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Advantages:
A tense, thrilling tale that is steeped in history .
Disadvantages:
Can tend to get a bit confusing .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
While I was searching for Polish language books and cassettes at my Library, I came across the title "The Polish Officer". This isn't uncommon; library databases often suggest titles that arn't really related to your search. I thought nothing of it, until when working overtime at another library, I saw a copy lying on the counter, waiting to be shelved. Using the age old practice of judging a book by its cover (which shows two shadowy trenchcoated figures in a dark stretch of road), I was intrigued and decided to read it. What I found was a rich, tense tale set in Nazi occupied Europe. It follows the story of one Captain Alexander de Milja, who, watching his country collapse around him, enlists in tha Armia Krajowa (The 'Home Army' or Polish resistance force). This sets of a string of events which takes de Milja from settings such as a besieged Warsaw, frozen Ukraine and the eerily quite nights of occupied Paris. On the way he must carry out daring tasks (including smuggling Poland's gold reserves into neutral Rumania on board a train full of refugees) and face enemies as diverse as the Nazi occupiers of his country to groups of rampaging Ukrainian bandits. One great strength of is book lies in the way that it is steeped in history, and although knowledge of this area of history is by no means compulsory to enjoy this book, an interest in the topic will obviously add greatly to the enjoyment of the already rich storyline. The tense atmosphere keeps the reader interested throughout, as the hero faces near certain death at every turn. However, unlike some spy stories and thrillers, the way that de Milja evades scrapes never seems unbelieveable and there is no feeling of repitition. If I have to make a criticism of the book, it is that the plot can, at times, be difficult to follow. This does, though, contribute to the feeling of a man constantly on the run. Final verdict: Maybe people are right to say that you can't judge a book by its cover: the story is even more engrossing then I imagined it would be. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, especially those with an interest in this period of history.
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