| Kingdom of Shadows | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 63 reviews)
Sales Rank: 52478
Category: Book
Author: Alan Furst
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Studio: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Label: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0375758267
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780375758263
ASIN: 0375758267
Publication Date: October 9, 2001
Release Date: October 9, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In spymaster Alan Furst's most electrifying thriller to date, Hungarian aristocrat Nicholas Morath?a hugely charismatic hero?becomes embroiled in a daring and perilous effort to halt the Nazi war machine in eastern Europe.
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com Review
Penzler Pick, January 2001: The thrillers of Alan Furst usually take place in the dark days preceding World War II, but while the main participants in that war are of course portrayed, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States do not usually star in Furst's novels. He prefers instead to focus his stories on the citizens of those countries whose allegiances and roles in that particular theater of operations are much more contradictory and conflicted. Kingdom of Shadows is set in Paris during 1938 and 1939. It is unclear at that time what the fate of Hungary will be if Hitler has his way, but a small group of expatriates would like to insure that events turn out in their country's favor. Nicholas Morath is an Hungarian aristocrat who fought bravely in the Great War. He is now part owner of an advertising agency in Paris, while his uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, is a minor diplomat stationed in Paris. Polanyi calls on Nicholas to take part in missions against the Hungarian Fascists: carrying letters or bringing individuals back across the border in the course of his business trips. As Nicholas's dinner parties, business deals, and dalliances with his mistress start to take a back seat to the escalating crisis in Europe, his tasks become more complicated, dangerous, and bewildering to him. He knows far less than the reader, who understands that his actions will have far-reaching consequences even beyond the fate of Hungary. Nicholas just does what he can without the luxury of historic hindsight. Furst has fashioned here an elegant gem that vividly portrays the city of Paris during the last peaceful days of 1938 and the menace of Hitler's ambitions in the Sudetenland and beyond. Nicholas Morath is a charismatic and sympathetic figure who will come to understand, as the war progresses, the consequences, both good and bad, of his smallest actions during that turbulent time. --Otto Penzler
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| Customer Reviews: Read 58 more reviews...
 Fiction at it's best January 2, 2009
Kingdom of Shadows is a contemplative slice of history, rich in characterization and setting. The theme, like other Furst novels, is the common person in uncommon circumstances.
The story effectively conveys the anxiety which spread throughout Europe in 1938 and 1939, in the months prior to WWII. People try to go on with their lives under the most trying of circumstances, but the concern about impending events pervades all aspects of life, not just political matters. In that way, I found the story to resonate with the global economic woes of today. Set against this backdrop is a Hungarian diplomat who engages in a series of exploits. Those adventures are in turn, political, romantic, and financial. Throughout, he is faced with the moral and literal ambiguity of political intrigue. This theme is at the heart of the novel. There is a constant uncertainty not only of whether one's actions amount to a hill of beans, but also is that hill of beans morally right? The rapidly shifting political climate of the times brings a whole new depth to that classic dilemma.
Furst's style deeply immerses the reader in the atmosphere, with rich descriptions for all the senses. The minor characters play an important role in establishing that atmosphere as they are defined in ways that help paint a exquisite portrait of the time and place. A surprise, for me at least, was the appearance of characters and events from Night Soldiers, another Furst novel. The intertwining of stories in that way was a clever technique to highlight the historical context. Some patience is required of the reader as some story lines seem to be left unresolved, only to unexpectedly come to fruition later. In the end though, Furst succeeds in making you feel the deeply conflicting views and feelings of the time.
Not my favorite Furst, but still mighty good November 17, 2008
Alan Furst does his usual great job of evoking a particular time and place, due to either fantastic research or a brilliant imagination or both. (Did you know the Austro-Hungarian Empire had 10 official languages ? Me neither.) My quibble is with the plot, which meanders quite a bit. The main character performs various risky tasks for his rather mysterious uncle Janos, but it's not clear whether these fit into some overall plan. Perhaps that was Furst's idea, to portray Morath as a tiny cog in great events. The bottom line though is that it's still a great read for any fan of historical fiction set in the 1930's.
gripping peri-war drama May 11, 2008
I am eagerly looking forward to reading more books by Furst. Set in Europe at the start of WW2, this is a well-fashioned story of bravery and idealism.
A Light in the Kingdom April 23, 2008
This is my favorite Alan Furst novel. I think what makes this book stand out from his others is that Morath is, if not willing, an accepting spy. There is some ideological moivation behind what he does. Overall he feels to be a more generous person, but his status as part of the Hungarian aristocracy plays into that. He has the means to be more generous.
Kingdom of Shadows October 14, 2007
Kingdom of Shadows is the second Alan Furst novel I've read. This one follows the opening days of the war with Hitler's rise to power but from the point of view of the owner of an advertising agency in Paris who is balancing his time between work, his mistress and some espionage for his Hungarian uncle.
Nicholas Morath and his small group of friends remind me of the idle and bored characters of F. Scott Fitzgerald's, with Tender is the Night coming specifically to mind. The only difference is that their parties are set against the backdrop of the early days of WWII. Family duty forces Morath to attempt heroic acts at a time when he (and most of the rest of Paris) is having trouble believing what is on the horizon.
As with Dark Voyage, the middle section of the book drags a bit as Hurst pauses to let the historical events play out. The characters step aside and the book becomes more of a book report than a novel. While it's good to get things in context, these interludes are best when skimmed.
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