Night Soldiers

Night Soldiers #1

by Alan Furst

Bulgaria, 1934. A young man is murdered by the local fascists. His brother, Khristo Stoianev, is recruited into the NKVD, the Soviet secret intelligence service, and sent to Spain to serve in its civil war. Warned that he is about to become a victim of Stalin’s purges, Khristo flees to Paris. Night Soldiers masterfully re-creates the European world of 1934–45: the struggle between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia for Eastern Europe, the last desperate gaiety of the beau monde in 1937 Paris, and guerrilla operations with the French underground in 1944. Night Soldiers is a scrupulously researched panoramic novel, a work on a grand scale.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Espionage, Thriller, Mystery, War, World War II

456 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 1988

About the author

Alan Furst is widely recognized as the current master of the historical spy novel. Born in New York, he has lived for long periods in France, especially Paris. He now lives on Long Island.

Night Soldiers novels
* Night Soldiers (1988)
* Dark Star (1991)
* The Polish Officer (1995)
* The World at Night (1996)
* Red Gold (1999)
* Kingdom of Shadows (2000)
* Blood of Victory (2003)
* Dark Voyage (2004)
* The Foreign Correspondent (2006)
* The Spies of Warsaw (2008)
* Spies of the Balkans (2010)
* Mission to Paris (2012)
* Midnight in Europe (2013)
* Under Occupation (2019)

Stand-alone novels
* Your day in the barrel (1976)
* The Paris drop (1980)
* The Caribbean Account (1981)
* Shadow Trade (1983)

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Adina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I fell so much behind with my reviews so I will be short. Night Soldiers tarted well enough with the recruitment of our hero in NKVD, his training and first jobs. The novel started to fall apart when the plot moved to Spain and it did went downhill from there. I did not like abrupt jumping forward the jumping without any thread holding the the timelines together. It felt choppy. Also, the main character escapes too many times where everybody else dies. This book treats itself like a serious spy novel so that's why it is a bit bothersome.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Graham Greene and Eric Ambler had a bastard child, that child would be Alan Furst.

For those of you that thought the period of European history between 1930 – 1945 (give or take a couple of weeks) hadn’t been mined for enough literary tale weaving, well, think again. Furst has written enough books about this era to choke John le Carre.

I’m not sure about the rest of the series, but his one’s a corker.

What’s the book about?



Simply put: Spy stuff.

The protagonist, Khristo, a Bulgarian national, gets squeezed between the evil heavy-handed Fascists and the evil, sneaky Communists as each vie for the hearts and minds of the Eastern European countries they would eventually take turns steamrolling. Khristo’s brother is killed by Fascist thugs and he gets recruited by Russia’s NKVD and it’s off to spy school to learn the basics.



Khristo’s spy career plays against the back drop of history – the Spanish Civil War, chic Paris of the late ‘30’s, the French Resistance and the last days of World War II. Khristo gets caught up in the Soviet purges as Stalin’s regime plays out like the snake that keeps swallowing its own tale expecting different results.



Furst’s attention to detail is a hallmark of the book; however, his need to squeeze in American characters via POV chapters can be a rocky ride.



Kudos for going with Eastern Europe as the focal point rather than trotting out another English, American or French centric book.

For those of you who like thrillers and/or historical fiction, check it out; it’s a good combo of strong characters, high-tense action and stuff getting blown up.

Three and a half stars rounded up.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had opened randomly to any point in this book and read 3 pages, I would have thought it to be a 5 star book. Furst is absolutely masterful at painting a scene, creating a mood, evoking a time and place, and fleshing out incredibly varied but wholly believable characters. If this were a movie, Furst would win an academy award for cinematography in a heart beat. But to my mind, he's a lousy director. Nothing propels the story forward from one of these wonderful scenes to the next. Several times, great detail went into explaining the back story and motivations of a character that then dies and is completely and permanently removed from the story moments later. Perhaps that artistically mimics the savage randomness of war where lives are snuffed out with no warning, but in a book it just disrupts the flow of the narrative. At first I thought this book was going to be wonderful, but in the end I only finished it out of stubbornness, long since having stopped caring what would happen.

