Dark Star Audiobook By Alan Furst cover art

Dark Star

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Dark Star

By: Alan Furst
Narrated by: George Guidall
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About this listen

Acclaimed author and historian Alan Furst has written several historical fiction novels, such as Blood of Victory and Kingdom of Shadows. In Dark Star, André Szara is a Polish journalist who becomes a spy for the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. Through Szara’s character, the beginnings of World War II are revealed.

Some of the events Szara sees are harsh and unforgettable. While working in Austria, he sees Hitler and his army march into Vienna and drag Jews into the streets, humiliating and beating them—often to death. Szara turns to drinking to help numb much of his pain as he finds a reliable confidant in Germany who is willing to give him undisclosed information about the war.

Listen to Alan Furst discuss his craft with fellow writers Walter Mosley and Scott Turow at©1991 Alan Furst (P)2004 Recorded Books
Action & Adventure Espionage Historical Mystery Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense War Imperialism Military Fiction Exciting Soviet Union

Critic reviews

"Intelligent, provocative, and gripping novel....Beautifully and compellingly told." (Publishers Weekly)
"A rich, deeply moving novel of suspense that is equal parts espionage thriller, European history, and love story." (The New York Times)
"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." (Time)

What listeners say about Dark Star

Highly rated for:

Rich Historical Detail Complex Character Development Intricate Espionage Plot Atmospheric Pre-wwii Setting
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A Treasure

One of spy fiction's best performed by the best. WWII fiction doesn't get any better

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting historical fiction.

An interesting perspective on the events
leading to World War II. Very well read with good pace and characters portrayal.

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great Book

Could have had a more complete conclusion.. in my opinion. Not so much for the main characters, but for a couple of the story threads.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Terrific historical fiction

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. I was never sure who to root for--the main character is a Stalinist in the era of the purges and he is spying on the Nazis. There was a lot going on here.

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3 people found this helpful

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Profoundly well presented sense of the beginning of WW II

It is long, wordy, rich with humour and a sense of the intrigue that led to the beginning of WW II. Spy networks, intrigue and the life of a wanderer in pre-war Europe. Listen in small bits to let it flow slowly.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredibly engaging and literate.

Alan Furst remains in a class of his own. His writing is superb. He consistently delivers engaging historical intrigue that avoids gratuitous emotional traps with a frighteningly realistic plot. He honors his readers with a respect for their intelligence, and a literary style one longs for in the work of those who aren't Alan Furst. The audible performance does justice to a class act in espionage story telling.

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Loved it!

I love this genre and this book truly satisfied my historical curiosity with a great story to boot. I cannot wait for more from this author.

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awesome story. well read.

epic story and sorry when it ends . will have to listen to the whole series now...

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Intriguing and complex story line

loved the story, my favorite of the series. the only issue is that von polanyi is German in this story and in all others he is Hungarian. In the Foreign Correspondent Szara meets Carl Weiz at the Brasserie Heiniger along with Polanyi, and the whole crowd, but in this book Szara meets Polanyi when he is rescued from the Gestapo. Usually Furst doesn't make such mistakes.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Dark Star

A good listen. Intersting characters, good plot, and terrific atmospherics. It helps to know a little about Soviet history or at least be willing to look things up if that curious. Even, however, without much historical knowledge, the plot is still fascinating and in its broad outlines makes sense. Think Carre, noir and Littel and you will have a sense of how the book reads.

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7 people found this helpful