City of Thieves
Oct 2009 · Hachette UK
4.7star
63 reviewsreport
Ebook
300
Pages
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About this ebook
'AN EXCEPTIONAL STORYTELLER' Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner
'Ingenious'
New York Times Book Review
'Compelling'
Daily Telegraph
'Fast-moving'
Spectator
'Cinematic'
Marie Claire
'Gripping'
New York Magazine
From the co-creator and writer of the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.
Four months into the siege of Leningrad, the city is starving. Seventeen-year-old Lev fears for his life when he is arrested for looting the body of a dead German paratrooper, while his charismatic cellmate, Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested for desertion, seems bizarrely unafraid.
Dawn brings, instead of an execution squad, an impossible challenge. Lev and Kolya can find a dozen eggs for an NKVD colonel to use for his daughter's wedding cake, and live. Or fail, and die.
In the depths of the coldest winter in history, through a city cut off from all supplies and suffering appalling deprivation, man and boy embark on an absurd hunt. Their search will take them through desolate, lawless Leningrad and the devastated countryside surrounding it, in the captivating journey of two men trying to survive against desperate odds.
PRAISE FOR DAVID BENIOFF
'Master of the zippy, punchy, knee-to-the-groin story'
Independent on Sunday
'An ace storyteller'
Entertainment Weekly
'A skilled creator'
Daily Telegraph
'Ingenious'
New York Times Book Review
'Compelling'
Daily Telegraph
'Fast-moving'
Spectator
'Cinematic'
Marie Claire
'Gripping'
New York Magazine
From the co-creator and writer of the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.
Four months into the siege of Leningrad, the city is starving. Seventeen-year-old Lev fears for his life when he is arrested for looting the body of a dead German paratrooper, while his charismatic cellmate, Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested for desertion, seems bizarrely unafraid.
Dawn brings, instead of an execution squad, an impossible challenge. Lev and Kolya can find a dozen eggs for an NKVD colonel to use for his daughter's wedding cake, and live. Or fail, and die.
In the depths of the coldest winter in history, through a city cut off from all supplies and suffering appalling deprivation, man and boy embark on an absurd hunt. Their search will take them through desolate, lawless Leningrad and the devastated countryside surrounding it, in the captivating journey of two men trying to survive against desperate odds.
PRAISE FOR DAVID BENIOFF
'Master of the zippy, punchy, knee-to-the-groin story'
Independent on Sunday
'An ace storyteller'
Entertainment Weekly
'A skilled creator'
Daily Telegraph
Ratings and reviews
4.7
63 reviews
Mart Dunford
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February 10, 2014
I picked up this book as it was cited as being one of the inspirations behind the fantastic video game The Last of Us. It did not disappoint, the depiction of an under siege Leningrad and the unlikely bonds that form during an equally unlikely journey kept me gripped throughout.
3 people found this review helpful
Siobhan Ashley Nolan-Stark
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March 9, 2023
I decided to read this book upon learning that the creator of the game The Last Of Us was inspired by it. The story broke my heart, horrified me, angered me and somehow, also made me laugh. What an incredible journey!
M Lynch
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- Show review history
August 4, 2019
I usually struggle to finish books, but not this one. I was engaged from the beginning. A great story which I'm sure will be translated into a movie or mini series at some point.
4 people found this review helpful
About the author
David Benioff is an author and screenwriter. He adapted his first novel, The 25th Hour, into the feature film directed by Spike Lee. Stories from his critically acclaimed collection When the Nines Roll Over appeared in Best New American Voices. City of Thieves is his second novel. A co-creator of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, he is also the writer of the films Troy, Brothers and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He lives in Los Angeles and New York City.
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