Dark Star

By: Alan Furst

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 18 hrs

Publisher's summary

Acclaimed author and historian Alan Furst has written several historical fiction novels, such as Blood of Victory and Kingdom of Shadows. In Dark Star, André Szara is a Polish journalist who becomes a spy for the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. Through Szara’s character, the beginnings of World War II are revealed.

Some of the events Szara sees are harsh and unforgettable. While working in Austria, he sees Hitler and his army march into Vienna and drag Jews into the streets, humiliating and beating them—often to death. Szara turns to drinking to help numb much of his pain as he finds a reliable confidant in Germany who is willing to give him undisclosed information about the war.

Listen to Alan Furst discuss his craft with fellow writers Walter Mosley and Scott Turow at

©1991 Alan Furst (P)2004 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Intelligent, provocative, and gripping novel....Beautifully and compellingly told." (Publishers Weekly)
"A rich, deeply moving novel of suspense that is equal parts espionage thriller, European history, and love story." (The New York Times)
"Captures the murky allegiances and moral ambiguity of Europe on the brink of war....Nothing can be like watching Casablanca for the first time. But Furst comes closer than anyone has in years." (Time)

A Treasure

One of spy fiction's best performed by the best. WWII fiction doesn't get any better

Interesting historical fiction.

An interesting perspective on the events
leading to World War II. Very well read with good pace and characters portrayal.

great Book

Could have had a more complete conclusion.. in my opinion. Not so much for the main characters, but for a couple of the story threads.

Terrific historical fiction

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. I was never sure who to root for--the main character is a Stalinist in the era of the purges and he is spying on the Nazis. There was a lot going on here.

Profoundly well presented sense of the beginning of WW II

It is long, wordy, rich with humour and a sense of the intrigue that led to the beginning of WW II. Spy networks, intrigue and the life of a wanderer in pre-war Europe. Listen in small bits to let it flow slowly.

Incredibly engaging and literate.

Alan Furst remains in a class of his own. His writing is superb. He consistently delivers engaging historical intrigue that avoids gratuitous emotional traps with a frighteningly realistic plot. He honors his readers with a respect for their intelligence, and a literary style one longs for in the work of those who aren't Alan Furst. The audible performance does justice to a class act in espionage story telling.

Loved it!

I love this genre and this book truly satisfied my historical curiosity with a great story to boot. I cannot wait for more from this author.

awesome story. well read.

epic story and sorry when it ends . will have to listen to the whole series now...

Bright Star

I really enjoyed this book. It?s a story of espionage set in pre -WII Europe. Although its a work of fiction, the story is filled with accurate and detailed historical facts. In this sense, it reminded me of a good James Michner novel.

If I could have, I would have given the story a 4.5 star rating. There are a lot of details in it and it is NOT a book you can casually listen to. What makes it more challenging is the abundance of Polish, German, and Russian names and places? I had to listen to parts of the book a couple times to make sure I of my facts.

At times, the book may seem to lack direction, but things are tied together nicely near the end. The narrator is excellent and I?ll look for more by both the author and the narrator.

Pleasant enough

On the plus side, the book is wonderfully narrated. The narrator does a particularly job with voices, giving the listener a good feel for the characters. The writer creates a well-crafted sense of atmosphere and place, with a nice touch for details. On the minus side, despite length of book, couldn't really understand motivations of main character. Prose style also a bit self-concious, as if writer were searching too often for a clever turn of phrase. But overall pleasant and enjoyable.