses upon the lack of foresight of the organisation making it redundant with its international counterparts and the investment （ time， energy and monetary） required in identifying， training and maintaining the talent acting as foot soldiers My slim knowledge （ obviously through movies and news） of the extent of clandestine subterfuge world of intelligence was minuscule until i read this book。 The book is very insightful and has some startling revelations。 It describes the functioning of various intelligence services across the board and their common target， terrorism and jihad ， causing havoc globally。 The advances in communication， information technology and the advent of social media has made the task even more challenging for security services。 Towards the end it mentions all the notorious terrorist attacks and the perceived causes of failure to abort them。 The author justifies that for any nation to make its mark geopolitically， it needs a strong backing and inter service co operation of intelligence services， military and mega corporations。It gets bit dragged and repetitive but can definitely be overlooked。 。。。more
Sidharth Mishra
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A very good book which sheds light onto the evolution of espionage and intelligence across eras and countries。 Highlights the role that intelligence plays in a globally interconnected and unpredictable world。
QURATULAIN
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The writer has narrated the spy stories that we already know through news。 Nothing new。 Just a compilation of already known success and failures of intelligence agencies。
Rysa R
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“Some men worship rank， some worship heroes， some worship power， some worship God， and over these ideals they dispute and cannot unite- but they all worship money”- Mark Twain， Chp。 7 ‘The Triangle: The Terrorist， the Criminal and the Spy’ From spy agencies around the world to secret societies， no stone is left unturned in this absolutely riveting account on the world of espionage。A well-documented and excellently written novel by Vikram Sood， former chief of Research and Analysis Wing。 This boo “Some men worship rank， some worship heroes， some worship power， some worship God， and over these ideals they dispute and cannot unite- but they all worship money”- Mark Twain， Chp。 7 ‘The Triangle: The Terrorist， the Criminal and the Spy’ From spy agencies around the world to secret societies， no stone is left unturned in this absolutely riveting account on the world of espionage。A well-documented and excellently written novel by Vikram Sood， former chief of Research and Analysis Wing。 This book does not simply narrate the tales of spies but rather aims to explain the structure of the spy world and the significance and role of spy craft in world politics。 From the cold war era to the current digitalized world with the ever-growing terrorist outfits， the author imminently emphasises threats to humanity in an ever-changing world。 There are interesting anecdotes mentioned about espionage， with multiple references to pop culture throughout the span of the book。 This book also sheds light on agencies like CIA， the erstwhile KGB， and Mossad。 Despite being a novel by a former RA&W chief， this book has little to no mention on RA&W operations or secrets， in that sense RA&W remains a as clandestine as ever。 。。。more
Abhishek Karadkar
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Wonderful book！ It gives insight into how the espionage world works。 The author throws light on how the espionage world has nothing to do with James Bond type fantasy！ The book gives a nice overview of how social media and technology is used to spy on everything。 There is nothing in this world which cannot be spied on and based on book， it seems we are living in a Orwellian world！ The only missing part in the book is the author could have added more information of R&AW， as he was the chief of In Wonderful book！ It gives insight into how the espionage world works。 The author throws light on how the espionage world has nothing to do with James Bond type fantasy！ The book gives a nice overview of how social media and technology is used to spy on everything。 There is nothing in this world which cannot be spied on and based on book， it seems we are living in a Orwellian world！ The only missing part in the book is the author could have added more information of R&AW， as he was the chief of India’s premier agency。 I am sure the author decided not to open the closed book of R&AW secrets which is understood， but some more details or overview of how R&AW is one of the best spy agency today could have been conveyed to the interested readers。 I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in spy books and this book satisfies the readers quest。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Kunal Yadav
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good book
shishir
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I had no idea about real world of espionage and the games nations are playing。 The author has broken down espionage into three themes namely tradecraft， inside intelligence and what lies ahead。 Each theme is accompanied by a collection of examples （cold wars， indo-pak， chinese sphere） and author's own conclusions。The chapter related to prediction of future technology based espionage in this decade did not seem very convincing to me。 The chapters about secret societies and the taliban-Us chemistr I had no idea about real world of espionage and the games nations are playing。 The author has broken down espionage into three themes namely tradecraft， inside intelligence and what lies ahead。 Each theme is accompanied by a collection of examples （cold wars， indo-pak， chinese sphere） and author's own conclusions。The chapter related to prediction of future technology based espionage in this decade did not seem very convincing to me。 The chapters about secret societies and the taliban-Us chemistry were eye openers。 The chapters on deep state， failures of agencies， double agents during cold wars were very engaging。Overall the book is very good。 It is written in text book style and has to be read multiple times for better understanding of the lessons。 The author's expertise is reflected in the way he has told different stories。 I am assigning score of 4/5 to this book。 Editing is not good。 Some chapters could be shorter。 。。。more
