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December 16, 2008 12:53 PM Subscribe
What are some books (or maybe teevee shows) featuring lots of Machiavellian intrigue and violence?
Please forgive my persnickety qualifications of the above.
I love stories of complicated power plays, double-crosses and assassinations, and I'm looking for more. What are your favorite books and teevee shows in which the characters seem to have memorized The 48 Laws of Power?
Examples of what I'm talking about include Dune; The Shield; I, Claudius; Al Swearengen on Deadwood, Damages.
Movies rarely have enough time to get as complicated as what I'm looking for, so I'm mostly looking for books and teevee shows. Genre doesn't matter, but I'm looking for life-and-death struggles, so no "guy struggles to the top of his ad firm" stuff (unless its done with murder and lies a la Damages).
Please forgive my persnickety qualifications of the above.
I love stories of complicated power plays, double-crosses and assassinations, and I'm looking for more. What are your favorite books and teevee shows in which the characters seem to have memorized The 48 Laws of Power?
Examples of what I'm talking about include Dune; The Shield; I, Claudius; Al Swearengen on Deadwood, Damages.
Movies rarely have enough time to get as complicated as what I'm looking for, so I'm mostly looking for books and teevee shows. Genre doesn't matter, but I'm looking for life-and-death struggles, so no "guy struggles to the top of his ad firm" stuff (unless its done with murder and lies a la Damages).
Best answer: You might enjoy George R. R. Martin's series: A Tale of Ice and Fire. The first book is title "A Game of Thrones".
posted by snachodog at 1:07 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by snachodog at 1:07 PM on December 16, 2008
The Worm Ouroborous by E.R. Eddison has a lot of this sort of thing. One character in particular changes his allegiances a ridiculous number of times.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:10 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:10 PM on December 16, 2008
Death Note is a manga and anime series that seems to fit your description.
It's about a high school student who finds a notebook which can be used to kill people whose names are written in it. It quickly turns into a cat and mouse game between the killer and the police, where the police continually try to learn more about the killer and his methods, and the killer attempts to evade the police and kill anyone who tries to get in his way.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:13 PM on December 16, 2008
It's about a high school student who finds a notebook which can be used to kill people whose names are written in it. It quickly turns into a cat and mouse game between the killer and the police, where the police continually try to learn more about the killer and his methods, and the killer attempts to evade the police and kill anyone who tries to get in his way.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:13 PM on December 16, 2008
Neil LaBute's In The Company Of Men has complicated power plays and double-crosses. No life/death, but some ruthless actions, I think.
posted by inigo2 at 1:18 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by inigo2 at 1:18 PM on December 16, 2008
The House of Cards BBC miniseries, or the books it was based on.
posted by orthogonality at 1:23 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by orthogonality at 1:23 PM on December 16, 2008
The Gap Series by Stephen Donaldson ticks all your boxes and then some, with physical, mental, emotional, familial, political and xenocidal manipulation in which weak and strong, victim and villian by turns have their roles turned upside down.
And all in a fantastically written space opera loosely based on the framework of the Ring Cycle.
posted by protorp at 1:24 PM on December 16, 2008
And all in a fantastically written space opera loosely based on the framework of the Ring Cycle.
posted by protorp at 1:24 PM on December 16, 2008
Oh, of course any Le Carre novel, and any of Len Deighton's spy novels.
posted by orthogonality at 1:24 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by orthogonality at 1:24 PM on December 16, 2008
The miniseries House of Cards and its two sequels feature a quintessential Machiavelle, Francis Urquhart, set loose in British politics.
posted by Paragon at 1:25 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by Paragon at 1:25 PM on December 16, 2008
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. I've seen House of Cards and it's exactly what I'm looking for.
posted by Bookhouse at 1:26 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by Bookhouse at 1:26 PM on December 16, 2008
Steph Swainston's Emperor San is quite the string puller in her Year of Our War/No Present Like Time/The Modern World.
posted by rodgerd at 1:27 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by rodgerd at 1:27 PM on December 16, 2008
I, Claudius. BBC series or the book. Machiavellian? Idunno. But lots of intrigue and political backstabbing and intricate plotting.
posted by ian1977 at 1:33 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by ian1977 at 1:33 PM on December 16, 2008
Well the biggie is, course;
Richard III - Shakespeare. Machiavelli's dreams of what made a truly ruthless Prince pale next to Richard III.
