In a 1964 book review in
Kirkus Reviews called the book "a sound reading of the political, moral, ideological temper of the times; a substantial achievement even though one in which intellect has been asserted at the expense of imagination." In a 1964 review in
The New York Times, an anonymous reviewer praised Snow's previous work, but called the novel "the least successful in the series" and summarized; "Somehow the vitality, the narrative drive and the intellectual excitement of Sir Charles's other novels are lacking in this one." == Dramatic versions ==