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Available
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Description
In 1940, Russian émigré journalist I.A. Serebin is recruited by the British secret service to take part in a desperate operation to prevent Hitler's conquest of Europe by stopping the export of Romanian oil to Germany.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
What a GREAT book!!! I very highly recommend it -- but not to someone looking for a quick read, a happy ending or warm fuzzies. This is a very dark story of espionage. It is one of the most literate novels I've read in a very long time.
Set before WWII becomes World War, just prior to Hitler's
The characters are very true to life; the writing is outstanding, and the suspense nearly killed me. I rate it very highly and can't wait for another book by this author.
Set before WWII becomes World War, just prior to Hitler's
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invasion of the Soviet Union, the story focuses on a plot by a varied group of committed anti-fascists to disrupt the flow of "the blood of victory", oil. The Germans depend on the flow of Romanian oil up the Danube to lubricate their war machine. The disruption of this flow has been tried several times, but has always failed and the Germans are always on the lookout for trouble. Serebin, an itinerant Russian poet living in Vichy France, becomes involved with this group, and the story is really his story. The strings are pulled by people in power, some of whom have questionable motives and loyalties, and some of whom feel no qualms about betraying others for their own reasons. Furthermore, Furst describes how money and power are really at the root of war -- and how solutions for ending war have a price. The characters are very true to life; the writing is outstanding, and the suspense nearly killed me. I rate it very highly and can't wait for another book by this author.
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LibraryThing member amberwitch
Serebin, former officer in the Red Army who has fled Stalins persecution and ended up in Paris, heading an émigre organisation, decides to become an agent for the Allied forces in WWII.
His assignment is to help stop the oil of Roumania from reaching its German destinations.
Finely drawn
His assignment is to help stop the oil of Roumania from reaching its German destinations.
Finely drawn
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environments with ambience, short staccato sentences, a compact story taking place in old time Europeans capitals. Show Less
LibraryThing member dougwood57
More than anything else Alan Furst recreates the atmosphere of the early days of World War II espionage. I.A. Serebin inhabits the urbane world of Russian emigres in the Europe of 1940-1941, mainly in Paris, but also in Roumania. Serebin is recruited into what seems to be the British secret service
Highly recommended for readers with an interest in espionage or WW II.
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and seeks to interrupt the flow of Roumanian oil to the Nazi war machine. The whole operation reeks of amateurism - appropriate enough at that stage of the war - brainy, careful, daring, but amateur. With one exception, none of the players know completely what they are part of - which also leaves the reader at times groping for the story line. Still Furst's prose forms the characters into full-dimensional beings from Bogart's Casablanca or Graham Greene's Human Factor. Highly recommended for readers with an interest in espionage or WW II.
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LibraryThing member gophergolfer
The Furst novels are wonderful evocations of Europe, and particular cities, so well done that you feel you are in the cities with the characters. Stories about spying and espionage
LibraryThing member gpaisley
Rather Disappointing. Very slow story, little plot or character development. I don't think the descriptions are nearly as good as everyone says. The descriptions were rather simple--not detailed and sophisticated. The plot really meandered and I never really cared about the characters.
LibraryThing member JRexV
Historical fiction novel about a Russian emigre and his work in sabotaging Nazi oil imports from Romania in 1941. Title taken from a quote by a French senator in 1918, "Oil, the blood of the earth, has become, in time of war, the blood of victory."
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This novel by Furst follows his "Kingdom of Shadows," a book I very much enjoyed. It jumps ahead from the last novel to November 24, 1940 and it is primarily set in the countries that border the Black Sea. The Germans have already taken Paris and this book is much more overtly a spy thriller than
The objective here is to stop the flow of the "Blood of Victory," which is oil and specifically Roumanian oil to Germany. Although this was an interesting read dripping with atmosphere set in some far off and unusual places, it didn't really pull me in quite like "Kingdom of Shadows" did. Still, this was a very suspenseful book, with some exciting heart racing scenes. I'll certainly be reading more from Furst.
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the last. New set of primary characters, all interesting, and for me a somewhat surprising appearance of a character from the prior novel that we thought was possibly dead. We learn there was much more to him then previously thought. The story revolves in various ways around a somewhat renowned but minor Russian writer from Odessa, I. A. Serabin, an émigré living initially in Paris and other places and how he is drawn into the war. After an incident he realizes he must make a decision to either fight or flee and he chooses to aid the British in an undercover role through a surprising contact. The objective here is to stop the flow of the "Blood of Victory," which is oil and specifically Roumanian oil to Germany. Although this was an interesting read dripping with atmosphere set in some far off and unusual places, it didn't really pull me in quite like "Kingdom of Shadows" did. Still, this was a very suspenseful book, with some exciting heart racing scenes. I'll certainly be reading more from Furst.
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LibraryThing member JBreedlove
A slow build up and I was lost a coiple time but the ending was thrilling enough.
There are better Furst books.
There are better Furst books.