Don't turn down a second chance, 25 Oct 2007
"... you had a gun on me twice, and both times you let me go. A girl gets to appreciate that sort of thing." - from THE ASSASSINS GALLERY

My first chance at THE ASSASSINS GALLERY was the initial thirty-six pages I finished on AMTRAK's Southwest Chief on the overnight leg from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where I disembarked from the train and mistakenly left the book behind to continue on to Chicago all by itself. This was no small loss as I'd been hooked by what I'd read so far and thus had to purchase a second copy once I returned home. (I just hate it when that happens, don't you?)

In the opening chapter, a mysterious submarine surreptitiously drops off a passenger on an isolated stretch of the Massachusetts coast on January 1, 1945. The intruder, after skillfully but brutally killing two unlucky Civil Defense coast watchers, goes to the nearest town, obtains a car, and sets out for Washington, D.C. The mission: to kill the President of the United States.

One member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Chief Executive is Agent Dag Nabbit, once on loan to, trained by, and operational with the British Special Operations Executive. (Dag Nabbit? Author David Robbins must be kidding. How about Holy Moses, Jumpin' Jehosephat, Gosh Darn, or my personal favorite, Oh S--T?) Nabbit, having come across the police report from Massachusetts concerning the double murder on the sands, suspects something sinister is afoot. So, he gets from the SOE the loan of his former instructor and historical expert on assassination techniques, Professor Mikhal Lammeck, to help with the investigation.

The author's previous works of fiction are centered on World War II. The first three skipped around the Eastern Front (Stalingrad, Berlin, Kursk), and the fourth takes place in Europe on the Western Front. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY also has the war as a backdrop, but at the distant vantage point of the U.S. capital. Here, the plot is ultimately keyed to an historical event, Franklin Roosevelt's death at Warm Springs, SC on April 12, 1945, ostensibly from a brain hemorrhage.

The promise of the first 36 pages held up; the volume teetered on the edge of being in the couldn't-put-it-down category until the end. The confrontation between the assassin and Lammeck at a full-dress reception at the Peruvian embassy was especially clever and worth the price of admission - paid twice as you recall. And the government payrolling the assassin was a nice twist. There were, however, irritations that caused me to lop off a star.

One of the biggest thorns in America's side in today's era of radical Islamic mischief is Iran (Persia). So, as if the author's publisher wanted David to make THE ASSASSINS GALLERY topical with current times, the unlikely villain of this piece is a Persian, Moslem assassin adept in the use of knife and poisons. What's more, her name is ... Judith. Okey-dokey. (Lucky we're not now in confrontation with Alaska; the Bad Gal would've been an Eskimo named Gladys with a harpoon.)

I also wasn't engaged by the main protagonist, Lammeck. Rather than coming off as heroic, he presented himself more as a whiner. And his relationship with former student Dag, rather than being congenial, was a continuing source of annoyance to both and to me. Actually, the most interesting and engaging character was Judith; she deserves her own series, something which Robbins makes possible, especially if she continues to stalk American politicians.

Too much 'history', not enough thrills...., 08 Jul 2007
Overloaded with historical facts which the author is deperate to shoehorn into the book, at the expense of story, plot, thrills etc. - plus the characterisation is paper-thin, and the whole thing feels amateurish and implausible... War of the Rats was much better.
For example, we get a group of Commandos in training in 1945, and apparently none of them have heard any of the most basic details of Heydrich's assassination in 1942! And so we get 7 pages of them rapt in attention as the book's 'hero' explains it all.
Again, when the assassin gets to Washington she is treated to a mini-lecture from a stranger about the realities of politics and politicians in Washington - this kind of thing happens throughout the book and it feels very clunky.
But despite the wish to utilise all possible historical facts, the author makes a basic mistake like twice calling the July 1944 assasination attempt on Hitler 'the bomb in the bunker'. And you don't need to be a historian to know that this happened in a ground-level building at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters, not in a bunker, and certainly not in the Berlin bunker.
Try the author's 'War of the Rats', but avoid this one.

Don't turn down a second chance, 25 Oct 2007
"... you had a gun on me twice, and both times you let me go. A girl gets to appreciate that sort of thing." - from THE ASSASSINS GALLERY

My first chance at THE ASSASSINS GALLERY was the initial thirty-six pages I finished on AMTRAK's Southwest Chief on the overnight leg from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where I disembarked from the train and mistakenly left the book behind to continue on to Chicago all by itself. This was no small loss as I'd been hooked by what I'd read so far and thus had to purchase a second copy once I returned home. (I just hate it when that happens, don't you?)

In the opening chapter, a mysterious submarine surreptitiously drops off a passenger on an isolated stretch of the Massachusetts coast on January 1, 1945. The intruder, after skillfully but brutally killing two unlucky Civil Defense coast watchers, goes to the nearest town, obtains a car, and sets out for Washington, D.C. The mission: to kill the President of the United States.

One member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Chief Executive is Agent Dag Nabbit, once on loan to, trained by, and operational with the British Special Operations Executive. (Dag Nabbit? Author David Robbins must be kidding. How about Holy Moses, Jumpin' Jehosephat, Gosh Darn, or my personal favorite, Oh S--T?) Nabbit, having come across the police report from Massachusetts concerning the double murder on the sands, suspects something sinister is afoot. So, he gets from the SOE the loan of his former instructor and historical expert on assassination techniques, Professor Mikhal Lammeck, to help with the investigation.

The author's previous works of fiction are centered on World War II. The first three skipped around the Eastern Front (Stalingrad, Berlin, Kursk), and the fourth takes place in Europe on the Western Front. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY also has the war as a backdrop, but at the distant vantage point of the U.S. capital. Here, the plot is ultimately keyed to an historical event, Franklin Roosevelt's death at Warm Springs, SC on April 12, 1945, ostensibly from a brain hemorrhage.

The promise of the first 36 pages held up; the volume teetered on the edge of being in the couldn't-put-it-down category until the end. The confrontation between the assassin and Lammeck at a full-dress reception at the Peruvian embassy was especially clever and worth the price of admission - paid twice as you recall. And the government payrolling the assassin was a nice twist. There were, however, irritations that caused me to lop off a star.

One of the biggest thorns in America's side in today's era of radical Islamic mischief is Iran (Persia). So, as if the author's publisher wanted David to make THE ASSASSINS GALLERY topical with current times, the unlikely villain of this piece is a Persian, Moslem assassin adept in the use of knife and poisons. What's more, her name is ... Judith. Okey-dokey. (Lucky we're not now in confrontation with Alaska; the Bad Gal would've been an Eskimo named Gladys with a harpoon.)

I also wasn't engaged by the main protagonist, Lammeck. Rather than coming off as heroic, he presented himself more as a whiner. And his relationship with former student Dag, rather than being congenial, was a continuing source of annoyance to both and to me. Actually, the most interesting and engaging character was Judith; she deserves her own series, something which Robbins makes possible, especially if she continues to stalk American politicians.

Too much 'history', not enough thrills...., 08 Jul 2007
Overloaded with historical facts which the author is deperate to shoehorn into the book, at the expense of story, plot, thrills etc. - plus the characterisation is paper-thin, and the whole thing feels amateurish and implausible... War of the Rats was much better.
For example, we get a group of Commandos in training in 1945, and apparently none of them have heard any of the most basic details of Heydrich's assassination in 1942! And so we get 7 pages of them rapt in attention as the book's 'hero' explains it all.
Again, when the assassin gets to Washington she is treated to a mini-lecture from a stranger about the realities of politics and politicians in Washington - this kind of thing happens throughout the book and it feels very clunky.
But despite the wish to utilise all possible historical facts, the author makes a basic mistake like twice calling the July 1944 assasination attempt on Hitler 'the bomb in the bunker'. And you don't need to be a historian to know that this happened in a ground-level building at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters, not in a bunker, and certainly not in the Berlin bunker.
Try the author's 'War of the Rats', but avoid this one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbins is a great story teller and by weaving fact with fiction, he brings to life events and characters from this period in our recent history, delivering a fabulous account of the efforts of the people involved by concentrating on a small group during the war and in this case, the times after D Day. I only hope he continues to find other areas of the war to continue his storytelling. A great read.

Little known heroes of WW11 , 20 Sep 2006
Behind the forefront of the major conflicts surrounding D-Day lies the story of those who provided the wherewhithal for it to succeed, those who risked death to provide provisions; food, amunition, medication, fuel, etc. driving convoys to the front line.
This book puts a human face on the men, mainly black,who drove hour after hour, day after day,with little acknowledgement of their contribution and the dangers they faced.
Against this background the tale evolves of one man in particular who is totally commited in spite of existing prejudices and the sacrifices that he made.
The book is exciting, intelligent & educating without being boring.
I'm looking for my next Robbin book.

Don't turn down a second chance, 25 Oct 2007
"... you had a gun on me twice, and both times you let me go. A girl gets to appreciate that sort of thing." - from THE ASSASSINS GALLERY

My first chance at THE ASSASSINS GALLERY was the initial thirty-six pages I finished on AMTRAK's Southwest Chief on the overnight leg from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where I disembarked from the train and mistakenly left the book behind to continue on to Chicago all by itself. This was no small loss as I'd been hooked by what I'd read so far and thus had to purchase a second copy once I returned home. (I just hate it when that happens, don't you?)

In the opening chapter, a mysterious submarine surreptitiously drops off a passenger on an isolated stretch of the Massachusetts coast on January 1, 1945. The intruder, after skillfully but brutally killing two unlucky Civil Defense coast watchers, goes to the nearest town, obtains a car, and sets out for Washington, D.C. The mission: to kill the President of the United States.

