Russka The Novel of Russia [Paperback]

"Impressive."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Spanning 1800 years of Russia's history, people, poltics, and culture, Edward Rurtherford, author of the phenomenally successful SARUM: THE NOVEL OF ENGLAND, tells a grand saga that is as multifaceted as Russia itself. Here is a story of a great civilization made human, played out through the lives of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of their land.
"Rutherford's RUSSKA succeeds....[He] can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus and Henri Troyat."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE“Impressive . . . Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia.”
–The Washington Post Book World

“RUSSKASUCCEEDS WHERE [OTHER BOOKS] OF TRENDY SOVIET-WATCHING HAVE FAILED. . . . Rutherfurd can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus and Henri Troyat.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“FAST-MOVING . . . Rutherfurd believes in adding color and adventure to facts that are exhaustively researched, making history palatable if not delicious.”
–Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“SPRAWLING . . . Rutherfurd’s close observation of Russia’s religious and ethnic diversity gives this epic a distinctive flavor.”
–Publishers Weekly

“RUTHERFURD LITERALLY PERSONIFIES HISTORY.”
–New YorkDaily NewsEdward Rutherfurdis the bestselling author of eight novels, includingLondon, Sarum, The Princes of Ireland, The Rebels of Ireland,andNew York.ONE
 
Forest and Steppe
 
A.D. 180
The steppe was quiet that night. So was the forest.
 
Softly the wind moved over the land.
 
In the hut—one of six that nestled together in the little hamlet by the river—the sleeping molc³