There is so much to respect here, but I just couldn't get into the story. That may not be the case for everyone. It should be noted that Furst's books are intensely researched so that the fictional goings on exist on an accurate back drop of historical events (both big and small). Also, his imagination for richly detailed characters who are very much a product of their times is nothing short of amazing. For a real WWII buff, I could imagine that Furst is tough to beat. From beginning to end, I really wanted to like this book, but I just never really did.

[DoctorM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's be straighforward and clear, darlings: "Night Soldiers" is one of the top ten spy novels of the last century. It's easily up there with "Tinker, Tailor" and "Agents of Innocence". Crisp, hard, pitiless, historically-grounded. Get it. Read it.

[Jan Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book centers on the Balkans--on their rebellious sons--from the years leading up to and through the Second World War.

"We are revolutionaries because we cannot stand any man who tells us what to do. The Turk sent his tax collectors, we sent them back a piece at a time."
.............................................................................

"The King sent special police to our town...and some fool shot them down. This fool hid in people's haylofts when the police came...but they started poking bayonets into the hay. So the fool moved up into the mountains. But they followed him there as well. One day came a Russian. We like such fools, he said, and he had false documents, a Soviet passport, and a train ticket to Varna, in Bulgaria, and a ticket on a steamer across the Black Sea to Sebastopol. So this fool--like all fools he thought himself wise--believed the Russian promises and left the mountains. ... Now you find him cheated of his victory.... ... But he accepts it. He takes everything they give out because he has no choice. He is like a bull with an iron ring through his nose. ..."

Sometimes the rebellious sons didn't even have to behave rebelliously. Stuff happened.

"Here, in this town, it will go on. You will not survive it. They murdered your brother; they must now presume you to be their mortal enemy, very troubling to keep an eye on. As the eldest brother, responsibility to even the score rests with you. With me or without me, Khristo Nicolaievich, you must go away. ..."

It would happen like the old feuds--one of mine, one of yours, until only one stood. Since Nikko's death, he had hidden this from himself.... ...

"Come with me," Antipin said, "and I will teach you...how to hurt them. ... Your country has a sickness...and we know how to cure it. We have taught others, we can teach you. You yearn to see the world...."

And so the trap is set and sprung.

Khristo sighed. The night made him sad. The history of Kulic's nation was like that of his own. The fighting never stopped. The conquerers kept coming. Other Kulics, other Khristos, all the way back through time, wandered the world. Away from love, away from home. They were destined to be eternal strangers. Melancholy aadventurers, guests in other people's houses. From now on, forever, there could be no peace for him....

So, there's no exit for these boys seduced into the Soviet NKVD as can-do (and can't-quit) operatives.

"If you cannot go back, best go forward. What else is there?"

Night Soldiers is the first of fourteen (and counting) "historical spy novels" set in Europe in the period between the wars that Alan Furst has written. Other people's reviews had whetted my appetite for one. I also read the reviews of his most recent books; here's the NYT review of his newest.

Chick lit this is not. Nor is it like All the Light We Cannot See or The Nightingale. Down you go, along darker and darker twists and turns, too far for any thread or pebbles to mark. Sometimes I could feel for the characters but sometimes they lost me. The book emerges from its dreamlike--nightmare-like--aura sporadically, really for the first time when an American girl is introduced. The hero(es) are almost infinitely-resourceful loners who, improbably, over the long term manage to spin a fragile web of brotherhood among themselves, there being no country or other lasting institution to receive their loyalty. Sometimes I was crying as the plot sped along--would the worst happen or could the protagonist possibly extricate himself? I could be a little unbelieving if disaster didn't strike.

Is it "dick lit?" Surprisingly that term is not well defined. I thought it meant writing that appealed to men more than to women, but apparently dick lit is more narrowly construed as literature that appeals to men's love interests. Writer Steve Almond suggests here that men's work generally is less likely to be categorized. I think he's got a point when it comes to the topic of men looking for love: I haven't heard Of Human Bondage being called dick lit despite the protagonist's aspirations.

In Night Soldiers, the Balkans along with their inhabitants are almost characters, too--the brutal suffering; the dashing (yet again) of their hopes for peace or some kind of normalcy, the passive exploitation. Peasant lives matter? Nyet.

