War of the Rats

This riveting novel brings us into the lives of Russian snipers during the WW II siege of Stalingrad.

We live in a basement, learn something of extreme patience, and get a sense of how people barely remain sane in pressure-cooker situations. What struck me most were the women. One was a sniper with extreme convictions. Others were there for the pleasure of the men. But the best part of the novel was the cat-and-mouse game between opposing snipers. 

Not only did I learn something about warfare, but I couldn’t put the book down.

This historical novel set during the battle of Stalingrad during World War 2 kept me up late into the night to finish reading.

A Russian sniper goes toe-to-toe with a famous Nazi sniper. Their cat and mouse battle for dominance becomes propaganda on both sides. It revealed the horrors of war on civilian populations, the stupidity of both sides, and Russia’s amazing victory against immeasurable odds.

This well written and meticulously researched novel is mesmerizing. I loved it.

It is said that the history of warfare is about battlefields becoming such fraught places that soldiers have been forced to move underground. At Stalingrad, war moved into the cellars, sewers, trenches, and bomb craters as soldiers sought safety and respite from the brutal Russian winter. Because of snipers, safety was illusory, however, and the soldier’s hiding places often became their graves. Robbins spares no details about the horrendous conditions at Stalingrad, but that’s not the focus of his book. 

Instead, he dramatically tells the true story of a one against one battle between two snipers, each their country’s best.… show more.