Broke Bibliophile
，
The world of espionage is a fascinating one。 Even though it's a parallel world that coexists with our own mundane lives， we never see a glimpse of it。 The mysterious nature of it has given rise to myths and outlandish （albeit entertaining） stories via pop culture。 If there is one good thing the book does， it's that it provides a great introduction to spycraft for readers whose knowledge is only limited to movies or a few news reports。 Each chapter is an engaging read because it's filled with ple The world of espionage is a fascinating one。 Even though it's a parallel world that coexists with our own mundane lives， we never see a glimpse of it。 The mysterious nature of it has given rise to myths and outlandish （albeit entertaining） stories via pop culture。 If there is one good thing the book does， it's that it provides a great introduction to spycraft for readers whose knowledge is only limited to movies or a few news reports。 Each chapter is an engaging read because it's filled with plenty of substantial examples from the US， UK， erstwhile USSR， China etc。 The author explains some key concepts and goes through a timeline of important events that indicate how enmeshed espionage is with international politics。 He also provides his own take on how nations， especially India， would have to act in order to protect national interests。 Though it's an intriguing book due to its subject matter， there a few things that need to be said。 First， the editing wasn't the best。 I think there was a lot of scope for the chapters to have a better structure。 Second， the book leaves you wanting for more。 As it's written by a former R&AW Chief， one did expect more anecdotes from the Indian subcontinent。 But we don't get enough of that and most of what he mentions are in public domain。 Now， I understand that the author might be under an oath of secrecy and hence， he cannot divulge much。 But this also brings me to a larger point of security studies。 If you've ever spoken to scholars in the field， they will tell you how difficult it is to do any research on India because most information is classified and inaccessible。 On one hand， it's understandable why governments would want to keep secrets for the sake of national security。 But on the other hand， not declassifying decades-old files and not creating a conducive environment for further research on intelligence， area studies （something that Sood mentions） etc。， might just limit our capabilities or even be detrimental to our understanding of the ever-changing world of intelligence and global politics。Coming back to the review， I would say that the book only reflects how complicated things will get in this Age of Information。 Nations will have to leverage technology for tackling emerging problems because even the foes will have access to the same。 Understanding each situation thoroughly with context and reimagining approaches will be more important than ever。The book came in at the right time。 Maybe common citizens like us won't have all our questions answered， but if there's one thing we know， it's that intelligence services sure have challenging times ahead of them。 。。。more
Onkar
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A good and informative readStarts on an exciting ground of the atomic bomb race between India and Pakistan。 And then educated about the various means in which espionage is carried out。 Also explains the correct usage of the terms and definitions which we wrongly believed to be interchangeable。 Would have loved it if it had more thrilling stories。
Vishnu Ranjan
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To anyone expecting a first hand account of events from the chief of the most reputed organization in the country， I would suggest going for the kaoboys by B。Raman。No sugarcoating， the author has touched a lot of topics， struggling to compile them into limited space。Honestly I was expecting a little more of the finer details in the system， India's nuclear test especially as the author himself quotes it as being acknowledged by the US agencies as one of the topmost intelligence failure of the dec To anyone expecting a first hand account of events from the chief of the most reputed organization in the country， I would suggest going for the kaoboys by B。Raman。No sugarcoating， the author has touched a lot of topics， struggling to compile them into limited space。Honestly I was expecting a little more of the finer details in the system， India's nuclear test especially as the author himself quotes it as being acknowledged by the US agencies as one of the topmost intelligence failure of the decade。If you have come here after reading books like Mossad or Ghost Wars， you will be disappointed。 The book basks in its own glory as a standalone and is a feel good type of read。 。。。more
Anirudh Kulkarni
