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Red Russia
Among the many things Peter doesn’t know, he doesn’t know he’s an archetype, the Prince of Coins incarnate. He doesn’t know his fiancé is a fortune teller either. He doesn’t know Russian culture, politics, or language, but he does know American business. And he knows his fiancé speaks Russian. He thinks she can make him the new Tsar of the timber industry, but first they must survive a weekend with the Russian mob.
Red Russia is the story of an American businessman and his interpreter in Russia, of business, lies, and deception, of fortunes bought and told.
Red Russia is the story of an American businessman and his interpreter in Russia, of business, lies, and deception, of fortunes bought and told.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2017
About the author
Tanya Thompson
7 books658 followersIt’s often these little things that flummox me.
About the author…
Let's just say I’m a mischievous criminal with a penchant for charming my way into trouble and then out of arrest.
About the author…
Let's just say I’m a mischievous criminal with a penchant for charming my way into trouble and then out of arrest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
March 23, 2018
👏 Absolutely glorious! This book was surprising and delighting me at every turn. I picked it up based on the raving Goodreads feedback and the bear image (of course). But one page in I was hooked already.
This book is more of a long novella than a full-blown novel. I loved the brevity and it kept the pace exactly the way I like it: fast.
The story is delivered by a narrator: a charming and wilful female rogue character with a colourful past and an enterprising spirit. She travels with her fiance, a New Yorker private equity closer, to act as a translator to help him seal a deal with a Russian company (that is happened to be controlled by the mob). The moment they step on the plane to Moscow the hilarity ensues.
On top of the background criminal comedy-drama, the plot is peppered with curious asides and occult references... This cocktail results in an incredibly witty, brilliantly written bundle of joy.
I have a strong suspicion that the author does not speak Russian as her first language. But this makes this book even more striking achievement. Even when her sentences (in Russian) are sometimes off the mark - she displays an uncanny perceptiveness about Russian people, culture and behaviours.
For the other Russian-speakers out there, this book reminded me the most Generation "П". Not something you would expect from a western author. For everyone else, it is a A Clockwork Orange meets Lullaby of sorts.
5 ⭐️ Highest possible recommendation.
This book is more of a long novella than a full-blown novel. I loved the brevity and it kept the pace exactly the way I like it: fast.
The story is delivered by a narrator: a charming and wilful female rogue character with a colourful past and an enterprising spirit. She travels with her fiance, a New Yorker private equity closer, to act as a translator to help him seal a deal with a Russian company (that is happened to be controlled by the mob). The moment they step on the plane to Moscow the hilarity ensues.
On top of the background criminal comedy-drama, the plot is peppered with curious asides and occult references... This cocktail results in an incredibly witty, brilliantly written bundle of joy.
I have a strong suspicion that the author does not speak Russian as her first language. But this makes this book even more striking achievement. Even when her sentences (in Russian) are sometimes off the mark - she displays an uncanny perceptiveness about Russian people, culture and behaviours.
For the other Russian-speakers out there, this book reminded me the most Generation "П". Not something you would expect from a western author. For everyone else, it is a A Clockwork Orange meets Lullaby of sorts.
5 ⭐️ Highest possible recommendation.
July 11, 2018
very funny. imagine master and margarita written by a dota player.
March 22, 2019
Tanya Thompson Is A Goddess!
I haven't written a review for this book the previous three times I read it, but now that I have noticed that oversight, I will share my enthusiasm for author Tanya Thompson and her excellent writing. This book is like no other you will read. She is in top form and this book is a ride that you will find both dizzying and addictive.
Thompson has an absolutely wicked way with words, in two languages. Her wit is second to none and the plot is so outrageous it's entirely believable. She leads us merrily from the United States to Russia and then to the bear-ridden forests. We see so many aspects of the underworld of Russian life. There are thieves, spies, Kings, princes, the devil, and a tower where fortunes are made, broken, and read.
For bibliophiles this is an extraordinary delicacy that one will likely read again and again, much like I. I don't do spoilers, because who the hell wants to have someone else tell them what the story is? That's the author's job. Mine is just to tell you my opinion of its worthiness to read. This book is beyond Worthy. In fact, I will go so far as to say you will be sorely missing out on a wonderful experience if you don't read this novel.
