Silesian Station

Additional Silesian Station Information

Praise for David Downing:

"[Downing]'s excellent at building suspense . . . and shows a keen eye for describing people and places."-Sacramento Bee

"An extraordinary evocation of Nazi Germany on the eve of war, the smell of cruelty seeping through the clean modern surface."-C. J. Sansom, author of Sovereign

Summer, 1939. British journalist John Russell has just been granted American citizenship in exchange for agreeing to work for American intelligence when his girlfriend Effi is arrested by the Gestapo. Russell hoped his new nationality would let him safely stay in Berlin with Effi and his son, but now he's being blackmailed. To free Effi, he must agree to work for the Nazis. They know he has Soviet connections and want him to pass them false intelligence. Russell consents, but secretly offers his services to the Soviets instead-not for anything too dangerous, though, and only if they'll sneak him and Effi out of Germany if necessary.

It's a good plan, but soon things become complicated. A Jewish girl has vanished, and Russell feels compelled to search for her. A woman from his past, a communist, reappears, insisting he help her reconnect with the Soviets, who turn out to demand more than Russell hoped. Meanwhile, Europe lurches toward war, and he must follow the latest stories-to places where American espionage assignments await him.

David Downing is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, including Zoo Station, the first novel featuring John Russell. He lives in Guildford, England.

What Customers Say About Silesian Station:

It focuses more explicitly on everyday life, and while it would be hard to say that this has the complexities of a routine Eric Ambler spy vehicle, it does contain significant drama. Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing in a field this is admittedly well ploughed, to some extent by Furst and particularly by Kerr's Bernie Gunther. *Silesian Station* picks up immediately from *Zoo Station* in the period immediately prior to the invasion of Poland in August/September 1939. Again, contrary to the lone dispeptic review, the tension of the book rests on the sheer inevitability of the slide to war, which was well recognized across Europe--few had any real illusions about the Nazis, the only question was how long the war could be sidestepped. The author has managed to create a plausible character and I for one look forward to at least one sequel. The author continues to explore the slide toward war, the continued tightening of restrictions on the German population and the possibilities of resistance, particularly directed towards saving German Jews. Contrary to the sole 1* reviewer, this has little to do with Alan Furst's evocations of Europe in the 30s, which are never seen from the British or German perspective.

It makes for a compelling and suspenseful story. I loved this sequel to Downing's Zoo Station. I hope that this author will continue to tell the story of a British/American journalist in Nazi Germany.

The Nazis were terrible people and one of the few who knew it at the time -- why our hero, John Russel, that's who. Pathetic imitation Alan Furst espionage novel set mainly in pre-war Berlin. [.]. Holy cow, what a guy. The characters are cardboard thin, the plot is pseudo-complicated, the evocations of Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow are those of a travel agent with ADD. Guess what.

I hope this series continues well into, and even beyond, World War II. There's a richness of detail in David Downing's books that's all too rare in other books about this period, and a nuanced, subtle tension that builds page by page. This is superb writing. Silesian Station is a worthy successor to Zoo Station, and I can't wait for the next in this series. The characters are real and sympathetic - they actually have hearts and souls - swept along by the historical events that are sweeping across pre-World War II Europe.

The way this book ended there will obviously be more. I really wanted the pace to pick up though because I want to see how the story truly ends. Based on the time frame this book covers it may be a 10 year process. Really enjoyed the second book in this series (I am assuming). It was a good read and I really enjoyed the background details of the nazi governmental bureaucracy.