Crimson Snow: The Last Desperate Days of Imperial Russia; Historical Fiction Based on the Romanovs (Paperback)

by David Shone (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Power is the ULTIMATE HIGH. Civil war looms in the House of Romanov, as members of the royal family speak freely of a regime change. Only a young prince wounded by the war and a ballerina past her prime can stop the upcoming bloodshed. But even they may be too late... CRIMSON SNOW reigns supreme as it welcomes its readers to witness the last act of the death of a dynasty.

From the Publisher
CRIMSON SNOW reigns supreme as it welcomes its readers to witness the last act of the death of a dynasty.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Hour Glass (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979892309
• ISBN-13: 978-0979892301
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #457,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Romanov's Come Alive: Excellent Historical Fiction on the Tsars Final Days, December 21, 2007

By	Peter N. Jones (Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the winter of 1916, Imperial Russia was about to drastically change. It was Christmas... Russia's third at war and the longstanding rule of the Tsars was about to come to an end. Crimson Snow, the enthralling historical fiction by David Shone on the last decadent days of imperial Russia, explores the Romanovs final days. Set largely in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, Crimson Snow interweaves fact and fiction to arrive at a mesmerizing story on an exciting period of history.

Swarmed with war refugees from Poland and the far reaches of Russia's vast empire... the forsaken souls of the Russian empire have lost everything because of the Tsar's war with Germany. To make matters worse, the city is facing a food shortage of Russia's own making. In nearby fields, mountains of unpicked wheat have simply withered away as bellies lay empty... no one was left to harvest the lands. It is within this setting the Crimson Snow draws readers in....

Russia's youth is at war and because of their inexperience and poor leadership, they are losing badly. Germany and her allies are growing bolder and members of the German High Command have become specialists at the art of warfare. Meanwhile, Russia's generals have failed to embrace modern military tactics and are paying the price ... six million Russian men have died or been wounded. It's a premature end to a generation, yet the rich Tsar and his government - safe in St. Petersberg - appear not to care. The Tsar's spiritual adviser, a renegade priest named Rasputin, is making a mockery of the imperial cabinet and court as he uses his influence over the empress to appoint men to high posts who are willing to do his bidding only. The once god-like Tsar is no longer the people's hero... a fact recognized by the ambitious men who have surrounded him.

Historic fiction always treads a fine line between getting the history right and making the fiction enthralling. Crimson Snow does both - deeply researched, full of facts centering on Russia's fall into communism, and packed with humane characters - this book will take you to a time when trust, loyalty, and royalty were all intertwined.

________________
Peter N. Jones
New Great Books
http://newgreatbooks.blogspot.com

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, November 11, 2008

By	L. Wendell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a disappointing, boring, badly written, confusing read. Characters were stock and flat--dialogue stiff and predictable. I wasn't able to get past the first couple of chapters before I gave up. I had hoped to read something along the lines of Robert Massey's book on the Czar's family--informative, well-written, engaging. Of course, Massey's work is a classic, and few could hope to achieve his level of research and skill, but I did hope for something more sophisticated than this. Please don't waste your money. Nice cover and title, though.