Please, don't stop with this novel, read everything that Thompson has written under both her name and aliases. Everything that she writes is truly engrossing and a credit to literature. I believe that reading should be an enjoyable experience, and I've enjoyed every minute of reading Tanya Thompson's work. I think that almost anyone will. So, do yourself a favor and buy this book. And prepare yourself for the literary ride of epically outrageous fortune. You're in for a treat 😉.
As Always I Wish Happy Reads to All from the Unapologetic Book Junkie!
I haven't written a review for this book the previous three times I read it, but now that I have noticed that oversight, I will share my enthusiasm for author Tanya Thompson and her excellent writing. This book is like no other you will read. She is in top form and this book is a ride that you will find both dizzying and addictive.
Thompson has an absolutely wicked way with words, in two languages. Her wit is second to none and the plot is so outrageous it's entirely believable. She leads us merrily from the United States to Russia and then to the bear-ridden forests. We see so many aspects of the underworld of Russian life. There are thieves, spies, Kings, princes, the devil, and a tower where fortunes are made, broken, and read.
For bibliophiles this is an extraordinary delicacy that one will likely read again and again, much like I. I don't do spoilers, because who the hell wants to have someone else tell them what the story is? That's the author's job. Mine is just to tell you my opinion of its worthiness to read. This book is beyond Worthy. In fact, I will go so far as to say you will be sorely missing out on a wonderful experience if you don't read this novel.
Please, don't stop with this novel, read everything that Thompson has written under both her name and aliases. Everything that she writes is truly engrossing and a credit to literature. I believe that reading should be an enjoyable experience, and I've enjoyed every minute of reading Tanya Thompson's work. I think that almost anyone will. So, do yourself a favor and buy this book. And prepare yourself for the literary ride of epically outrageous fortune. You're in for a treat 😉.
As Always I Wish Happy Reads to All from the Unapologetic Book Junkie!
January 5, 2018
Honestly I should not have expected anything less than wholesale mayhem from the author of Assuming Names. This is after all the author who wrote a memoir about the time when she was fifteen and ran away from home. She wasn’t a typical runaway either. She ran away to assume the title of a lost countess, and her hijinks pulled in everyone from the FBI to Ron Howard. I should have known when she turned her mind to fiction she would take it over the top. Red Russia is a genius comedy into the absurd. Expect nothing but the darkest humor from the woman who played with the mafia and laughed at the ensuing violence.
April 22, 2018
Red Russia was one hundred percent hilarious. I was laughing so much and hard that my throat and stomach kind of hurt today.
Now before reading this book just know that is full of dark humor guys. However, it also has a dash of supernatural, paranormal, and some mafia shit thrown together too. Now going into this book I didn't really know a lot about Russia.. unless you count all of the history classes I took in school. However, not knowing a whole bunch of shit I still got the jokes and found them hilarious.
There's a bunch of corporate jokes in this book which made me laugh out loud so many times. Then there are the jabs at politics and the society in Russia. Then the use of drugs, alcohol, weapons, and profanity and you've made me fall in love with this book.
Overall, it's a laugh out loud kind of masterpiece. If you love mafia book then this is sort of for you. If you love that there's a woman in the center of this just playing with everyone, like a puppet master, and then laughing about the whole situation.. then this book is for you. Highly recommended. I absolutely loved this book.
Now before reading this book just know that is full of dark humor guys. However, it also has a dash of supernatural, paranormal, and some mafia shit thrown together too. Now going into this book I didn't really know a lot about Russia.. unless you count all of the history classes I took in school. However, not knowing a whole bunch of shit I still got the jokes and found them hilarious.
There's a bunch of corporate jokes in this book which made me laugh out loud so many times. Then there are the jabs at politics and the society in Russia. Then the use of drugs, alcohol, weapons, and profanity and you've made me fall in love with this book.
Overall, it's a laugh out loud kind of masterpiece. If you love mafia book then this is sort of for you. If you love that there's a woman in the center of this just playing with everyone, like a puppet master, and then laughing about the whole situation.. then this book is for you. Highly recommended. I absolutely loved this book.