One member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Chief Executive is Agent Dag Nabbit, once on loan to, trained by, and operational with the British Special Operations Executive. (Dag Nabbit? Author David Robbins must be kidding. How about Holy Moses, Jumpin' Jehosephat, Gosh Darn, or my personal favorite, Oh S--T?) Nabbit, having come across the police report from Massachusetts concerning the double murder on the sands, suspects something sinister is afoot. So, he gets from the SOE the loan of his former instructor and historical expert on assassination techniques, Professor Mikhal Lammeck, to help with the investigation.

The author's previous works of fiction are centered on World War II. The first three skipped around the Eastern Front (Stalingrad, Berlin, Kursk), and the fourth takes place in Europe on the Western Front. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY also has the war as a backdrop, but at the distant vantage point of the U.S. capital. Here, the plot is ultimately keyed to an historical event, Franklin Roosevelt's death at Warm Springs, SC on April 12, 1945, ostensibly from a brain hemorrhage.

The promise of the first 36 pages held up; the volume teetered on the edge of being in the couldn't-put-it-down category until the end. The confrontation between the assassin and Lammeck at a full-dress reception at the Peruvian embassy was especially clever and worth the price of admission - paid twice as you recall. And the government payrolling the assassin was a nice twist. There were, however, irritations that caused me to lop off a star.

One of the biggest thorns in America's side in today's era of radical Islamic mischief is Iran (Persia). So, as if the author's publisher wanted David to make THE ASSASSINS GALLERY topical with current times, the unlikely villain of this piece is a Persian, Moslem assassin adept in the use of knife and poisons. What's more, her name is ... Judith. Okey-dokey. (Lucky we're not now in confrontation with Alaska; the Bad Gal would've been an Eskimo named Gladys with a harpoon.)

I also wasn't engaged by the main protagonist, Lammeck. Rather than coming off as heroic, he presented himself more as a whiner. And his relationship with former student Dag, rather than being congenial, was a continuing source of annoyance to both and to me. Actually, the most interesting and engaging character was Judith; she deserves her own series, something which Robbins makes possible, especially if she continues to stalk American politicians.

Too much 'history', not enough thrills...., 08 Jul 2007
Overloaded with historical facts which the author is deperate to shoehorn into the book, at the expense of story, plot, thrills etc. - plus the characterisation is paper-thin, and the whole thing feels amateurish and implausible... War of the Rats was much better.
For example, we get a group of Commandos in training in 1945, and apparently none of them have heard any of the most basic details of Heydrich's assassination in 1942! And so we get 7 pages of them rapt in attention as the book's 'hero' explains it all.
Again, when the assassin gets to Washington she is treated to a mini-lecture from a stranger about the realities of politics and politicians in Washington - this kind of thing happens throughout the book and it feels very clunky.
But despite the wish to utilise all possible historical facts, the author makes a basic mistake like twice calling the July 1944 assasination attempt on Hitler 'the bomb in the bunker'. And you don't need to be a historian to know that this happened in a ground-level building at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters, not in a bunker, and certainly not in the Berlin bunker.
Try the author's 'War of the Rats', but avoid this one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbins is a great story teller and by weaving fact with fiction, he brings to life events and characters from this period in our recent history, delivering a fabulous account of the efforts of the people involved by concentrating on a small group during the war and in this case, the times after D Day. I only hope he continues to find other areas of the war to continue his storytelling. A great read.

Little known heroes of WW11 , 20 Sep 2006
Behind the forefront of the major conflicts surrounding D-Day lies the story of those who provided the wherewhithal for it to succeed, those who risked death to provide provisions; food, amunition, medication, fuel, etc. driving convoys to the front line.
This book puts a human face on the men, mainly black,who drove hour after hour, day after day,with little acknowledgement of their contribution and the dangers they faced.
Against this background the tale evolves of one man in particular who is totally commited in spite of existing prejudices and the sacrifices that he made.
The book is exciting, intelligent & educating without being boring.
I'm looking for my next Robbin book.



How not to write historical fiction...., 15 Oct 2008
The Germans are lean and mean, only wanting to kill. The Russians are a fun loving lot who hate the Commies but hate the Nazis more and are thus forced to fight to protect their beloved homeland from the fascist hordes who, unprovoked, have wreaked havoc etc etc etc.

I bought this at an airport three years ago as I have always had an interest in Kursk and I still haven't finished it and probably won't as it's impossible to take an interest in the central casting cast (fanatical Spaniard, grizzled Cossack etc). In fact one of the most entertaining things to do with it is to play guess the next cliché!

Once more another half-digested pile of facts is poured out in novel form. The technical details of the weaponry are very good but the tanks themselves have more character than the humans who are so stock it defies belief. I feel the author would have done better writing a short military primer, either on the battle or the tanks, rather than attempting to write a novel, something for which he clearly has little feel or talent.

Mediocre Miltiary/Historical Fiction, 07 May 2005
I've never read any of Robbins other books, but I'd heard good things about The War of the Rats, so I thought I'd give this a go. I knew very little about the Battle of Kursk and my knowledge of the Eastern Front in general is somewhat shaky (although I did read and enjoy Guy Sajer's memoir The Forgotten Soldier). By the end of this book, it struck me that it's very much like a lot of historical and military fiction: decent at getting across the salient facts, decent at putting the reader in the middle of the action, woeful at pacing, characterization, drama, and woodenly written.

The story revolves around the pivotal battle in July 1943 for the Soviet city of Kursk. Around two million soldiers were arrayed against each other, along with the largest collection of tanks ever seen. A German offensive, code named "Citadel", was an attempt by Hitler to create a breakthrough in Russia before he would be forced to reallocate troops and tanks to deal with the impending American invasion of Italy. The protagonists are a Spanish SS Panzer officer and a Russian family, two of whom serve in the same T-34 tank. The Spaniard is the son of a famous Barcelonan bullfighter and is part of the "Blue Division" sent by Franco to fight with the Germans. A sniper shot outside Leningrad took him out of action for almost a year and turned him into a pale, shriveled shell of what he used to be. Now he's back, escorting a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front lines, and looking for revenge, honor, and glory to sustain the rest of his years. If this isn't cheesy enough, we have on the opposite side, the Berko family. Of Cossack linage, the cartoonish father is a tank driver for his son, a serious and distant Communist, while the daughter is a fearless member of an all-female night bomber unit. Supporting cardboard-thin characters include a gung-ho SS tank commander, a series of Ukrainian partisans, a noble Russian pilot, and a German intelligence officer spying for the Russians.

On the German side, the story mostly consists of Vega safeguarding the transport of a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front and eventually being assigned to command one of them in the battle. On the Russian side, we have the two Berko men in their latest T-34, dealing with two new recruits and preparing for the battle. Their daughter/sister, meanwhile, is engaged on nightly bombing runs. However, when her male pilot friend gets shot down, she naturally tries to rescue him, resulting in her getting absorbed into a partisan unit with a traitor in its midst. Naturally, by the end, Vega and the Berkos will meet on the field of battle and dance their inevitable dance. Many of the story elements are poorly handled and are utterly lacking in drama or tension, such as the woman's love interest, the subplot about the traitor, and most especially the German officer spy. In contrast, the actual tactical and technical details come across rather well. Robbins does a very clear job of explaining the relative strengths and weaknesses of every tank. Similarly, he does a very good job of recreating the noise, smells, and confusion of simply driving a tank. The battle scenes are very capably handled, and one gets a reasonable impression of what it might have been like. The problem is that none of the characters are compelling or convincing, and therefore it's impossible to care very much about what happens to them.

This is military and historical fiction at its most mediocre, it's not awful, just not good. It's the kind of book I might have liked a lot when I was 16 or 17, but seems awfully thin as an adult. To be fair to Robbins, I'm not really sure how you could really make a massive tank battle that compelling to begin with. If one really is really interested in the battle, I'd suggest skipping this and checking out a decent web resource called "Battle of Kursk On the Web" that has tons of links.

Götterdämmerung amidst the sunflowers, 17 Jul 2004
In a previous historical novel, THE WAR OF THE RATS, author David Robbins took us to the 1942 siege of Stalingrad on World War Two's Eastern Front, one usually paid scant attention by American readers who perhaps believe that U.S. won the European war single-handed. It didn't, you know. Now, in LAST CITADEL, Robbins returns to the Eastern Front for history's greatest tank battle.

It's July 1943, and Hitler throws one last roll of the dice against the USSR with a major armored offensive designed to capture the city of Kursk. America is about to invade Italy, and Germany must knock the Soviets out of the war, or at least stabilize that front, before having to withdraw some of its forces from the East to reinforce the Mediterranean theater.

Whereas in THE WAR OF THE RATS, the confrontation in Stalingrad's rubble was between two master snipers, one German and one Russian, the LAST CITADEL evolves into the ultimate confrontation in a field of sunflowers between two tank crews, one German in the awesome Tiger tank and one Russian in the smaller but faster T-34.

The Tiger is commanded by SS Captain Luis Ruiz de Vega of the 1st SS Panzergrenadiers, one of three SS armored divisions spearheading the German assault. De Vega originally came to fight for the Nazis with the Spanish Blue Division, lent to Hitler by Franco in 1941. Having lost half his stomach to a Russian sniper during the siege of Leningrad, de Vega was rewarded with a commission in the SS. Now, bitter, constantly hungry, increasingly emaciated, and emotionally dead, Luis dreams only of returning to Spain a war hero.

The T-34 is commanded by Sgt. Valentin Berko, but its soul is its driver, Cpl. Dimitri Berko, Valentin's father. Dimitri is an old Cossack who's fought against the Czar, Trotsky's Red Army, and now the Germans. The elder Berko loves his son dearly, but is disgusted with the latter's unquestioning dedication to Communism. But the two together make a formidable fighting team.

