Night Soldiers

By: Alan Furst

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Alan Furst is widely recognized as master of the historical spy novel. Furst’s works are vivid evocations of long-forgotten heroes and feature plots that unfold to the inexorable cadence of history. Night Soldiers is a simultaneously thrilling and illuminating tale of espionage set in 1934.

In Vidin, Bulgaria, where the flow of the river Danube has always brought thieves and conquerors, Khristo Stoianev witnesses his younger brother kicked to death by fascist militia. These are simple men of a backwater town, costumed in fresh uniforms emblazoned with a flaming cross insignia. But behind their barbaric actions stands the swastika.

From the terror-plagued Balkans, Khristo, a virgin in the ways of the outside world, is drawn east, toward Moscow and a new life as a Soviet spy.

©1988 Alan Furst (P)2004 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Furst shows a remarkable talent in his fifth novel, integrating details about the cultures of Spain, France and Eastern Europe with a fascinating story." (Publishers Weekly)
"Night Soldiers has everything the best thrillers offer, excitement, intrigue, romance, plus grown-up writing, characters that matter, and a crisp, carefully researched portrait of the period in which our own postwar world was shaped." (USA Today)
"Intelligent, ambitious, absorbing....The history is deftly incorporated; the viewpoint civilized; the characters and the settings picturesque; the adventures exciting; the writing pungent." (The New York Times)

Exquisite Writing

A fascinating story underscored by Alan Furst's encyclopedic knowledge of time and place - this, augmented by a
top notch narration. This is not a book that would appeal to those seeking diversion through an action thriller long on pace; short on character development. It is a book for spy saga aficionados who appreciate a tale accurately reflective of an era and its complexities as revealed by thoughtfully developed participants. Mr. Furst's grasp of his narrative
is impressive. I, somehow, missed his writing before now.

I look forward to "Dark Star", the next in the series - particularly in light of George Guidall's narration abilities.

Worth reading

Great spy book. Strong beginning and end but gets a little hard to follow in the middle. First book in this series by Furst however so I’m glad i read it and really look forward to his other books. The narrative by Guidall was excellent!

Confusing Spy Novel

The first 5 hours or so were very confusing. New places and people all over the place with little to no help to understand how they might fit in... some don't. There were a lot of forgettable characters and a small handful of fairly interesting characters. Once you understand the locations and the history it isn't bad (My Spanish Civil War knowledge is limited hence the early confusion). I suggest trying it as it was very interesting later.

Furst & Guidall. A winning combination

Furst’s prose seem poetic when he’s describing places or memories. I repeated some of the passages over again, for the pleasure of listening. And Guidall animates the story; spot on as always.

Furst's Best

Definitely his best book, Polish Officer comes in second. A spy novel is supposed to be complicated, some of the other reviewers should be reading Dan Brown rather than Alan Furst.

Excellent writer, perhaps over-reaches

This is the 'first' Alan Furst i have read, and will probably not be the last.
The rhythm and meter of the writing is pleasant to listen to, and charms the reader to follow along (regardless of weather one actually knows where the story is going).
The myriad of characters can be dizzying, and it is easy to lose track of who was who (and where).

6/5

Fantastic. Must read if you like Bernie Gunther or Reinhardt. This is both but with more soul.

I expected more

After all the breathless reviews, I expected more. It seemed to lack an overall narrative. Why exactly did it end where it did? Who knows, and frankly I for one really don't care.

First Alan Furst book was very good read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Alan Furst kept coming up in my suggestions and finally decided to try one of his books. I would recommend this book to others and I will read additional Furst books.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was set in Soviet controlled Europe. This was the first book I have read from the view of a character in Soviet service. I really enjoyed the plot and different historical ties in the book.

Slooow

Struggled to finish. The story was full of potential but was slow and made worse by lack of emotion by performance.