January 1, 2021
This book was hilarious and wonderful-- a bit like the movie The Death of Stalin if it was about an American trying to do business with the Russian mob and had a dose of astrological and occult humor. The corporate humor is on point, as are some of the jabs at Russian politics and society. You don't need to know a lot about Russia to enjoy this book, but if you've got a solid understanding of Russian culture and politics, it will be all the more funny. Highly recommend.
May 11, 2020
This book is Russian Night Vale weird and I loved it. It is well written, unique, and authored by someone who understands what real cultural and language differences are. You know, rather than just making completely random mistakes and assumptions and saying `oh sorry thats the foreignness!` Bonus: the people in Russia were actually speaking Russian the whole time with each other! There were people who didn`t let on they also spoke English. There were people who just completely ignored that Peter couldn`t speak Russian and had fun with him anyway. All real things that happen in these kind of cultural and language exchanges.
This pleased me to no end especially after just finishing From Russia With Love where the Russian spy council is having a meeting with only other Russians...and speaking in English the entire time. Oh except when they would randomly switch to Russian for one word in a sentence - not even a word that doesn`t translate well - several times it was just the word for file...except when they used the English word, so it wasn`t even consistent. It makes me nuts to read this pinacle of laziness in books so I deeply appreciated that Thompson didn`t do it.
This pleased me to no end especially after just finishing From Russia With Love where the Russian spy council is having a meeting with only other Russians...and speaking in English the entire time. Oh except when they would randomly switch to Russian for one word in a sentence - not even a word that doesn`t translate well - several times it was just the word for file...except when they used the English word, so it wasn`t even consistent. It makes me nuts to read this pinacle of laziness in books so I deeply appreciated that Thompson didn`t do it.
June 3, 2018
I haven't read this piece of junk. I'm tired of all the fake accounts here recommending this garbage and the fake reviews.
May 27, 2019
Awesome
It paints a picture of deal making in Russia that fits into everything that I've seen and read about present day Russia. The characters are mostly Russian but the MC is an american engaged to a clueless corporate speak, fast track, son of old money idiot tasked with doing the above deal.
The MC is a divination-obsessed, self-medicating daughter of Ren Faire parents and with that intro given early on, the fun begins. It's a fever dream snapshot of what's considered normal in Moscow today, featuring the waste, the brutality, the tastelessness, the crippling effect on the country's economic life of a plutocracy gone wild.
The writer knows numerology, the tarot and I Ching and understands Russia today. The writer also writes a good fever dream. It's a weird novel with strange characters for a story about business and a wild ride. It's a good read of the bizarre sort.
It paints a picture of deal making in Russia that fits into everything that I've seen and read about present day Russia. The characters are mostly Russian but the MC is an american engaged to a clueless corporate speak, fast track, son of old money idiot tasked with doing the above deal.
The MC is a divination-obsessed, self-medicating daughter of Ren Faire parents and with that intro given early on, the fun begins. It's a fever dream snapshot of what's considered normal in Moscow today, featuring the waste, the brutality, the tastelessness, the crippling effect on the country's economic life of a plutocracy gone wild.
The writer knows numerology, the tarot and I Ching and understands Russia today. The writer also writes a good fever dream. It's a weird novel with strange characters for a story about business and a wild ride. It's a good read of the bizarre sort.
November 11, 2018
At times scathingly funny, at turns ridiculous, but it was always witty. Solidly witty writing is hard to find, hence my love of this. (Plus the author mentioned the walls being scrawled in Oscar Wilde quotes. That won me over completely.)
April 5, 2018
a mad alchemy of topics designed to produce an eclectic dark comedy
extravagant and hilarious
extravagant and hilarious
November 13, 2018
exquisitely witty
July 16, 2022
4.25 Stars – A stunning, stoic and — at times — silly, ode to mother Russia & all of her hypocrisy. This novel manages to both indulge the underworld ima very sneakily-hateful manner whilst also linking the Mob to ALL ‘business’ dealings across the Red State.
Red Russia. Ok. Where to begin? This is an insanely wild, wacky, wonderfully weird, wobbly & wonderous all at the same time!
