Night Soldiers

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About this listen

New York Times bestselling author Alan Furst is widely recognized as master of the historical spy novel. Furst’s works are vivid evocations of long-forgotten heroes and feature plots that unfold to the inexorable cadence of history. Night Soldiers is a simultaneously thrilling and illuminating tale of espionage set in 1934.

In Vidin, Bulgaria, where the flow of the river Danube has always brought thieves and conquerors, Khristo Stoianev witnesses his younger brother kicked to death by fascist militia. These are simple men of a backwater town, costumed in fresh uniforms emblazoned with a flaming cross insignia. But behind their barbaric actions stands the swastika. From the terror-plagued Balkans, Khristo, a virgin in the ways of the outside world, is drawn east, toward Moscow and a new life as a Soviet spy.

Alan FurstGeorge GuidallRecorded BooksNight Soldiers

Espionage

Genre Fiction

Historical

Mystery

Spies & Politics

Suspense

Thriller & Suspense

War & Military

Fiction

Military

Russia

War

Soviet Union

Espionage Genre Fiction Historical Mystery Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Military Russia War Soviet Union

Critic reviews

"Furst shows a remarkable talent in his fifth novel, integrating details about the cultures of Spain, France and Eastern Europe with a fascinating story." (Publishers Weekly)

"Night Soldiers has everything the best thrillers offer, excitement, intrigue, romance, plus grown-up writing, characters that matter, and a crisp, carefully researched portrait of the period in which our own postwar world was shaped." (USA Today)

"Intelligent, ambitious, absorbing....The history is deftly incorporated; the viewpoint civilized; the characters and the settings picturesque; the adventures exciting; the writing pungent." (The New York Times)

Most relevant

What did you like most about Night Soldiers?

Excellently paced - after a rather slow start. Certainly makes you understand what was going on in Spain during the Civil War - this had always been a bit of a mystery to me, between POUM, PUP, etc. (I had read the Malraux novel and never made head or tale of the divisions - also of course I didn't really care......)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Naturally - our hero Christo! A man with a soul still alive despite his many tribulations

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He articulates the characters so well you really feel you know them

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Certainly not laugh! Mainly rage at the sheer evil of the NKVD - first manifested when they removed the stray dog the students had sheltered (of course very minor misdeed by their standards, but indicative! - somewhat reminiscent of what happened in Catholic institutions, who patented the areas of spying and mind-control). The book also highlighted the hopelessness of the lives of people in Eastern Europe.

Any additional comments?

A very interesting book - like all Alan Furst's. The character of the American girl was very well drawn.