I liked it but it made me tired.

Will I read another one? I do own two more--one that's said to be inferior and the other a good one. But I've gotta rest up for it.

[G.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rather long novel took some reading as it seemed at times rather dense, it required a bit of determination on my behalf not to keep leaving it in favour of other faster paced novels ! This is my first novel by Alan Furst, and he is clearly a clever writer who creates very atmospheric moods albeit a bit "wordy" however good the writing is I needed time for this and it took a while to really get into it ! A good spy novel and enjoyable read.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a complicated book, lots of stories and lots of names, but I did enjoy it and intend to read the next one in the series.

[Dawn (& Ron) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Khristo Stoianov's innocent life in the small town of Vidin, Bulgaria is quickly changed when his 15 year old brother is beaten to death by the town's fascist militia group. In his grief and confusion, he is quickly taken in by a communist and finds himself heading upriver to Moscow where he is deposited, alone, at a school called The Brotherhood Front (of 1934). He is tossed in with the other comrades collected from all over Europe, within weeks, the reality of his situation comes crashing down upon him with a lesson and test that wipes out any remaining vestiges of his nescient , naïve youthfulness. Disillusioned on his first mission to Spain and narrowly escaping one of Stalin's purges, he lands in Paris. In is a desperate dance against discovery from the Soviet secret intelligence service and the Germans, he will use everything the Soviet intelligence taught him to survive, fight and live.

This is my second Furst novel, so I knew I was in for a gritty, taut, detailed and captivating read. My concern was would this be fresh? In the first book, the protagonist was an older, grizzled veteran and Furst style reflected and used this to great affect. I wasn't sure with this novel's protagonist being a teenager at the start and a much younger man throughout , if the author would be able to project the differences or just make his youth, wise beyond his years to fit the previous mold. I need not have worried. Furst deftly captures Khristo's disillusioned simplicity of youth and confusion at the world and his place in it. The narrative reflects the maturation process from idealized concepts, to forced realizations and acceptance.

Furst has this subtle way of slowing down the taut pace, almost lulling the reader with the mundane concerns of day to day life, while still keeping an unstable, uncomfortable edge. This gives the reader a deeper understanding of Khristo's world and his reactions to it as we follow him in Russia, the Spanish Civil War, Paris and along the Danube. The River is very central to the story and also a symbol and allusion. I appreciated the map and frequently used it to follow Khristo throughout his journey and hope that it is available in every edition.

The constantly shifting third person point of view adds to the pulse of the novel but could cause problems for some readers. Densely populated with many characters and locales all of which feel richly rendered, means the reader can't take anything or anyone lightly, it all needs and deserves your full attention. This may disappoint those looking exclusively for an action oriented story, although it is certainly has plenty of action, it is not central to the story. Instead this is an historical, action, adventure, thriller with a lot of heart, pain, loss, betrayal, joy and hope.

I have gone ahead and purchased many more of Alan Furst's novels so that I will have them on hand, that way I'm ready to enter the shadowy world of espionage, spies, the resistance and an engrossing historical World War II read. His characters aren't easy to love, they don't fit into cookie cutter molds, they don't dress sharply and happily ever after isn't necessarily in the cards. They make mistakes then move on, they grab pieces of happiness when they can, where they can, they are moral yet imperfect, trying to survive and cope with a world that doesn't make sense to them anymore. Simply put, they are not easy to forget.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long book that others have mentioned to me as a classic historical fiction spy thriller set in 1934. People have called it Furst's masterpiece. It opens with an absolutely riveting and unforgettable scene that sets the stage for what happens afterwards: A boy watches fascist soldiers kick his brother to death for smart-mouthing them. What can he, a mere boy, do about it? Not a lot, right. But an older man suggests he can use this moment to set a course for a life of contributing to changing the world for the better. To pick a different side, a different way.

And he joins the other side, to work for the KGB, moving for several years before and through WWII, cut off from his family, working against the fascists in Spain, making it to Paris, and in the end, back toward home. I have just read all of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther detective series about WWII, also historical fiction, seen through the lens of a wise-cracking Philip Marlowe-type detective as he moves from Berlin to Poland to Greece to South America to Cuba and back to Berlin. Night Soldiers I heard was an inspiration for Kerr, a way of taking a wide angle historical view of what was going on at the time in various countries in part through a close-up of one main character living through it all. Historical fiction thriller done right. Personalizing history. Without the same sense of humor as Kerr, so in some ways sadder, but still, like Kerr's series, a classic.

[Christine PNW · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I miss this series? Beginning in a small Bulgarian town in 1934, Furst follows Khristo Stoinev for the next 12 years or so, through the Spanish Civil War, Paris, and Bessarabia, an area of what is now Moldova. Along the way, Khristo is a trained spy for the NKVD. He is sent to Spain as part of his spy work, and becomes the subject of one of Stalin's irrational purges, flees and spends the rest of WWII trying to stay alive.

The book begins with a scene in Khristo's hometown, where his brother is beaten to death for laughing at a petty autocrat with delusions of importance, who is being recruited by a German. Close in time, a Russian comes to town to engage in some recruitment for the motherland. This is during the lead up to WWII, when Germany and the USSR are jockeying for importance and supremacy in the Balkans.

Most of the book occurs from the POV of Khristo and his fellow NKVD officers, which makes it significantly different from most WWII spy fiction. My favorite part of the book was the second section, set in 1937 Paris, just prior to the occupation.

Furst has a genius for placing individuals on a huge stage. The book reminded me a bit of Doctor Zhivago in that way - we know from the dates that enormously consequential events are playing out in a global arena, but his narrow focus on the characters and their day-to-day business of survival and spycraft has the effect of humanizing those historical events. He is not interested in the Prime Ministers and Presidents, rather his focus is on the small individuals and how their actions fit into the large story.

His ability to evoke a historical scene is also truly remarkable. He has an eye for the detail that makes history come alive. Night Soldiers is the perfect name for the book, because so much of the action happens during the dark hours, and the pictures in my mind are all black and white and barely lit.

There are a total of 14 books in this series at this point. Each book appears to be a standalone, and I'm pretty sure that Furst is done with Khristo. While nominally categorized as espionage, my sense of the series feels bigger than that, as though perhaps I have discovered a modern version of Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart, focused on a hyper-realistic exploration of what it was like to live and work as a spy during WWII.

So far, the summer of spies has been epically successful, generating, at this point, two separate ongoing reading projects: Graham Greene and the Night Soldiers series. Can't ask for more than that!

[Manray9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Furst -- A Better Novelist Than Historian

I enjoy Alan Furst's novels. As many reviewers have stated (here and in the press), Furst is a master at depicting Eastern Europe in the interwar years. His strength is atmosphere. He paints a picture in words of the precariousness of life. As you read, you can FEEL yourself in Paris or Moscow or Madrid. You can SEE the characters, the cafes, and the seedy hotels. You can SMELL the Gauloises and TASTE the pastis.

Furst's plots are weaker with twists more than slightly unbelievable (Stoianev just "happens" to see the Brotherhood Front symbol painted on the half-sunken barge in the Danube). His cavalier approach to historical facts hurts his work too -- either he researches poorly or underestimates his readers. I am willing to grant him artistic license, but he dubs the POUM as an anarchist organization (POUM was Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista, a Trotskyist group. One can't be both Marxist and anarchist). Since this was George Orwell's militia, described so eloquently in the renowned Homage to Catalonia, Furst fails Spanish Civil War 101. He also speaks of Stoianev's girlfriend frequenting a cafe in Paris because Picasso and Modigliani are seen there. Modigliani died in 1920. She must have hoped to meet his ghost. Unfortunately, there are too many such lapses.

Don't let me sound too strident. Furst's novels are good entertainment. I've read them all. They're respectable Three Star material!

[Ed [Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant WW2 era spy novel. Furst's characters are full and realistic, his dialog is crisp and believable, the plotting intricate and logical. This book was a great, sprawling, epic story of a Bulgarian, Khristo Stoianev, recruited by the NKVD(Soviet secret police and forerunner of the KGB and FSB) in the lead up to the second world war. Stoianev falls victim to one of Stalin's irrational purges during Stoianev's operations in the Spanish Civil War. He escapes to France, closely pursued by his former NKVD colleagues, and hilarity ensues.

I recommend this book to anyone even tangentially interested in spy fiction, the second world war or the inner workings of Soviet espionage organizations.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of John Le Carre, I have become increasingly skeptical in the face of constant comparisons made by the publishing industry between that author and anyone who writes a decent spy thriller. Le Carre is a commander of the English language; a master of subtlety and deft plotting who has an uncommon ability to imbue his characters with depth and a heroic realism. To my mind, the only author working today who can be truly compared to Le Carre is Alan Furst.

Both men are heirs to Graham Greene, but where Le Carre's works often delve deeply into the emotions and alienation of so many of his characters, Furst dials that back somewhat - but only somewhat - in favor of absolutely rigorous historical verisimilitude.

Night Soldiers is not Alan Furst's first book - he had a modest career spanning a number of novels before this work - but it is the premiere of Furst as a truly towering author in the espionage thriller genre. It follows Khristo Stoianev, a young Bulgarian who witnesses the murder of his brother at the hands of the local fascist militia in his pre-World War II homeland. Subsequently recruited by a Soviet agent, he is sent to Moscow to learn spycraft, but is soon disillusioned by the politics and ruthless purges of Stalin's Russia.

What follows are a series of episodes that trace Stoianev's escape from Spain during the tumult of that country's civil war, his attempt at a normal life in 1937 Paris, his work with the French Resistance during the second world war, and a mad dash to save a friend in the final, bloody days of that conflict. Through these extended vignettes, we watch Khristo grow and change and struggle and adapt, all the while treated as readers to some of the very best writing in the business.

As highly as I recommend Night Soldiers, however, be warned that, like Le Carre and like Greene, the author is not shy about providing action, but it is never the central element of the story. Likewise, the reader must be patient in watching the plot unfold and either familiar with a certain amount of historical fact, or open to becoming so. For those who are, Night Soldiers is intensely rewarding.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bulgaria, 1934. A young man Nikko Stoiamev is murdered by the local fascists after he made fun of the leader during their march through the village. His brother, Khristo Stoianev, is an indirect victim either he takes revenge of he will be killed in expectation of the revenge. A man visits his village and convinces him to go away and be safe for himself and his family. And thus the first step is taken in recruiting him into the NKVD, the Soviet secret intelligence service. We learn about the practices that regular during the training and we find Khristo meeting similar minded people that will play a part in his further life.
After his training he is sent to Spain to serve in its civil war. He we first learn about the paranoia that is rampant in the Lenin and then Stalins Sovjet Union/ Warned that he is about to become a victim of Stalin’s purges, Khristo flees to Paris.
Here he reinvents himself and has a new name and lives a non-spy life in this metropolis until his past catches up with him and once again he is in trouble. The last chapter is WWII where he once again is shown how his former paymasters plan to take over the world.

It is an interesting book with an interesting idea, taking the perspective from an Eastern European to show the how the Russians were already planning for Europe under Russian and Communist rule. The book however left me somewhat unsatisfied as the story lacks the epic side that has been mentioned a few times, it is a too sporadic collection of tales interrupted by the unnecessary involvement of the OSS, if only the writer had focused on Khristo. This particular chapter does completely fall out of pace with the rest of novel. The pages could have been used to tell more story about this Bulgarian boy that was changed into a spy for the greater glory of the USSR.

A decent book with an interesting perspective that feels shortchanged somehow because the story feels like it lacked a bit more story. I have a few more books by this writer from this series I do hope they are more cohesive.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read all of Furst's novels. Dark. Different. WWII from many different perspctives, all new to most readers.

[Marty Fried · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a hard book to read, partly due to the number of characters and partly due to my lack of familiarity with the places along the Danube river.

Some of the characters seemed to have little or nothing to do with the story, although I'm not real sure what the story actually was. All I know is it wasn't what I was expecting, but that's not really a problem.

I think the book is sort of like poetry, where a lot of things are hard to follow, but it leaves impressions along the way. The mood is perhaps more important than a story. Also important is the history, which is exposed by following a lot of people, many of which are not a part of the main story. And to be honest, I'm not totally sure how it ends, or if it matters. But then again, I was never very good at following most poetry.

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those GREAT, sweeping spy epics. Furst stands right with le Carré (The Spy Who Came in From the Cold), Littell (the Company), and Mailer (Harlot's Ghost) in his ability to capture the ambiguity, color, temperature and texture of prewar Europe as well as the people and claustrophobia of War.

I'm glad I decided to crack this spy nut. While there are segments here and there I didn't think were fantastic, on the whole, the entire novel was worth the time and the effort. Spy fiction doesn't get much better than this.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 2 out of 5]

With an interesting plot and good reviews I had high hopes for Night Soldiers, but had to abandon it after persevering to almost half way. I can understand why people like it, but it dragged for me and listening to it became a chore. I've given it 2 stars rather than 1 as it was very well written and more a case of me not liking Furst's style than it being a bad book.

[Lance Greenfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is underpinned by amazingly detailed research from which everybody can learn something. The awful European events of the nid-thirties to the mid-forties form a strong background for the main story. The geography across which the hero's life meanders is meticulously described, especially the Danube.

Baulgarian [Nikko] Khristo Stoianev is recruited into the NKVD and is the star student during his training in Russia. He is sent to help the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, but soon finds himself in danger of becoming a victim of one of Stalin's purges, and flees to France.

There are so many characters and locations in this book that it becomes very complex and difficult to follow. In my opinion, the story could have benefitted from being split into a trilogy of self-contained, but connected, stories.

Although there were many gripping action-packed periods, and lots of intrigue and deception, I found myself trudging wearily through much of this book. It is very difficult to put my finger on what made Night Soldiers so laborious, as there is so much in it which should keep my interest, but that is just the way that the book took me.

I am happy to have read Night Soldiers, but it has served to promote other books up my to-read list ahead of my next Alan Furst.

[Jeanette]

No rating and it is super well written. It's also very factual, accurate real. I got to just under 100 pages and found that this era and these intense affiliations and group think philosophies that racked Europe! Well, I just have overload on the periods involved and in most of the places and want something lighter and more entertaining. It's me, not the book. Furst is excellent on the onus of all these 1930's-1950's WWII and post afterwards politico, spy, combat intrigues. Even beyond the European continent. This would appeal to those who are especially interested in Russian history (and U.S.S.R. satellites /countries both before WWII and after) core obsessions.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling this book a "spy novel" is doing it a grave injustice, and it also leads to readers who expect certain elements simply not present in this work (and hence, to lowered reviews). Night Soldiers is not a "thriller" or a "mystery", and does not subscribe to the beloved elements of the these genres: a strong, well-executed plot, a fearless protagonist who succeeds against all odds, and so on. Rather, this is a nuanced historical account of life (albeit, for NKVD recruits - hence the "spy" labels) during WWII.

I simply adored this work for its realism, its attention to historical detail, its accuracy, and for the fact that it taught me more about the daily existence of people during this period than any history class/book ever has. Night Soldiers situates the protagonist and scores of minor characters all over Europe - we get to experience Paris, Basarabia/Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Spain, Poland, and more, in all their gritty non-glorious squalor and devastation during WWII.

There are many reviews here complaining about the lack of "plot" - it's true, this novel is not about a master-espionage mission, but this is exactly what makes it a work of historical fiction (a well-written and copiously researched one at that), and not a typical "thriller". If you are interested in what life during WWII in Europe may have been like for scores of ordinary people, then this is definitely the book for you; if you are in the mood for an exciting plot complete with car chases, encoded secret messages, and the like, look elsewhere.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story spans 1935-45 in Europe and centers on Khristo, a young Bulgarian, is recruited into the Soviet intelligence service after his younger brother is killed by fascists. Khristo is sent to Spain which is in the throes of the Spanish Civil War. Khristo is a chameleon. He is anti-fascist but not really a communist. He speaks several languages and manages to survive because no matter who he encounters and interacts with, he is not seen as a threat. It made me aware that war was raging in Europe before World War II and the fight against fascism which started in Spain during the civil war spread across the continent as the threat was recognized.
The audiobook was over 18 hours and I was not able to keep track of the many characters, places and events. This is a book for people who love reading about this era. Although it was a decent "read" (listen), it is not a genre I often turn to.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

RTC when I've some clarity on my thoughts.....

