Winter Fire

by William R. Trotter

Nazi intelligence officer Erich Ziegler experiences a harrowing odyssey that takes him from the misery of Arctic combat to the security of Finland to the Russian front, where he plunges into a nightmare of violence. 20,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published February 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jeff Swystun · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, there I was in the Mont Tremblant public library's English section (it is quite good and the staff are excellent), when I happened across this nearly 30 year old novel. What a find. And it came with a strong sense of déjà vu. As I read how the Finnish army bested the Soviets, learning some cold weather hiking tips along the way, I looked up the author. William Trotter is a historian who wrote, A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40. Having read that in 1991, my sense of familiarity was accurate.

Winter Fire is Trotter’s first novel and it offers entertainment (and value). Not only do we get amazingly accurate battle action and history, we are treated to deep dives into classical music, conducting, and superstitions. And though that may not seem like a plausible mix, Trotter has knitted together a very human story. It follows a reluctant German officer fighting with the Finns (while spying for the Fatherland). Divided loyalties are a major theme running throughout.

I have often wondered why the northern European and Scandinavian countries are so rich in superstitions and folklore. As a Canadian, albeit one that has lived in that country's southern climes, it may be due to long and isolating winters. What else is there to do but imagine various creatures teasing and testing humans? No doubt, many of these came to people when recuperating from frostbite and hypothermia. The Finns have a rich array of forest beings to choose from, including Etiäinen, Haltija, Hiisi, Lempo, Menninkäinen, Piru, and Syöjätär.

But I digress. Suffice it to say, that this novel has a bit of something for everyone, including romance, so, it may appeal only to a very few.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classical music, war, and Finland all come together in this gripping novel. The prose becomes a bit purple in the love story but never cliches. It doesn’t bother me. The war stories remind me of the podcast, “Hardcore History.” His description of the landscape is never repetitive and always vivid, particularly when coupled with the music of Sibelius. His imagery has enhanced my appreciation of the symphonies. And we meet the composer. And Hitler. I feel as if I got to know Sibelius personally. I love this book.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most different WW-II book I ever read, who would have thought Finland was part of the war and music could be a part of it. Trotter has a way of writing which holds my attention.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was reading this book I did find some parts a bit slow going. But now that I've finished I can't recall just what part. I knew a little about WWII and Finland, & I had written a term paper on Sibelius in college. But what struck me most was the sense the author conveyed of the country and its legends. I really felt the bleakness of the Arctic winter, and the mystical regard for the forest. Both of which endure despite a man's best or worst intentions.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill is my friend, and I really liked this book. If you like music, Sibelius and WWII stories, this could be for you.

[Will White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess this is really a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding it down.

I thought the first 100 pages were great. Maybe even the first 150. The protagonist, Erich Ziegler, is well sketched out as an ambitious young musician much more focussed on his conducting career than the crimes and atrocities of the Nazi regime that he's serving militarily. He's a sort of "go along to get along" German who's heeded the call of his country's draft and taken advantage of his relatively privileged background as a talented artist to reap a lofty intelligence position in the German military.

Through his assignment in rural Finland, he comes into contact with one of his musical heroes, Jean Sibelius. And I thought the portrayal of Sibelius was pretty good too! But then... I don't know. The book ventures into the realms of magical realism, and pages are devoted to the mystical world of the Finnish forests and shamans and "rune singers" that made me roll my eyes one too many times.

The dialogue is pretty meh overall, especially the female characters. I can't say I *didn't* like reading this book, and I consumed it pretty quickly. A lot of the writing about music was very good, clearly written by someone who has a real love and appreciation for it. But the silly stuff was just too full of groaners for me to be left with an entirely positive impression.

If you're a history buff and a music lover, you could probably do worse than this book, so I wouldn't not recommend it. But I think your time would probably be better spent listening to the Sibelius symphonies and reading a better WWII historical fiction novel.

Oh and one thing that did annoy me: the author should have done a little more homework. Early on, he refers to Sibelius speaking in Finnish and calls it the composer's "native language." That's incorrect: the Sibelius family was Swedish-speaking; Jean Sibelius diligently learned (and maybe never quite mastered) the Finnish language out of a nationalistic desire to connect more fully with his homeland and because he had fallen in love with a Finnish-speaking woman. In fact, all the linguistic stuff in this book is a bit far-fetched — Erich Ziegler is said to have about 3 weeks of Finnish instruction and suddenly his dialogue is full of sentences that portray him as a native-level fluent speaker. I know, I know... suspension of disbelief. But I've just studied too many languages myself to see past this particular gaff.