"Thus I clothe my naked villainy in old, odd ends stolen forth of holy writ, and seem a saint when most I play the devil."
posted by elendil71 at 1:35 PM on December 16, 2008
Richard III - Shakespeare. Machiavelli's dreams of what made a truly ruthless Prince pale next to Richard III.
"Thus I clothe my naked villainy in old, odd ends stolen forth of holy writ, and seem a saint when most I play the devil."
posted by elendil71 at 1:35 PM on December 16, 2008
Profit only ran for a few episodes, but was deliciously evil.
posted by rmd1023 at 1:38 PM on December 16, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 1:38 PM on December 16, 2008 [1 favorite]
Sons of Anarchy is so much better than I thought it would be. Seems loosely based on Hamlet. Like ian1977, I'm not sure about the Machiavellian tendencies, but there are lots of power plays, manipulation, back-stabbing, secrets, violence, shocking moments, etc. The cast (Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, etc.) are just great.
posted by faunafrailty at 1:53 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by faunafrailty at 1:53 PM on December 16, 2008
You might also enjoy HBO's Rome miniseries. Lots of scheming there, too.
posted by jquinby at 1:55 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by jquinby at 1:55 PM on December 16, 2008
Oh, and while perhaps not exactly what you are looking for, the (sadly) short-lived series American Gothic had a "protagonist" (played by Gary Cole) who supernaturally manipulates an entire town. Quite good. You can get the entire series on dvd.
posted by elendil71 at 1:57 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by elendil71 at 1:57 PM on December 16, 2008
The House of Saddam is pretty hardcore machiavellian. Shooting your best friend in the face? Damn Saddam, you scary.
posted by mullingitover at 2:10 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by mullingitover at 2:10 PM on December 16, 2008
The Quincunx, by Charles Palliser. He has every plot twist ever used by Dickens and then some in a brilliant mystery set in late Regency England.
posted by ancientgower at 2:14 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by ancientgower at 2:14 PM on December 16, 2008
A Shock To The System is a rather good 1990 Michael Caine movie in this vein.
posted by nicwolff at 2:19 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by nicwolff at 2:19 PM on December 16, 2008
Have you ever seen the movie "Sleuth"? (Definitely see the original; don't see the remake.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:24 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:24 PM on December 16, 2008
The Raymond Feist/Janny Wurts Empire Trilogy is reminiscent of Dune. Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine Mosaic features the politics of a fictional analogue of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Q, by Luther Blissett is a political and religious intrigue in Reformation Europe.
Some of Robert Harris' stuff could be considered in this category. The Ghost and Archangel in more recent settings, and Imperium in the Roman setting.
posted by Jakey at 2:24 PM on December 16, 2008
Q, by Luther Blissett is a political and religious intrigue in Reformation Europe.
Some of Robert Harris' stuff could be considered in this category. The Ghost and Archangel in more recent settings, and Imperium in the Roman setting.
posted by Jakey at 2:24 PM on December 16, 2008
The early seasons of Alias had that (although obviously not of the quality of Le Carre and the other fine works already mentioned).
posted by JimN2TAW at 2:34 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by JimN2TAW at 2:34 PM on December 16, 2008
I can't believe no one has mentioned Babylon 5 yet.
posted by brennen at 3:26 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by brennen at 3:26 PM on December 16, 2008
Oh, this has all the elements, including a hacker extraordinaire. Couldn't put it down!
posted by thinkpiece at 4:26 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by thinkpiece at 4:26 PM on December 16, 2008
Lord of the Flies...one of my all-time favorite books.
posted by junipero at 5:03 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by junipero at 5:03 PM on December 16, 2008
I can't believe no one mentioned The Wire yet - the entire Avon/Stringer storyline from season 1 to 3.
posted by citron at 7:55 PM on December 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by citron at 7:55 PM on December 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
The Big Sleep is 100% classic noir, and of course the book it's based on of the same name - haven't read the book personally though :)
There is a Russian writer Boris Akunin who is hugely popular, I'm reading one of his mysteries now and it's a trip, you might like him.
Have to say again though, that I can't recommend The Wire enough, intrigue within the police department, the gangs, the union, the political world, the office, it has everything. I guess Roger Simon is all on about realism and social message, but the Avon/Stringer plotline especially is just Shakespearean, it's brilliant. George Pelecanos write some of the episodes and he's written a lot of thrillers set in the DC/Baltimore area.
posted by citron at 8:28 PM on December 16, 2008
There is a Russian writer Boris Akunin who is hugely popular, I'm reading one of his mysteries now and it's a trip, you might like him.