In short though not impressed after the amount of time invested in this......


A new author for me, highly rated by many friends so here’s hoping it’ll hook me…….? Plus its been on my trl since 2014! About time I got around to it?

As to the review….. this could have gone many ways in terms of it’s layout…. I’ve worked through a few drafts & this is what ive come up with…..

We start in a small Bulgarian fishing village C 1934 where the early story relays a subsequent series of events after we are told of the death of the narrator’s younger brother in the first paragraph by the local Bulgarian fascists…. These events taking us back in time to explain how it all passed off & what befell him next after a communist comes to town. This is the groundwork to the story, if you like, as our main character Khristo is “recruited” by said Russian & moves East to Moscow escaping the local militia/fascists.

Whilst in Moscow 1934-35, Khristo undergoes “training” along with many other displaced persons from Eastern Europe, all having a similar story to tell & it soon becomes clear the purpose of the Russians interest in securing peoples to work for them from within their close neighbour states & for which organisation he is working for. The NKVD.

The second part transfers us to 1936 in Madrid where we are introduced to a new set of characters along with some old ones too and of course we are on the republican side aiding their fight against the fascists. The period in Spain though is anything but straight forward at first & it took me a little while to pick up the thread of the story with the introduction of the new players & their place in the story along with the positioning of the old gang. Although apparently all on the same side their objectives seemed miles apart which I believe was consistent with the many factions who fought for the republican government during the Spanish Civil War. Stalin’s purge is also touched upon in this theatre & it’s as if the Russians in Spain are fighting the war on two fronts……

Then it gets messy (or rather more involved) & the jumps (time/location) happen more frequently with more time lapses & even more characters who all have to have a backstory it would seem no matter for how briefly they appear…… Paris, America, Siberia, occupied France & even neutral Switzerland play some part in the story…. Whilst Khristo’s role becomes a distant echo in my mind…….

I Found it very engaging at the start & was working my way into the story. It’s certainly a story you need to invest in & move your way forward each timeframe as the plot/story/characters change. It does though at times feel like a summary of events (abridged version) with huge gaps missing in the story as the time/location jumps forward & sometimes even backwards. I would liken it more to a book of short stories that had no real plot depth to them because as soon as you got invested in one set of people yer on to the next period….. which after a few jumps I did start to find wearing as it transcended into piecemeal.

And as I came into the last hundred pages I wasn’t even sure if I was going to finish as all the jumping around & starting of new threads/characters/backstories were wearing VERY thin at such a late stage, I mean even a German SS sergeant gets a backstory & he only chases someone down a dark alley to die in a fall a minute later….. he gets 3 pages of fleshing out…. For why??!!

Why did I finish then? well for all its faults the writing IS very good & for the most part saved it for me, keeping me reading until the end otherwise I would have long turned it in.

What killed it was the total lack of tension due mainly to the amount of characters with said back stories who then a few pages later disappear never to be seen again…. So much time invested in this. Its almost like a partly fleshed out film script where all the characters have meat on them but the plot is oh so sketchy…..

Only 2.5 stars (rounded to a 2) from me as come the end I was wanting it all to finish soonest & not in the slightest bit interested about reaching the climax…..

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Bulgaria, in 1934, on a muddy street in the river town of Vidin, Khristo Stoianev saw his brother kicked to death by fascist militia.

Can the action of this opening sentence be the foundation for excellent character development? A resounding yes. What better way to describe the motivation for a young man to want to fight for the NKVD, Stalin's secret police? Yes, there is some violence in this book, but not so much that you feel bloodied yourself.

The novel is well-written combining characterization and plot. As with most spy novels, one must pay attention because not everything is as it seems. Furst reminds us with:

But nothing here was what it seemed. Even the gray stone of the buildings hid within itself a score of secret tints, to be revealed only by one momentary strand of light. At first, the tide of secrecy that rippled through the streets had made him tense and watchful, but in time he realized that in a city of clandestine passions, everyone was a spy. Amours. Fleeting or eternally renewed, tender or cruel, a single sip or an endless bacchanal, they were the true life and business of a place where money was never enough and power always drained away. And, since the first days of his time there, he had had his own secrets.