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The book is an interesting read。 I guess like many， I too was misled into giving this book a try， expecting something completely different。 There is very less content on the life， career progression and skill-set of the spies employed in the world of espionage。 This book mainly explains the importance of intelligence and the critical role it plays in the security of a country。 With a broad perspective， it covers history， organization， achievements and failures of major players in the unending ga The book is an interesting read。 I guess like many， I too was misled into giving this book a try， expecting something completely different。 There is very less content on the life， career progression and skill-set of the spies employed in the world of espionage。 This book mainly explains the importance of intelligence and the critical role it plays in the security of a country。 With a broad perspective， it covers history， organization， achievements and failures of major players in the unending game。Some chapters feel like the narration of the world history post-second world war， with particular emphasis on how KGB and CIA strived to one-up each other at different points during the cold war， these parts are the most interesting ones。 Some chapters feel like material out of International Relations textbook。 The book throws light on， to what extent the intelligence agencies can penetrate to get the required information。 The complication in monitoring intelligence in the age of the digital revolution and the rise of global Islamic terror is well explained。 There is not enough information provided on the Indian intelligence agencies， although their history， achievements and failures are briefly described。 You can pick this book if you are interested in reading an informative and factual account on the game of intelligence through a historical perspective。 。。。more
Saurabh
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I only read the Narrative building part; gives insights on the Soviets and US efforts during cold wars to turn the world towards them; how they planted stories and spreads their agendas that are continuing till date。 Mitrokhin archive gives details about the KGB efforts about the same。
Naresh Mapari
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An intresting book about espionage stories and the future of espionage。
Rohit Kumar
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After reading this I have more faith in RAW than I did before。 They know some shit。
Sonam
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“James Bond is fantasy， George Smiley is reality。” – The Unending Game by Vikram SoodWe have implanted our minds with an idea of how a successful spy looks like。 In most of the films， they portray spy as an officer who wears flashy clothes， drive a fancy car。 On the contrary， the work of a spy is drab but hair-raising。 However， Ian Fleming’s James Bond is to woo an audience。。Read my article on www。theliberalwing。com “James Bond is fantasy， George Smiley is reality。” – The Unending Game by Vikram SoodWe have implanted our minds with an idea of how a successful spy looks like。 In most of the films， they portray spy as an officer who wears flashy clothes， drive a fancy car。 On the contrary， the work of a spy is drab but hair-raising。 However， Ian Fleming’s James Bond is to woo an audience。。Read my article on www。theliberalwing。com 。。。more
Rohit Kumar
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This is not a spy novel。 This is an introduction to the theory of espionage。 So manage your expectations。Yes it abounds in anecdotes but those are not India specific。 The anecdotes refer to often heard and unheard stories of espionage between US & Russia。 A good glimpse into the world of spy craft from India's ex-head of external intelligence。 This is not a spy novel。 This is an introduction to the theory of espionage。 So manage your expectations。Yes it abounds in anecdotes but those are not India specific。 The anecdotes refer to often heard and unheard stories of espionage between US & Russia。 A good glimpse into the world of spy craft from India's ex-head of external intelligence。 。。。more
Abhishek Kumar
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Amazing Narrative。 Provides a lot of points to ponder upon。 Apart from the expected insights of the espionage， book also mentions importance of linguistic dominance in espionage and importance of espionage for cultural growth。Must read for the interested audience。
Sanjay Banerjee
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The book concentrates in the world of 20th century espionage up to today’s times。 It explores espionage in the West and the erstwhile Soviet Union and the Cold War that was fought。 It also talks about Indian intelligence。 The world of espionage remains a fascinating world where facts and fiction merge。 Finally， the imperatives of intelligence in modern day for states especially India are also enumerated。 Overall， a good read especially for those interested in how this sector operates。
Amit Kumar Gangad
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I didn't expect myself to finish this book， but then after a while it was interesting in some manner。So this is written by an actual R&AW chief and is more about how he has seen the intelligence world in his entire life。 He best describes the book by saying - "This book addresses all categories—the believers and the sceptics—but is not meant exclusively for intelligence professionals， experts or academics。 It is not a personal memoir， nor is it about the organization for which I worked。 Instead， I didn't expect myself to finish this book， but then after a while it was interesting in some manner。So this is written by an actual R&AW chief and is more about how he has seen the intelligence world in his entire life。 He best describes the book by saying - "This book addresses all categories—the believers and the sceptics—but is not meant exclusively for intelligence professionals， experts or academics。 It is not a personal memoir， nor is it about the organization for which I worked。 Instead， it seeks to familiarize those who are interested in the intricacies of espionage and intelligence collection and， hopefully， to help prepare our systems for the turbulence that lies ahead。"I won't say much about it。 It's non fiction and some may find it repetitive and there are a lot of fact throwing that we might not be comfortable with。 It isn't something where you will find conspiracy theories or some inside stories， but just an accumulation of what all has happened in the espionage world。 More like a thesis。 There are a lot of things which you might already know， depends on how informed you have been。 Would I recommend it？ I don't know。 。。。more
