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nikita_barsukov's review against another edition
4.0
True cold-war spy story with plenty of new research. Book follows events as they unfold, and it works really well, especially for someone like me who knew very little of this story.
Human side of the main character, a paid KGB assassin, is the focus in this book, another thing that stands out in the crowded field of cold war spy stories. Add a topic that's still under the radar in the eyes of a broader public, and you get a very engaging real-life thriller, story of transformation, redemption and escape.
Human side of the main character, a paid KGB assassin, is the focus in this book, another thing that stands out in the crowded field of cold war spy stories. Add a topic that's still under the radar in the eyes of a broader public, and you get a very engaging real-life thriller, story of transformation, redemption and escape.
mokasin's review against another edition
5.0
Жодної ідеалізації. Герой України, натхненник боротьби за незалежність і кістка в горлі радянської верхівки Степан Бандера постає звичайною людиною зі своїми недоліками і слабощами - ходить "наліво", вперто нехтує правилами безпеки тощо.
Жодного цькування. Убивця постає не чекістською сволотою, а звичайним галичанином, на місці якого міг бути кожен, хто ставив своє життя і життя своєї родини вище за національну ідею. Не кожному бути героями. Не мені судити людей, які жили в такі страшні часи.
Жодних крайнощів. "Тверезе" дослідження автора про такі доленосні для України події, якому хочеться вірити. Історію потрібно знати без прикрас і спотворень, такою, якою вона є.
Сташинський зробив СВІЙ вибір і залишиться в пам'яті як зрадник і убивця, можливо, як жертва режиму, але аж ніяк не героєм.
Слава Україні! Героям слава!
Жодного цькування. Убивця постає не чекістською сволотою, а звичайним галичанином, на місці якого міг бути кожен, хто ставив своє життя і життя своєї родини вище за національну ідею. Не кожному бути героями. Не мені судити людей, які жили в такі страшні часи.
Жодних крайнощів. "Тверезе" дослідження автора про такі доленосні для України події, якому хочеться вірити. Історію потрібно знати без прикрас і спотворень, такою, якою вона є.
Сташинський зробив СВІЙ вибір і залишиться в пам'яті як зрадник і убивця, можливо, як жертва режиму, але аж ніяк не героєм.
Слава Україні! Героям слава!
tiltedwhirled's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
ajune22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.25
cindyp's review against another edition
3.0
The Cold War era was marked by paranoia, propaganda and the simmering threat of nuclear war. Tensions between the West (the United States and NATO allies) and the East (the Soviet Union and its satellite states) led to heightened espionage on both sides. Thus, in 1961, when top KGB assassin Bogdan Stashinsky defected to the West and began to spill the secrets of his trade, the intelligence community on both sides was thrown into turmoil. "I wanted to unburden my conscience and give... publicity to the way in which 'peaceful coexistence' really works in practice."
The Man with the Poison Gun: A Cold War Spy Story reveals Stashinsky's complex life. His family was part of the Ukrainian independence movement during and after World War II, and yet he began working as an undercover KGB agent in his early 20s. He showed distinct aptitude, and in 1959 was ordered to assassinate Stepan Bandera, charismatic leader of the Ukrainian resistance. Stashinsky successfully carried this out using a makeshift spray gun that fired poison gas, but he never held strong political passions and shortly thereafter became disenchanted with his secret life.
Serhii Plokhy, professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University, has earned numerous awards, including the 2015 Lionel Gelber prize for The Last Empire. His solid reporting and intelligent analysis illuminates this tangled web of intrigue. He lays out historical events and complex twists and turns with clarity. Those who enjoyed Ben Macintyre's A Spy Among Friends will find this a fascinating history.
-Reviewed for Shelf Awareness 12/27/16
The Man with the Poison Gun: A Cold War Spy Story reveals Stashinsky's complex life. His family was part of the Ukrainian independence movement during and after World War II, and yet he began working as an undercover KGB agent in his early 20s. He showed distinct aptitude, and in 1959 was ordered to assassinate Stepan Bandera, charismatic leader of the Ukrainian resistance. Stashinsky successfully carried this out using a makeshift spray gun that fired poison gas, but he never held strong political passions and shortly thereafter became disenchanted with his secret life.
Serhii Plokhy, professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University, has earned numerous awards, including the 2015 Lionel Gelber prize for The Last Empire. His solid reporting and intelligent analysis illuminates this tangled web of intrigue. He lays out historical events and complex twists and turns with clarity. Those who enjoyed Ben Macintyre's A Spy Among Friends will find this a fascinating history.
-Reviewed for Shelf Awareness 12/27/16
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