In THE WAR OF THE RATS, a five-star novel, subplots added to the overall storyline, especially as military sniping involves a lot of waiting for the perfect shot. In contrast, several subplots in LAST CITADEL only serve as unnecessary distractions. Dimitri's daughter, Katya, is a bomber pilot attached to the Night Witches, who fly biplanes so slow and flimsy that they can only operate at night. Her boyfriend, Leonid, also a pilot, but in a modern squadron, is shot down. Attempting a landing behind enemy lines to rescue him, Katya crashes, and subsequently falls in with a group of Russian partisans, which has an unidentified traitor in its midst. In the meantime, SS Colonel Abram Breit, is spying for the Soviet's Lucy network.

Had Robbins focused entirely on the tank engagements of the Kursk battle, his book, in my opinion, would have been leaner, meaner, and better. In any case, his description of going to war in the Tiger and T-34 makes for an absorbing and informative read.

Flawed but enjoyable..., 06 Jun 2004
The latest World War Two faction novel from Robbins falls somehwere between the taut brilliance of 'War of the Rats' and the flaccid 'The End of War'. The tale is sporadically thrilling, but there are plenty of longeurs to slog through. Over-written and perhaps bogged down by an over adherence to hisitorical events, this is a not always succesful melange of fact and fiction. Characterisation is also patchy - like 'War of the Rats', his cast on the German side is more interesting psychologically and emotionally, than his Russians who appear more as paragons of virtue and not a little dull.

Worth reading, but could have been so much better if more rigorously edited. A good primer on WW2's Battle of Kursk, but as fiction flawed.

The biggest tank battle, 02 Dec 2003
This latest novel by Robbins is a mildly entertaining read about the epic tank battle fought near Kursk in July 1943. On the plus side: he is well informed, using the latest information about the battle and not the myths we have been fed for years and the book is well written. Unfortunately, Robbins cannot quite make up his mind whether to give us the actual facts or write a novel. What I mean is: what readers did he have in mind? People like me who know all the facts will be bored by the rather stereotypical characters (disturbed SS-men, courageous Russians)and the predictable ending and readers who want an exciting read will be bored by all the facts. So: competently written, but not very thrilling. Hence: three out of five stars.

Don't turn down a second chance, 25 Oct 2007
"... you had a gun on me twice, and both times you let me go. A girl gets to appreciate that sort of thing." - from THE ASSASSINS GALLERY

My first chance at THE ASSASSINS GALLERY was the initial thirty-six pages I finished on AMTRAK's Southwest Chief on the overnight leg from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where I disembarked from the train and mistakenly left the book behind to continue on to Chicago all by itself. This was no small loss as I'd been hooked by what I'd read so far and thus had to purchase a second copy once I returned home. (I just hate it when that happens, don't you?)

In the opening chapter, a mysterious submarine surreptitiously drops off a passenger on an isolated stretch of the Massachusetts coast on January 1, 1945. The intruder, after skillfully but brutally killing two unlucky Civil Defense coast watchers, goes to the nearest town, obtains a car, and sets out for Washington, D.C. The mission: to kill the President of the United States.

One member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Chief Executive is Agent Dag Nabbit, once on loan to, trained by, and operational with the British Special Operations Executive. (Dag Nabbit? Author David Robbins must be kidding. How about Holy Moses, Jumpin' Jehosephat, Gosh Darn, or my personal favorite, Oh S--T?) Nabbit, having come across the police report from Massachusetts concerning the double murder on the sands, suspects something sinister is afoot. So, he gets from the SOE the loan of his former instructor and historical expert on assassination techniques, Professor Mikhal Lammeck, to help with the investigation.

The author's previous works of fiction are centered on World War II. The first three skipped around the Eastern Front (Stalingrad, Berlin, Kursk), and the fourth takes place in Europe on the Western Front. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY also has the war as a backdrop, but at the distant vantage point of the U.S. capital. Here, the plot is ultimately keyed to an historical event, Franklin Roosevelt's death at Warm Springs, SC on April 12, 1945, ostensibly from a brain hemorrhage.

The promise of the first 36 pages held up; the volume teetered on the edge of being in the couldn't-put-it-down category until the end. The confrontation between the assassin and Lammeck at a full-dress reception at the Peruvian embassy was especially clever and worth the price of admission - paid twice as you recall. And the government payrolling the assassin was a nice twist. There were, however, irritations that caused me to lop off a star.

One of the biggest thorns in America's side in today's era of radical Islamic mischief is Iran (Persia). So, as if the author's publisher wanted David to make THE ASSASSINS GALLERY topical with current times, the unlikely villain of this piece is a Persian, Moslem assassin adept in the use of knife and poisons. What's more, her name is ... Judith. Okey-dokey. (Lucky we're not now in confrontation with Alaska; the Bad Gal would've been an Eskimo named Gladys with a harpoon.)

I also wasn't engaged by the main protagonist, Lammeck. Rather than coming off as heroic, he presented himself more as a whiner. And his relationship with former student Dag, rather than being congenial, was a continuing source of annoyance to both and to me. Actually, the most interesting and engaging character was Judith; she deserves her own series, something which Robbins makes possible, especially if she continues to stalk American politicians.

Too much 'history', not enough thrills...., 08 Jul 2007
Overloaded with historical facts which the author is deperate to shoehorn into the book, at the expense of story, plot, thrills etc. - plus the characterisation is paper-thin, and the whole thing feels amateurish and implausible... War of the Rats was much better.
For example, we get a group of Commandos in training in 1945, and apparently none of them have heard any of the most basic details of Heydrich's assassination in 1942! And so we get 7 pages of them rapt in attention as the book's 'hero' explains it all.
Again, when the assassin gets to Washington she is treated to a mini-lecture from a stranger about the realities of politics and politicians in Washington - this kind of thing happens throughout the book and it feels very clunky.
But despite the wish to utilise all possible historical facts, the author makes a basic mistake like twice calling the July 1944 assasination attempt on Hitler 'the bomb in the bunker'. And you don't need to be a historian to know that this happened in a ground-level building at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters, not in a bunker, and certainly not in the Berlin bunker.
Try the author's 'War of the Rats', but avoid this one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbins is a great story teller and by weaving fact with fiction, he brings to life events and characters from this period in our recent history, delivering a fabulous account of the efforts of the people involved by concentrating on a small group during the war and in this case, the times after D Day. I only hope he continues to find other areas of the war to continue his storytelling. A great read.

Little known heroes of WW11 , 20 Sep 2006
Behind the forefront of the major conflicts surrounding D-Day lies the story of those who provided the wherewhithal for it to succeed, those who risked death to provide provisions; food, amunition, medication, fuel, etc. driving convoys to the front line.
This book puts a human face on the men, mainly black,who drove hour after hour, day after day,with little acknowledgement of their contribution and the dangers they faced.
Against this background the tale evolves of one man in particular who is totally commited in spite of existing prejudices and the sacrifices that he made.
The book is exciting, intelligent & educating without being boring.
I'm looking for my next Robbin book.



How not to write historical fiction...., 15 Oct 2008
The Germans are lean and mean, only wanting to kill. The Russians are a fun loving lot who hate the Commies but hate the Nazis more and are thus forced to fight to protect their beloved homeland from the fascist hordes who, unprovoked, have wreaked havoc etc etc etc.

I bought this at an airport three years ago as I have always had an interest in Kursk and I still haven't finished it and probably won't as it's impossible to take an interest in the central casting cast (fanatical Spaniard, grizzled Cossack etc). In fact one of the most entertaining things to do with it is to play guess the next cliché!

Once more another half-digested pile of facts is poured out in novel form. The technical details of the weaponry are very good but the tanks themselves have more character than the humans who are so stock it defies belief. I feel the author would have done better writing a short military primer, either on the battle or the tanks, rather than attempting to write a novel, something for which he clearly has little feel or talent.

Mediocre Miltiary/Historical Fiction, 07 May 2005
I've never read any of Robbins other books, but I'd heard good things about The War of the Rats, so I thought I'd give this a go. I knew very little about the Battle of Kursk and my knowledge of the Eastern Front in general is somewhat shaky (although I did read and enjoy Guy Sajer's memoir The Forgotten Soldier). By the end of this book, it struck me that it's very much like a lot of historical and military fiction: decent at getting across the salient facts, decent at putting the reader in the middle of the action, woeful at pacing, characterization, drama, and woodenly written.

The story revolves around the pivotal battle in July 1943 for the Soviet city of Kursk. Around two million soldiers were arrayed against each other, along with the largest collection of tanks ever seen. A German offensive, code named "Citadel", was an attempt by Hitler to create a breakthrough in Russia before he would be forced to reallocate troops and tanks to deal with the impending American invasion of Italy. The protagonists are a Spanish SS Panzer officer and a Russian family, two of whom serve in the same T-34 tank. The Spaniard is the son of a famous Barcelonan bullfighter and is part of the "Blue Division" sent by Franco to fight with the Germans. A sniper shot outside Leningrad took him out of action for almost a year and turned him into a pale, shriveled shell of what he used to be. Now he's back, escorting a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front lines, and looking for revenge, honor, and glory to sustain the rest of his years. If this isn't cheesy enough, we have on the opposite side, the Berko family. Of Cossack linage, the cartoonish father is a tank driver for his son, a serious and distant Communist, while the daughter is a fearless member of an all-female night bomber unit. Supporting cardboard-thin characters include a gung-ho SS tank commander, a series of Ukrainian partisans, a noble Russian pilot, and a German intelligence officer spying for the Russians.

