Moscow Rules

by Robert Moss

Sasha Preobrazhensky infiltrates the upper echelons of the Soviet power structure and attempts to destroy the Kremlin and topple the entire Russian political system in a bloodless coup

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Russia, Mystery Thriller

Paperback

First published December 1, 1984

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

py novel with such political and human depth. The themes and ideas are universal, and celebrate the triumphant spirit of mankind, that makes freedom always triumph over tyranny. I wrote down quotes from the book and have kept them forever. A must read for all lovers of intrigue, about events that could have come to pass, if it had not been for the foresight of Mikhail Gorbachev. Of course all the other elements of a successful spy novel are there: adventure, intrigue, action and excitement .

[William Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moss's novel about the Soviet MVD military intelligence, the KGB, the upper echelons of the Russian army, and the internal machinations of the Soviet government in that strange period from 1965 to 1985 between Khrushchev and Gorbachev, when Brezhnev, Andropov, and Chernenko, old men with close ties to the KGB ran the Kremlin is an intriguing one. The story is told from the perspective of a young Soviet army officer and it demonstrates an amazing amount of detail, color, and insider knowledge about life and politics in the Soviet Union during that very narrow era. Looking at the author's biography, I don't have a clue where he got all that information. In my humble opinion either had to been there for extended periods or had some background inside one of our own intelligence agencies. Most of it is a story of intrigue politics and espionage against the West, but the last third of the book takes it into a successful military coup against the government. That's the point at which the story loses me. I'm not sure whether it was supposed to be a "alternate history" piece in which we see what might've happened if Gorbachev and Yeltsin did not eventually taken over in the era of Glasnost. In any event, the concept of the Army taking over the Russian government was never all that far-fetched. Historically, it could've been the Army or the KGB. Given the current situation, it's obvious that the KGB won. If it had been the Army, who knows?

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and disturbingly prescient.

[cool breeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prescient effort at Kremlinology, this 1984 book predicted the death of Chernenko and rise of Gorbachev to General Secretary a year before it happened. It gets additional credit for recognizing that the Soviet Union had deep fundamental flaws that would soon lead to its fall, as long as the West maintained the pressure that had been increased by Reagan and Thatcher. The media, much of the political establishment and the CIA spectacularly failed to get this right. The book was off by a few years on the timing of a coup (which turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt by hardliners to restore communism) and the breakup of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, but this is nitpicking.

The book is less successful as an espionage thriller. It piles up too many improbabilities. The love story sub-plots are weak and felt obligatory. The main plot frequently drags. I would rate it 4 stars as speculative fiction that got many things right about the near future, but only 3 stars for its literary merits. Those with an interest in the Soviet Union and this era will find it interesting; most others will find it unexceptional and dated.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent [and I believe - debut] novel set towards the end of the Cold War.

The book features a Soviet agent, Sasha, based in the USA, working as an intelligence officer for the Soviet Union.

The writing style is very well done and I am pleased to say that the storyline moves apace and all of the key characters are given depth and believability.

[Mac Borgendale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book worth rereading

Robert Moss writes in a style that leaves the reader in suspense even when rereading this book. The characters seem realistic and the plot is believable.

[Bent Andreassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. Very well written and intense thriller. Quite realistic. Read in Norwegian.

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hard to follow because of all the Russian words and names. I was going to give up reading it but kept on because some of it I understood & was interested in. Those of you who aren't stumped by all the Russian would likely rate it higher than I did.
Sasha learned the name of the KGB man who murdered his father & is determined to find him & kill him.
Sasha is involved in government & marries the daughter of government officer who is superior to him. He obtains the rank of general & finds his way into the workings of the KGB.
While in America, he meets & falls in love with an American woman.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative was a bit of a slow start but by the middle of the book it held my interest. I can certainly see Moss's prescient dreams showing up in the lives of his characters as well as in the overarching theme of the emerging changes in Russia, which did take place although through different means.

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of two dimensional. After The Spike I was expecting much more.

[John Raine · Rating 2 out of 5]

wasn't anything special. I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone.