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storyman's review against another edition
5.0
A novel about how ideology dehumanizes everyone it touches, without losing sight of strong characters torn by the choices they have to make.
This is an excellent, terrifying novel which invests heavily in its characters. A proper page turner.
It starts with a man, half dead from a bullet in his abdomen, dragging a sledge with two kids under a cover. They’re both dead, one with her leg cut and eaten.
The protagonist, Luka, immediately sees the terror this man has brought. The village, with memories of the Ukrainian famine and acts of cannibalism to survive, are up in arms at his presence. The man can’t defend himself as he is passed out. Luka demands that the man has a right to defend himself against the village’s belief that the man killed the children and cannibalized one, but Luka knows what fearful crowds do. He witnessed it in the army as the Russian Revolution took hold of the country and ate its own as paranoia took hold.
The novel jumps right in with a conundrum to make your blood run cold. Do you kill this man to satisfy your perceptions, or do you let him wake up and answer for the horror he brought into their lives, maybe even risk their own children in doing so?
Smith does a brilliant job at playing both sides, though you err on Luka’s due process side as events turn ugly and a child from the village is stolen.
Russia’s history seems to be one long tragedy. The Child Thief, set in the 30s, stamps that impression deep. Luka takes his sons on an epic rescue mission for the girl, fearful for his family, of the shadow of the communist machine as it descends on his as-yet untouched village, and his struggles with the past as he remembers the atrocities he’s witnessed as a sniper in to be imperial army, then the Red variety. The Child Thief turns out to be a match for Luka, including a taste for war, which Luka fights internally.
There’s not a moment in this book which doesn’t make your stomach hurt. The stakes are so high. The missing girl is Luka’s niece and might be eaten. His sons could end up dead. The communists might find the village and take his daughter and wife. And if the Child Thief or the communists don’t kill everybody, the snow might do the job for them.
A great book that grabs right from the start.
This is an excellent, terrifying novel which invests heavily in its characters. A proper page turner.
It starts with a man, half dead from a bullet in his abdomen, dragging a sledge with two kids under a cover. They’re both dead, one with her leg cut and eaten.
The protagonist, Luka, immediately sees the terror this man has brought. The village, with memories of the Ukrainian famine and acts of cannibalism to survive, are up in arms at his presence. The man can’t defend himself as he is passed out. Luka demands that the man has a right to defend himself against the village’s belief that the man killed the children and cannibalized one, but Luka knows what fearful crowds do. He witnessed it in the army as the Russian Revolution took hold of the country and ate its own as paranoia took hold.
The novel jumps right in with a conundrum to make your blood run cold. Do you kill this man to satisfy your perceptions, or do you let him wake up and answer for the horror he brought into their lives, maybe even risk their own children in doing so?
Smith does a brilliant job at playing both sides, though you err on Luka’s due process side as events turn ugly and a child from the village is stolen.
Russia’s history seems to be one long tragedy. The Child Thief, set in the 30s, stamps that impression deep. Luka takes his sons on an epic rescue mission for the girl, fearful for his family, of the shadow of the communist machine as it descends on his as-yet untouched village, and his struggles with the past as he remembers the atrocities he’s witnessed as a sniper in to be imperial army, then the Red variety. The Child Thief turns out to be a match for Luka, including a taste for war, which Luka fights internally.
There’s not a moment in this book which doesn’t make your stomach hurt. The stakes are so high. The missing girl is Luka’s niece and might be eaten. His sons could end up dead. The communists might find the village and take his daughter and wife. And if the Child Thief or the communists don’t kill everybody, the snow might do the job for them.
A great book that grabs right from the start.
sigridreads's review against another edition
5.0
When reading the short content, I expected a thriller along the lines of Child 44. Which would be fine.
But this book is so much more, it gripped me and I had to stop myself from reading very late, because it would not leave me.
The hunt for the thief and being hunted is only the frame for the story. Beyond that it is about the fear of oppression, about fathers and sons and about balancing between desperation and hope.
Highly recommended.
But this book is so much more, it gripped me and I had to stop myself from reading very late, because it would not leave me.
The hunt for the thief and being hunted is only the frame for the story. Beyond that it is about the fear of oppression, about fathers and sons and about balancing between desperation and hope.
Highly recommended.
audjfield13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
monbeausoleil's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Première fiction historique que j’ai lu. L’histoire se déroule en Ukraine entre les deux guerres mondiales dans un petit village. Le contexte est vraiment intéressant et particulier et l’intrigue est attachante. La fin est bonne quoiqu’un peu attendue. Les points négatifs sont que les dialogues ne sont pas toujours faciles à suivre et que je n’ai pas totalement accroché au protagoniste.
castiellucis's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
'When people are scared they'll do almost anything to survive'
'And it struck me that in these hard times there were small moments of kindness which lifted us above the filth and the death. With these tiny acts, we were still human, still able to have faith in one another. There was still something good left in the world.'
'There are times when no words can convey feelings. Sometimes a gesture is all that can be made, a gesture that overpowers the weakness of empty words.'
'Grief expands. If allowed, it can push out all other thought, consuming all other emotion until nothing else exists. Uncontrolled, it smothers clear thinking, can take a man close to madness.'
'When people are scared they'll do almost anything to survive'
'And it struck me that in these hard times there were small moments of kindness which lifted us above the filth and the death. With these tiny acts, we were still human, still able to have faith in one another. There was still something good left in the world.'