On the German side, the story mostly consists of Vega safeguarding the transport of a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front and eventually being assigned to command one of them in the battle. On the Russian side, we have the two Berko men in their latest T-34, dealing with two new recruits and preparing for the battle. Their daughter/sister, meanwhile, is engaged on nightly bombing runs. However, when her male pilot friend gets shot down, she naturally tries to rescue him, resulting in her getting absorbed into a partisan unit with a traitor in its midst. Naturally, by the end, Vega and the Berkos will meet on the field of battle and dance their inevitable dance. Many of the story elements are poorly handled and are utterly lacking in drama or tension, such as the woman's love interest, the subplot about the traitor, and most especially the German officer spy. In contrast, the actual tactical and technical details come across rather well. Robbins does a very clear job of explaining the relative strengths and weaknesses of every tank. Similarly, he does a very good job of recreating the noise, smells, and confusion of simply driving a tank. The battle scenes are very capably handled, and one gets a reasonable impression of what it might have been like. The problem is that none of the characters are compelling or convincing, and therefore it's impossible to care very much about what happens to them.

This is military and historical fiction at its most mediocre, it's not awful, just not good. It's the kind of book I might have liked a lot when I was 16 or 17, but seems awfully thin as an adult. To be fair to Robbins, I'm not really sure how you could really make a massive tank battle that compelling to begin with. If one really is really interested in the battle, I'd suggest skipping this and checking out a decent web resource called "Battle of Kursk On the Web" that has tons of links.

Götterdämmerung amidst the sunflowers, 17 Jul 2004
In a previous historical novel, THE WAR OF THE RATS, author David Robbins took us to the 1942 siege of Stalingrad on World War Two's Eastern Front, one usually paid scant attention by American readers who perhaps believe that U.S. won the European war single-handed. It didn't, you know. Now, in LAST CITADEL, Robbins returns to the Eastern Front for history's greatest tank battle.

It's July 1943, and Hitler throws one last roll of the dice against the USSR with a major armored offensive designed to capture the city of Kursk. America is about to invade Italy, and Germany must knock the Soviets out of the war, or at least stabilize that front, before having to withdraw some of its forces from the East to reinforce the Mediterranean theater.

Whereas in THE WAR OF THE RATS, the confrontation in Stalingrad's rubble was between two master snipers, one German and one Russian, the LAST CITADEL evolves into the ultimate confrontation in a field of sunflowers between two tank crews, one German in the awesome Tiger tank and one Russian in the smaller but faster T-34.

The Tiger is commanded by SS Captain Luis Ruiz de Vega of the 1st SS Panzergrenadiers, one of three SS armored divisions spearheading the German assault. De Vega originally came to fight for the Nazis with the Spanish Blue Division, lent to Hitler by Franco in 1941. Having lost half his stomach to a Russian sniper during the siege of Leningrad, de Vega was rewarded with a commission in the SS. Now, bitter, constantly hungry, increasingly emaciated, and emotionally dead, Luis dreams only of returning to Spain a war hero.

The T-34 is commanded by Sgt. Valentin Berko, but its soul is its driver, Cpl. Dimitri Berko, Valentin's father. Dimitri is an old Cossack who's fought against the Czar, Trotsky's Red Army, and now the Germans. The elder Berko loves his son dearly, but is disgusted with the latter's unquestioning dedication to Communism. But the two together make a formidable fighting team.

In THE WAR OF THE RATS, a five-star novel, subplots added to the overall storyline, especially as military sniping involves a lot of waiting for the perfect shot. In contrast, several subplots in LAST CITADEL only serve as unnecessary distractions. Dimitri's daughter, Katya, is a bomber pilot attached to the Night Witches, who fly biplanes so slow and flimsy that they can only operate at night. Her boyfriend, Leonid, also a pilot, but in a modern squadron, is shot down. Attempting a landing behind enemy lines to rescue him, Katya crashes, and subsequently falls in with a group of Russian partisans, which has an unidentified traitor in its midst. In the meantime, SS Colonel Abram Breit, is spying for the Soviet's Lucy network.

Had Robbins focused entirely on the tank engagements of the Kursk battle, his book, in my opinion, would have been leaner, meaner, and better. In any case, his description of going to war in the Tiger and T-34 makes for an absorbing and informative read.

Flawed but enjoyable..., 06 Jun 2004
The latest World War Two faction novel from Robbins falls somehwere between the taut brilliance of 'War of the Rats' and the flaccid 'The End of War'. The tale is sporadically thrilling, but there are plenty of longeurs to slog through. Over-written and perhaps bogged down by an over adherence to hisitorical events, this is a not always succesful melange of fact and fiction. Characterisation is also patchy - like 'War of the Rats', his cast on the German side is more interesting psychologically and emotionally, than his Russians who appear more as paragons of virtue and not a little dull.

Worth reading, but could have been so much better if more rigorously edited. A good primer on WW2's Battle of Kursk, but as fiction flawed.

The biggest tank battle, 02 Dec 2003
This latest novel by Robbins is a mildly entertaining read about the epic tank battle fought near Kursk in July 1943. On the plus side: he is well informed, using the latest information about the battle and not the myths we have been fed for years and the book is well written. Unfortunately, Robbins cannot quite make up his mind whether to give us the actual facts or write a novel. What I mean is: what readers did he have in mind? People like me who know all the facts will be bored by the rather stereotypical characters (disturbed SS-men, courageous Russians)and the predictable ending and readers who want an exciting read will be bored by all the facts. So: competently written, but not very thrilling. Hence: three out of five stars.

4 1/2 Stars -- A Very Good Book By An Excellent Author! , 01 Sep 2007
Why David L. Robbins isn't better known is a mystery to be. His ability to create interesting, thought-provoking, well-researched historical fiction with multi-dimensional characters is excellent. In The End Of War, a novel of the race for Berlin as WWII draws to a close, Robbins makes you feel like you are right there in the thick of things -- in the meeting rooms with FDR, Churchill and Stalin, in the field of battle with two Russian soldiers --Ilya and Mischa, with Charles Bandy, -- A Life magazine photographer -- as he takes photos that makes the world realize the horror of war, and in the apartment with Lotti and her mother as they constantly do what's necessary to survive in war-torn Berlin, including trying to keep a Jewish man hidden from the Nazis and Russians. Essentially The End Of War is four well-told stories-- although some better than others. While I was expecting more action and a faster pace than was delivered, I was in no way disappointed with this book. If you are a reader that enjoys historical fiction or just a well-written book, I think you'll enjoy The End Of War.

The Race for Berlin, 11 Aug 2004
The End of War is a gripping account of the last few days of the war and of the significance of the race for Berlin in shaping the map of post war Europe. Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character including all the main players including Churchill, Rooservelt, Stalin, Eisenhower and three fictional characters; a Russian infantry soldier, an American war photographer and a German musician living in Berlin.

Robbins has obviously researched the period extensively and provides a completely human account showing the emotions involved as the Soviet Army marches relentlessly towards the West and an increasingly desperate Churchill tries to pursuade the Americans of the true value of Berlin.

Knowing that the inevitable outcome will lead to the rise of the Iron Curtain and 50 years of Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe
only serves to heighten the tension towards the end of the book.
A truly wonderful read.

A novel of powerful images, 07 Feb 2004
The previous book by David Robbins, WAR OF THE RATS, based on the German siege of Stalingrad during World War II, is an exceptional war novel. THE END OF WAR, using as a backdrop the last few months of the war against Hitler's Third Reich, is equally riveting and compelling.

The legions of the Western Allies are advancing to the Rhine, and the Red Army juggernaught is poised to invade Poland from across that country's eastern border. The logical goal of both: Berlin.

The characters in the second echelon of this fictional work are 20th century giants of political and military history: Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, and generals Eisenhower and Zhukov. It is their ideology, pride, suspicion, and desire for glory that determines the paths of armies. It's history that Berlin was taken by Zhukov and the Soviets. Because Robbins apparently did extensive research from a long bibliography to recreate the high-level decisions that directed that outcome, I like to think that much of what I read was factual. But, never mind. The value of THE END OF WAR lies in its fictional characters, the first echelon, who live under the greasy arrows drawn on the warlords' battle maps.

Ilya is a former Soviet Army major, a hero of Stalingrad, reduced to enlisted status in a penal battalion because an uncle, a general, angered Stalin. Lottie is a young cello player of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cowering with her mother under the daily (and nightly) rain of British and American bombs. Charley Bandy, whose aspiration is to enter Germany's capital with the first Anglo-American force to get there, is an American photographer working for LIFE magazine.

This novel is one that virtually demands to be read at one sitting. All characters are expertly brought to life, and the dialog is consistently arresting and believable. Above all else, the images Robbins brings to mind are powerful and unforgettable. It's almost as if you're there smelling Winston's cigar, or the brick dust of Berlin's rubble. Consider the scene ...

Ilya commands several Red Army soldiers escorting sixty captured Germans to the rear. On a road far from anywhere, far from any witnesses, one of the POWs collapses to the ground exhausted. The Soviets gather round, exhorting the man to get up with curses and kicks. Suddenly the episode escalates as the guards begin shouting at all the prisoners.

"The guards hurl more names at the Germans. Names of prison camps, Rovno, Ternopol, Zitomir; names of occupied villages, Braslav, Balvi, Vigala; names of death camps, Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka; names of dead comrades ...; names of fathers and mothers, brothers, women. The Red soldiers vent themselves on the Germans ... They have debts to collect ... One of the Germans mutters in Russian, 'Bastards' ... All of these men hate. Back and forth, volleys of loathing ... Two of the Germans reach to the ground to lift their comrade. They put the man on his feet and release him with care. He stays erect, shaking. The rest of the prisoners move by instinct closer, penned animals do the same ... One of the Russians raises his rifle to his cheek, ridiculous, as though he needs to aim this close to his targets ... Ilya's mouth is bone dry. He could speak ... He could say, what? ...Another crow dispatches his voice from the trees ... Ilya turns his back."

Can you see it in your mind's eye, the palpable animosity on that stretch of dusty, country road? Oh, my.

If you enjoy novels of men and women in the firestorm of war, buy this book.