Clearly influenced by a number if her Russian literature predecessors, Thompson delights in amalgamation of themes here & this effort most certainly shines most brightly when the combination of humor, disdain, discord –yet also patriotism – is rolled together and brushed with delicate touch of irony. Evident early on in to novel is the authors fondness for language – See; Kompromat – which is always a delight for me with modern authors — They prefer to lightly draw attention to this session as opposed to previous Era where most tended to drown the reader in their vocabulary-filled superiority as if it were only allowed in context of thumbing one’s nose at us mere linguistic-mortals — here is no different, languages love for all kinds of words is a clear thread throughout and thankfully comes minus any of the doughy-pox that adorns the aforementioned crowd.
Thompson also drops hints at a joy for patterns.within numbers and doesn't mind poking fun at the scholarly driven and the academic-minded snipers that permeate modern society either. But as your expect, it is Mother Russia whom beats the main brunt of the authors word and it is painted with this brush with eloquent ease and flow the bemoans a far more seasoned Novelist, such is the powerful prose on display.
Through multi-dimensional narrative and characters robst enough to carry it forward, Red Russia is a fun read from very early in & this held me right through until the final 60 pages that — for me at least — mossd an opportunity to take the Novel to another level altogether, playing fun and safe is cool but there was something ready to really elevate this one that I couldn't help feel slightly perturbed about, but in reflection perhaps it was mode my osucje willing this to be so, such was my fondness for these pages!!!
A worthy investment on Kindleunlimited — A form of reading I log to better utilise in the not too distant future.
A poignant moment of prose:
“I’m both a skeptic and an optimist, a cynic and an idealist. I rely on reason yet I am superstitious. It makes no sense, I know, but there it is nonetheless.”
Red Russia. Ok. Where to begin? This is an insanely wild, wacky, wonderfully weird, wobbly & wonderous all at the same time!
Clearly influenced by a number if her Russian literature predecessors, Thompson delights in amalgamation of themes here & this effort most certainly shines most brightly when the combination of humor, disdain, discord –yet also patriotism – is rolled together and brushed with delicate touch of irony. Evident early on in to novel is the authors fondness for language – See; Kompromat – which is always a delight for me with modern authors — They prefer to lightly draw attention to this session as opposed to previous Era where most tended to drown the reader in their vocabulary-filled superiority as if it were only allowed in context of thumbing one’s nose at us mere linguistic-mortals — here is no different, languages love for all kinds of words is a clear thread throughout and thankfully comes minus any of the doughy-pox that adorns the aforementioned crowd.
Thompson also drops hints at a joy for patterns.within numbers and doesn't mind poking fun at the scholarly driven and the academic-minded snipers that permeate modern society either. But as your expect, it is Mother Russia whom beats the main brunt of the authors word and it is painted with this brush with eloquent ease and flow the bemoans a far more seasoned Novelist, such is the powerful prose on display.
Through multi-dimensional narrative and characters robst enough to carry it forward, Red Russia is a fun read from very early in & this held me right through until the final 60 pages that — for me at least — mossd an opportunity to take the Novel to another level altogether, playing fun and safe is cool but there was something ready to really elevate this one that I couldn't help feel slightly perturbed about, but in reflection perhaps it was mode my osucje willing this to be so, such was my fondness for these pages!!!
A worthy investment on Kindleunlimited — A form of reading I log to better utilise in the not too distant future.
A poignant moment of prose:
“I’m both a skeptic and an optimist, a cynic and an idealist. I rely on reason yet I am superstitious. It makes no sense, I know, but there it is nonetheless.”
January 12, 2019
I absolutely loved loved loved ASSUMING NAMES. RED RUSSIA, while not as good, is still an excellent book. Red Russia is not for everyone --especially not for those who have a difficult time understanding why swear words and foul language can sometimes be exactly the right word to convey an author's concept to a reader--and sometimes not just the right word, but the BEST word!
Red Russia is a great example of "playing with words" This book has Russian, English, and a made up language that uses English words or combines words to make new words, which aren't real words but hilarious combinations, whose meanings can be discerned. Its a little more challenging to read, but it is hysterical and so so clever.
Tanya is obviously very smart. As a self described sociopath (in Assuming Names) she says and does things most people would never even consider. While nothing Tanya does should surprise you, almost all of it still does.
