The Death of Stalin

The Death of Stalin by Fabien Nury                            Hardback Book: 119 pages                      

A telling of the events surrounding the death of Russian Leader, Stalin with poetic license as to likely conversations that occurred, the outcome being the same whether verbage is verbatim, likely not but the gist is the same.     A true account of the craziness of the times, since a committee had to all be present to vote on what action to take when it was finally decided that Stalin had experienced a heart attack and was only semi-conscious it took hours to get all of the committee assembled, then they had to decide who to call to attend to him nedically since Stalin had killed or exiled all of the best doctors in the country due to his racial hatred of their Jewish heritage.   The doctors left in the country were not thought to be that great in their field.    The committee had to decide who they should consult first as to which doctor or doctors to bring in.    A name was decided upon, they contacted her and she gave them the names of a number of doctors to contact.    The clock is ticking away hours while all of this is taking place and of course the committee has to take Vodka breaks along the way.    Once contacted it took more time for the doctors to get to Stalin’s residence, then again, the committee had to approve each of them by taking a vote after considerable discussion.    Hours later, Stalin it was decided had a cerebral hemorrhage and very likely would not survive.    The committee contacted Stalin’s daughter and sent  soldiers to find Stalin’s son who was a general equivalent in the Russian army and was drunk after having attended an orgy he had moved to lesser partners but still involved in debauchery.     He did not want to go with the soldiers even though they told him he needed to come with them to see his father.    Stalin’s daughter knew immediately something was wrong with her father and assumed the worst that he was already dead.    However, somehow Stalin managed to hang on to life by a thread and opened his eyes when his daughter drew near and touched his face.   He tried to tell her and the committee something but he was unable to control his vocal chords and could only point and make in comprehensible sounds until exhausted he slipped back into unconsciousness.    His son still drunk finally arrived but his father had died by then and the committee member grasping the reins of power at Stalin’s death told the doctors they could not take his body from there.   The doctors insisted they needed to do an autopsy.   The doctors were told they could do the autopsy on Stalin in the barn.    This is what was going on when Stalin’s son finally arrived.   He walked in to see his father naked on a gurney, one of the doctor’s with a bloody surgical knife in his hand, all of the doctors covered in Stalin’s blood and the doctor who carried Stalin’s brain in his hands dropped it on the floor of the barn at the entry of the son.    A nightmare but all part of the true craziness that occurred at Stalin’s death.    Certainly an interesting retelling in excellent graphic style.    Not for the young nor squeamish due to sexual and violent scenes.    Graphic Novel fans will enjoy this one.

Secret Lives Of The Tsars: Three Centuries Of Autocracy Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, And Madness From Romanov Russia

Secret Lives Of The Tsars: Three Centuries Of Autocracy Debauchery,Betrayal, Murder, And Madness From Romanov Russia by Michael Farquhar, 349 pages

This book chronicles the lives of the tsars in the Romanov dynasty from Michael through Nicholas II.  It includes chapters on the more well-known tsars such as Peter I (the Great), Catherine II (the great), and the last tsar, Nicholas II, but also the lesser known (at least to me) Anna, Elizabeth, and Paul.  The book’s introduction details how the Romanovs gained power after Ivan IV’s (the terrible) reign ended and several years of political unrest followed before the first Romanov, Michael, was elected tsar.  This was a pretty good book.  It was easy to read, gave an adequate amount of information for people who are looking for an overview of the Romanov history and was pretty interesting.

The Court of the Last Tsar

The Court of the Last Tsar by Greg King 476 Pages
Essentially talks about the extravagance that Tsar Nicholas II and his family lived in from when he took power in 1894 to their untimely deaths in 1917 at the hands of the Bolsheviks. The wealth accumulated and inherited by the Russian Empire before and during his reign was unheard of in any other part of the world. The summer palace at Livadia, the only palace Nicholas II built during his reign had 116 rooms, virtually every one of them overlooking the beautiful Crimean landscape. The royal family usually resided at Tsarkoye Selo, translated as Tsar's Village. Here the family stayed in the 300+ room Alexander Palace.
Royal Balls, Seasonal Balls and Pageants were held monthly, sometimes twice a month. A standard table setting may include up to 1,100 pieces of monogrammed silverware and china just to serve less than 100 people. Food dishes included caviar (beluga and sturgeon), smoked salmon, grouse, pheasant, leek soup,
grilled sturgeon, etc... While the book may seem a bore to many, as the opulence and pomp become repetitive and make you jealous of the family's wealth. It does help you understand how the gap in wealth between the autocracy and the millions of peasants created such turmoil and civil unrest. Overall, a good read, a bit repetitive but if you like history and the Romanov Dynasty give it a shot.