“I’ve always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.”

— David Benioff, City of Thieves

    With less, a lot was told. Give David Benioff a 100 word count limit and he’ll make the most of every single word. Not a letter went by without it having a crucial role to play in divulging one of the best historical fiction of all time. It takes a master with words to be able to conceive a novel this short, yet so full of wonders. I’ve honestly never been this awestruck by the ability of an author to tell a story with so many raw and tragic moments that are however coated with pure and genuine moments of comic relief. He effortlessly combines the two polarities in a period of time that one could only see darkness. The mere fact this was successfully done warrants that this novel should be praised in a grand fashion. But how exactly did David Benioff do it? What helped him see that this novel becomes an instant bestseller? The perfect duo that are launched on a goose chase for a dozen eggs in the vicinity of Leningrad right around the time that the Nazis are preparing to invade. They’re the reason. Lev and Kolya easily made this adventure the most memorable one in literature. This is a story that is filled with humor, brutality and hopelessness. Things that were delicately sewn together thanks to some of the finest pen skills in the world. Continue reading →