'There are times when no words can convey feelings. Sometimes a gesture is all that can be made, a gesture that overpowers the weakness of empty words.'
'Grief expands. If allowed, it can push out all other thought, consuming all other emotion until nothing else exists. Uncontrolled, it smothers clear thinking, can take a man close to madness.'
lizlogan's review against another edition
3.0
This book was recommended to me as something I would enjoy after reading Child 44. Although they both take place in similar areas of the world and both have to do with murders of children, history of Russia (and the Ukraine) post-Alexander. I preferred Child 44, but this book wasn't bad. I could have been happy if I didn't finish the book, but I saw it through to the end. The hunting aspect was interesting, but overall I just could not get into the book. It was overly long and unnecessary. Nothing lost and nothing gained from this book.
bookbuyingaddict's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars if I hadn't already read and loved child 44 I would give this book 4 1/2 stars but it's far too similar
And frankly not as good, but then again. child 44 is a 10 out of 5stars read . This was our January book club read and If it hadn't been I don't think I would have made it to the end.
And frankly not as good, but then again. child 44 is a 10 out of 5stars read . This was our January book club read and If it hadn't been I don't think I would have made it to the end.
beckylej's review against another edition
4.0
As big as my TBR is, you have to know that I'm adding to it all the time. New books are hitting shelves every week and I read your reviews. In June, Stacy (the Bookbitch), reviewed Dan Smith's The Child Thief, saying it was "Sure to appeal to fans of David Benioff and Tom Rob Smith." So of course I had to add it to my must read list!
The Child Thief was released in hardcover on June 1 from Pegasus and in e format from Open Road Media just a few days later. My recent lack of sleep offered up the perfect opportunity to jump into the e edition and so I joined Luka and his family in the Ukraine in the wee hours of the morning, instantly finding myself drawn into their story.
It is 1930 and the remote village of Vyriv waits in tense fear for the arrival of the Red Army. But it isn't one of Stalin's soldiers who breaks apart their town. It's a sick and dying man trudging through the snow. Luka and his son find the man, barely able to stand, dragging a leaden down sled. Upon examination, Luka discovers the man has been dragging the bodies of two children, one of which shows signs of unthinkable mutilation. The man is in such bad shape that there's no way for him to tell his own tale or come to his own defense so Luka, a parent and a former soldier, sets aside his suspicions for the meantime and takes the man into his own home to recover. The people of the village are not so willing to wait. When they get word of the man and the dead children, they demand immediate justice. In the wake of their actions it is discovered that one of their own has disappeared. For Luka and the people of Vyriv, the nightmare has just begun.
There's a lot going on in The Child Thief. First and foremost is the cat and mouse game between the child thief and Luka. Then you have the town's fear of the Red Army who have been seeking out small villages like theirs and enacting punishment - whether deserved or not - for crimes against the country (crimes like providing food and shelter for your family before the collective). The setting is harsh both in terms of time and locale, which adds immensely to the tension of The Child Thief.
If you enjoy fast-paced and well-plotted thrillers (historical or not), I highly recommend adding Dan Smith to your to try lists. Benioff is in my TBR as we speak, but I can confirm that comparisons to Tom Rob Smith are definitely appropriate!
The Child Thief was released in hardcover on June 1 from Pegasus and in e format from Open Road Media just a few days later. My recent lack of sleep offered up the perfect opportunity to jump into the e edition and so I joined Luka and his family in the Ukraine in the wee hours of the morning, instantly finding myself drawn into their story.
It is 1930 and the remote village of Vyriv waits in tense fear for the arrival of the Red Army. But it isn't one of Stalin's soldiers who breaks apart their town. It's a sick and dying man trudging through the snow. Luka and his son find the man, barely able to stand, dragging a leaden down sled. Upon examination, Luka discovers the man has been dragging the bodies of two children, one of which shows signs of unthinkable mutilation. The man is in such bad shape that there's no way for him to tell his own tale or come to his own defense so Luka, a parent and a former soldier, sets aside his suspicions for the meantime and takes the man into his own home to recover. The people of the village are not so willing to wait. When they get word of the man and the dead children, they demand immediate justice. In the wake of their actions it is discovered that one of their own has disappeared. For Luka and the people of Vyriv, the nightmare has just begun.
There's a lot going on in The Child Thief. First and foremost is the cat and mouse game between the child thief and Luka. Then you have the town's fear of the Red Army who have been seeking out small villages like theirs and enacting punishment - whether deserved or not - for crimes against the country (crimes like providing food and shelter for your family before the collective). The setting is harsh both in terms of time and locale, which adds immensely to the tension of The Child Thief.
If you enjoy fast-paced and well-plotted thrillers (historical or not), I highly recommend adding Dan Smith to your to try lists. Benioff is in my TBR as we speak, but I can confirm that comparisons to Tom Rob Smith are definitely appropriate!
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
Unlike most people who think about time travel, I don’t make lists of places and times I would go. I make lists of places and times that would be the most dangerous to visit. The early 1930s in Ukraine is near the top of that list, shortly behind 1348 Europe. Dan Smith’s The Child Thief shows us a Ukrainian village in the midst of the Soviet collectivization drive. Red Army soldiers are combing the countryside looking for kulaks and “counter-revolutionaries.” They have the power to arrest or execute anyone. There’s barely enough food to feed everyone. People are watching each other with suspicion, not knowing who is an informer or collaborator. Outsiders are to be feared...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.