City of Thieves - Hardcover

'A deft storyteller, Benioff writes ... with poignance and cinematic flair' * WHO Weekly Magazine Australia * 'Benioff is a skilled creator of atmospheres...Told with compelling power' * Daily Telegraph * 'Funny and serious at the same time. Like all really good books, the ending was perfect' * gothamgal.com * 'Vividly cinematic, touching on the fragility of life and the tenderness of human relationships against a backdrop of hardship, desperation and the will to survive' * Courier Mail * 'A stunning page-turner' * nowtoronto.com * 'From the opening pages to the last moments City of Thieves is a top notch story. Benioff gives us a thrilling ride that is a shocking and profound historical document and wild adventure story' * ainitcool.com * 'Full of likable characters and humor even in the face of atrocities, City of Thieves deserves to be recommended' * jaclemens.wordpress.com * 'Full of everything I look for in a story: adventure and danger and mystery, some absurdity, some emotional moments, an "ah-ha" moment or two (for the characters, not me), and good writing. I loved this book, and heartily recommend it.' * bookcannibal.blogspot.com * 'Mr. Benioff puts flesh on the formula with skills at characterization that are first-rate . . . and his careful attention to landscape, his research into the horrors of the siege, and his deft use of vivifying detail give the novel an unexpected and very welcome richness.' * Dallas Morning News * 'This book is as close to literary perfection as I have found all year! . . . I love, love, love this author' * bookbrowse.com * 'The research never stands out because Benioff weaves it in so deftly. He shifts tone with perfect control -- no recent novel I've read travels so quickly and surely between registers, from humour to devastation' * New York Times * 'Sad, funny, wonderfully written, compelling' 'A wonderful, well-told story of survival and friendship in an extremely difficult time' 'One of the best books I have read in the last 3 years. Thrilling from start to finish' 'What a sad and beautiful book . . . I'll think of this book for a long time, and when I get rid of the lump in my throat I may just read it again' 'A tale of terror, bravery, friendship and humor. A fabulous read!' 'Benioff's ability to mix ribald humor with the horrors of war is superb' 'One of the best novels I have read recently' 'Fantastic book' 'Compelling and thoughtful. . . .kept me glued to the page' * librarything.com * 'A modern masterpiece, both heart-stopping and heartbreaking . . . a shatteringly beautiful and brilliant work. And on rare occasions we're handed a gift of a novel that's so filled with truth it has the power to change the way we look at the world. CITY OF THIEVES is one of them.' * bookreporter.com * 'Harrowing and funny at the same time . . . I loved it!' * abookaweek.blogspot.com * 'Reaching incredible highs and affecting lows...lives on and on in the reader's imagination' * Waterstone's.com * 'Incredible - one of the best books I've read this year, and I'd easily read it again' * Tom Fryer, Waterstone's High Wycombe * 'A fine adventure, well-told' * thefictiondesk.com * 'The finest sort of novel, one that takes the reader on a wild ride leaving him breathless, ending with such a rush of compassion it's impossible to remain unmoved.' * bluestalking.typepad.com * 'Benioff's buddy story is hotwired with a breakneck plot that hurtles along at rabid intensity' * Time Out Sydney * 'Pacy, but with more depth than that suggests' * City A.M. * 'A cinematic tale of a scared boy and a nonchalant man traversing the famished, snow-bound city of Leningrad in search of 12 eggs for a wedding cake . . . it's the pair's jaunty argumentative friendship that gives this novel such heart' * Marie Claire * 'Expert tone . . . fine sense of place' * Financial Times * 'A fast-moving adventure story . . . it had me gripped' * Spectator * 'A zipping and unexpectedly amusing read...Gifted with the touch of a fairy-story teller himself, Benioff manages to combine a sense of dark realism with entertaining brio' * Herald * 'A master storyteller...Benioff's inventiveness carries you along with no pause for breath... A testament of towering imagination' * Jewish Chronicle * 'This is an arresting, original story of desperation and survival' * Waterstone's Books Quartley * 'expert tone ... fine sense of pace." * FT * 'David Benioff is an exceptional storyteller. With humor, heart, and at times relentless suspense, he has written a riveting war novel and an engaging coming of age story. City of Thieves is tender, illuminating, and, be warned, often shocking. It is the kind of compellingly readable book that lingers long after it is read.' * Khaled Hosseini * 'David Benioff's glorious second novel is a wild action-packed quest and much else besides: a coming-of-age story, an odd-couple tale and a juicy footnote to the siege of Leningrad...Will keep your adrenaline pumping...This gut-churning thriller will sweep you along and, with any luck, propel Benioff into bestseller land' * Kirkus - starred review * 'hard-to-put-down novel . . . Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser' * Publisher's Weekly * 'Benioff has produced a funny, sad, and thrilling novel.' * Entertainment Weekly * 'Beautifully paced and seemingly effortless' * Maile Meloy * 'A high-spirited adventure' * Booklist * 'Hard-to-put-down novel . . . Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser' * Publishers Weekly (starred review) * The latest master of the zippy, punchy, knee-to-the-groin story is David Benioff . . . Wonderful collection * Independent on Sunday * 'David Benioff's glorious second novel is a wild action-packed quest and much else besides: a coming-of-age story, an odd-couple tale and a juicy footnote to the siege of Leningrad...Will keep your adrenaline pumping...This gut-churning thriller will sweep you along and, with any luck, propel Benioff into bestseller land' * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * The book's eight stories are written with both a literary writer's care and a film writer's instinct for courting his readers or viewers. He hooks them, reels them in and does his best to make them happy to be in the boat with him - until he lets them go a few hours later * USA Today *

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 the 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.