Customer Reviews

Zoo Station

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As Europe is on the brink of war in 1939, Anglo-American journalist and longtime Berlin resident, John Russell, wants to stay in Germany to be near his German son and his actress-girlfriend. Russell can't resist an offer from an old acquaintance from his "communist" days do some work for the Soviets. Soon after, the Nazi and British intelligence services learn of Russell's involvement with the Soviets, and he is made to do some work for them as well. Downing is an excellent writer, with particular strength in the areas of character development, creating a highly realistic sense of atmosphere of what life was like in pre-WWII Nazi Germany and in weaving the extensive research he did into Zoo Station's storyline. I enjoyed reading Zoo Station for these reasons. However, as a book positioned as a thriller, Zoo Station succeeds in creating slow-building tension, but, for me, did not provide "thrills." That is, there were no action-oriented or suspenseful passages in the story that kept me on the edge of my seat or that made me to put everything else in my life aside in order to keep turning the pages in Zoo Station. If you decide to read Zoo Station -- and it IS worth reading -- be prepared for a more passive, "quiet" type of thriller.

Set in Germany Pre WWII, Englishman John Russell was working as a free lance journalist he had already been a long term resident for fifteen years and given that reason had been granted a full accreditation from the Ministry of Propaganda in Berlin. Unlike many of his press corp. colleagues who were now eager to get out, Russell wished to remain in Reich for as long as possible. Most importantly to be with his eleven year old son Paul by his German ex-wife; who lived else where in the city and secondly to stay near his current girlfriend Effi, a beautiful German actress.

New Year's Day 1939 in the early hours, Russell had been approached by an Old Russian communist acquaintance named Shchepkin. He wished to hire Russell's writing skills and make him an offer for extra money with a plan guaranteed to let Russell remain as long as possible in Germany. But this plan of course had more a return favour attached, secret spy work for the Soviets; his cover would be to write positive aspect articles of Nazi achievements for the Russian Newspapers.

Russell had doubts could he trust his old friend or had things changed between them as many years had passed. Russell already found Nazi lives despicable; Geobbles latest Speech on the vibrancy of modern German Culture could not cover the true Nazi reality, Russell already believed war was on its way. Then during early January 1939 the Nazis had brought out more anti-Jewish laws making it so hard now for any to leave. Being a spy didn't seem so unappealing a forced decision was finally made from threats and certain financial needs, but the web of espionage was bigger than he ever anticipated. Russell finds himself caught up in a plot to fight German tactics; a spy for the Russian's and then for the British as for Russell he was just trying to survive all dangers thrown his way these were uncertain times.

This would be my first novel by David Downing and it's a wonderful piece of fiction a quiet spy thriller. Four stars; deducting one because I felt some things were a little bit to convenient for Russell in places. Overall it remains an incredibly well written piece and very well researched. Detailed news stories just months before the war which are mentioned in passing, giving it authenticity. Downing has also kept to the boundaries of historical possibility in writing this and successful shows the pre war glitter and darkness of Berlin on the eve of WWII. Characterisations are shown very strong throughout; Russell and Effi both characters are well written Russell is loaded to the brim cynically but remains likeable. What I thought was fantastic was the conversations between Russell and other Foreign Correspondents, full of insightfulness; with lots of witty comments thrown in.

This first book was certainly written to lead you into the next, congratulations David Downing, I will be moving onto the second in the series Silesian Station.

Highly Recommended.

Andrea Bowhill

I found this to be a readable page-turner. Although it is not up there with the best of Furst, Silva, et.al., it is literate, full of interesting characters, and depicts the atmosphere of the Nazi period in Berlin. I thought the Russell character could have been better developed, especially the politics involved between father and son. The depiction of how young people were socialized in Hitler's Germany was fascinating but I thought that more could have been made of Russell's reactions to his son's education. That said, I very much enjoyed reading this and will read the sequel.

Mr. Downing is to be congratulated on creating a seamless world in which his characters do what they can to get through the day while the universe seems to be going progressively out of kilter. As someone who has studied Berlin between 1933-45, I appreciated the manner in which he has taken the ideologies that we think we know and translated them in to a narrative of everyday shortage, minor terrors and moral lapses.

A couple of things to engage with other reviews. First, if you think that 'nothing happens' after finishing this, then you have been watching the Bourne Trilogy too much. There are no explosions and of course no fancy digital technologies. There are though beatings, there is espionage, there is even a fair amount of sex. If the sense of anxiety and decay doesn't get under your fingernails, then you are robotic.

Second, the characters are meaningful and interestingly complex. It is a pleasant change to encounter a main lead who is not 1. a spy by profession [Alan Furst] or 2. a hard bitten cop [Phillip Kerr]. Russell is a journalist, a father and somewhat of a marginal man with multiple nationalities. As such, I'd say he is an original character and I'm looking forward to seeing where his efforts to stay alive take him.

In 1939 Berlin, Englishman John Russell earns a meager living as a reporter in Germany where he has lived for a decade and half. Although he fears what is going on inside his adopted country, John does not want to leave because he loves his young son Paul and the lad's mother his girlfriend Effi Koenen; and wants to remain with them.

A Soviet operative hires Russell to write several articles to be published in Pravda lauding the Nazi accomplishments, but ignoring their atrocities in order to sell the nonaggression pact to the people. Although he detests extolling the virtues of this criminal regime, John accepts the assignment that will pay a lot. He agrees not because of the money, but he thinks he can help his home country with information. However, the British no longer trust John and the Nazis watch his every move threatening his two loves ones.

