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Title: Dark Star : A Novel by Alan Furst ISBN: 0-375-75999-9 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 09 July, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (31 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Brilliantly set and paced novel of Europe just before WWII
Comment: I had read "The Polish Officer" first and wanted more of Alan Furst's evocative pre WWII novels of espionage. "Dark Star" surpasses the later novel, it simply hits on all cylinders. Historically accurate, with a twisting plot, vivid characters, and settings that make the reader feel the darkness and gloom enveloping Europe on the eve of WWII. This novel goes beyond the genre of espionage and paints a differently humane approach to the times. The main character, Andre Szara, while heroic, is "everyman" in that he fears, struggles and fails and succeeds and gets lucky at times. Truly the opposite of the Tom Clancy, James bondish type spy, Alan Furst offers us a hero who we can understand without suspending our disbelief. "Dark Star" is a wonderful piece of work by an author who amazes with his breadth of knowledge on Central Europe in the 30's
Rating: 3
Summary: Not "furst" on my list
Comment: As someone who frequently checks out reviews of books on this service for a long time before purchasing, it was with great anticipation that I began reading Alan Furst's Dark Star. I had read a few other of this author's titles and wasn't "wowed", but it seemed clear from the opinions here that this novel stood well above most of the others.
However, as a "thriller" it is relatively thrill-free (even when compared, as it often is, to the novels of LeCarre). There were only a few (short)instances when I was quickly moving along in the story, eager to find out what happens next. It was much more likely that I was eagerly turning pages to be done with a drawn-out section which "bogged-down" the progression of, in retrospect, a pretty clever story.
As mentioned in numerous reviews here, characterization and mood/atmosphere are terrific. Does Furst give a genuine feel to his recreation of Pre-war Europe? Absolutely. As a history primer, is it informative? To be sure. But is it a compelling story? Well, that's a more difficult question.
Unfortunately, for every scene of "authentic spy-craft" or short glimpses of "the big picture", there is a much LONGER description of the ruts in a Polish cart trail or the way your back feels after sleeping on a hay matress. I was left at the end of the book thinking, "This was a great story, and in someone else's hands, it could have been a great book, too" Hey, I even liked all the background on the inner workings of the Communist party and NKVD, but I really expected more tension and excitement (not explosions, gore and mayhem - but more intrigue and danger) and could have done without some of the tangential side-trips.
Maybe if I hadn't heard so much build-up, I'd have thought more highly of this book (though certainly NEVER would have thought it worthy of 5!!), but I expected more, a lot more.
Rating: 4
Summary: An Adventure of Thoroughly Layered Historical Fiction
Comment: Dark Star follows the travels of Soviet Journalist cum Intelligence Agent Andre Szara through the nooks and crannies of Europe in the four years (1937-40) immediately preceding the Nazi Invasion of France. Along the way we are introduced to a number of characters including Societ Generals, Polish Aristocratic Officers, French Communist Lawyers, a Character that could only be crafted in the image of the Baron De Rothschild, as well as a bevy of beautiful women perfectly willing to go to bed with Szara at the end of most evenings. The trip is a joy - even when the story gets a bit wooden, the main event is always the intricate details of the culture and society of prewar Europe. History buffs will devour this book whole, but those looking simply for a taut spy novel might consider looking elsewhere. Even at it's clunkiest moments this book still delivers breathtaking recreations of unexplored history.
The novel's strong points. Furst knows as much about pre-war Europe, from the cultures and interactions of the ethnic groups, to the functioning of the pre-war Soviet intelligence agencies, to the street names and cafes of Paris, as any top flight academic and he uses this knowledge to layer his story with detail. When this book allows itself to linger in delicious historiography, the reader can virtually hear the coffee saucers clanking in the Parisian cafés, smell the perfume of the be-dolled beauty at the intellectual soiree, or feel the chill on your ankles at the Mid-Winter Soviet Banquet. What academic treatments of history lack is the society and culture, and it is the details of this world that Furst delivers.
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Title: Night Soldiers : A Novel by Alan Furst ISBN: 0375760008 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 09 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Polish Officer : A Novel by Alan Furst ISBN: 0375758275 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 09 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The World at Night : A Novel by Alan Furst ISBN: 0375758585 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 08 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Red Gold : A Novel by Alan Furst ISBN: 0375758593 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 08 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Blood of Victory : A Novel by Alan Furst ISBN: 0812968727 Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: 13 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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