Have to say again though, that I can't recommend The Wire enough, intrigue within the police department, the gangs, the union, the political world, the office, it has everything. I guess Roger Simon is all on about realism and social message, but the Avon/Stringer plotline especially is just Shakespearean, it's brilliant. George Pelecanos write some of the episodes and he's written a lot of thrillers set in the DC/Baltimore area.
posted by citron at 8:28 PM on December 16, 2008
Dorothy Dunnett's House of Niccolo and Lymond Chronicles - both multi-volume series of historical fiction, filled with insanely tight plotting, intrigue, politics and backstabbing.
posted by korej at 8:30 PM on December 16, 2008
posted by korej at 8:30 PM on December 16, 2008
Ruthless Spooks:
Sandbaggers
Shameless Royals:
The Lion in Winter
posted by darth_tedious at 9:15 PM on December 16, 2008
Sandbaggers
Shameless Royals:
The Lion in Winter
posted by darth_tedious at 9:15 PM on December 16, 2008
Have you thought about that awesome old-school detective fiction? Even if you haven't, it's worth checking out Dashiell Hammett; I just finished The Thin Man, and it's precisely what you describe: violence, intrigue, questing for power, using psychological tricks and insights to get behind what people are saying and uncover what they're hiding, etc. Great stuff, a quick read, and it's only 200 pages, though it moves very fast and generally forces you to keep going back and trying to remember specific details that Nick Charles remembered but you didn't. I have a feeling his other books are even better.
Also, I know you've asked for longer works, but you'll find that the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges will satisfy your desire for intrigue - he likes the same sort of thing. Read a few stories in Ficciones and you'll see what I mean.
posted by koeselitz at 9:20 PM on December 16, 2008
Also, I know you've asked for longer works, but you'll find that the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges will satisfy your desire for intrigue - he likes the same sort of thing. Read a few stories in Ficciones and you'll see what I mean.
posted by koeselitz at 9:20 PM on December 16, 2008
Definitely, most definitely George R R Martin's Ice & Fire series. Great books. Tons of intrigue and violence, although not overdone. It's nominally fantasy, but there's so little overt magic it could almost qualify as historical fiction.
And, HBO is going to be dramatizing the whole thing!
(Now if GRRM would only get around to putting out the next book, which his fans are breathlessly waiting for!)
posted by zachawry at 9:47 PM on December 16, 2008
And, HBO is going to be dramatizing the whole thing!
(Now if GRRM would only get around to putting out the next book, which his fans are breathlessly waiting for!)
posted by zachawry at 9:47 PM on December 16, 2008
Movie: Millers Crossing.
Book: Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon and Red Harvest (which was an inspiration for Millers Crossing).
posted by kirkaracha at 6:41 AM on December 17, 2008
Book: Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon and Red Harvest (which was an inspiration for Millers Crossing).
posted by kirkaracha at 6:41 AM on December 17, 2008
The Baroque Cycle Trilogy by Neal Stephenson. At least the first two; haven't yet read the third. Historical political intrigue in a similar style as the Ken Follett books mentioned in the first comment, which I also recommend.
posted by Kwine at 7:23 AM on December 17, 2008
posted by Kwine at 7:23 AM on December 17, 2008
Seconding Death Note. The glass books of the dream eaters by G.W Dahlquist had more plotting, subterfuge and last minute escapes than any book i can remember.
posted by chelegonian at 2:57 PM on December 17, 2008
posted by chelegonian at 2:57 PM on December 17, 2008
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. My Netflix and library queues are now officially clogged.
posted by Bookhouse at 7:02 PM on December 17, 2008
posted by Bookhouse at 7:02 PM on December 17, 2008
Only one other person suggested Rome? Ridiculous. It's fantastic.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 4:23 AM on December 18, 2008
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 4:23 AM on December 18, 2008
Response by poster: Just a quick update for our ancestors who stumble onto this thread: I'm now halfway through the second book of the oft-suggested-above A Song of Ice and Fire, and it's excellent. Thanks again, everyone.
posted by Bookhouse at 8:49 AM on December 31, 2008
posted by Bookhouse at 8:49 AM on December 31, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jquinby at 12:59 PM on December 16, 2008