As in Russell's previous appearance (see SILESIAN STATION), he is an everyday guy caught up in world events; thus once again even with plenty of suspense and intrigue, ZOO STATION is more a historical tale than a Nazi Era espionage thriller. David Downing writes how everyman finds the inner vigor and intensity to become a superhero when the motive, opportunity and means enable the person to step up to the plate. In harrowing times, John swings the bat.

Harriet Klausner

I am a World War II genre fan. This is one of the best novels I have ever read in this historical fiction class. The plot is interesting and very plausible, the characters very attractive, the descriptions of wartime Europe riveting,the writing outstanding.

Having lived in Germany and Berlin for several years, I devour books written about inter-war period Germany, especially Berlin.

This book starts with an intriguing plot, and main character - former British WWI vet who had a German mother who gave him a leg up on the language. He's a correspondent in Berlin, with anti-war leanings due to his time in the trenches. He has a steamy German movie star girlfriend who recently replaced his German ex-wife.

He's torn between doing his correspondent job, and a chance to help the daughters of a Jewish Berlin doctor to whom he is giving English lessons, as well as spending time with his son by the German ex-wife now living with the ex-wife's new pro-Nazi husband. Should he go to a Hertha FC soccer game with his son, or smuggle to England a valuable stamp collection of the Jewish doctor to give his daughters funding when they leave Germany to England?

You'll have to find out, but essentially a potentially terrific plot with a good setting and imagery goes south fast due to an elementary style of prose and predictable, almost laughably formulaic situations through which the characters adventure across Germany, England, Poland and the Czech border.

I never quite understand why so many reviewers on these Amazon book pages are so harshly negative when posting a review. That especially seems to be the case with a number of the reviews of this book, and frankly, I really don't understand why? Does no one actually read anymore just for the pure sake of entertainment? I'm beginning to feel like I am the last one who does.

With that said, I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was very engaging, very descriptive, and quite suspenseful. I found the characters to be believable and actually found myself enjoying them. I've enjoyed them so much so that I ended up purchasing the two sequels to the book (both of which I read in quick sucession, and enjoyed equally as much) and have just acquired from Amazon UK the fourth installment because I couldn't wait for it to come out in the US. And in all honesty, some of the other books of this genre and period that other readers rave about, I found entirely lackluster... enjoyable reading for entertainment's sake, but nowhere near as engaging as these books. If you liked this book, give Rebecca Cantrell's "A Trace of Smoke" a try too.

After reviews I was excited to put these Downing novels on my wish list - they all just came off after (finally) finishing 'Zoo Station'. I give it two stars only because I did manage to complete the book, but it felt like a job. I usually enjoy this genre too.

The enitre book is paint-by-numbers. The transitions are so predictable after just a few dozen pages:
-A comment on the weather (bleak, cold, bright...)
-Then What he eats for lunch, dinner
-Make love
-The paint-by-numbers Nazis are cruel
-The paint-by-numbers Jews are oppressed
-Put in a line about his son being a punk
-A sentence or two to move the plot along
--Repeat with different weather conditions

The characters are flat and I'm indifferent about all of them.

Downing evokes on-the-brink-of-war Germany, as seen through the eyes of John Russell, an émigré English journalist. He and virtually everyone else knows war is coming, but Russell is tied to Germany by his 14-year-old son, who lives with Russell's ex-wife, and by Russell's actress girlfriend.

Once idealistic, Russell has compromised in middle age, writing innocuous features for the foreign press that pay the bills, barely. When the Soviets approach him to write pro-Germany stories - to help pave the way for the non-aggression pact the reader knows, and Russell senses, will come soon - he agrees, mostly for the money. He rationalizes writing happy talk about the Nazis and working for the Soviets, who also hint around at some spying. He must walk a fine line with them, the Gestapo and British spies who realize what he's up to.

A sense of unreality pervades a civilian life soon to be shattered by war. Downing uses the phrase "inside the bubble" to describe, say, theatergoers enjoying a night at the concert while Jews are being beaten in the streets, while Hitler rants through loudspeakers everywhere, while each day's news pushes the world a step closer to war.

Russell has been inside his own bubble. He's content to let life slide along, appalled by the Nazis but feeling unable to do much as a single person. And he's also a foreigner, one needing to stay in the country and thus on the regime's good side.

But his bubble bursts when a young journalist friend uncovers Nazi plans to euthanize retarded or disabled children. When the young journalist dies suspiciously, Russell doesn't want the story buried with him: one of his own in-laws has a slow-to-develop child. And his bubble bursts a little further when he starts giving English lessons to a Jewish family, desperate to escape but so far not finding a way. This one wants his help and he finds he can't turn his back. As Russell navigates through all this, he finds he's capable of more than he thought.

Russell's path is a bit like that of the iconic Rick Blaine in "Casablanca": Once idealistic, now cynical and uninvolved, but finally, at the end of the day, drawn back into the fight.

Russell has a touch of Eric Ambler to him: an average man stumbling into intrigue and a larger world. Downing doesn't stretch too much or make this more cloak-and-dagger than would be plausible. This also has some of the feel of Alan Furst or Philip Kerr novels.

Downing gets the ambience of prewar Germany right, a combination of the Nazis' brutal lunacy, the glazed belief of their followers, and the denial of those a little smarter but going along to just get along.