In Red Russia, Tanya, who has a Masters in Russian Literature accompanies her fiance on a trip to Russia to assist in facilitating the close of a lucrative deal to get in the ground floor for Russia's (as yet) unharvested Timber Forests. Tanya is not only acting as translator, she is translating negotiations as she sees fit to benefit...herself, of course.
As she states in the book "40 cases of Vodka, Grenade Launchers and Russians....what could possibly go wrong?".
Read it to find out and if you want to get an idea what the book is like. ..look no further than the hilarious cover image.
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Red Russia is a great example of "playing with words" This book has Russian, English, and a made up language that uses English words or combines words to make new words, which aren't real words but hilarious combinations, whose meanings can be discerned. Its a little more challenging to read, but it is hysterical and so so clever.
Tanya is obviously very smart. As a self described sociopath (in Assuming Names) she says and does things most people would never even consider. While nothing Tanya does should surprise you, almost all of it still does.
In Red Russia, Tanya, who has a Masters in Russian Literature accompanies her fiance on a trip to Russia to assist in facilitating the close of a lucrative deal to get in the ground floor for Russia's (as yet) unharvested Timber Forests. Tanya is not only acting as translator, she is translating negotiations as she sees fit to benefit...herself, of course.
As she states in the book "40 cases of Vodka, Grenade Launchers and Russians....what could possibly go wrong?".
Read it to find out and if you want to get an idea what the book is like. ..look no further than the hilarious cover image.
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January 8, 2019
I'm given this four stars as it's a wonderful read and so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Perhaps even better than "Assuming Names." Both with similar themes of the outsider spilling all about her crimes and adventures. Both suffer from an abrupt ending. The first book has a alleged sequel - there's even an extract at the end of the book but there is no sequel. This book just ends abruptly with no real resolution. Otherwise five stars.
May 15, 2018
I read this as my BRIC novel for Read Harder: it being a satire set in Russia, though its lead character would be the first to admit she is anything but. The book aims to skewer the current Russian oligarchy, and does a good and extremely entertaining job of doing this via action, comedy and increasingly large amounts of narcotics. The conceit is our heroine is the girlfriend of a tech bro who wants to do deals in Russia, and has no idea how to operate. She can translate and seems on the whole more competent than him, despite her large addiction to prescription drugs and an obsession with fortune telling and in particular the tarot. Some of these are taken a bit far for the sake of the satire - but the meat of the novel is in the doublespeak of translation (and reading on a colour e-reader will help keep the languages straight). There is a standout sequence in the middle where there are two translators trying to translate business bullshit and Russian prison slang back and forth. Despite it going to some really rather silly places with its drug fuelled conclusion, I have also come away with a much better idea of kompromat, the Bratva and just how the oligarch nation works. Lots of fun.
December 12, 2018
clutch it baby
insane pace
what a rush
what. a. ruuuuuuush.
this book skipped 1.13 and 1:12ed it all the way
and it effing clutched the goddam grenade launcher
look at the effing pace
legend
(sry for the outburst, just showing my millennial creed)
insane pace
what a rush
what. a. ruuuuuuush.
this book skipped 1.13 and 1:12ed it all the way
and it effing clutched the goddam grenade launcher
look at the effing pace
legend
(sry for the outburst, just showing my millennial creed)
April 13, 2020
This book is not like any I have ever read. It is exceptionally unique. Clearly influenced by Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita – it is Russian, darkly comic satire, witty and totally off the show whacky.