Suitable for Long Airplane Journeys Only, 14 Nov 2002
The End of War is the latest example of that increasingly popular blend of fact and fiction known as ‘faction’. Here, the last months of Nazi resistance provide the historical backdrop for vivid characterisations of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, as well as three imaginary figures including a seasoned American war photographer, a naive young Berlin musician, and a war-weary Soviet soldier. Will the US and British forces or the Soviet Army enjoy the ultimate glory of capturing Berlin? In the end, somewhat simplistic characterisations and an uneven storyline make this book suitable for long airplane journeys only.

An accurate protrayal of World War Two if not a great book, 14 Sep 2001
This book attempts to show the final months of World War Two from every perspective. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill's views are put forth in alternative chapters. It also shows how an American Photo-journalist, Soviet Soldier and german female cellist coped in the closing months of the war. It is a well researched story and a good reference for any buding historian. However the use of real and imaginary people in this story leads to confusion. In all a good book not a great one.

Don't turn down a second chance, 25 Oct 2007
"... you had a gun on me twice, and both times you let me go. A girl gets to appreciate that sort of thing." - from THE ASSASSINS GALLERY

My first chance at THE ASSASSINS GALLERY was the initial thirty-six pages I finished on AMTRAK's Southwest Chief on the overnight leg from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where I disembarked from the train and mistakenly left the book behind to continue on to Chicago all by itself. This was no small loss as I'd been hooked by what I'd read so far and thus had to purchase a second copy once I returned home. (I just hate it when that happens, don't you?)

In the opening chapter, a mysterious submarine surreptitiously drops off a passenger on an isolated stretch of the Massachusetts coast on January 1, 1945. The intruder, after skillfully but brutally killing two unlucky Civil Defense coast watchers, goes to the nearest town, obtains a car, and sets out for Washington, D.C. The mission: to kill the President of the United States.

One member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Chief Executive is Agent Dag Nabbit, once on loan to, trained by, and operational with the British Special Operations Executive. (Dag Nabbit? Author David Robbins must be kidding. How about Holy Moses, Jumpin' Jehosephat, Gosh Darn, or my personal favorite, Oh S--T?) Nabbit, having come across the police report from Massachusetts concerning the double murder on the sands, suspects something sinister is afoot. So, he gets from the SOE the loan of his former instructor and historical expert on assassination techniques, Professor Mikhal Lammeck, to help with the investigation.

The author's previous works of fiction are centered on World War II. The first three skipped around the Eastern Front (Stalingrad, Berlin, Kursk), and the fourth takes place in Europe on the Western Front. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY also has the war as a backdrop, but at the distant vantage point of the U.S. capital. Here, the plot is ultimately keyed to an historical event, Franklin Roosevelt's death at Warm Springs, SC on April 12, 1945, ostensibly from a brain hemorrhage.

The promise of the first 36 pages held up; the volume teetered on the edge of being in the couldn't-put-it-down category until the end. The confrontation between the assassin and Lammeck at a full-dress reception at the Peruvian embassy was especially clever and worth the price of admission - paid twice as you recall. And the government payrolling the assassin was a nice twist. There were, however, irritations that caused me to lop off a star.

One of the biggest thorns in America's side in today's era of radical Islamic mischief is Iran (Persia). So, as if the author's publisher wanted David to make THE ASSASSINS GALLERY topical with current times, the unlikely villain of this piece is a Persian, Moslem assassin adept in the use of knife and poisons. What's more, her name is ... Judith. Okey-dokey. (Lucky we're not now in confrontation with Alaska; the Bad Gal would've been an Eskimo named Gladys with a harpoon.)

I also wasn't engaged by the main protagonist, Lammeck. Rather than coming off as heroic, he presented himself more as a whiner. And his relationship with former student Dag, rather than being congenial, was a continuing source of annoyance to both and to me. Actually, the most interesting and engaging character was Judith; she deserves her own series, something which Robbins makes possible, especially if she continues to stalk American politicians.

Too much 'history', not enough thrills...., 08 Jul 2007
Overloaded with historical facts which the author is deperate to shoehorn into the book, at the expense of story, plot, thrills etc. - plus the characterisation is paper-thin, and the whole thing feels amateurish and implausible... War of the Rats was much better.
For example, we get a group of Commandos in training in 1945, and apparently none of them have heard any of the most basic details of Heydrich's assassination in 1942! And so we get 7 pages of them rapt in attention as the book's 'hero' explains it all.
Again, when the assassin gets to Washington she is treated to a mini-lecture from a stranger about the realities of politics and politicians in Washington - this kind of thing happens throughout the book and it feels very clunky.
But despite the wish to utilise all possible historical facts, the author makes a basic mistake like twice calling the July 1944 assasination attempt on Hitler 'the bomb in the bunker'. And you don't need to be a historian to know that this happened in a ground-level building at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters, not in a bunker, and certainly not in the Berlin bunker.
Try the author's 'War of the Rats', but avoid this one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbins is a great story teller and by weaving fact with fiction, he brings to life events and characters from this period in our recent history, delivering a fabulous account of the efforts of the people involved by concentrating on a small group during the war and in this case, the times after D Day. I only hope he continues to find other areas of the war to continue his storytelling. A great read.

Little known heroes of WW11 , 20 Sep 2006
Behind the forefront of the major conflicts surrounding D-Day lies the story of those who provided the wherewhithal for it to succeed, those who risked death to provide provisions; food, amunition, medication, fuel, etc. driving convoys to the front line.
This book puts a human face on the men, mainly black,who drove hour after hour, day after day,with little acknowledgement of their contribution and the dangers they faced.
Against this background the tale evolves of one man in particular who is totally commited in spite of existing prejudices and the sacrifices that he made.
The book is exciting, intelligent & educating without being boring.
I'm looking for my next Robbin book.



How not to write historical fiction...., 15 Oct 2008
The Germans are lean and mean, only wanting to kill. The Russians are a fun loving lot who hate the Commies but hate the Nazis more and are thus forced to fight to protect their beloved homeland from the fascist hordes who, unprovoked, have wreaked havoc etc etc etc.

I bought this at an airport three years ago as I have always had an interest in Kursk and I still haven't finished it and probably won't as it's impossible to take an interest in the central casting cast (fanatical Spaniard, grizzled Cossack etc). In fact one of the most entertaining things to do with it is to play guess the next cliché!

Once more another half-digested pile of facts is poured out in novel form. The technical details of the weaponry are very good but the tanks themselves have more character than the humans who are so stock it defies belief. I feel the author would have done better writing a short military primer, either on the battle or the tanks, rather than attempting to write a novel, something for which he clearly has little feel or talent.

Mediocre Miltiary/Historical Fiction, 07 May 2005
I've never read any of Robbins other books, but I'd heard good things about The War of the Rats, so I thought I'd give this a go. I knew very little about the Battle of Kursk and my knowledge of the Eastern Front in general is somewhat shaky (although I did read and enjoy Guy Sajer's memoir The Forgotten Soldier). By the end of this book, it struck me that it's very much like a lot of historical and military fiction: decent at getting across the salient facts, decent at putting the reader in the middle of the action, woeful at pacing, characterization, drama, and woodenly written.

The story revolves around the pivotal battle in July 1943 for the Soviet city of Kursk. Around two million soldiers were arrayed against each other, along with the largest collection of tanks ever seen. A German offensive, code named "Citadel", was an attempt by Hitler to create a breakthrough in Russia before he would be forced to reallocate troops and tanks to deal with the impending American invasion of Italy. The protagonists are a Spanish SS Panzer officer and a Russian family, two of whom serve in the same T-34 tank. The Spaniard is the son of a famous Barcelonan bullfighter and is part of the "Blue Division" sent by Franco to fight with the Germans. A sniper shot outside Leningrad took him out of action for almost a year and turned him into a pale, shriveled shell of what he used to be. Now he's back, escorting a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front lines, and looking for revenge, honor, and glory to sustain the rest of his years. If this isn't cheesy enough, we have on the opposite side, the Berko family. Of Cossack linage, the cartoonish father is a tank driver for his son, a serious and distant Communist, while the daughter is a fearless member of an all-female night bomber unit. Supporting cardboard-thin characters include a gung-ho SS tank commander, a series of Ukrainian partisans, a noble Russian pilot, and a German intelligence officer spying for the Russians.

On the German side, the story mostly consists of Vega safeguarding the transport of a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front and eventually being assigned to command one of them in the battle. On the Russian side, we have the two Berko men in their latest T-34, dealing with two new recruits and preparing for the battle. Their daughter/sister, meanwhile, is engaged on nightly bombing runs. However, when her male pilot friend gets shot down, she naturally tries to rescue him, resulting in her getting absorbed into a partisan unit with a traitor in its midst. Naturally, by the end, Vega and the Berkos will meet on the field of battle and dance their inevitable dance. Many of the story elements are poorly handled and are utterly lacking in drama or tension, such as the woman's love interest, the subplot about the traitor, and most especially the German officer spy. In contrast, the actual tactical and technical details come across rather well. Robbins does a very clear job of explaining the relative strengths and weaknesses of every tank. Similarly, he does a very good job of recreating the noise, smells, and confusion of simply driving a tank. The battle scenes are very capably handled, and one gets a reasonable impression of what it might have been like. The problem is that none of the characters are compelling or convincing, and therefore it's impossible to care very much about what happens to them.

This is military and historical fiction at its most mediocre, it's not awful, just not good. It's the kind of book I might have liked a lot when I was 16 or 17, but seems awfully thin as an adult. To be fair to Robbins, I'm not really sure how you could really make a massive tank battle that compelling to begin with. If one really is really interested in the battle, I'd suggest skipping this and checking out a decent web resource called "Battle of Kursk On the Web" that has tons of links.