[Jeffrey Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging tale of war, art, and romance. A German conductor finds himself stationed in Finland during WWII and is assigned as a cultural liaison. He becomes friends with the reclusive national treasure, the composer Sibelius. He then falls in love with Sibelius's servant, a mystical creature of the enchanted Northern forest people.
Set primarily in the remote borderland between Finland and Russia, the landscape becomes a character, both mind-expanding and menacing. Trotter can be a bit indulgent with his nature descriptions though they are always mellifluous and quite polished. This unusual saga of historical fiction would make an amazing movie—with a fabulous score!

[Jerôme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic Realism in the Finnish forests during the Continuation War 1941-1945.

I like to compare this book to a hectagon, because it is written like a castle with five mutually supporting towers:
1. Finland
2. war
3. forest
4. music
5. love.
Any combination goes: 1+4= profound insights in Sibelius, especially his symphnoies; 1+2+3=best description of (motti) warfare I have come across in literaure; 1+2+3+4+5= a love story with an an utterly delectable mysterious deep forest maiden working in Sibelius household during Finlands continuation war; 3+5 the slowly developing insight in the true nature of the hero's love interest.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter Fire follows a WWII German officer named Erich Ziegler as he serves the German Army in Norway and the Eastern Front. He is an infantry officer, who in his civilian life is a conductor. In particular, he had written an article on Jean Sibelius, the Finnish composer who was the pride of Finland. And after a period of exemplary service, he was tapped by German Army Intelligence to serve as what in the U.S. Army is known as a Foreign Area Officer, based on his expertise and special knowledge of Finnish culture. His stated mission: To ingratiate himself into Finnish society and take the pulse of Finnish leadership and military on their commitment to being allies of Nazi Germany in WWII.

In the course of his duties he is attached to a Finnish unit near the front. And he finds the wartime refuge of Sibelius. Over the course of the book, he is welcomed into the Sibelius household, falls in love, and develops deep relationships with the Finns he serves with. As the tide of war turns against Germany, he is buffeted by political forces including Nazi party members, officials more interested in promoting their careers and image then in accurate representation of the war to Hitler, and in the end, Sibelius and his Finnish hosts offer Ziegler refuge against the fall as Nazi Germany collapses, despite the Finns pledge to their new Soviet and Western Allies to expel the Germans in the last stages of World War II.

The book is of music and war, two topics that do not seem to go together. What we do see is how in both professions, Erich has to experience it intensely. When he in the combat front, every lapse of concentration has consequence, and in particularly intense areas this intensity can be debilitating. The intensity also opens him to moments where he becomes one with his environment, and his Finn comrades note that he becomes much like the Finns.

Similarly in his artistic experiences are intense. Being a conductor working with a new score, absorbing it and imagining what it can become. And with a new orchestra, turning that image into a reality. And the highs and lows of doing this, and being buffeted by his political environment of a depraved Nazi Germany where, just as has been documented in many other forms, the closer you get to Hitler the more craven officials become.

But a person can only maintain levels of intensity for so long. In this book Erich goes between the intensity of the combat front and instead of the breaks his comrades in arms would get when their units were rotated away from the front, he dives into the intensity of his art and political conflict.

In the end, a dream that Erich has been hoping for over a large part of the book is being denied. But another dream is being offered in its place. The Finns who have been alongside Erich through triumph and disappointment through the course of the war offer Erich refuge and hope for the future. And one after another, they present their dreams of a future for Erich. But it is not Erich's dream, and he has to decide if he can come to terms of a dream denied.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that it aspired. This book aspired to be literature, when it would have been best left to popular fiction. Had it not aspired, maybe I would give it three stars.

The problem with the story is that the characters lack any depth. Sure, the author throws out little facts and quirks about Sibelius and others, but it feels more like he is trying to show off something he picked up from an encyclopedia page. Once these things are thrown out to the reader, they are often repeated, and not developed or woven into some sort of convincing narrative. The parts of the book about the mystical forest experiences are laughable.

The most annoying part of the book is that the author appears to be showing off to the reader. The author appears to delight in his callow understanding of Sibelius, music, and conducting. Perhaps we are to be awed that the author knows something music, writing, and conducting. Unfortunately, he appears to know little about all three.

[Samuli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirja oli ideatasolla mielenkiintoinen sekoitus perinteistä jännäriä, sotatarinaa, musiikkihistoriaa ja yliluonnollista romanssia. Sibelius oli mystifioitu, mutta tarinan tyylilajiin moinen sopi.

Kirja oli, kielestä huolimatta, kelvollinen lukukokemus. Osa historiallista miljöötä oli kuvattu kaliiperintarkasti, mutta välillä pienet kömmähdykset häiritsivät - esimerkiksi kelvannee Alvar Aallon suunnittelema Helsingin rautatieasema ja Volganmutka- teoriaan perustuva mystinen juonikuvio.

[Marie]

I only got halfway through this. You'd think it was made for me: WWII, Finland, music. But I couldn't get over the mediocre writing.