Author:Douglas Reeman
After four years, the tide of war is turning in North Africa and Europe. The conflict in Southeast Asia, however, has reached new heights of savagery, and Operation Monsun poses a sinister threat to the hope of allied victory.
The Special Operations mission off the Burmese coast requires volunteers. Men with nothing to live for, or men with everything to lose. Men like Lieutenant James Ross, awarded the Victoria Cross for his work in underwater sabotage, or the desperate amateur Charles villiers, heir to a fortune now controlled by the Japanese.
The two-man torpedo - the chariot - is the ultimate weapon in a high-risk war. Cast loose into the shadows before an eastern dawn, the heroes or madmen who guide it will strike terror into the heart of an invaluable enemy, or pay the ultimate price for failure...
Masterly storytelling
—— The TimesAuthentic, inspiring, well-characterised and, finally, moving
—— Sunday TimesThere are some books that should be read by every generation... Remarque's story of German trench soldiers of the 1914-18 war gains even more authority in the context of the loss of life in wars that still rage
—— Chris SearleBrian Murdoch's new English translation shows that Remarque's evocation of the horrors of modern warfare has lost none of its force
—— The TimesThe book conquers without persuading, it shakes you without exaggerating, a perfect work of art and at the same time truth that cannot by doubted
—— Stefan ZweigThis harrowing narrative is unexpectedly beautiful, more pensive than angry
—— Eileen Battersby , Irish TimesIts extraordinary appeal may stem from Remarque’s success in universalising the soldiers’ experience — that the war was the same for all who fought
—— Daily TelegraphRemarque’s spare description of the pointless reality of war still chills and is what made the book so powerful – and dangerous – on its publication 90 years ago... Remains a necessary, shattering read
—— Derek Scally , Irish TimesThe power to move people by words, to arouse their sensibilities as well as their minds, was Erich Maria Remarque's to an extraordinary degree
—— New York Times'Brian Murdoch's new English translation...shows that Remarque's evocation of the horrors of modern warfare has lost none of its force'
—— The TimesBrilliant and hugely ambitious ... the kind of book that could be life-changing
—— New York Times Book ReviewAbsorbing and searing
—— Washington PostA major achievement
—— PeopleDeserves a place on the shelf with The Diary of Anne Frank - set to become a classic
—— USA TodayZusak makes his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable in the same way Kurt Vonnegut did in Slaughterhouse 5, with grim, darkly consoling humour
—— TimeZusak's playfulness with language leavens the horror and makes the theme more resonant - words can save your life ...It's a measure of how sucessfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them
—— Publishers WeeklyOne of the most highly anticipated young-adult books in years
—— The Wall Street Journal'Elegant, philosophical and moving. A work to read slowly and savour. Beautiful and important
—— Kirkus ReviewsBoth gripping and touching, a work that kept me up late into the night feverishly reading the last 300 pages
—— Cleveland Plain-DealerZusak's novel is a highwire act of inventiveness and emotional suppleness
—— The AustralianA triumph of control ...one of the most unusual and compelling of recent Australian novels
—— The AgeA brilliant, quirky tale ...a superb book you will be recommending to everyone you meet
—— Herald-SunA literary gem
—— Good Reading...the much talked about The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak...should soon have the UK under its spell.
—— Sam Burson , The Western MailIt wouldn't surprise us if this became a great classic in years to come.
—— Thomas Murphy , Flipside...this is a novel to touch even the coldest of hearts - definitely 2007's first must-read book.
—— Newmarket JournalA compelling tale from the start...definitely 2007's first must-read book.
—— Bury Free PressA moving story from the German perspective of everyday civilian hardship and surivival under the Third Reich. It celebrates the power of words and love, in the face of unutterable suffering
—— Mail on SundayDeath turns out to be a tender narrator in Zusak's 'The Book Thief' [...] This novel movingly depicts the Himmel Street community, and its orphaned book thief, Liesel Meminger
—— Books Quarterly (Waterstones)Exceptionally good ... full of gruelling episodes... and an ending that will almost certainly move you to tears.
—— The Word