Götterdämmerung amidst the sunflowers, 17 Jul 2004
In a previous historical novel, THE WAR OF THE RATS, author David Robbins took us to the 1942 siege of Stalingrad on World War Two's Eastern Front, one usually paid scant attention by American readers who perhaps believe that U.S. won the European war single-handed. It didn't, you know. Now, in LAST CITADEL, Robbins returns to the Eastern Front for history's greatest tank battle.

It's July 1943, and Hitler throws one last roll of the dice against the USSR with a major armored offensive designed to capture the city of Kursk. America is about to invade Italy, and Germany must knock the Soviets out of the war, or at least stabilize that front, before having to withdraw some of its forces from the East to reinforce the Mediterranean theater.

Whereas in THE WAR OF THE RATS, the confrontation in Stalingrad's rubble was between two master snipers, one German and one Russian, the LAST CITADEL evolves into the ultimate confrontation in a field of sunflowers between two tank crews, one German in the awesome Tiger tank and one Russian in the smaller but faster T-34.

The Tiger is commanded by SS Captain Luis Ruiz de Vega of the 1st SS Panzergrenadiers, one of three SS armored divisions spearheading the German assault. De Vega originally came to fight for the Nazis with the Spanish Blue Division, lent to Hitler by Franco in 1941. Having lost half his stomach to a Russian sniper during the siege of Leningrad, de Vega was rewarded with a commission in the SS. Now, bitter, constantly hungry, increasingly emaciated, and emotionally dead, Luis dreams only of returning to Spain a war hero.

The T-34 is commanded by Sgt. Valentin Berko, but its soul is its driver, Cpl. Dimitri Berko, Valentin's father. Dimitri is an old Cossack who's fought against the Czar, Trotsky's Red Army, and now the Germans. The elder Berko loves his son dearly, but is disgusted with the latter's unquestioning dedication to Communism. But the two together make a formidable fighting team.

In THE WAR OF THE RATS, a five-star novel, subplots added to the overall storyline, especially as military sniping involves a lot of waiting for the perfect shot. In contrast, several subplots in LAST CITADEL only serve as unnecessary distractions. Dimitri's daughter, Katya, is a bomber pilot attached to the Night Witches, who fly biplanes so slow and flimsy that they can only operate at night. Her boyfriend, Leonid, also a pilot, but in a modern squadron, is shot down. Attempting a landing behind enemy lines to rescue him, Katya crashes, and subsequently falls in with a group of Russian partisans, which has an unidentified traitor in its midst. In the meantime, SS Colonel Abram Breit, is spying for the Soviet's Lucy network.

Had Robbins focused entirely on the tank engagements of the Kursk battle, his book, in my opinion, would have been leaner, meaner, and better. In any case, his description of going to war in the Tiger and T-34 makes for an absorbing and informative read.

Flawed but enjoyable..., 06 Jun 2004
The latest World War Two faction novel from Robbins falls somehwere between the taut brilliance of 'War of the Rats' and the flaccid 'The End of War'. The tale is sporadically thrilling, but there are plenty of longeurs to slog through. Over-written and perhaps bogged down by an over adherence to hisitorical events, this is a not always succesful melange of fact and fiction. Characterisation is also patchy - like 'War of the Rats', his cast on the German side is more interesting psychologically and emotionally, than his Russians who appear more as paragons of virtue and not a little dull.

Worth reading, but could have been so much better if more rigorously edited. A good primer on WW2's Battle of Kursk, but as fiction flawed.

The biggest tank battle, 02 Dec 2003
This latest novel by Robbins is a mildly entertaining read about the epic tank battle fought near Kursk in July 1943. On the plus side: he is well informed, using the latest information about the battle and not the myths we have been fed for years and the book is well written. Unfortunately, Robbins cannot quite make up his mind whether to give us the actual facts or write a novel. What I mean is: what readers did he have in mind? People like me who know all the facts will be bored by the rather stereotypical characters (disturbed SS-men, courageous Russians)and the predictable ending and readers who want an exciting read will be bored by all the facts. So: competently written, but not very thrilling. Hence: three out of five stars.

4 1/2 Stars -- A Very Good Book By An Excellent Author! , 01 Sep 2007
Why David L. Robbins isn't better known is a mystery to be. His ability to create interesting, thought-provoking, well-researched historical fiction with multi-dimensional characters is excellent. In The End Of War, a novel of the race for Berlin as WWII draws to a close, Robbins makes you feel like you are right there in the thick of things -- in the meeting rooms with FDR, Churchill and Stalin, in the field of battle with two Russian soldiers --Ilya and Mischa, with Charles Bandy, -- A Life magazine photographer -- as he takes photos that makes the world realize the horror of war, and in the apartment with Lotti and her mother as they constantly do what's necessary to survive in war-torn Berlin, including trying to keep a Jewish man hidden from the Nazis and Russians. Essentially The End Of War is four well-told stories-- although some better than others. While I was expecting more action and a faster pace than was delivered, I was in no way disappointed with this book. If you are a reader that enjoys historical fiction or just a well-written book, I think you'll enjoy The End Of War.

The Race for Berlin, 11 Aug 2004
The End of War is a gripping account of the last few days of the war and of the significance of the race for Berlin in shaping the map of post war Europe. Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character including all the main players including Churchill, Rooservelt, Stalin, Eisenhower and three fictional characters; a Russian infantry soldier, an American war photographer and a German musician living in Berlin.

Robbins has obviously researched the period extensively and provides a completely human account showing the emotions involved as the Soviet Army marches relentlessly towards the West and an increasingly desperate Churchill tries to pursuade the Americans of the true value of Berlin.

Knowing that the inevitable outcome will lead to the rise of the Iron Curtain and 50 years of Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe
only serves to heighten the tension towards the end of the book.
A truly wonderful read.

A novel of powerful images, 07 Feb 2004
The previous book by David Robbins, WAR OF THE RATS, based on the German siege of Stalingrad during World War II, is an exceptional war novel. THE END OF WAR, using as a backdrop the last few months of the war against Hitler's Third Reich, is equally riveting and compelling.

The legions of the Western Allies are advancing to the Rhine, and the Red Army juggernaught is poised to invade Poland from across that country's eastern border. The logical goal of both: Berlin.

The characters in the second echelon of this fictional work are 20th century giants of political and military history: Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, and generals Eisenhower and Zhukov. It is their ideology, pride, suspicion, and desire for glory that determines the paths of armies. It's history that Berlin was taken by Zhukov and the Soviets. Because Robbins apparently did extensive research from a long bibliography to recreate the high-level decisions that directed that outcome, I like to think that much of what I read was factual. But, never mind. The value of THE END OF WAR lies in its fictional characters, the first echelon, who live under the greasy arrows drawn on the warlords' battle maps.

Ilya is a former Soviet Army major, a hero of Stalingrad, reduced to enlisted status in a penal battalion because an uncle, a general, angered Stalin. Lottie is a young cello player of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cowering with her mother under the daily (and nightly) rain of British and American bombs. Charley Bandy, whose aspiration is to enter Germany's capital with the first Anglo-American force to get there, is an American photographer working for LIFE magazine.

This novel is one that virtually demands to be read at one sitting. All characters are expertly brought to life, and the dialog is consistently arresting and believable. Above all else, the images Robbins brings to mind are powerful and unforgettable. It's almost as if you're there smelling Winston's cigar, or the brick dust of Berlin's rubble. Consider the scene ...

Ilya commands several Red Army soldiers escorting sixty captured Germans to the rear. On a road far from anywhere, far from any witnesses, one of the POWs collapses to the ground exhausted. The Soviets gather round, exhorting the man to get up with curses and kicks. Suddenly the episode escalates as the guards begin shouting at all the prisoners.

"The guards hurl more names at the Germans. Names of prison camps, Rovno, Ternopol, Zitomir; names of occupied villages, Braslav, Balvi, Vigala; names of death camps, Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka; names of dead comrades ...; names of fathers and mothers, brothers, women. The Red soldiers vent themselves on the Germans ... They have debts to collect ... One of the Germans mutters in Russian, 'Bastards' ... All of these men hate. Back and forth, volleys of loathing ... Two of the Germans reach to the ground to lift their comrade. They put the man on his feet and release him with care. He stays erect, shaking. The rest of the prisoners move by instinct closer, penned animals do the same ... One of the Russians raises his rifle to his cheek, ridiculous, as though he needs to aim this close to his targets ... Ilya's mouth is bone dry. He could speak ... He could say, what? ...Another crow dispatches his voice from the trees ... Ilya turns his back."

Can you see it in your mind's eye, the palpable animosity on that stretch of dusty, country road? Oh, my.

If you enjoy novels of men and women in the firestorm of war, buy this book.

Suitable for Long Airplane Journeys Only, 14 Nov 2002
The End of War is the latest example of that increasingly popular blend of fact and fiction known as ‘faction’. Here, the last months of Nazi resistance provide the historical backdrop for vivid characterisations of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, as well as three imaginary figures including a seasoned American war photographer, a naive young Berlin musician, and a war-weary Soviet soldier. Will the US and British forces or the Soviet Army enjoy the ultimate glory of capturing Berlin? In the end, somewhat simplistic characterisations and an uneven storyline make this book suitable for long airplane journeys only.

An accurate protrayal of World War Two if not a great book, 14 Sep 2001
This book attempts to show the final months of World War Two from every perspective. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill's views are put forth in alternative chapters. It also shows how an American Photo-journalist, Soviet Soldier and german female cellist coped in the closing months of the war. It is a well researched story and a good reference for any buding historian. However the use of real and imaginary people in this story leads to confusion. In all a good book not a great one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbins is a great story teller and by weaving fact with fiction, he brings to life events and characters from this period in our recent history, delivering a fabulous account of the efforts of the people involved by concentrating on a small group during the war and in this case, the times after D Day. I only hope he continues to find other areas of the war to continue his storytelling. A great read.

