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A review by aarnnrdka
The Polish Officer by Alan Furst
5.0
I have read about 8 books in the "Night Soldiers" series and this one is my favorite. Alan Furst has a distinct talent for capturing a specific time, place, and overall mood in our western world history. The time is the dawn of the second World War. The place is mainly Europe and Eastern Europe. And the mood is Looming Doom. And I'm not pigeonholing or minimizing Furst's talents in the least. He would most likely be an amazing writer in several genres. But he was born to write about this tragic and often heroic time in our shared history.
And speaking of heroism, I believe that in "The Polish Officer" Furst reaches his hero zenith in the character of Captain Alexander de Milja. He's cool, smart, self deprecating, tough, caring, and most importantly - he's a fast learner. He's tapped by the leadership of the underground resistance and gets thrown into the mix virtually overnight. And even if he doesn't love this new world, he thrives in it. There aren't many Polish heroes in world history, and it feels great to have one who's as cool as Captain de Milja.
One more thing - the opening sequence of "The Polish Officer" is one of the greatest in literature. It can stand completely on its own in any WWII anthology. You'll laugh, cry, bite your fingernails, raise your fist in the air, and if you don't already, you'll wish you had some Polish blood in your veins.
And speaking of heroism, I believe that in "The Polish Officer" Furst reaches his hero zenith in the character of Captain Alexander de Milja. He's cool, smart, self deprecating, tough, caring, and most importantly - he's a fast learner. He's tapped by the leadership of the underground resistance and gets thrown into the mix virtually overnight. And even if he doesn't love this new world, he thrives in it. There aren't many Polish heroes in world history, and it feels great to have one who's as cool as Captain de Milja.
One more thing - the opening sequence of "The Polish Officer" is one of the greatest in literature. It can stand completely on its own in any WWII anthology. You'll laugh, cry, bite your fingernails, raise your fist in the air, and if you don't already, you'll wish you had some Polish blood in your veins.