A Colder War vs The kingdom of the blind: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Espionage, Spy Fiction, Fiction
A Colder War
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Internationally acclaimed as “a premier writer of espionage thrillers” (USA Today), Charles Cumming is “among the most skillful spy novelists” (Washington Post) and “a worthy successor to the masters…like John le Carré…
The kingdom of the blind
“Lady Anselman stood in the centre of the lounge at the Ritz Hotel and with a delicately-poised forefinger counted her guests.”
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E. Phillips Oppenheim’s 1916 thriller follows the search for a German spy in Great Britain during World War I, and highlights wartime tensions among the British upper class.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The kingdom of the blind is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for A Colder War.
- A Colder War has the widest readership — 5785 ratings behind its score.
- A Colder War runs the darker storyline; The kingdom of the blind stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| A Colder War | The kingdom of the blind | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (5785) | 3.8 (56) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (5) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (163) | 4.0 (7) |
Reception
| A Colder War | The kingdom of the blind | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5785 | 56 |
| Editions | 9 | 188 |
| Want to read | 2959 | 72 |
| Reading it now | 730 | — |
| Written reviews | 476 | 11 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1128 | — |
| Pages | 400 | 220 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Colder War or The kingdom of the blind?
A Colder War has the higher combined reader rating across sources (A Colder War 4.0/5, The kingdom of the blind 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Colder War or The kingdom of the blind?
The kingdom of the blind is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The kingdom of the blind (220 pages, ≈ 4 h 04 m); A Colder War (400 pages, ≈ 7 h 24 m).
Which is harder to read: A Colder War or The kingdom of the blind?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Colder War: Moderate; The kingdom of the blind: Challenging.