Zoo Station

Mr. Downing is to be congratulated on creating a seamless world in which his characters do what they can to get through the day while the universe seems to be going progressively out of kilter. As someone who has studied Berlin between 1933-45, I appreciated the manner in which he has taken the ideologies that we think we know and translated them in to a narrative of everyday shortage, minor terrors and moral lapses. A couple of things to engage with other reviews. First, if you think that 'nothing happens' after finishing this, then you have been watching the Bourne Trilogy too much. There are no explosions and of course no fancy digital technologies. There are though beatings, there is espionage, there is even a fair amount of sex. If the sense of anxiety and decay doesn't get under your fingernails, then you are robotic. Second, the characters are meaningful and interestingly complex. It is a pleasant change to encounter a main lead who is not 1. a spy by profession [Alan Furst] or 2. a hard bitten cop [Phillip Kerr]. Russell is a journalist, a father and somewhat of a marginal man with multiple nationalities. As such, I'd say he is an original character and I'm looking forward to seeing where his efforts to stay alive take him.

Zoo Station is the first in what I hope will be a long-lived series about a British journalist in Nazi Germany. I'm a great fan of Alan Furst, and David Downing's books (now including Silesian Station) are reminiscent of Furst's style and mood - but there are pleasant differences as well. There has been great character development, and also lot's of attention to detail. As someone who's fascinated by the history of pre-war and World War II Europe, and who's a frequent visitor to Germany, I've very quickly become a loyal fan of Downing and of his characters. What a tremendous effort!

I am a World War II genre fan. This is one of the best novels I have ever read in this historical fiction class. The plot is interesting and very plausible, the characters very attractive, the descriptions of wartime Europe riveting,the writing outstanding.

In 1939 Berlin, Englishman John Russell earns a meager living as a reporter in Germany where he has lived for a decade and half. Although he fears what is going on inside his adopted country, John does not want to leave because he loves his young son Paul and the lad's mother his girlfriend Effi Koenen; and wants to remain with them. A Soviet operative hires Russell to write several articles to be published in Pravda lauding the Nazi accomplishments, but ignoring their atrocities in order to sell the nonaggression pact to the people. Although he detests extolling the virtues of this criminal regime, John accepts the assignment that will pay a lot. He agrees not because of the money, but he thinks he can help his home country with information. However, the British no longer trust John and the Nazis watch his every move threatening his two loves ones. As in Russell's previous appearance (see SILESIAN STATION), he is an everyday guy caught up in world events; thus once again even with plenty of suspense and intrigue, ZOO STATION is more a historical tale than a Nazi Era espionage thriller. David Downing writes how everyman finds the inner vigor and intensity to become a superhero when the motive, opportunity and means enable the person to step up to the plate. In harrowing times, John swings the bat. Harriet Klausner

Some reviewers put this book down a bit, I guess because there aren't any car chases up and down city streets, or some such content. In my opinion, this is a beautifully written book which should be read by people today. It reminds us what happens under a despotic government, and in case we have forgotten, the terrible situation the Jews were in under Hitler. The protagonist, Russell, is nicely fleshed out, is believable. I was left at the end satisfied with the story, but yearning to know what comes next. Do Russell and Effi get together? What happens to Paul during the upcoming war? Was Russell able to stay in Germany after war broke out? I hope Downing considers writing a sequel to this one.