"Kingdom of Shadows must be called a spy novel, but it transcends genre, as did some Graham Greene and Eric Ambler classics."-The Washington Post
Paris, 1938. As Europe edges toward war, Nicholas Morath, an urbane former cavalry officer, spends his days working at the small advertising agency he owns and his nights in the bohemian circles of his Argentine mistress. But Morath has been recruited by his uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, a diplomat in the Hungarian legation, for operations against Hitler's Germany. It is Morath who does Polanyi's clandestine work, moving between the beach cafes of Juan-les-Pins and the forests of Ruthenia, from Czech fortresses in the Sudetenland to the private gardens of the declasse royalty in Budapest. The web Polanyi spins for Morath is deep and complex and pits him against German intelligence officers, NKVD renegades, and Croat assassins in a shadow war of treachery and uncertain loyalties, a war that Hungary cannot afford to lose. Alan Furst is frequently compared with Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, and John le Carre, but Kingdom of Shadows is distinctive and entirely original. It is Furst at his very best.
Praise for Kingdom of Shadows
"Kingdom of Shadows offers a realm of glamour and peril that are seamlessly intertwined and seem to arise effortlessly from the author's consciousness."-Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Subtly spun, sensitive to nuances, generous with contemporary detail and information discreetly conveyed. . . . It's hard to overestimate Kingdom of Shadows."-Eugen Weber, Los Angeles Times
"A triumph: evocative, heartfelt, knowing and witty."-Robert J. Hughes, The Wall Street Journal
"Imagine discovering an unscreened espionage thriller from the late 1930s, a classic black- and- white movie that 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."-Walter Shapiro, Time
"Kingdom of Shadows must be called a spy novel, but it transcends genre, as did some Graham Greene and Eric Ambler classics."-The Washington Post
Paris, 1938. As Europe edges toward war, Nicholas Morath, an urbane former cavalry officer, spends his days working at the small advertising agency he owns and his nights in the bohemian circles of his Argentine mistress. But Morath has been recruited by his uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, a diplomat in the Hungarian legation, for operations against Hitler's Germany. It is Morath who does Polanyi's clandestine work, moving between the beach cafes of Juan-les-Pins and the forests of Ruthenia, from Czech fortresses in the Sudetenland to the private gardens of the declasse royalty in Budapest. The web Polanyi spins for Morath is deep and complex and pits him against German intelligence officers, NKVD renegades, and Croat assassins in a shadow war of treachery and uncertain loyalties, a war that Hungary cannot afford to lose. Alan Furst is frequently compared with Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, and John le Carre, but Kingdom of Shadows is distinctive and entirely original. It is Furst at his very best.
Praise for Kingdom of Shadows
"Kingdom of Shadows offers a realm of glamour and peril that are seamlessly intertwined and seem to arise effortlessly from the author's consciousness."-Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Subtly spun, sensitive to nuances, generous with contemporary detail and information discreetly conveyed. . . . It's hard to overestimate Kingdom of Shadows."-Eugen Weber, Los Angeles Times
"A triumph: evocative, heartfelt, knowing and witty."-Robert J. Hughes, The Wall Street Journal
"Imagine discovering an unscreened espionage thriller from the late 1930s, a classic black- and- white movie that 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."-Walter Shapiro, Time
Alan Furst, widely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel, is the author of A Hero of France, Midnight in Europe, Mission to Paris, and many other bestsellers. Born in New York, he lived for many years in Paris, and now lives on Long Island.