Little known heroes of WW11 , 20 Sep 2006
Behind the forefront of the major conflicts surrounding D-Day lies the story of those who provided the wherewhithal for it to succeed, those who risked death to provide provisions; food, amunition, medication, fuel, etc. driving convoys to the front line.
This book puts a human face on the men, mainly black,who drove hour after hour, day after day,with little acknowledgement of their contribution and the dangers they faced.
Against this background the tale evolves of one man in particular who is totally commited in spite of existing prejudices and the sacrifices that he made.
The book is exciting, intelligent & educating without being boring.
I'm looking for my next Robbin book.

Don't turn down a second chance, 25 Oct 2007
"... you had a gun on me twice, and both times you let me go. A girl gets to appreciate that sort of thing." - from THE ASSASSINS GALLERY

My first chance at THE ASSASSINS GALLERY was the initial thirty-six pages I finished on AMTRAK's Southwest Chief on the overnight leg from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where I disembarked from the train and mistakenly left the book behind to continue on to Chicago all by itself. This was no small loss as I'd been hooked by what I'd read so far and thus had to purchase a second copy once I returned home. (I just hate it when that happens, don't you?)

In the opening chapter, a mysterious submarine surreptitiously drops off a passenger on an isolated stretch of the Massachusetts coast on January 1, 1945. The intruder, after skillfully but brutally killing two unlucky Civil Defense coast watchers, goes to the nearest town, obtains a car, and sets out for Washington, D.C. The mission: to kill the President of the United States.

One member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Chief Executive is Agent Dag Nabbit, once on loan to, trained by, and operational with the British Special Operations Executive. (Dag Nabbit? Author David Robbins must be kidding. How about Holy Moses, Jumpin' Jehosephat, Gosh Darn, or my personal favorite, Oh S--T?) Nabbit, having come across the police report from Massachusetts concerning the double murder on the sands, suspects something sinister is afoot. So, he gets from the SOE the loan of his former instructor and historical expert on assassination techniques, Professor Mikhal Lammeck, to help with the investigation.

The author's previous works of fiction are centered on World War II. The first three skipped around the Eastern Front (Stalingrad, Berlin, Kursk), and the fourth takes place in Europe on the Western Front. THE ASSASSINS GALLERY also has the war as a backdrop, but at the distant vantage point of the U.S. capital. Here, the plot is ultimately keyed to an historical event, Franklin Roosevelt's death at Warm Springs, SC on April 12, 1945, ostensibly from a brain hemorrhage.

The promise of the first 36 pages held up; the volume teetered on the edge of being in the couldn't-put-it-down category until the end. The confrontation between the assassin and Lammeck at a full-dress reception at the Peruvian embassy was especially clever and worth the price of admission - paid twice as you recall. And the government payrolling the assassin was a nice twist. There were, however, irritations that caused me to lop off a star.

One of the biggest thorns in America's side in today's era of radical Islamic mischief is Iran (Persia). So, as if the author's publisher wanted David to make THE ASSASSINS GALLERY topical with current times, the unlikely villain of this piece is a Persian, Moslem assassin adept in the use of knife and poisons. What's more, her name is ... Judith. Okey-dokey. (Lucky we're not now in confrontation with Alaska; the Bad Gal would've been an Eskimo named Gladys with a harpoon.)

I also wasn't engaged by the main protagonist, Lammeck. Rather than coming off as heroic, he presented himself more as a whiner. And his relationship with former student Dag, rather than being congenial, was a continuing source of annoyance to both and to me. Actually, the most interesting and engaging character was Judith; she deserves her own series, something which Robbins makes possible, especially if she continues to stalk American politicians.

Too much 'history', not enough thrills...., 08 Jul 2007
Overloaded with historical facts which the author is deperate to shoehorn into the book, at the expense of story, plot, thrills etc. - plus the characterisation is paper-thin, and the whole thing feels amateurish and implausible... War of the Rats was much better.
For example, we get a group of Commandos in training in 1945, and apparently none of them have heard any of the most basic details of Heydrich's assassination in 1942! And so we get 7 pages of them rapt in attention as the book's 'hero' explains it all.
Again, when the assassin gets to Washington she is treated to a mini-lecture from a stranger about the realities of politics and politicians in Washington - this kind of thing happens throughout the book and it feels very clunky.
But despite the wish to utilise all possible historical facts, the author makes a basic mistake like twice calling the July 1944 assasination attempt on Hitler 'the bomb in the bunker'. And you don't need to be a historian to know that this happened in a ground-level building at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters, not in a bunker, and certainly not in the Berlin bunker.
Try the author's 'War of the Rats', but avoid this one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbins is a great story teller and by weaving fact with fiction, he brings to life events and characters from this period in our recent history, delivering a fabulous account of the efforts of the people involved by concentrating on a small group during the war and in this case, the times after D Day. I only hope he continues to find other areas of the war to continue his storytelling. A great read.

Little known heroes of WW11 , 20 Sep 2006
Behind the forefront of the major conflicts surrounding D-Day lies the story of those who provided the wherewhithal for it to succeed, those who risked death to provide provisions; food, amunition, medication, fuel, etc. driving convoys to the front line.
This book puts a human face on the men, mainly black,who drove hour after hour, day after day,with little acknowledgement of their contribution and the dangers they faced.
Against this background the tale evolves of one man in particular who is totally commited in spite of existing prejudices and the sacrifices that he made.
The book is exciting, intelligent & educating without being boring.
I'm looking for my next Robbin book.



How not to write historical fiction...., 15 Oct 2008
The Germans are lean and mean, only wanting to kill. The Russians are a fun loving lot who hate the Commies but hate the Nazis more and are thus forced to fight to protect their beloved homeland from the fascist hordes who, unprovoked, have wreaked havoc etc etc etc.

I bought this at an airport three years ago as I have always had an interest in Kursk and I still haven't finished it and probably won't as it's impossible to take an interest in the central casting cast (fanatical Spaniard, grizzled Cossack etc). In fact one of the most entertaining things to do with it is to play guess the next cliché!

Once more another half-digested pile of facts is poured out in novel form. The technical details of the weaponry are very good but the tanks themselves have more character than the humans who are so stock it defies belief. I feel the author would have done better writing a short military primer, either on the battle or the tanks, rather than attempting to write a novel, something for which he clearly has little feel or talent.

Mediocre Miltiary/Historical Fiction, 07 May 2005
I've never read any of Robbins other books, but I'd heard good things about The War of the Rats, so I thought I'd give this a go. I knew very little about the Battle of Kursk and my knowledge of the Eastern Front in general is somewhat shaky (although I did read and enjoy Guy Sajer's memoir The Forgotten Soldier). By the end of this book, it struck me that it's very much like a lot of historical and military fiction: decent at getting across the salient facts, decent at putting the reader in the middle of the action, woeful at pacing, characterization, drama, and woodenly written.

The story revolves around the pivotal battle in July 1943 for the Soviet city of Kursk. Around two million soldiers were arrayed against each other, along with the largest collection of tanks ever seen. A German offensive, code named "Citadel", was an attempt by Hitler to create a breakthrough in Russia before he would be forced to reallocate troops and tanks to deal with the impending American invasion of Italy. The protagonists are a Spanish SS Panzer officer and a Russian family, two of whom serve in the same T-34 tank. The Spaniard is the son of a famous Barcelonan bullfighter and is part of the "Blue Division" sent by Franco to fight with the Germans. A sniper shot outside Leningrad took him out of action for almost a year and turned him into a pale, shriveled shell of what he used to be. Now he's back, escorting a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front lines, and looking for revenge, honor, and glory to sustain the rest of his years. If this isn't cheesy enough, we have on the opposite side, the Berko family. Of Cossack linage, the cartoonish father is a tank driver for his son, a serious and distant Communist, while the daughter is a fearless member of an all-female night bomber unit. Supporting cardboard-thin characters include a gung-ho SS tank commander, a series of Ukrainian partisans, a noble Russian pilot, and a German intelligence officer spying for the Russians.

On the German side, the story mostly consists of Vega safeguarding the transport of a final shipment of Tiger tanks to the front and eventually being assigned to command one of them in the battle. On the Russian side, we have the two Berko men in their latest T-34, dealing with two new recruits and preparing for the battle. Their daughter/sister, meanwhile, is engaged on nightly bombing runs. However, when her male pilot friend gets shot down, she naturally tries to rescue him, resulting in her getting absorbed into a partisan unit with a traitor in its midst. Naturally, by the end, Vega and the Berkos will meet on the field of battle and dance their inevitable dance. Many of the story elements are poorly handled and are utterly lacking in drama or tension, such as the woman's love interest, the subplot about the traitor, and most especially the German officer spy. In contrast, the actual tactical and technical details come across rather well. Robbins does a very clear job of explaining the relative strengths and weaknesses of every tank. Similarly, he does a very good job of recreating the noise, smells, and confusion of simply driving a tank. The battle scenes are very capably handled, and one gets a reasonable impression of what it might have been like. The problem is that none of the characters are compelling or convincing, and therefore it's impossible to care very much about what happens to them.

This is military and historical fiction at its most mediocre, it's not awful, just not good. It's the kind of book I might have liked a lot when I was 16 or 17, but seems awfully thin as an adult. To be fair to Robbins, I'm not really sure how you could really make a massive tank battle that compelling to begin with. If one really is really interested in the battle, I'd suggest skipping this and checking out a decent web resource called "Battle of Kursk On the Web" that has tons of links.

Götterdämmerung amidst the sunflowers, 17 Jul 2004
In a previous historical novel, THE WAR OF THE RATS, author David Robbins took us to the 1942 siege of Stalingrad on World War Two's Eastern Front, one usually paid scant attention by American readers who perhaps believe that U.S. won the European war single-handed. It didn't, you know. Now, in LAST CITADEL, Robbins returns to the Eastern Front for history's greatest tank battle.

