The Constant Soldier - Softcover

Ryan, William

4.3

667 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447255062 ISBN 13: 9781447255062

Publisher: Pan, 2017

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'Haunting, passionate, William Ryan’s The Constant Soldier is a subtle WW2 thriller of horror and love with an utterly gripping countdown to Gotterdamerung.' - Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Red Sky at Noon.

Shortlisted for the HWA Endeavour Ink Gold Crown.

1944. Paul Brandt, a soldier in the German army, returns wounded and ashamed from the bloody chaos of the Eastern front to find his village home much changed and existing in the dark shadow of an SS rest hut – a luxurious retreat for those who manage the concentration camps, run with the help of a small group of female prisoners who – against all odds – have so far survived the war.

When, by chance, Brandt glimpses one of these prisoners, he realizes that he must find a way to access the hut. For inside is the woman to whom his fate has been tied since their arrest five years before, and now he must do all he can to protect her.

But as the Russian offensive moves ever closer, the days of this rest hut and its SS inhabitants are numbered. And while hope – for Brandt and the female prisoners – grows tantalizingly close, the danger too is now greater than ever.

And, in a forest to the east, a young female Soviet tank driver awaits her orders to advance . . .

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Review:

A book of great moral seriousness and a tense and grippingly atmospheric thriller, The Constant Soldier is a brilliant evocation of the price of redemption and the cost of guilt. An important book but one that reads with all the panache and skill of a thriller. Highly recommended (Stav Sherez (author of The Devil's Playground))

A gripping story of the struggle for humanity in the last days of the war. Ryan makes you think, makes you feel and makes you turn the page (Michael Ridpath (author of Where the Shadows Lie))

The Constant Soldier is a nuanced, complex and gripping tale of guilt and love that captures the chaos at the end of WWII (A.L. Kennedy (author of Costa Award Winning novel, DAY))

The Constant Soldier is an elegant and powerful novel which sheds light upon a bleak and lesser known period of the war... William Ryan has conjured up both a gripping love story and thriller (Richard Foreman (author of Warsaw))

Emotive, thought provoking and completely engaging first page to last . . . The plot is taut and authentic, the descriptive prose practically flawless (Liz Loves Books)

The Constant Soldier is an extraordinary novel, with the intensity and pace of a thriller, and a wisdom and subtlety all of its own. I was gripped to the very last page (Antonia Hodgson)

A superbly tense thriller - Ryan captures the terror and chaos of the collapsing Nazi regime in prose that is both spare and powerful (Ruth Downie)

From the first chapter, The Constant Soldier is a thoroughly engrossing, page-turning beauty of a novel. Ryan's glorious telling of this astonishing and haunting story is memorable (Kate Mayfield)

Ryan has written a tour de force. A chilling account of civilian and military life amid the collapse of the Third Reich, Ryan's book makes for compelling, even mesmerising reading. From the icy winter wind to the bleak landscape, from the war weary SS officers and the terrified camp prisoners to the cynical, maimed hero, Ryan's world feels frighteningly authentic. I couldn't put it down. And as for the final scene...well, I defy you not to shed a tear. A bloody great read! (Ben Kane)

Ryan has created a dark world of moral ambiguity that is both shocking and fascinating. The Constant Soldier is a richly vivid, gripping and sophisticated WW2 thriller (Elizabeth Fremantle, author of Queen's Gambit)

Book Description:

A gripping, powerful tale of love and survival set against the final bitter weeks of the Nazi regime. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom's Winter in Madrid.

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