Blood of Victory
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Product Description
Product Description
November, 1940. I.A. Serebin, a writer from Odessa and former decorated Hero of the Soviet Union, is on his way to Istanbul following a cryptic letter from a former lover. Ostensibly there on official business for the International Russian Union, an emigre organisation based in Paris, he is drawn into a clandestine world of international spies and political players. With war in Europe drawing nearer, Serebin is recruited by the British secret services - his mission to stop the export of Romanian oil to Germany. In a race against time, Serebin's journey will take him from the glittering salons of Paris to the back alleys of Bucharest and the Black Sea ports, in a covert operation to staunch the flow of oil, the precious 'blood of victory'.
About the Author
Alan Furst has lived for long periods in France, especially in Paris, and has travelled as a journalist in Eastern Europe and Russia. He has written extensively for ESQUIRE and the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE.
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First Sentence
On 24 November, 1940, the first light of dawn found the Bulgarian ore freighter Svistov pounding through the Black Sea swells, a long night's journey from Odessa and bound for Istanbul. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
On 24 November, 1940, the first light of dawn found the Bulgarian ore freighter Svistov pounding through the Black Sea swells, a long night's journey from Odessa and bound for Istanbul. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not a particular fan of spy stories, and I picked this book up without any great expectations. However I was pleasantly surprised. This is not genre writing as such, rather good literature. It is well written, has strong, well drawn characters, and has the knack of creating totally believable and engrossing scenes. The setting is interesting, and I was very impressed with the historical detail, and the knowledgeable interpretation of complex events. Perhaps best of all, however, was the way the book captured the alienation of individuals exiled from their own countries, drawn into a web of espionage in order to resist the Nazis. No simple judgements here, just a fine slice of realistic writing. I shall be reading anything by Alan Furst I can lay my hands on, and recommending him to anyone who will listen!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the fifth of Furst's seven WWII espionage novels I've read, and not one of his best. To be sure, it has all the trademarks of his work: good writing, dedication to period detail, oppressive and dreary atmosphere, exotic locales (Paris, Istanbul, Odessa, Belgrade, etc.), a middle-aged loner protagonist caught up in the espionage intrigues of the time, love interest, a blurry web of operatives. But that's the problem—if you've read a few of his books, you've basically read this one. The characters (especially the heroes) in his books are all starting to run together rather distressingly, and he's over-reliant on atmosphere to carry the minimally plotted stories. What's worse is that the pace of this one is absolutely glacial, there's barely any thrill in the thriller!
The gist here is that in 1940 the Allies are desperate to interdict German access to the vital Romanian oil fields. Having tried to sabotage them once before, they're faced with a tough problem. Paris-based Russian émigré writer I.A. Serebin is drawn into a plot to resurrect an old spy network in an attempt to strike a blow. However, Serebin's recruitment into this venture is never really convincing, and the weaving of the plot is so oblique that it's hard to get drawn in. It's as if Furst is so faithful to building the shadow world that his characters live in that he's forgotten about the reader. Which is not to say this is an awful book or anything, just that he's written better and might benefit from straying a little further from the European theater he's set seven books in.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is (was) my first Furst (no pun intended) and it's surprising to see that a reviewer in the Sunday Times suggests 'the sophistication of Robert Harris or Sebastian Faulks'; this is shown on the front cover of the edition I was reading. Sorry, this novel comes nowhere near Harris or Faulks. The sentences are almost staccato. Fine, if it's intended to be avant garde, post-modern prose! For me, it really was disappointing and I gave up at page 83. Incidentally, having read Montefiore's Stalin - At the court of the Red Tsar recently, that was useful because some of the historic characters appear. However, there are just too many characters in Blood of Victory for me to keep track on - there are more in Montefiore's biography but, for some reason, it was not a problem then.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Reasonable holiday read
I must admit I was disappointed by this book. From the glowing reviews, I thought I would be utterly gripped but I wasn't. I found it plodding, disjointed and superficial. Read more
Published on 21 July 2004
Strong, atmospheric thriller
I enjoyed this title, although I did not think it was quite as strong as the Szara titles Night Soldiers and Dark Star, but it is still very good. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2003 by Booksthatmatter
Alan Furst pulls off another caper
Trademark atmospherics, a loner hero with lovers in exotic towns, a carefully rendered historical setting (European Theatre 1939-41) -- all these tell us we are in the midst of... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2003 by johnnybird
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