Review
* The Siege is a compelling tale of the savagery and uncertainty of war, and a brilliant historical novel by one of the world's greatest living writers Simon Sebag Montefiore * A rallying cry to people besieged by the forces of tyranny. -- Alice Fordham The Times 20080524 * One of the most important voices in literature today. -- Alan Chadwick Metro 20080522 * A tale steeped in blood, a snapshot of a centuries-long conflict, but at the same time Kadare's realism and lively sense of irony give it a modern twist. -- Adam Lively Sunday Times 20080518 * The urgent gestures towards something that's not quite said somehow make the story linger in the mind long after the regime in which The Siege was written went the way of the empire it dreams back to life. -- Christopher Taylor Guardian 20080531 * His fiction offers invaluable insights into life under tyranny - his historical allegories point both to the grand themes and small details that make up life in a restrictive environment. He is a great writer, by any nation's standards. -- Ben Naparstek Financial Times 20080511 * Powerfully atmospheric. -- Jane Jakeman TLS 20080530 * One of the great writers of our time. Scotsman * A master storyteller John Carey * Ismail Kadare is one of Europe's most consistently interesting and powerful contemporary novelists, a writer whose stark, memorable prose imprints itself on the reader's consciousness. Los Angeles Times * There are very few writers alive today with the depth, power and resonance of this remarkable novelist, regularly cited as a Nobel Prize contender ... On no account must this be missed. Herald * "Homeric" wouldn't be too exalted a term for this work. Writing with deceptive simplicity, Kadare builds up a world of flesh and blood characters almost without the reader noticing. ... Kadare was already a master of his craft nearly 40 years ago. -- Alistair Mabbot Herald 20090307 * Gravid, quasi-classical prose...invigorated by ironic observations. -- Alfred Hickling Guardian 20090307 * A story that is both stirring at a human level and steeped in historical symbolism ... A vast and varied cast is expertly marshalled by a writer who is increasingly enjoying a worldwide reputation. -- Sally Cousins Sunday Telegraph 20090301 * The Siege is more relevant and powerful than ever ... Kadare's early novel is stunning. The full panoply of the Ottoman's multi-ethnic empire is vividly rendered. -- Heather McRobie Daily Telgraph 20090328 * Mystery and suspense fuel a classic parable of power and its pitfalls. Independent 20090403
Telegraph
Battle scenes predominate, and are admirably vivid, the narrative swirling and bursting
