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A review by jacki_f
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
4.0
Alan Furst has written fourteen books set in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. They form the "Night Soldiers" series and they are loosely inter-connected but all are also standalone novels in their own right. This is the first book in the series and it differs from the most recent books in both length and scope. It's a sprawling novel that starts in 1934 and doesn't end until 1945. It begins in Bulgaria but takes us all over Europe: Russia, Spain, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. While centered on one character, it encompasses a host of others, many of whom only have small walk on parts but a few of which will appear repeatedly over the years. It's a book that you immerse yourself in.
The main character is Khristo Stoianev, a Bulgarian who in 1934 is recruited by the Russians to train as a spy. This takes him to Moscow where he forms tight and enduring bonds with some of his classmates. Once training is complete, Khristo is sent to Spain to support the Republican efforts in the Civil War. Around him, he sees the effects of Stalin's purges as others are called back to Russia and not heard from again. Eventually he receives a warning that he will be next and opts to escape to France, where for a time he lives under the radar as a waiter at the Brasserie Heininger. However his entanglements with the Russians are not over.
One of the distinctive features of Furst's writing is the way that he introduces so many characters, gives them full back stories and then writes them out again. He's a bit like a drunk at the bar who can't stick to the narrative. I've read several reviews from people who find this irritating and if you do, then he's probably not the writer for you. Personally, I love this feature of his writing. He's not just presenting us with the story of an individual, he's giving us an entire continent in glorious panorama, richly populated with rounded and real characters. You don't get lost in a story, you get lost in a world. Yes, at times you're not sure what's happening but things always come back together. It's a masterpiece.
The main character is Khristo Stoianev, a Bulgarian who in 1934 is recruited by the Russians to train as a spy. This takes him to Moscow where he forms tight and enduring bonds with some of his classmates. Once training is complete, Khristo is sent to Spain to support the Republican efforts in the Civil War. Around him, he sees the effects of Stalin's purges as others are called back to Russia and not heard from again. Eventually he receives a warning that he will be next and opts to escape to France, where for a time he lives under the radar as a waiter at the Brasserie Heininger. However his entanglements with the Russians are not over.
One of the distinctive features of Furst's writing is the way that he introduces so many characters, gives them full back stories and then writes them out again. He's a bit like a drunk at the bar who can't stick to the narrative. I've read several reviews from people who find this irritating and if you do, then he's probably not the writer for you. Personally, I love this feature of his writing. He's not just presenting us with the story of an individual, he's giving us an entire continent in glorious panorama, richly populated with rounded and real characters. You don't get lost in a story, you get lost in a world. Yes, at times you're not sure what's happening but things always come back together. It's a masterpiece.