Dark Star

Dark Star is the second book in the Night Soldiers series by author Alan Furst. A Polish journalist named Andre Szara became a spy for the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, ordered to complete a spy mission in Paris. Through Szara’s character, the beginning of World War II is revealed. This is a suspenseful and engaging story.

Here are the top 3 reviews and comments that readers love about this fascinating book.

Review 1: Dark Star audiobook by Jeff Parent

Bright Star

I really enjoyed this book. It?s a story of espionage set in pre -WII Europe. Although its a work of fiction, the story is filled with accurate and detailed historical facts. In this sense, it reminded me of a good James Michner novel.

If I could have, I would have given the story a 4.5 star rating. There are a lot of details in it and it is NOT a book you can casually listen to. What makes it more challenging is the abundance of Polish, German, and Russian names and places? I had to listen to parts of the book a couple times to make sure I of my facts.

At times, the book may seem to lack direction, but things are tied together nicely near the end. The narrator is excellent and I?ll look for more by both the author and the narrator.

Review 2: Dark Star audiobook by Paul

Dasvydanya, Tovarich

Furst spins a great yarn about a Jewish Soviet journalist who, in the years before WWII, becomes a spy for the Russians in Germany and France. The threat from his own spymasters in Moscow worries him almost as much as threat from the Nazis. He makes love to several women during his travels through Europe, but not in the half-comical James Bond/Don Juan way. He really falls in love with them. They break through the walls and rescue him from the enforced loneliness of espionage. And when he loses them, his grief is heavy and palpable.

Two things more: It helps to review a little bit of history before digging into this one, esp. the history leading up to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. Much of what goes on will be clearer. Also, George Guidall narrates this one, and he does a superlative job (once again).

Review 3: Dark Star audiobook by William R. Creech

Atmospheric espionage novel

I am mystified by some of the comments made by other reviewers. This is not a pleasant listen but a rather terrifying tale of survival in the midst of two brutal totalitarian regimes.

It is set in the late 1930s in Europe. Stalin has the Soviet Union in his iron grip. Millions, mostly Jewish intelligentsia, have been purged. Hitler has risen to power in Germany and is ratcheting up his plan to eliminate Jews from Germany. The protagonist, Andre Szara, is a Polish born Jew and a noted foreign correspondent for Pravda. Many of his friends and associates have been purged and he knows his days are probably limited. Now the NKVD have asked him to spy for the Soviet Union and he can hardly say no. Soon he is running spies in Germany. There’s a lot more going on as this is just the beginning.

I found the book to be very intelligently written and atmospheric. I am not an espionage expert, but everything seemed very realistic. The reader was fine. I recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic historical novels about espionage.

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