About this Item
Third printing. Dated, inscribed, and signed by the author on the title page: "27 March, 2001 / To AZ / All good things, / Alan Furst." The book is unmarked; slight spine slant; corners sharp, head of spine bumped. The dust jacket is not price-clipped (original price $24.95); some edgewear at spine ends and corners; Brodart protected. Seller Inventory # 001079
Bibliographic Details
Title: Kingdom of Shadows: A Novel
Publisher: Random House, New York
Publication Date: 2001
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Near Fine
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good +
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
About this title
It's 1938, and a sinister tide of Fascism is growing in strength throughout Europe. Ex-cavalry officer Nicholas Morath (originally from Hungary) returns to his young mistress in Paris's Seventh Arrondissement. He has been helping his uncle Count Janos Polanyi, a diplomat, in his attempt to stop Hungary drifting into an allegiance with Nazi Germany. But this is a very dangerous game for Morath and his uncle, involving double dealing between defectors, SS renegades and British politicians. And as Hitler marches into Prague, Morath's foolhardy country-hopping endeavours grow ever more dangerous.
On the level of a highly intelligent espionage tale, Furst demonstrates a masterly command of the idiom, with Polanyi's dangerous odysseys between the Czech fortresses of the Sudeten mountains and the villas of Budapest handled in an utterly authoritative fashion. The driving force behind his narrative is always the struggles within the souls of his characters, and the way the human spirit can survive under the most appalling conditions. Morath, in particular, is drawn with all the complexity and insight that has become Furst's trademark, and we follow his journeys with ever-mounting concern. Furst's way with a passage of tension remains nonpareil, as with this dangerous traversing of a ruined bridge:Flat on his belly, Morath worked his way across the bridge. He could hear the water as it rushed passed, ten feet below, could feel it--the damp chill air that rose from heavy current. He did not look back, Pavlo would either find the nerve to do this or he wouldn't. Crawling over the weathered planks, he realised that a lot more of it had burned than was evident from the shoreline. Long before he reached the end, he stopped. The bridge trembled and swayed each time he moved.--Barry Forshaw
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Store Description
We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks web
sites. If
you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged)
or if the
order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the
estimated delivery
date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use
the Ask
bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business
days.
Mark Mayell
27 Seaver St.
Wellesley, MA 02481
United State...
Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books
weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact
you to let you know extra shipping is required.
Payment Methods
accepted by seller