Customer Reviews

Kingdom of Shadows OME

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Nicholas Morath, a wealthy Hungarian diplomat residing for years in France experiences the early years of WW2 as he quickly becomes involved in espionage against a rising tide of Nazi aggression directed toward his homeland. Furst makes good use of the railway system across Europe to evoke some great scenes as Morath travels to and from eastern Europe. A aspect of this novel that I liked is that Furst returns to the lesser known peoples and places of Europe in the late 30's, and does so to great effect. This book is probably the best one Furst has written since "The Polish Officer".

Although this novel can easily be read as a stand-alone book, some readers will enjoy beginning their foray into Furst's world with "Night Soldiers", his original and possibly best spy novel. This book introduces several characters who make appearances throughout Furst's other novels set in the same period of time and general geographical local. Because of this fact, I highly recommend reading this novel first, although those that follow can typically be read in any particular order (the exception being the stories involving Jean Casson - World at Night and Red Gold).

What makes Furst's loosely structured series so compelling is that 1; they are very well researched and historical very accurate, especially with regard to spy craft - as I understand it through academic experience only. 2; the characters are extremely flawed, very believable and interesting to empathize with - all of the characters and their adventures provoke much thought. 3; the novels do not attempt to achieve a false sense of conclusion at their end - they always allow the reader to decide for him/herself what happens, and they rarely resolve the feeling of tension that pervades Furst's works. 4; the secondary characters are always very well developed and much more interesting than their sometimes small roles would have the reader believe- so one is always off balance (who will live, who will die - who can be trusted, who cannot?). 5; Furst does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere of terror that resulted from the conflict between fascism and stalinism during the secret wars preceding the outbreak of the Second World War.

You cannot go wrong with this novel. For anyone interested in reading and enjoying spy stories, or stories of world war two, this book is a must read.

Kingdom of Shadows is further proof that Alan Furst has no equal among historical novelists. As he did in World at Night and Red Gold with Jean Casson, Furst's protagonist, Morath, is cast into the pre-WWII spy game almost by accident. But unlike Casson, Morath is less reluctant in accepting his new life of duplicity. Furst once again transports the reader squarely into those dark and uncertain times. Although we know the outcome of WWII, that knowledge is suspended during the read, such is Furst's ability to bring to life the true emotions of the time. Rich in detail (I always learn so much from Furst novels)and characters, this may be his finest effort yet. Considering his past work--especially Dark Star and Night Soldiers--that is high praise indeed. Bravo, Mr. Furst!

Nicholas Morath is a minor Hungarian noble living a comfortable, but not quite ostentatious, life in pre WWII Paris. It seems that he has been content with running a small advertising firm and living the cafe life with a young and vivacious Argentian mistress. But this is 1938 and dark clouds are brewing in Germany, Austria, the Sudetenland etc. Morath is called to run various errands for his tight-lipped uncle Polanyi, a true to life Hungarian count. The book chronicles these errands which become ever more dangerous.

The outstanding features of this book are severalfold. The dialogues are crisp, clean and believable. The characters are quirky but nicely sketched. Furst creates a very believable atmosphere of pre-war Europe. Everyone knows that war is coming, yet people still need to live their lives. Thus there is still a cafe society and the titled ex-pats still throw lavish parties. Meanwhile, poorer immigrants running from tyranny barely scratch out a living. Furst delivers his character to many interesting locations that are not prevelant in American fiction. Morath travels through the countryside of Hungary, Roumania and Czechoslavakia meeting up with Poles, Ukranians, Croats. One minute Morath is eating a grand banqet in an elegant eastern European chateau--the next he finds himself chained in a dank Roumanian prison.

Then there are the intrigues that Morath finds himself immersed in upon the bidding of his uncle. Morath never quite knows what the endgame is. Who is pulling the strings. How do his missions fit in the overall scheme. Therefore, the reader is also left guessing. Other reviewers have sited this as a weakness--I, on the other hand, view this as the great strength of the book. There are semi-powerful factions trying to forestall the inevitable and the puppeteers choose not to disclose to Morath how he fits into the larger puzzle. Ultimately, we all know how things turn out here. Nothing Morath and his uncle accomplish is going to save Europe from the calamity of WWII. Yet Morath and the reader are kept on edge trying to figure out what the heck is going on within his smaller universe. There are no tidy answers, because in real life there seldom are tidy little answers. This probably is not a book for someone who likes mystery and intrigue but needs to have the hero figure out all the puzzles and vanquish the badguys with a spine-tingling final flourish. That cannot happen given the historical backdrop to this book, for we all know that no matter what Morath and Uncle Polanyi are able to accomplish--World War II is going to happen: Paris will be occupied, London will be bombed, millions will die. But that does not mean that their effort is wasted or that the book is not extremely worthwhile. For those who are comfortable with unanswered questions and filling is some of the holes themselves, I highly recommend Kingdom of Shadows.

Alan Furst's new novel is, in one word, delicious. Sleek and elegant, it captures pre-World War II Paris and Eastern Europe pitch-perfect, with so much attention to detail and culture that the reader is plunged into the dark alleys and deep forests of Morath's world. The driving plot never misses a beat, and both dialogue and description are clever, true to character (of both the protagonists and of the land), and occasionally very beautiful in a tense, dark, film-noir way.