Nidish
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This was a great read but the tone could've been a little more optimistic， but I get it - it probably is what it is。。 This was a great read but the tone could've been a little more optimistic， but I get it - it probably is what it is。。 。。。more
Shaunak Agarkhedkar
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This is a nice book filled with many interesting anecdotes and bits of analysis that is let down by poor editing。 Mr Sood should fire his editor。
Rishabh
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Book is written by former chief of RAW & shares his amazing insight into mysterious and much awed intelligence world。 However， writer disappoint by not sharing much details of his personal experience & working of India intelligence agencies， credit to his loyalty with the organization。 This book start with working of intelligence agencies during WWII & cold war where it touches the important role of HUMINT。 It covers the stories of famous moles & whistleblowers。 Thereafter it moves chronological Book is written by former chief of RAW & shares his amazing insight into mysterious and much awed intelligence world。 However， writer disappoint by not sharing much details of his personal experience & working of India intelligence agencies， credit to his loyalty with the organization。 This book start with working of intelligence agencies during WWII & cold war where it touches the important role of HUMINT。 It covers the stories of famous moles & whistleblowers。 Thereafter it moves chronologically to show the changes brought by USSR collapse & globalization on the working of agencies and growth of mass surveillance。 It explains the blowbacks received today of steps taken during cold war era。 It also share the least discussed aspect like financial network of terrorism and support it receive from some intelligence agencies。 Finally， writer turn to south asia and explain the future consequences of Islamic radicalization & cyber warfare and important roles played by Technology & surveillance 。 For India， it briefly covers the part of intelligence in 1971， Punjab & Sri Lankan tensions， Kargil & 26/11。 Here it covers the intelligence failure & problems with working of agencies。 At last， writer suggest the changes required to improve the condition， coordination and working of Intelligence services。 。。。more
Saketh Bharadwaj
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This book is more of a research paper。 A lot of information was thrown endlessly from the beginning。 Numerous people were mentioned。 The meticulous details of espionage and collecting intelligence keep going on and on。 For a normal reader who is not interested in research work， the excerpts related to R&AW feel like oasis in a desert。 This book also creates some worry regarding the India's position in global level， related to aspects like data security， fake narratives， psychological influences This book is more of a research paper。 A lot of information was thrown endlessly from the beginning。 Numerous people were mentioned。 The meticulous details of espionage and collecting intelligence keep going on and on。 For a normal reader who is not interested in research work， the excerpts related to R&AW feel like oasis in a desert。 This book also creates some worry regarding the India's position in global level， related to aspects like data security， fake narratives， psychological influences on citizens etc。。 。。。more
Abhijeet Ganguly
，
Welcome to the world of espionage。 It is not what we see in James Bond films for the author Vikram Sood （ex- RAW Chief） dispels that notion right at the outset。 Most of it is dull， cold and ruthless with no place for sentimentality and flashy stuff。 It is a consumer driven industry under the cloak of Government secrecy。 One gets a fair idea about how espionage is carried out， the recruitment of agents， analysis of information， agents double agents and moles and the multidisciplinary skill sets r Welcome to the world of espionage。 It is not what we see in James Bond films for the author Vikram Sood （ex- RAW Chief） dispels that notion right at the outset。 Most of it is dull， cold and ruthless with no place for sentimentality and flashy stuff。 It is a consumer driven industry under the cloak of Government secrecy。 One gets a fair idea about how espionage is carried out， the recruitment of agents， analysis of information， agents double agents and moles and the multidisciplinary skill sets required for the job。 The author takes a chronological approach and gives quite a detailed history of espionage from 1950s right up to the social media age。 Although he can't be expected to divulge too much details for obvious reasons， he has given specific examples aplenty in support of his narrative。 For instance， the cat and mouse game the two superpowers indulged in during the Cold War and how a Communism paranoid USA used （still does） every tool at its disposal to keep it at bay makes for a gripping read。 It may come as a surprise to many of us how one event in history changed the nature of espionage and unshackled it from complete Government control to participation of private contractors。 9/11 gave rise to a billion dollars industry with a whole chain of contractors involved in outsourced work。 While the rise of internet is both boon and a bane for intelligence agencies， as private citizens where do we stand among all this is an eye opener。 The book has shredded the concept of " privacy " to pieces for it doesn't exist anymore。 It exists only in the imagination of people。 Every social media behaviour is a data and is under surveillance。 The ex-spy chief also throws a moral dilemma at us by asking whether we are willing to accept curb on our freedom for the sake of safety and security through surveillance as newer threats emerge。 Towards the end he throws light on the shortcomings of the Indian system and it's impact on the working of our two agencies。 