Intriguing imagining of a fascinating period of politics

Really enjoyed this book. I have a personal interest in Russian politics of this period, and liked the way the author weaved the various players into the main story. A word of praise also to the narrator: I often struggle to follow novels in audiobook format with the multiple characters and changes of speech, but this one was excellent and kept me engaged throughout while also capturing the tone of the novel perfectly.

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The Nightmare Machine

That’s the candid assessment of Russia under Putin’s rule in this novel about one of the Kremlin’s top strategists - a kind of present-day Rasputin with the ear of the ‘Tsar’, as Putin is called here. It’s based on a real-life figure but it’s a work of fiction - seemingly firmly buttressed in fact. And it’s told almost as if it’s a kind of dark fairy tale. The narration is appropriately chilling. The thesis is that Putin talked a language the Russian people could understand - a tough guy keeping Stalin’s poisonous and deadly legacy alive. Russia became a ‘nightmare machine’ as it lurched back into a Soviet-style past and waged war on Ukraine in an insane bid to restore lost prestige. Putin is a reluctant leader who steps out of the shadows at a moment of crisis into the world of politics and then becomes autocratic and on a personal level an increasingly isolated and friendless figure, unable to trust anyone - apart from his dog. Does it work? Yes and no - a fairer rating might have been 3.5 stars purely as a listening experience. I found it easy to lose track of exactly what was happening at any one point and it could be a bit baffling at times - but overall I formed a fairly comprehensive picture of Putin’s Russia, and some of the historical context. But I found myself wishing it was a straight factual / historical book rather than a novel - it’s a clever idea but falls short of a completely satisfying listen. That said, it has led me to seek out more on the subject, and the closing sections looking ahead to the future of Russia and indeed the world - bleak as they are - are well worth tuning into.

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Intimate insight into psychology of power

The author manages to capture the intricacies of power though conversations and philosophical discussions, bringing to life the inner workings of a dictator’s mind.

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A realistic fiction

Some insights, perhaps best expressed like this in narrative. ... Puisque ces mystères nous dépassent, feignons d'en l'organisateur.

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Slightly baffling in a good way

Very odd to have a novelised biography and not know what really happened. I guess I’m not as up to date in Russian politics as

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1 person found this helpful

Don’t waste your time on this one

The reader has an exaggerated monotone voice which is uninteresting and hard to listen to , it didn’t help that he was speaking endlessly without intonation or pause and most of the time about absolute nothing of interest ! There was no actual plot or storyline ! Give it a wide berth . I must confess to not to finishing the book because he still hadn’t got to the plot by chapter 6 .. I think my time is worth more than this utter drivel ! hence the 1 star ..it is a book after all . I think the author must have paid the publisher to print it !

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