false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172429969m/174685.jpg 174685 24 <I>Archangel</I> is a remarkably literate novel--and simultaneously a gripping thriller--that explores the lingering presence of Stalin amidst the corruption of modern-day Russia. Robert Harris (whose previous works include <i>Enigma</I> and <i>Fatherland</I>) elevates his tale by choosing a narrator with an outsider's perspective but an insider's knowledge of Soviet history: Fluke Kelso, a middle-aged scholar of Soviet Communism with a special interest in the dark secrets of Joseph Stalin. For years, rumors have circulated about a notebook that the aging dictator kept in his final years. In a chance encounter in Moscow, Kelso meets Papu Rapava, a former NKVD guard who claims that he was at Stalin's deathbed and says that he assisted Politburo member Beria in hiding the black oilskin notebook just as Stalin was passing. Before Kelso can get more details, Rapava disappears, but the scholar is energized by the evidence Rapava has provided. As Kelso begins to pursue his historical prize, however, his investigation ensnares him in a living web of Stalinist terror and murder. It soon becomes clear that the notebook is the key to a doorway hiding many secrets, old and new. <p> Harris's understanding of Soviet and modern Russian is impressive. The novel rests on a seamless blend of fact and fiction that places real figures from Soviet history alongside Kelso and his fictional colleagues. Especially disturbing are the transcripts from interrogations and the excerpt from Kelso's lectures on Stalin; the documents provide chilling evidence to support Kelso's claim: "There can now be no doubt that it is Stalin rather than Hitler who is the most alarming figure of the twentieth century." <I>--Patrick O'Kelley</I> 2453089 1962 Archangel total:415|5:71|4:152|3:156|2:32|1:4| 415 1499 535 36 4 2 false false Sat Jan 31 16:43:35 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 16:43:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Apr 27 04:47:17 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 12:53:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Mar 20 01:46:28 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 05:52:34 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 01:46:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 true false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Aug 17 07:53:03 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 07:54:32 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 26 12:02:14 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 19:54:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 13:15:30 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 06:25:23 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 09 17:38:52 -0800 2008 Wed Oct 15 16:16:25 -0700 2008
Harris's fourth fictional title "Pompe...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 04 08:13:39 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 08:14:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 07:20:30 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 11 22:46:09 -0700 2008
I just finished reading the Historian which had sat on my shelf to read for years. Still in the mood for some historically based "what if" fiction, I grabbed this off my shelf - something I had picked up in a box o books sale somew...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 08:54:31 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 08:56:52 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jun 09 05:49:57 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 05:50:12 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 12:48:59 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 12:49:22 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Thu Sep 13 15:58:57 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 13 16:07:31 -0700 2007
before i read this book, i had no idea who stalin was. i didn't know what kgb w...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 10:09:55 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 22:48:50 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Mar 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 07 05:19:38 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 21 03:28:17 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jan 22 14:50:45 -0800 2008 Tue Jun 03 12:04:29 -0700 2008
There are many alternative/possible history books and I have read my fair share of them. Without any doubt at all this is one of the finest....more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Oct 26 09:33:48 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 26 09:38:15 -0700 2008 This isn't as strong as his first two 'Fatherland' or 'Enigma' but it compelle...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Apr 10 09:55:53 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 11 09:29:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Sat Sep 06 18:53:15 -0700 2008 Fri Feb 27 16:56:53 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Jun 04 20:35:54 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 04 20:53:24 -0700 2008
Fast paced and above all interesting, being partially based on historical matters.]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=174685