Kingdom of Shadows

Furst gives pulsebeats, atmosphere and apprehension to intrigues of the times that few today will imagine. Furst brings us into a world where small nation-states were emerging and influences such The Commintern was conspiring and The League of Nations was seeking legitimacy. The hearts and minds, the patriotism, of citizens of countries marginalized in today's studies, are experiences that Furst invites his reader to witness. He introduces characters that are gallant in their simplicity and simply dutiful in their gallantry. There is no preparation for this story. A reader need only relax, turn pages and let the arcane history of a period absorb him or her. In my own indulging in historical intrigues, I have experienced no one but Furst who can bring readers into this milieu. He accomplishes this with a guile even more mysterious than his characters. This reader finds himself a pilgrim in Furst's tour, not wondering how did I get here, but enthused to find where he and his characters are going to take me on the next page. In my mind I know it's fiction, but in my heart, I believe I'm there and then.

Alan Furst writes of the days before WWII when the great powers were maneuvering for position - and the little people were just trying to live another day, if they could. For some, the ongoing conflict swept them into its arms. Nicholas Morath, a Hungarian, becomes with espionage. From Paris, he embarks on his missions to keep his native Hungarian from being sucked into the embrace of Germcany. Furst is a masterful storyteller. All of his characters feel real. The agony of pre-war Europeans, knowing even against all their denials, that war is a very real possibility try to choose the winning side, conniving, betraying, doing whatever is necessary to ensure their survival. It is impossible to read a Furst novel without feeling a sadness for these people and the tens of millions for whom death and pain would soon be a visitor. Jerry

Nicholas Morath is a minor Hungarian noble living a comfortable, but not quite ostentatious, life in pre WWII Paris. It seems that he has been content with running a small advertising firm and living the cafe life with a young and vivacious Argentian mistress. But this is 1938 and dark clouds are brewing in Germany, Austria, the Sudetenland etc. Morath is called to run various errands for his tight-lipped uncle Polanyi, a true to life Hungarian count. The book chronicles these errands which become ever more dangerous.The outstanding features of this book are severalfold. The dialogues are crisp, clean and believable. The characters are quirky but nicely sketched. Furst creates a very believable atmosphere of pre-war Europe. Everyone knows that war is coming, yet people still need to live their lives. Thus there is still a cafe society and the titled ex-pats still throw lavish parties. Meanwhile, poorer immigrants running from tyranny barely scratch out a living. Furst delivers his character to many interesting locations that are not prevelant in American fiction. Morath travels through the countryside of Hungary, Roumania and Czechoslavakia meeting up with Poles, Ukranians, Croats. One minute Morath is eating a grand banqet in an elegant eastern European chateau--the next he finds himself chained in a dank Roumanian prison. Then there are the intrigues that Morath finds himself immersed in upon the bidding of his uncle. Morath never quite knows what the endgame is. Who is pulling the strings. How do his missions fit in the overall scheme. Therefore, the reader is also left guessing. Other reviewers have sited this as a weakness--I, on the other hand, view this as the great strength of the book. There are semi-powerful factions trying to forestall the inevitable and the puppeteers choose not to disclose to Morath how he fits into the larger puzzle. Ultimately, we all know how things turn out here. Nothing Morath and his uncle accomplish is going to save Europe from the calamity of WWII. Yet Morath and the reader are kept on edge trying to figure out what the heck is going on within his smaller universe. There are no tidy answers, because in real life there seldom are tidy little answers. This probably is not a book for someone who likes mystery and intrigue but needs to have the hero figure out all the puzzles and vanquish the badguys with a spine-tingling final flourish. That cannot happen given the historical backdrop to this book, for we all know that no matter what Morath and Uncle Polanyi are able to accomplish--World War II is going to happen: Paris will be occupied, London will be bombed, millions will die. But that does not mean that their effort is wasted or that the book is not extremely worthwhile. For those who are comfortable with unanswered questions and filling is some of the holes themselves, I highly recommend Kingdom of Shadows.

I have read all of Furth's books and rate this as among the best. While not as detailed as Night Soldiers or Dark Star, the storyline is "cleaner", with a central charactor who is highly believable in both description and action, and all meaningful events of the story revolve around him. Morath is not a spy in the traditional sense. He has a deep sense of patriotism for the Hungary of his youth, but as an expatriot in Paris who travels across Europe on errands of uncertain purpose or morality, he is quick to realize that that world of his youth is gone, probably never to return. Furst makes him a keen observer of these changes. The dark, vicious rise of fascism in eastern Europe is nicely contrasted with the elegant world of Paris society, full of interesting and memorable charactors, some with hereditary titles who plot their return to power in their native lands, others who "work" for a living. Pervading everything is the sense of change underway, and the fears that whatever small steps may be taken by in individual, nothing can be done to change the onrushing course of events which we, the reader, know to be World War II. Nevertheless, Morath undertakes several assignments, displays acts of personal heroism, even though he realizes these will require sacrifices and will likely cause him to suffer personal loss. The dilemma of the moral individual in a world under where morality is under seige is nicely portrayed by Furst, and we grow to understand the pragmatic choices forced upon people in such settings. Like all Furst's novels, this book serves as a first-rate historical review of the patchwork map of ethnic and religious loyalties which was Europe after World War I - Land given and land taken often bearing no relation to the desires or history of its inhabitants. My complaints about the book are few. I do think the final chapter involve a story line which is slightly implausible and leaves the reader a little empty. The book gives the impression of being the first in a series (like The World at Night and Red Gold)and, if this is the case, I would be happier with the final pages.

Kingdom of Shadows is further proof that Alan Furst has no equal among historical novelists. As he did in World at Night and Red Gold with Jean Casson, Furst's protagonist, Morath, is cast into the pre-WWII spy game almost by accident. But unlike Casson, Morath is less reluctant in accepting his new life of duplicity. Furst once again transports the reader squarely into those dark and uncertain times. Although we know the outcome of WWII, that knowledge is suspended during the read, such is Furst's ability to bring to life the true emotions of the time. Rich in detail (I always learn so much from Furst novels)and characters, this may be his finest effort yet. Considering his past work--especially Dark Star and Night Soldiers--that is high praise indeed. Bravo, Mr. Furst!