For example， it is dangerous for a country when it's espionage agencies have to provide intelligence to suit the narrative of the political leadership。 He also touches upon what is the way forward if espionage agencies have to remain relevant and be able to protect the citizens and national interests in the future。 Now let's look at some of the revelations that the book makes:1） Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto is the Father of the Pakistani bomb and not the rogue Abdul Qadeer Khan as widely held。 2） During a meeting with the Pakistani dictator General Zia-Ul-Haq， a slip of tongue by an Indian PM undid years of painstaking work by RAW。 3） One former PM was alleged to be a CIA informer。 I won't disclose the name for the sake of keeping the mystery alive。 4） Pakistani military wants to control Afghanistan not just for political influence over the Kabul Government but mainly to control the opium-narcotics trade as Afghanistan accounts for close to half of the $500 billion global trade。 This money is used to keep the terror infrastructure well oiled。 5） Contrary to popular belief， neither Kargil in 1998 nor Mumbai in 2008 was a result of intelligence failure but because of the lethargy and complacency of the political leadership and the army to quite an extent as a consequence of having learnt no lessons from past attacks。 The author terms it systemic failure。 The title of the book " The Unending Game" is apt because espionage never ceases and must not if a country， India in particular， has to take it's rightful place in the global order。 。。。more
William Sherlock
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Surprisingly wide view of current issues OK， he really does not like the Pakistanis。 Apart from that， this is a surprisingly wide view of current issues and in particular the huge data based American firms， like Facebook and Google who are now bigger and better funded than most intelligence agencies。。
Divya Pal Singh
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Nothing revelatory in this book。 A compilation of espionage trivia that is common knowledge to anyone reading newspapers。 Facts are liberally mixed with fiction fromRobert Ludlum， John le Carré and Ian Fleming。 The credit for the liberation of Bangladesh is taken by the Army （Mankeshaw and Rodrigues both claim glory） and BSF， now R&AW to claims credit for this feat。 Nothing revelatory in this book。 A compilation of espionage trivia that is common knowledge to anyone reading newspapers。 Facts are liberally mixed with fiction fromRobert Ludlum， John le Carré and Ian Fleming。 The credit for the liberation of Bangladesh is taken by the Army （Mankeshaw and Rodrigues both claim glory） and BSF， now R&AW to claims credit for this feat。 。。。more
Supratim
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“A king shall have his agents in the courts of the enemy， the ally， the middle and the neutral kings to spy on the kings as well as eighteen types of high officials” – Kautilya’s Arthashastra， ancient Indian text on statecraftIn God we trust， the rest we monitor…The Unending Game has been penned by Vikram Sood， former chief of India’s external intelligence agency， the Research and Analysis Wing （RAW）。 In the author’s words， “It is not a personal memoir， nor is it about the organization for whi “A king shall have his agents in the courts of the enemy， the ally， the middle and the neutral kings to spy on the kings as well as eighteen types of high officials” – Kautilya’s Arthashastra， ancient Indian text on statecraftIn God we trust， the rest we monitor…The Unending Game has been penned by Vikram Sood， former chief of India’s external intelligence agency， the Research and Analysis Wing （RAW）。 In the author’s words， “It is not a personal memoir， nor is it about the organization for which I worked。 Instead， it seeks to familiarize those who are interested in the intricacies of espionage and intelligence collection and， hopefully， to help prepare our systems for the turbulence that lies ahead。” The book is well researched and well written， and concentrates on twentieth century espionage starting from the Cold War era to the current global jihad。 The reader would gain an overview on the art and science of espionage。 There are many interesting stories and facts about espionage carried out by nations; the secret societies formed by the powerful with intentions of influencing world affairs to serve their vested interests （Bilderberg， Pinay Circle etc。）; the Deep State; the triangle between terrorists， criminals and spies。 The author has also cautioned about the profligate consumption of wastage resources and the dire consequences， and the potential ill effects of AI and smart weapons。 I am not delving into the details here。The author has shed some light on RAW as well。 It would have been better if he had elaborated a bit more on the organization。I enjoyed reading the book， and particularly liked the many references to popular culture – novels， movies， perceptions。 By the way， the author seems to be an admirer of John Le Carre novles。 I added quite a few books and movies to my TBR and watch list respectively。 The author has also quoted statesmen， spymasters and authors multiple times， which added to the reading experience。 As an incorrigible mystery and thriller lover， I have read many novels around spies – from the outlandish adventures of James Bond to the world of moral ambiguity inhabited by John Le Carre’s characters。 But， this is one of the very few non-fiction books I have read on spycraft。 Thus， I don’t have a clear benchmark on which to evaluate this book。 My rating is based on the satisfaction I had from reading this book。 There are certainly more insightful books on espionage out there。 As a starting point， this book is pretty good。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Unending Game
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Unending Game&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Unending Game&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0