I didn't exactly warm to Morath -- there was a disappointing lack of character development, as some other reviewers have noted, and in my opinion he never really stepped off the pages into three dimensions (the same for many other characters, except for a few notable members of the supporting cast). It's why I felt this book merited four stars instead of five.

But the real show lies in Furst's masterful evocation of a world; his descriptions lend rich texture and depth to the story, speeding it up, adding to its tension, rather than bogging it down. His language allows us to board the swaying night trains racing from Paris to Budapest, lets us see the sparkle of a Cartier bracelet or the flicker of a Russian nightclub show, takes us into the cool gardens of expatriate Magyar nobility, thrusts us into the heart-pounding panic of a struggle in a Czech forest. From luxury cars to old rum and Imperial medals to the details of chic outfits and romantic pulp novels, the skittish decadence and danger of Morath's existence pervades every page of this thrilling, stylish, extremely enjoyable read.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I know it is one that I will forget quickly. The author's idea was good: a Hungarian male named Morath living in Paris in 1938 becomes drawn into secretive schemes to support the Eastern European countries against Hitler. He makes skirmishes into Nazi occupied territory, risking his life to rescue people trapped behind the lines. This book could have been good if it had been fleshed out with more detail, more explanations of events and relationships among characters, and with more complete transitions between events. It always seemed to have holes in the storyline, so just when I thought I was beginning to understand what was going on, I'd get lost again. I had to make a lot of assumptions about why the characters were doing the things they did, and what happened between events to make sense out of the sequence. To help me understand, I stopped about a third of the way through to do some research on the actual history that occurred in this region on the brink of World War II. It did help, but the sketchiness of the story kept me from getting fully involved in the plot or the characters, and kept me from forming good mental images. It's the ability of a story to create pictures in your mind that makes it memorable. The book is rather short - 239 pages, and certainly could have been plumped up to make a more complete and satisfying story.

The book jacket touts Alan Furst as "the master of the atmospheric spy thriller." After reading "Kingdom of Shadows," I'm not sure I would say Furst is the master, but he is very, very good. I was most impressed with the individualism of the secondary characters -- men and women caught up my circumstance in Europe as Hitler amassed territory and power. The impending doom was palpable. The plot seemed credible, not as far-fetched and James Bondish as many spy thrillers. Thought and substance are offered here instead of comic book mentality. So many World War II novels have become cliche, swathed in sentimentality. "Kingdom of Shadows" may not be Furst's best novel, but the plot, characterization and writing held my attention and provoked my emotions.

Alan Furst writes of the days before WWII when the great powers were maneuvering for position - and the little people were just trying to live another day, if they could.

For some, the ongoing conflict swept them into its arms. Nicholas Morath, a Hungarian, becomes with espionage. From Paris, he embarks on his missions to keep his native Hungarian from being sucked into the embrace of Germcany.

Furst is a masterful storyteller. All of his characters feel real. The agony of pre-war Europeans, knowing even against all their denials, that war is a very real possibility try to choose the winning side, conniving, betraying, doing whatever is necessary to ensure their survival.

It is impossible to read a Furst novel without feeling a sadness for these people and the tens of millions for whom death and pain would soon be a visitor.

Jerry

I hope the author continues the story and the escapades of Morath throughout the occupation of Paris and the war. When I finished the book I felt as though the last 100 pages was missing. The only other thing I found lacking was some character development of Morath. All in all it was a good "book noir" in the right setting at the right time.

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the face of world-changing events. If you like that set-up, then Kingdom of Shadows is a book you would enjoy. The writing is spare but evocative, the setting highly intense and the espionage is engaging.

The hero Nicholas Morath tries to live the "normal" life of a successful advertising executive in Paris under the shadow of the impending World War II. At the same time, he does favors for his uncle, a Hungarian spymaster, in a vain effort to thwart Nazi designs, maintain Hungarian independence and slow Hitler's inexorable march toward conquering southeastern Europe.

Furst's writing and settings have been described as historical noir novels. This is pretty accurate -- the scenes flit by, the tone is dark, the concepts are interesting, the day-to-day is gritty, and despair gnaws at the back of each character's mind. Good stuff for those interested in fiction displaying the mood of Europe during the coming of the darkness before WWII. I look forward to reading the others I have -- Polish Officer, Dark Star -- and to the upcoming-release Blood of Victory.

Nicholas Morath, a Hungarian national living in Paris just a couple of years before the start of World War II. As the nephew of a Hungarian count, Morath finds himself mired in the intrigue and futile battles to prevent Hungary from aligning with the Axis.

I've now read four Furst novels, including Kingdom of Shadows. I have to say, this was my least favorite. While it is still great, there was a certain complexity missing here. Morath is a good man, who's only discernable flaw is that he smokes too much. He's a victim of history, not a maker of history, which is true of all of Furst's heroes, but he's not terribly complex. Unlike some of the protagonists of Furst's novels, Morath know from the get go what is right. He doesn't grow much, and that detracts from the novel.

However, Furst is still excellent in his descriptions. The action does move reasonably well, and the settings are vividly evoked. It's also a testament to Furst's talent that he can make known historical events (e.g. Austria's annexation or Stalin's overtures to Hitler) and make them feel "enormous" and surprising.

Overall, good enough, but not my favorite Furst book.