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Tahir Shah
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Eye Spy Paperback – April 26, 2014

by Tahir Shah (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 97 ratings
Amadeus Kaine is the most famous eye surgeon alive. And he's got a secret
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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    lulu.com
  4. Publication date
    April 26, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    5.83 x 0.51 x 8.26 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1291598170
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1291598179
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ lulu.com; Second Edition (April 26, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1291598170
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1291598179
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.83 x 0.51 x 8.26 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

About the author

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Tahir Shah

Tahir Shah

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Tahir Shah was born in London, and raised primarily at the family’s home, Langton House, in the English countryside – where founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell, was also brought up.

Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.

Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.

After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, BEYOND THE DEVIL'S TEETH. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.

In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, THE CALIPH'S HOUSE.

In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.

www.tahirshah.com

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
97 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book deeply insightful and full of surprises, with a lighthearted writing style that reads like watching a spy/adventure movie. The book is fun to read, with great characters and one customer noting its appreciation of exotic foods. The humor receives mixed reactions from customers.

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16 customers mention "Depth"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book captivating and compelling, describing it as a blazing thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

"...That Shah does this so quietly, so believably--that Kaine's obsessive nature so perfectly mirrors our own leaves us speechless in the end...." Read more

"...seeing the mechanism of the mind, in its most unexpected, paradoxical aspects, leading to improvement in one's life in a much deeper and truer sense..." Read more

"...can be said of this masterwork of taboo-busting, heavy-punching, deeply insightful, psychologically on-the-nail, wacko, lunatic lunacy without..." Read more

"...Funny, a fast read, disturbing yet entertaining. You won't be sorry you got it." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing style"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as lighthearted and fast-paced, with one customer noting it reads like watching a spy/adventure movie.

"...That he does all this with style and grace and humor make it all the more remarkable." Read more

"...All this is done in a masterly pleasant manner...." Read more

"Tahir Shah, an author who is now proving to be a master of all writing genres, pens a masterpiece with Eye Spy...." Read more

"...The writing is fast paced and so descriptive it feels like you can feel your teeth squishing down on the juicy morsels Amadeus is obsessed with...." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and fun to read, with one mentioning its engaging manner.

"...All this is achieved in an engaging manner, keeping one's attention focused and therofore easily penetrating the defenses of our fearful, greedy and..." Read more

"...Funny, a fast read, disturbing yet entertaining. You won't be sorry you got it." Read more

"...A must read!! A blazing thriller that unlocks the mind too!" Read more

"...A departure from the author's previous genre this book is an absolute delight to read. I highly recommend it." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth buying.

"It's an unusual book, worthy of Tahir or his father, Idries Shah...." Read more

"...read it once so far, but like all of Tahir's books it is definitely worth buying...." Read more

"...The writing style was lighthearted and somewhat gory but it was excellent. The plot was great with plenty of twists and turns...." Read more

"Great." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning the great characters and another noting the succinct character portraits.

"...He does so in the memorable character of Amadeus Kaine, a man whose genius itself leds him down a dark and irresistable path reminescent of Conrad..." Read more

"...This is a story replete with dark humor and succinct character portraits which typify so well the kind of society we have become...." Read more

"...The characters were great, although most were not very lovable. The writing style was lighthearted and somewhat gory but it was excellent...." Read more

3 customers mention "Taste"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's taste, with one review highlighting its refined sense of taste and appreciation of exotic foods.

"...He has an appreciation of exotic foods and on a trip to an obscure, Central Asian dictatorship discovers a delicacy like no other - human eyes!..." Read more

"Amadeus Kane is a protagonist with a refined sense of taste. A quaint tale, both old-fashioned and modern at the same time...." Read more

"tasty treat..." Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"4 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the humor in the book, with some finding it funny while others describe it as dark and macabre.

"...That he does all this with style and grace and humor make it all the more remarkable." Read more

"...Funny, a fast read, disturbing yet entertaining. You won't be sorry you got it." Read more

"...This is a story replete with dark humor and succinct character portraits which typify so well the kind of society we have become...." Read more

"Entertaining, if a bit ghoulish. I like the books based on his travels and experiences, but still, I enjoyed it." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Bill Frazier
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Frightening Tale of Vision and Obsession
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Throughout his rich and varied career as a writer Tahir Shah has brought us interesting tales of humanities foibles and obsesions. From India to Peru; from death row for women to a Jinn exorcism in Morocco, Shah has always been able to elucidate the dark side of human nature; but never so clearly and frightfully as in Eye Spy.

    This thriller/detective novel/horror story reminded me in some ways of the best of Dan Simmons. It also has the feel of a classic, like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde.

    Pointing out, cogently and in great story form the weaknesses of our brilliant and destructive species can be a thankless job. Shah makes the bitter pill of our obsessive dual nature easier to swallow by nailing this culture's particular addictive tendencies. He does so in the memorable character of Amadeus Kaine, a man whose genius itself leds him down a dark and irresistable path reminescent of Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

    That Shah does this so quietly, so believably--that Kaine's obsessive nature so perfectly mirrors our own leaves us speechless in the end. We watch a man fall, not because he is foolish or stupid, but rather the opposite. Kaine's cohorts are the wealthy and famous; the powerful in our society.

    In Eye Spy we see our flawed human intelligence, when left to its own devices, fold back in on itself. We begin to understand how we become self-destructive and develope tendencies that make us blind. Tahir Shah weaves a frightening tale of vision and obsession; sprinkled with a dose of the kind of cleverness that often passes for intelligence today. That he does all this with style and grace and humor make it all the more remarkable.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Steve Diput
    5.0 out of 5 stars so proliferating and adding garbage to our already naturally not well-developed consciousness
    Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    It's an unusual book, worthy of Tahir or his father, Idries Shah.