It's July 1943, and Hitler throws one last roll of the dice against the USSR with a major armored offensive designed to capture the city of Kursk. America is about to invade Italy, and Germany must knock the Soviets out of the war, or at least stabilize that front, before having to withdraw some of its forces from the East to reinforce the Mediterranean theater.

Whereas in THE WAR OF THE RATS, the confrontation in Stalingrad's rubble was between two master snipers, one German and one Russian, the LAST CITADEL evolves into the ultimate confrontation in a field of sunflowers between two tank crews, one German in the awesome Tiger tank and one Russian in the smaller but faster T-34.

The Tiger is commanded by SS Captain Luis Ruiz de Vega of the 1st SS Panzergrenadiers, one of three SS armored divisions spearheading the German assault. De Vega originally came to fight for the Nazis with the Spanish Blue Division, lent to Hitler by Franco in 1941. Having lost half his stomach to a Russian sniper during the siege of Leningrad, de Vega was rewarded with a commission in the SS. Now, bitter, constantly hungry, increasingly emaciated, and emotionally dead, Luis dreams only of returning to Spain a war hero.

The T-34 is commanded by Sgt. Valentin Berko, but its soul is its driver, Cpl. Dimitri Berko, Valentin's father. Dimitri is an old Cossack who's fought against the Czar, Trotsky's Red Army, and now the Germans. The elder Berko loves his son dearly, but is disgusted with the latter's unquestioning dedication to Communism. But the two together make a formidable fighting team.

In THE WAR OF THE RATS, a five-star novel, subplots added to the overall storyline, especially as military sniping involves a lot of waiting for the perfect shot. In contrast, several subplots in LAST CITADEL only serve as unnecessary distractions. Dimitri's daughter, Katya, is a bomber pilot attached to the Night Witches, who fly biplanes so slow and flimsy that they can only operate at night. Her boyfriend, Leonid, also a pilot, but in a modern squadron, is shot down. Attempting a landing behind enemy lines to rescue him, Katya crashes, and subsequently falls in with a group of Russian partisans, which has an unidentified traitor in its midst. In the meantime, SS Colonel Abram Breit, is spying for the Soviet's Lucy network.

Had Robbins focused entirely on the tank engagements of the Kursk battle, his book, in my opinion, would have been leaner, meaner, and better. In any case, his description of going to war in the Tiger and T-34 makes for an absorbing and informative read.

Flawed but enjoyable..., 06 Jun 2004
The latest World War Two faction novel from Robbins falls somehwere between the taut brilliance of 'War of the Rats' and the flaccid 'The End of War'. The tale is sporadically thrilling, but there are plenty of longeurs to slog through. Over-written and perhaps bogged down by an over adherence to hisitorical events, this is a not always succesful melange of fact and fiction. Characterisation is also patchy - like 'War of the Rats', his cast on the German side is more interesting psychologically and emotionally, than his Russians who appear more as paragons of virtue and not a little dull.

Worth reading, but could have been so much better if more rigorously edited. A good primer on WW2's Battle of Kursk, but as fiction flawed.

The biggest tank battle, 02 Dec 2003
This latest novel by Robbins is a mildly entertaining read about the epic tank battle fought near Kursk in July 1943. On the plus side: he is well informed, using the latest information about the battle and not the myths we have been fed for years and the book is well written. Unfortunately, Robbins cannot quite make up his mind whether to give us the actual facts or write a novel. What I mean is: what readers did he have in mind? People like me who know all the facts will be bored by the rather stereotypical characters (disturbed SS-men, courageous Russians)and the predictable ending and readers who want an exciting read will be bored by all the facts. So: competently written, but not very thrilling. Hence: three out of five stars.

4 1/2 Stars -- A Very Good Book By An Excellent Author! , 01 Sep 2007
Why David L. Robbins isn't better known is a mystery to be. His ability to create interesting, thought-provoking, well-researched historical fiction with multi-dimensional characters is excellent. In The End Of War, a novel of the race for Berlin as WWII draws to a close, Robbins makes you feel like you are right there in the thick of things -- in the meeting rooms with FDR, Churchill and Stalin, in the field of battle with two Russian soldiers --Ilya and Mischa, with Charles Bandy, -- A Life magazine photographer -- as he takes photos that makes the world realize the horror of war, and in the apartment with Lotti and her mother as they constantly do what's necessary to survive in war-torn Berlin, including trying to keep a Jewish man hidden from the Nazis and Russians. Essentially The End Of War is four well-told stories-- although some better than others. While I was expecting more action and a faster pace than was delivered, I was in no way disappointed with this book. If you are a reader that enjoys historical fiction or just a well-written book, I think you'll enjoy The End Of War.

The Race for Berlin, 11 Aug 2004
The End of War is a gripping account of the last few days of the war and of the significance of the race for Berlin in shaping the map of post war Europe. Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character including all the main players including Churchill, Rooservelt, Stalin, Eisenhower and three fictional characters; a Russian infantry soldier, an American war photographer and a German musician living in Berlin.

Robbins has obviously researched the period extensively and provides a completely human account showing the emotions involved as the Soviet Army marches relentlessly towards the West and an increasingly desperate Churchill tries to pursuade the Americans of the true value of Berlin.

Knowing that the inevitable outcome will lead to the rise of the Iron Curtain and 50 years of Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe
only serves to heighten the tension towards the end of the book.
A truly wonderful read.

A novel of powerful images, 07 Feb 2004
The previous book by David Robbins, WAR OF THE RATS, based on the German siege of Stalingrad during World War II, is an exceptional war novel. THE END OF WAR, using as a backdrop the last few months of the war against Hitler's Third Reich, is equally riveting and compelling.

The legions of the Western Allies are advancing to the Rhine, and the Red Army juggernaught is poised to invade Poland from across that country's eastern border. The logical goal of both: Berlin.

The characters in the second echelon of this fictional work are 20th century giants of political and military history: Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, and generals Eisenhower and Zhukov. It is their ideology, pride, suspicion, and desire for glory that determines the paths of armies. It's history that Berlin was taken by Zhukov and the Soviets. Because Robbins apparently did extensive research from a long bibliography to recreate the high-level decisions that directed that outcome, I like to think that much of what I read was factual. But, never mind. The value of THE END OF WAR lies in its fictional characters, the first echelon, who live under the greasy arrows drawn on the warlords' battle maps.

Ilya is a former Soviet Army major, a hero of Stalingrad, reduced to enlisted status in a penal battalion because an uncle, a general, angered Stalin. Lottie is a young cello player of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, cowering with her mother under the daily (and nightly) rain of British and American bombs. Charley Bandy, whose aspiration is to enter Germany's capital with the first Anglo-American force to get there, is an American photographer working for LIFE magazine.

This novel is one that virtually demands to be read at one sitting. All characters are expertly brought to life, and the dialog is consistently arresting and believable. Above all else, the images Robbins brings to mind are powerful and unforgettable. It's almost as if you're there smelling Winston's cigar, or the brick dust of Berlin's rubble. Consider the scene ...

Ilya commands several Red Army soldiers escorting sixty captured Germans to the rear. On a road far from anywhere, far from any witnesses, one of the POWs collapses to the ground exhausted. The Soviets gather round, exhorting the man to get up with curses and kicks. Suddenly the episode escalates as the guards begin shouting at all the prisoners.

"The guards hurl more names at the Germans. Names of prison camps, Rovno, Ternopol, Zitomir; names of occupied villages, Braslav, Balvi, Vigala; names of death camps, Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka; names of dead comrades ...; names of fathers and mothers, brothers, women. The Red soldiers vent themselves on the Germans ... They have debts to collect ... One of the Germans mutters in Russian, 'Bastards' ... All of these men hate. Back and forth, volleys of loathing ... Two of the Germans reach to the ground to lift their comrade. They put the man on his feet and release him with care. He stays erect, shaking. The rest of the prisoners move by instinct closer, penned animals do the same ... One of the Russians raises his rifle to his cheek, ridiculous, as though he needs to aim this close to his targets ... Ilya's mouth is bone dry. He could speak ... He could say, what? ...Another crow dispatches his voice from the trees ... Ilya turns his back."

Can you see it in your mind's eye, the palpable animosity on that stretch of dusty, country road? Oh, my.

If you enjoy novels of men and women in the firestorm of war, buy this book.

Suitable for Long Airplane Journeys Only, 14 Nov 2002
The End of War is the latest example of that increasingly popular blend of fact and fiction known as ‘faction’. Here, the last months of Nazi resistance provide the historical backdrop for vivid characterisations of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, as well as three imaginary figures including a seasoned American war photographer, a naive young Berlin musician, and a war-weary Soviet soldier. Will the US and British forces or the Soviet Army enjoy the ultimate glory of capturing Berlin? In the end, somewhat simplistic characterisations and an uneven storyline make this book suitable for long airplane journeys only.

An accurate protrayal of World War Two if not a great book, 14 Sep 2001
This book attempts to show the final months of World War Two from every perspective. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill's views are put forth in alternative chapters. It also shows how an American Photo-journalist, Soviet Soldier and german female cellist coped in the closing months of the war. It is a well researched story and a good reference for any buding historian. However the use of real and imaginary people in this story leads to confusion. In all a good book not a great one.

Normandy background, 02 Dec 2008
The "typical" Robbins' book: three human stories depicted in parallel (a black truck driver, a white "fighting" rabbin and a USAAF disertor) with a converging ending. A good picture of "minor" war, make by "second choise" characters (not the classic paras or tankers). Good plot, never boring, good action scenes (more than in some classic war books) some historical questions (black troops and racism in the US Army, the Holocaust, the Patton's "ride" in French supported by the Red Ball Express). Not a masterpiece (a little "slow" in some passages) but a good war book

The 'Bernard Cornwell' of World War II......, 14 Feb 2007
David L Robbi