City of Thieves: A Novel

David Benioff

May 2008 · Penguin

About this ebook

From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour and When the Nines Roll Over and co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.

During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.

By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, the New York Times bestseller City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

Ratings and reviews

At first I didnt even pickup to read this book until about a month after i had gotten it. The author has written his grandfather's story as if i was there to peering on the adventure that they had. Has a great story of how ordinary people who live in a poverish community and could have died out in the prison they were held captive in. But were let out so they can find eggs for the Colonel's daughter's wedding cake. Along with overcoming triumphs such as cannibal eaters, the coldness of Russia, and the oncoming German horde that was coming to invade. Anyone who comes across this will see the point of view from a little seventeen year old and what he has gone through during the first World War and how bad everything was in the cities and towns you won't find this in any history book.

I haven't read a book like this from any generation. There is something special about this journey I can't really explain, but it holds the elements that every book should work towards. I am proud I picked up this work and I hope you all do the same.

I love this book, at the time I didn't have an adequate replacement so simply didn't finish the last chapter to avoid having a hole in my heart to replace

About the author

David Benioff was born and raised in New York City. He adapted his first novel, The 25th Hour, into the feature film directed by Spike Lee. With many other screenplays to his credit, he is also the writer of the films, "Brothers" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Stories from his critically acclaimed collection When the Nines Roll Over appeared in Best New American Voices and The Best Nonrequired American Reading. His latest novel is City of Thieves. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter where he is a co-creator and writer for the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones."