Archangel - Robert Harris

...impressions I didn't really find Archangel as compelling a read as the other two books. The plot was still quite good, but I didn't think it had the same compelling edge to it. The story has quite a slow start to it and if anything it's far too slow to really hold the interest for any length of time. While there are a couple of things happening it doesn't seem to have the addictive readability of Fatherland or Enigma. Even after such a slow start ...
...down. The book is a very interesting read if you like historical fiction, much in a similar vein to Harris's other books. Despite the slow start, quick end and unanswered questions I would still recommend Archangel to anyone who likes historical works of fiction. Amazon: £6.99 Amazon Marketplace: £0.01 ...

Andy.mack 06.02.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Archangel - Robert Harris

...own Fatherland, Enigma and now Archangel all of which take a distinctive view of modern history and weave his own characters into this situation. The two historical events on which Archangel is based are the death of Stalin with the ensuing political fallout, tied in with the implications of the discovery of Stalin’s diary that is clearly based on the Hitler diaries scam of a few years ago. The basic premise is that a recent poll (although ...
...son, now safely protected in Archangel in Siberia who is waiting to take his father’s position as ruler of the Soviet Union. It follows Kelso and unscrupulous American TV journalist O’Brien as they try to reach him ahead of the Russian security forces who have orders to maintain the status quo, and the mysterious Aurora group who wish to return to the days of the old Soviet empire. Whilst an oversimplification of the plot, I’ve ...

brownp1 31.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Archangel - Robert Harris

...to the northern port of Archangel to hunt down the real legacy of Josef Stalin in the remote forests just outside the Arctic Circle. All the while, he is accompanied by a shiftless and untrustworthy journalist by the name of O'Brian, and the Aurora group of Stalinist sympathizers, led by a shady figure called Mamantov are on his tail. The Yeltsin government is also involved as they want to get their hands on the notebooks first, to try and stem the ...
...poor democratic Russia. Harris maintains a detailed yet fast and intelligible style throughout, managing to hold together the plot strands without confusing the reader. You find yourself drawn into this compelling and realistic world - the details of Stalin's death seem unquestionably accurate, and the Russian people and landscapes are unremittingly grey and sullen. When it arrives, the ending is very sudden indeed, and does in fact leave you with ...

JVL 15.11.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Archangel - Robert Harris

...keep things moving apace and Archangel is a perfect example of this. The story is very well reseached and the details of Stalins final days are habits are very revealing and thought provoking. The setting is modern Russia - a nation portrayed as bitterly dysfunctional and lost since the fall of Communism and succumbing to the seedier side of Capitalism. The story follows historian Fluke Kelso, who (in keeping with the main protagonist in a Robert ...
...The story begins with Kelso recording an interview with Papu Rapava, an old proud Russian who was employed by the men at the top in Stalinist Russia. Rapava's life turned into a nightmare when he was witness to Stalins death and the subsequent subterfuge surrounding Stalins obsession with an oilskin notebook. As the story unfolds Kelso gets drawn into Rapava's world in a desperate bid to uncover the secrets before Kelso's plane leaves for America. ...

italiacat 31.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Archangel - Robert Harris

This really is a good, modern thriller, with an extra dose of non-preachy history so that you will learn something from the book. It concerns a historian, Kelso, who is visited by a man who starts him on a trail looking for a notebook of Stalin's, a legendary item. But, of course, the Russian services start to look for it as well, starting an intruiging hunt across Russia for the item. The thriller element really is brought across well, and it makes ...
...thing that Harris conveys well is the modern Russia. He often shows the contrast between the Communist era and nowadays, showing the difference in the quality of life. Also, the book is peppered with historical information about Stalin, who is interesting in being one of history's greatest villains. All this makes you trust the writing. It evokes a strange era of mystery, which Westeners do not really know. One of the best books I have read all year. ...

CarpeDiem 09.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Archangel - Robert Harris