The Day of the Jackal vs The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Literature and fiction, Fiction
The Day of the Jackal
In a class by itself. Unputdownable' Sunday TimesOne of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who in, the spring of 1963, was hired by…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
“The American handed Leamas another cup of coffee and said, "Why don't you go back and sleep?”
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1963 Cold War spy novel by the British author John le Carré. It depicts Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 6 for The Day of the Jackal.
- The Day of the Jackal has the widest readership — 149030 ratings behind its score.
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold runs the darker storyline; The Day of the Jackal stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
≈ 4h vs 6h for The Day of the Jackal
In the mood for something dark?
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
a darker storyline than The Day of the Jackal
Want something lighter?
The Day of the Jackal
an easier tone than The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Scores by source
| The Day of the Jackal | The Spy Who Came in from the Cold | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (149030) | 4.1 (133661) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (204) | 4.0 (2) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (384) | 4.5 (1438) |
Reception
| The Day of the Jackal | The Spy Who Came in from the Cold | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 149030 | 133661 |
| Editions | 69 | 144 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 295 | 87762 |
| Reading it now | 6 | 6680 |
| Written reviews | 16 | 8825 |
| Wikipedia attention | 21957 | 18461 |
| Pages | 377 | 240 |