With this novel, I was given greater understanding of how much was lost by those who fought in WWII. Not just those who gave their lives, but, as importantly, by those who lived through it day by day, both civilians and those who served their governments in covert activities.

The mute agony of these places - themselves lost in the silence of the endless, frozen land - would finish him if he permitted himself to feel it, so he had, by self-direction, grown numb, and now felt nothing about anything. There was no other defense.

I have awarded this 5 stars and I might be feeling generous today. But certainly it is at the 4/5 line, either top of one group or bottom of the other. I've already ordered the next in the collection, Dark Star, I might as well give it the benefit of the doubt.

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Furst. Not exactly what I expected -- and that served me well at times. The background to this story of Khristo Stoianev, NKVD deserter, is fascinating. If you'd like to know more than a bit about the geography and wartime climate of southeastern Europe during WWII, I think that Alan Furst might be your guy. The complexities of who was siding with whom and why are well explained to nit-wits like me. For example, I never knew much about the Spanish Civil War -- what factors caused it, who was fighting in it, and when it occurred. Now I'm all straight.

I don't think I'll rip into another Furst novel, though. There's a guy I liked a lot who writes in a similar vein. Robert Wilson. His novel "A Death in Lisbon" was terrific and had more interesting plot lines for my taste.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Furst is an elegant writer. Despite jumping around Europe and flashing back and forth between several characters, the narrative never lost my interest. I believe Night Soldiers is one of the first in a series of many, excellent espionage books, written by Alan Furst, set leading up to and during the second world war. The feeling of authenticity and historical detail is fantastic. I have read a few of the later books and am now starting back at the beginning to read them in order.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ strong stars.

I found Night Soldiers transporting and deliciously atmospheric. What’s a non-cliche way of saying it made history come alive? It did so effortlessly. I was there.

What this isn’t is a character-driven novel. I went easily into place and time but not into any character.

And though this isn’t lacking plot, I wasn’t regularly pulled forward in it. I would be engaged in what-happens-next, and then I wouldn’t be. Fascination in being there would bring me through to the next plot point of interest.

Reading this felt something like being in a fascinating place, and parked in a spot for great people watching. It’s different than being parked in front of a stage where the a compelling story unfolds, but it’s maybe as satisfying in its own way—so much to see and wonder about while immersed in a rich sensory experience.

Yes, I’d like to see more character work and a more enveloping plot. But oddly enough I didn’t need it in order to enjoy this novel.

[charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know a book’s a problem when you will do anything to avoid picking it up and continuing to read.

I considered giving up multiple times - finally succumbing at 44%.
At that point, I came here to goodreads to see if there would be some comments about how the second half was better than the first. Instead, it seems this book has that blue dress / gold dress meme quality about it since buried between the rave reviews were readers expressing the same exasperation of boredom I was feeling. If I could sum my reaction up, it would be to say that, despite a skillful depiction of historical context, there is a fundamental lack of creating any anticipation or excitement for what is going to happen or come next. The key moments come out of nowhere and then never create any new tension to set up the next event. Shit just happens every once and a while.

So as of today, I pronounce the patient dead. Page 209 of 457. March 14, 2020 at 8:30 am eastern standard time.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

And thus begins my love affair with the novels of Alan Furst. I'd never heard of him until a New York magazine profile mentioned that the divinely prescient American Heritage editor Richard Snow, whose 1991 article in the NYTBR had rescued Patrick O'Brian from near oblivion, had anointed Furst his favorite historical novelist after O'Brian's passing. My beloved Charles McCarry also weighed in and I was hooked. And boy, were they right. While I prefer the earlier, longer novels like this one, every one is a gift to the reader. His theme is not spies so much but how fairly ordinary people trapped in extraordinary circumstances did their little bit. Great writing, of course, but also so many interesting things about the history, strategy, diplomacy, leaders, etc. Dark Star, which follows this in order of publication, may be his masterpiece, but I'd start here.

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically this book was fascinating. Maybe because I "read" it as an audiobook it was sometimes difficult to remember the characters as there is a large cast. The interesting part for me was how the war affected normal people and how heroic some of them could be in putting themselves in danger to save a complete stranger. The politics that were in play before and during the war also add colour and complexity to the book.