- Reaction score
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War of the Rats
Book Review
War of the Rats is a great read. Basically that‘s all that needs to be said, but I guess I better justify that somewhat. The "novel" by David L. Robbins is based on a true story of a duel between two master snipers, one Russian and one German.
Their duel is fought among the man made **** that was the battle of Stalingrad, "Der Ratttenkreig". The War of the Rats.
There are two things that I enjoyed most about this novel. First and foremost are the characters. The two main protagonists are both believable and flawed personas.
Chief Master Sergeant Vasily Zaitev, is a Siberian woodsman and Soviet Naval Clerk who "volunteers" for Infantry duty in Stalingrad. His natural hunting skills are soon adapted to the street fighting and he becomes a premiere sniper. Eventually "the Hare" as he becomes known is tasked to set up a sniper school.
The damage he and his students begin to inflict on the Germans, both physical and psychological soon demands a response. Enter SS Colonel Heinz Thorvold, "the Headmaster" the chief instructor at a Berlin sniper school. He‘s dispatched with one mission to hunt down and kill the "hare".
It becomes rather hard to chose between either of the protagonists as both are far from perfect. Zaitev soon comes to enjoy the fame and adoration he receives. His ego grows at the same rate as the kills recorded in his snipers log.
Thorvald by his own admission is a physical coward who abhors the brutality of the front. For him the mission is to be completed as soon as possible, so he may flee Stalingrad and return to the comforts of Berlin.
Add to this a cast of excellent supporting characters. The political commissar Danilov who both records and exploits the Hare‘s natural talent. Tania the Russian American sniper, student and later lover of Zaitev‘s.
Finally there is Nikki, the surprisingly sympathetic German infantry Corporal. Nikki only wishes to survive the horrors of the Rattenkreig, at any price.
The second thing I enjoyed is the attention to details. The book is realistic, both in its descriptions of the intense street fighting and in the tactics used by the rival snipers. Realistic and detailed, but not overly so.
I‘ve read a couple of other sniper books and the author(s), perhaps to cover up his lack of literary skill, provide way too much technical information. I like realism but I‘ve read novels that at times start to read like FBI ballistic reports. This is not the case here.
As I said its a good read, try it.
Book Review
War of the Rats is a great read. Basically that‘s all that needs to be said, but I guess I better justify that somewhat. The "novel" by David L. Robbins is based on a true story of a duel between two master snipers, one Russian and one German.
Their duel is fought among the man made **** that was the battle of Stalingrad, "Der Ratttenkreig". The War of the Rats.
There are two things that I enjoyed most about this novel. First and foremost are the characters. The two main protagonists are both believable and flawed personas.
Chief Master Sergeant Vasily Zaitev, is a Siberian woodsman and Soviet Naval Clerk who "volunteers" for Infantry duty in Stalingrad. His natural hunting skills are soon adapted to the street fighting and he becomes a premiere sniper. Eventually "the Hare" as he becomes known is tasked to set up a sniper school.
The damage he and his students begin to inflict on the Germans, both physical and psychological soon demands a response. Enter SS Colonel Heinz Thorvold, "the Headmaster" the chief instructor at a Berlin sniper school. He‘s dispatched with one mission to hunt down and kill the "hare".
It becomes rather hard to chose between either of the protagonists as both are far from perfect. Zaitev soon comes to enjoy the fame and adoration he receives. His ego grows at the same rate as the kills recorded in his snipers log.
Thorvald by his own admission is a physical coward who abhors the brutality of the front. For him the mission is to be completed as soon as possible, so he may flee Stalingrad and return to the comforts of Berlin.
Add to this a cast of excellent supporting characters. The political commissar Danilov who both records and exploits the Hare‘s natural talent. Tania the Russian American sniper, student and later lover of Zaitev‘s.
Finally there is Nikki, the surprisingly sympathetic German infantry Corporal. Nikki only wishes to survive the horrors of the Rattenkreig, at any price.
The second thing I enjoyed is the attention to details. The book is realistic, both in its descriptions of the intense street fighting and in the tactics used by the rival snipers. Realistic and detailed, but not overly so.
I‘ve read a couple of other sniper books and the author(s), perhaps to cover up his lack of literary skill, provide way too much technical information. I like realism but I‘ve read novels that at times start to read like FBI ballistic reports. This is not the case here.
As I said its a good read, try it.