“Compares most favorably with the virtuoso European thrillers of
Graham Greene and especially Eric Ambler. . . . This is a major,
masterful entertainment.”—Bill Bell, New York Daily News
“In my estimation Kingdom of Shadows is a masterpiece. Furst is
here writing at the height of his powers, confident of his style,
tone and content. And his evocation of that dark time of the soul,
before and during the second World War, reverberates in the mind
just as that famous Beethoven symphony call- sign echoed in the
airwaves over Europe all those years ago.”—Vincent Banville, The
Irish Times
“[Kingdom of Shadows] is as good as a John le Carré, but with a
richer ambience of ‘old’ Europe. It manages to be as atmospheric as
a Brassaï photograph or a Peter Lorre film, yet is unfailingly
tense at the same time, never losing sight of the political horror
under the period detail.”—Phil Baker, The Sunday Times (London)
“What gleams on the surface in Furst’s books is his vivid, precise
evocation of mood, time, place, a letter- perfect re- creation of
the quotidian details of World War II Europe that wraps around us
like the rich fug of a wartime railway station.”—Johanna McGeary,
Time
“Alan Furst’s books are addictive—if you like one, you have to read
them all.”—Mark Horowitz, New York magazine
“With Kingdom of Shadows, Furst has firmly ensconced himself in the
upper echelon of writers of literate historical fiction. A Furst
novel, as this one shows in spades, is one that should be savored,
never hurried. Settle back, immerse yourself in some great writing
about a fascinating if terrifying time when the world was on the
brink of a terrible darkness.”—Tom Walker, The Denver Post
“[A] perfect blend of fact and fantasy. . . . The book is a rare
treat.”—James Norton, The Christian Science Monitor
“The novel’s strengths lie in how it sets its traps; Morath’s best
efforts to combat the Reich often benefit the side he’s fighting
against. Our hero is undermined again and again. As Furst details
Morath’s emotional and political vertigo, Kingdom of Shadows is
undeniably intelligent and harrowing.”—Charles Wilson, The New York
Times Book Review
The desperation of "stateless" people trying to escape the Nazi redrawing of the European map in the late 1930s pervades Furst's (Night Soldiers; Red Gold, etc.) marvelous sixth espionage thriller. On a rainy night in 1938, the train from Budapest pulls into Paris bearing Nicholas Morath, a playboy Hungarian expatriate and sometime spy for his uncle, a wealthy Hungarian diplomat based in the French capital. Morath, a veteran hero of the Great War and a Parisian for many years, now finds himself forced to rely on former enemies to try to rescue Eastern European fugitives displaced by Hitler's aggression. His eclectic circle includes a Russian gangster, a pair of destitute but affable near-tramps, and a smooth-talking SS officer. Smuggling forged passports, military intelligence documents and cash through imminent war zones, Morath time and again returns in thankless triumph to the glittering salons of Paris. Furst expertly weaves Morath's apparently unconnected assignments into the web of a crucial 11th-hour international conspiracy to topple Hitler before all-out war engulfs Europe again, counterbalancing scenes of fascist-inspired chaos with the sounds, smells and anxieties of a world dancing on the edge of apocalypse. The novel is more than just a cloak-and-dagger thrill ride; it is a time machine, transporting readers directly into the dread period just before Europe plunged into its great Wagnerian gtterdmmerung. This is Furst's best book since The Polish Officer, and in it he proves himself once again a master of literary espionage. (Jan. 19) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
"Compares most favorably with the virtuoso European thrillers of
Graham Greene and especially Eric Ambler. . . . This is a major,
masterful entertainment."-Bill Bell, New York Daily News
"In my estimation Kingdom of Shadows is a masterpiece. Furst is
here writing at the height of his powers, confident of his style,
tone and content. And his evocation of that dark time of the soul,
before and during the second World War, reverberates in the mind
just as that famous Beethoven symphony call- sign echoed in the
airwaves over Europe all those years ago."-Vincent Banville,
The Irish Times
"[Kingdom of Shadows] is as good as a John le Carre, but
with a richer ambience of 'old' Europe. It manages to be as
atmospheric as a Brassai photograph or a Peter Lorre film, yet is
unfailingly tense at the same time, never losing sight of the
political horror under the period detail."-Phil Baker, The
Sunday Times (London)
"What gleams on the surface in Furst's books is his vivid, precise
evocation of mood, time, place, a letter- perfect re- creation of
the quotidian details of World War II Europe that wraps around us
like the rich fug of a wartime railway station."-Johanna
McGeary, Time
"Alan Furst's books are addictive-if you like one, you have to read
them all."-Mark Horowitz, New York magazine
"With Kingdom of Shadows, Furst has firmly ensconced himself in the
upper echelon of writers of literate historical fiction. A Furst
novel, as this one shows in spades, is one that should be savored,
never hurried. Settle back, immerse yourself in some great writing
about a fascinating if terrifying time when the world was on the
brink of a terrible darkness."-Tom Walker, The Denver
Post
"[A] perfect blend of fact and fantasy. . . . The book is a rare
treat."-James Norton, The Christian Science
Monitor
"The novel's strengths lie in how it sets its traps; Morath's best
efforts to combat the Reich often benefit the side he's fighting
against. Our hero is undermined again and again. As Furst details
Morath's emotional and political vertigo, Kingdom of Shadows is
undeniably intelligent and harrowing."-Charles Wilson, The
New York Times Book Review
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