    Not only it contains valuable obvious messages and information, but can be interpreted at a deeper level, as especially was his Father's specialty to provide.

    It allows seeing the mechanism of the mind, in its most unexpected, paradoxical aspects, leading to improvement in one's life in a much deeper and truer sense than all these nonsensical self-help books, so proliferating and adding garbage to our already naturally not well-developed consciousness.

    All this is achieved in an engaging manner, keeping one's attention focused and therofore easily penetrating the defenses of our fearful, greedy and self-important ordinary self.

    Each reader will learn as much as he is ready for, plus a little more, thus pushing us forward.
    All this is done in a masterly pleasant manner.

    Even the rather narrow-minded and rigid thinkers will both like this book and will benefit from it, for years, as its values will gradually unfold, in a way commensurate with accumulating new life experiences and thinking about their meaning.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • RKG Reviews
    3.0 out of 5 stars Tasty eyeballs
    Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2013
    Dr. Kaine is world renowned eye surgeon who surprisingly works alone with just one receptionist. He does it all - surgery, crafting of glass eyeballs by hand etc.

    On one of his international trips to attend to yet another dictator (Dr. Kaine does seem to have an affinity for them), he feeds on human eyeballs and becomes addicted to them as they open up more brain cells or something to that effect.

    At the same time there is an eye epidemic of some sort raging through - specifically America - because of some reason attached to mass produced food.

    The writing is great! I wanted to taste some eyeballs too! But the plot is flimsy and unbelievable. There is only so much disbelief that a reader can suspend. Sooner or later, one needs some anchoring in reality - this book doesn't offer that.

    Still - a good read. I read it through and enjoyed most parts.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Querulous Enquirer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Oh. My. GAWD.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a book that once read, you can never unread. But hey, that could be a good thing, right? You might treasure the memory of having all your personal boundaries assaulted in one sitting (you won't be able to fold down a corner even at 3 am), savour the taste of your complete submission to a totally demented worldview. What can be said of this masterwork of taboo-busting, heavy-punching, deeply insightful, psychologically on-the-nail, wacko, lunatic lunacy without spoiling the unequalled suspense and surprise and then the horrible journey to the inevitable? You'll want to laugh but you may be gagging at the same time, so people on the train will look at you funny. You won't be able ever again to read simple prose statements such as, "She lifted her eyes to his face," without wondering--What? They're on a plate?

    Don't say I didn't warn you.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Michal Cichon
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Obsessive Quest For More.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Amadeus Kaine is a high flying leader in the field of ophthalmology. Indeed, he is probably the greatest eye surgeon alive. But he's got a secret: he can't stop devouring human eyeballs. Following a trip to Vladimir Drusnev's pleasure dome, Kaine finds himself hooked on the "delicacy." Serve 'em up on a spoon, raw, seasoned, with or without wine. But green eyes, and especially green eyes, are his favorite. He craves them so strongly that he goes on a killing rampage to acquire more, and more, and more, sucking eyeballs out of innocent people's eye sockets with a Kaine Excisor.
    Yet, there is a more hopeful side to Amadeus Kaine's personality. The world is experiencing an outbreak of oculosis, a degenerative eye disease that makes its sufferers go blind. Kaine happens to be the one man alive up to the task of saving humanity's sight. Does he find a cure in time to quarantine the destructive disease? Buy Eye Spy and find out!
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Rosa D. V.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Un oftalmólogo, un virus y un manjar
    Reviewed in Spain on October 16, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Aunque en principio me pareció sorprendente e interesante la historia así como los temas que toca, a medida que avanzaba en la lectura fui perdiendo interés. Quizás pesó mucho el magnífico recuerdo que guardo de otra obra del autor, "El aprendiz de brujo", que está a años luz de esta novela, que siendo una novela correcta, no tiene ni la magia ni la frescura de "El aprendiz…".
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  • Mr. A. Milne
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ghoulishly great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Reading as a cross between Limitless and Silence of the Lambs, Eye Spy is a fast-paced thriller with a touch of horror based around the wonderfully horrible idea of an eye surgeon who becomes addicted to eating human eyeballs, but obtains super-human intelligence as a result of his grim addiction. The story races along nicely, escalating both Dr Kaine's addiction and the importance of the role he plays in human society as a disease of the eyes becomes a worldwide epidemic and he is the only that can cure it...but only due to the stimulation of eating human eyes!
    The drama and moral dilemmas come thick and fast as Dr Kaine balances the gains of curing people of this disease with the cost of obtaining more eyes, all while the FBI hunt him down.
    For me, the character details are what really elevate this from an excellent concept to one of the best books I've read in a long time, from his OCD to his participation in an 'obscure dining club' to the classical music and fine wines that Dr Kaine chooses to accompany his eye feasts, it is the compelling madman at the heart of the story that draws you in. Don't be surprised if your eyes are burning when you emerge...(from looking at the kindle for so long!)
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  • Ziggy Nixon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un conte d'horreur et de folie magnifiquement écrit !
    Reviewed in France on October 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    C'est un regard incroyablement macabre mais extrêmement bien écrit sur la façon dont le plus grand ophtalmologue du monde tombe dans la folie, souffrant d'une dépendance toujours croissante à la consommation d'yeux humains ! L'auteur détaille cependant ce voyage avec une habileté incroyable et je n'ai pas pu lâcher le livre ! Facilement l'un de mes livres préférés de cette année !
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  • Maurizio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!
    Reviewed in Italy on May 3, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The story is really intriguing and I read it in one breath during a day: it is a book you simply cannot put down until you finish! It is not for the faint of heart, especially for the ones with green eyes, like me...
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  • G. THOMSON
    5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy
    Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Creepy and gross! But I couldn't look away or put it down--storyline was ingenious.
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