Paris, Moscow, Berlin, and Prague, 1937. In the back alleys of nighttime Europe, war is already under way. André Szara, survivor of the Polish pogroms and the Russian civil wars and a foreign correspondent for Pravda, is co-opted by the NKVD, the Soviet secret intelligence service, and becomes a full-time spymaster in Paris. As deputy director of a Paris network, Szara finds his own star rising … rising when he recruits an agent in Berlin who can supply crucial information. Dark Star captures not only the intrigue and danger of clandestine life but the day-to-day reality of what Soviet operatives call special work.
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As I’ve said in other reviews, Alan Furst is my writing hero, so it pains me to give Dark Star less than four stars. But I do; perhaps not because of any faults but rather my inability to connect with it.
This is the second in his Night Soldiers series and one of Furst’s earlier works. It shares many of the qualities that have established Furst as the John LeCarre of interwar Mitteleuropa espionage: the economically drawn settings, the sharply observed dialog, the ring of authenticity in the details of everyday 1930s life, the intricate plots and intriguing characters.
So why am I not in love? To start with, the star of this show, Andre Szara (a Russified Polish Jew who writes for Pravda), doesn’t start directing his own fate until two-thirds of the book has passed; he’s the most passive of the Furst protagonists I’ve met so far. His diffidence makes it hard to tell whether some of the plot points bode well or ill for him, since he evinces no clear idea of where he wants to go or what he wants to do. It’s one thing to fall into the espionage game — that’s a standard Furstian trope — but quite another to fall into most of the major events that make up these five years of Szara’s life.
The structure of this book is more like five short stories connected through the central character than a single novel with an overarching narrative thread. When Szara finally takes charge of his life in the fourth episode, the break with what has come before is emphasized by this structure and calls attention to itself. Major characters from previous episodes disappear without having been killed, and Szara spends little time thinking of them once they’re gone, another continuity challenge aggravated by this structure. I found it off-putting; your mileage may vary.
If you’re already ensnared in Furst’s world, by all means go ahead and read Dark Star. If you’re new to the series, start with some of the more accessible installments such as The World at Night or The Polish Officer. Night Soldiers is a series in theme rather than narrative, so you don’t need to start at the beginning in order to appreciate it.
Furst at his best. No one does a better job of capturing the mood of pre & early-WWII Europe. His formula is pretty straight-forward: an “everyman” is recruited for or simply falls into a plot to strike a blow against the Axis powers. The mission is, generally speaking, a small affair; one that contributes to effort but is not of a magnitude to make national or international headlines. As such, his novels are not long but the intrigue, the characters, and the ambiance Furst creates will draw you in and keep you turning pages.
I read every one of these books in order, and couldn’t put them down—I was transported to wwII
Another WWII mystery by Alan Furst. Another well crafted, good read.
Gritty and dark spy story reminiscent of LeCarre, from the Soviet/Russian point of view. Well worth the read.
Great read.
Absorbing, meticulously researched, compulsively readable. The origins of the Russian secret services in the 1930s.
Excellent primer on Europe ww11 era
I LOVE Alan Furst books! I’ve given 5 stars to all his other books, but just couldn’t get more than half way through this one. So confusing, too many characters. Read a different Alan Furst book, and hopefully you’ll become as addicted to this wonderful author as I am.
I was enthralled with this book. There is a great deal of history, real true history, of events in Europe during the 1930’s, preceding WWII. The main fictional character is a Russian Jewish journalist who gradually became a spy. You don’t want the book to end and when it does you will look for another book in the series which includes that character, so far to no avail for me at least. If you like WWII history, you will love this book.
I liked it a lot
Alan Furst is a terrific writer. He is very knowledgeable about WWII era and spycraft throughout Europe.
I have enjoyed all of Furst’s historical espionage novels that I have read, some more than others, and Dark Star is one of the better ones.
First is a first-rate story-teller who takes you back in time with richly woven people,places and plots.