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The Wizard of the Kremlin

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The Wizard of the Kremlin

By: Giuliano da Empoli
Narrated by: Alexander Terentyev
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A thrilling exploration of the nature of power through the inner workings of Putin's regime.
Known as the "Wizard of the Kremlin," the enigmatic Vadim Baranov was a TV producer before becoming a political advisor to Putin, aka "The Czar." After his resignation from this position, legends about him multiply, with no one able to distinguish truth from fiction. Until one night, when he tells his story to the narrator of this book...
He immerses us in the heart of the Russian state, where sycophants and oligarchs have been engaging in open warfare, and where Vadim, now the regime's main spin doctor, turns an entire country into an avant-garde political stage. Yet Vadim is not as ambitious as the others. Entangled in the increasingly dark secrets of the regime he has helped create, he will do anything to get out, guided by the memory of his grandfather, an eccentric aristocrat who survived the Revolution, and the mesmerizing, merciless Ksenia, whom he has fallen in love with.
A compelling portrait of power and how it corrupts.
"Part fiction and part freewheeling analysis, an insider's look at the world of Vladimir Putin." --Kirkus Reviews
"A fictional wandering through the dark corridors of the Kremlin." --The Times©2022 Giuliano Da Empoli (P)2023 W.F.Howes Ltd Biographical Fiction Espionage Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Political Satire Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Russia Fiction Biography Exciting Wizardry Magic Users
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Very odd to have a novelised biography and not know what really happened. I guess I’m not as up to date in Russian politics as

Slightly baffling in a good way

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Some insights, perhaps best expressed like this in narrative. ... Puisque ces mystères nous dépassent, feignons d'en l'organisateur.

A realistic fiction

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Fascinating story. Deeply thought provoking. A terrifying insight into how the situation in Russia may have occurred.

Twisted logic of a dictator.

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This is not a thriller (not a complaint). It’s a combination of philosophy and anthropology through historical fiction. It’s definitely interesting and entertaining with a good exploration of how the Kremlins politics has evolved through the 1990s with a great narrator. It can be a bit self-indulgent on the philosophical treatise at times.

More than a thriller

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This is an audacious blend of fact and fiction in which we meet Baranov, the charismatic, enigmatic and skilful spin doctor to Vladimir Putin (The Czar). It takes us to the heart of the Kremlin and gives us a close up to the leader, his motives, his strategy and all the characters that surround him. It's great to get this fictionalised perspective of recent history and current geo - politics. Absolutely fascinating.

Mesmerising

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