@ark_press author of The Pickle Factory: A Tall Tale of the CIA (the story of a naive NOC)
Joined March 2026
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Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Big news. This opens our books and authors up to much larger audience. Really excited to be a part of this.
@BlazeTV
We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Blaze Media to carry our books in their web store.
The Blaze and Passage Publishing both believe in supporting independent voices. This partnership allows us to introduce more people to innovative thinkers, new fiction, and history that is too important to forget.
Read more about the partnership here:
theblaze.com/news/blaze-medi…
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
“The Pickle Factory is the CIA novel the Agency has always deserved and never wanted.”
—James C. Lawler
Some workplaces make you question your career choices. This one makes you question national security.
The Pickle Factory: A Tall Tale of the CIA by Sam R. Oyken.
Get The Pickle Factory!
ark.press/products/the-pickl…
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
The Pentagon is thinking expansively about conducting “economic warfare,” particularly against China. Now, it’s mulling a new or expanded deep-cover spying capability as part of that mission.
NEW from me and @wstrobel:
washingtonpost.com/national-…
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Excellent review of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 in the 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯. Money: "Those in the agency should view 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 as an urgent wake-up call. Everyone else should see it as a sharp and scabrous romp." We couldn't agree more.
@PaperbackRighta
@FreeBeacon
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
The Cipher Brief (@thecipherbrief) on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺:
“There are certainly parts of the novel that will strike home with former Agency officers.”
@paperbackrighta
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
The Cipher Brief (@thecipherbrief) on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺:
“[Oyken] hits the nail on the head: ‘Once in a while someone who wants to improve things gives upper management a try, but eventually the bureaucracy either co-opts or crushes them.’”
@paperbackrighta
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
In every spy there’s a novel trying to get out
thetimes.com/comment/columni…
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
The Center for Security Policy (which helped sponsor our 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 Washington launch event) posts J. Michael Waller's great Review of the book. Hardcovers still available direct from Ark.press!
centerforsecuritypolicy.org/…
ALT Center for Security Policy masthead and J. Michael Waller’s headline: “Laughter of recognition echoes from the realest spy novel in years.” Originally published by The Federalist. Complete cover of The Pickle Factory by Sam R. Oyken, with “Available at ark.press” beneath it.
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
The Cipher Brief (@thecipherbrief) on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺:
“[Oyken’s style] reminded this reviewer a bit of Kurt Vonnegut in several of his novels, most particularly 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦-𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦, and of Joseph Heller’s 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩-22.”
@paperbackrighta
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Excellent review of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 in the 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯. Money: "A collection of faux news articles about agency blunders and a joke regarding a cut scene from the Tom Hanks movie 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘺 should elicit snorts, snickers, or even out-loud laughter." We couldn't agree more.
@PaperbackRighta
@FreeBeacon
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Lt. Col. Donovan personally led the assaulting wave in an attack upon a very strongly organized position, and when our troops were suffering heavy casualties, he encouraged all near him by his example; moving
among his men in exposed positions, reorganizing decimated platoons, and accompanying them forward in attacks. When he was wounded in the leg by machine gun bullets, he refused to be evacuated and continued with his unit until it withdrew to a less exposed position.
Medal of Honor Citation for Lt. Col. William J. Donovan, USA
165th Infantry Regiment, 42nd Division
Near Landres-et-Saint-Georges, France
October 14-15, 1918
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 Pickle Factory is still churning out Pickle Factories direct from Ark!
ark.press/blogs/news/the-pic…
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
The Cipher Brief (@thecipherbrief) on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺:
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 is a brilliant and biting work of satire written by someone who has an insider’s eye for the decay that comes to organizations that have lost their mission focus.”
@paperbackrighta
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
@PaperbackRighta
Why can’t I get your book in hard or soft cover?
I’m listening on Audible, but all the lovely palindromes! I need to seem them in print!
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
We had our suspicions . . .
Get The Pickle Factory and find out!
Get it here: ark.press/products/the-pickl…
(YES, the hardcover is available for shipping NOW from Ark Press)
@schlickw
@probablyinvited
@PaperbackRighta
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Excellent review of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 in the 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯. Money: "Oyken also sources steady streams of lunacy in silly job titles . . . in agency mafias such as the Mormon Mafia and the Irish Catholic Mafia . . . and in the numerous 'Funny Names' which include Ebenezer Z. MYPLACEORYOURS, Jesus H. KRYSTE, and the redoubtable Helga Q. FLYSPECK, who has 'the eyes of a disgruntled black mamba.'" We couldn't agree more.
@PaperbackRighta
@FreeBeacon
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Excellent review of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 in the 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯. Money: "We also get a good dose of Pynchonesque intricacies and absurdities, Kafkaesque bureaucratic irrationality, and Rabelaisian rambunctiousness (the great French writer is even quoted at length). Much of the humor, however, is Oyken's own." We couldn't agree more.
@PaperbackRighta
@FreeBeacon
Sam R OYKEN retweeted
Yesterday I finished six weeks of teaching Homer’s Odyssey to some very bright freshmen using @DAMendelsohnNYC’s translation, and I have to say it was exhilarating. Basically all said they preferred Mendelsohn to Fagles, whose Iliad they read. I did not expect this, to be honest, but it came to make sense.
What struck me this time was the forthrightness of the Mendelsohn version: the remarkable inventiveness that shows off, not Mendelsohn’s own eloquence, but that of the original. If you read Greek you can feel Homer just under the surface of the English, and the students could trust that much of the clever detail they discovered in English was true to the Greek (pretty much every time we checked, it was). Excellent notes too.
Also fwiw I started out yesterday choking up over the reunion with Penelope, and ended up an emotional mess over the walk with Laertes through the orchard. What a great poem.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books…