“Cultural mistakes #1, #2 and #3: Don’t point at a Russian, don’t smile at a Russian and don’t joke about Chernobyl…” want to know what happens if you do? A very long car ride through the forest flanked by the Russian mafia, a boot full of vodka and a pharmacy’s worth of prescription medication…and that’s just for starters. And so begins the tale of an American businessman, his fiancé/interpreter and twenty four hours with the Solntsevskaya Bratva, aka the Russian mob….Essentially, “they’re officers of the KGB, GRU, FSB AMD SVR…acronyms for spies, spooks, shadows and assassins…”
This book covers a lot of big issues, and it does so in a very unique and fantastical way. It throws a spotlight on the insidious, hand in glove relationship between the interests of big business and organised crime. It delves into politics and philosophy, is imbued with spiritualism and mysticism and a lot of occult wisdom ranging from numerology to tarot cards and devil worship (here you can really see the influence of Master and Margarita). “I call myself agnostic, but I’m more like an atheist; though admittedly, an atheist who pays respect to religion. I’m both a skeptic and an optimist, a cynic and an idealist. I rely on reason yet I am superstitious. It makes no sense, I know, but there it is nonetheless…”
Thompson writes with insight and creative flair. Her language is highly original, with the inclusion of Russian words and phrases elevating the authentic elements of the novel. Brilliant satire, “nobody can remember a damn thing that happened. You just wake to the inexplicable: the walls graffitied in Oscar Wilde quotes, the cat half shaved, the car missing, and the palm plant from the Holiday Inn is sitting on the couch in sunglasses and full masonic gear…”
I fear you will either love or hate this novel. I admit the first time I started it I put it down in distaste, thinking it was quite try-hard. However, months later I gave it another go and was sucked in to the story, it’s cleverness and originality and it’s just a thrillingly bizarre tale – that elements of this are true, just makes it all the more intriguing. If you are fan of Master and Margarita, the absurd or just want to read some masterful satire, give it a go.
“Cultural mistakes #1, #2 and #3: Don’t point at a Russian, don’t smile at a Russian and don’t joke about Chernobyl…” want to know what happens if you do? A very long car ride through the forest flanked by the Russian mafia, a boot full of vodka and a pharmacy’s worth of prescription medication…and that’s just for starters. And so begins the tale of an American businessman, his fiancé/interpreter and twenty four hours with the Solntsevskaya Bratva, aka the Russian mob….Essentially, “they’re officers of the KGB, GRU, FSB AMD SVR…acronyms for spies, spooks, shadows and assassins…”
This book covers a lot of big issues, and it does so in a very unique and fantastical way. It throws a spotlight on the insidious, hand in glove relationship between the interests of big business and organised crime. It delves into politics and philosophy, is imbued with spiritualism and mysticism and a lot of occult wisdom ranging from numerology to tarot cards and devil worship (here you can really see the influence of Master and Margarita). “I call myself agnostic, but I’m more like an atheist; though admittedly, an atheist who pays respect to religion. I’m both a skeptic and an optimist, a cynic and an idealist. I rely on reason yet I am superstitious. It makes no sense, I know, but there it is nonetheless…”
Thompson writes with insight and creative flair. Her language is highly original, with the inclusion of Russian words and phrases elevating the authentic elements of the novel. Brilliant satire, “nobody can remember a damn thing that happened. You just wake to the inexplicable: the walls graffitied in Oscar Wilde quotes, the cat half shaved, the car missing, and the palm plant from the Holiday Inn is sitting on the couch in sunglasses and full masonic gear…”
I fear you will either love or hate this novel. I admit the first time I started it I put it down in distaste, thinking it was quite try-hard. However, months later I gave it another go and was sucked in to the story, it’s cleverness and originality and it’s just a thrillingly bizarre tale – that elements of this are true, just makes it all the more intriguing. If you are fan of Master and Margarita, the absurd or just want to read some masterful satire, give it a go.
November 13, 2018
The chaos of this book unfolds brilliantly. At first I didn’t know what sort of book it was, what it was trying to convey. I thought it might be a man-hater at first. Then I thought it might be anti-environmental. Finally I saw it for the high irony it was. It’s deceptive comedy with bite. “Red in tooth and claw,” as other reviewers said.
May 27, 2019
eloquent and playful exploration of two languages and cultures.
February 1, 2018
here, have my 5 stars too.
the galaxy of stars on amazon is deserved. very well deserved. this is some next level genius writing here.
the galaxy of stars on amazon is deserved. very well deserved. this is some next level genius writing here.
November 23, 2017
"fat american language" that genuinely made me laugh. there's quite a few good laughs in this book. i'd call it a fairly accurate (though exaggerated for comedy) look at russia today. taken too far of course, but what the hell, it's a comedy.
[why are there two listings for this book? wth?]
[why are there two listings for this book? wth?]
November 23, 2017
"fat american language" that genuinely made me laugh. there's quite a few good laughs in this book. i'd call it a fairly accurate (though exaggerated for comedy) look at russia today. taken too far of course, but what the hell, it's a comedy.
June 5, 2019
What a mess. It's as if the author assembled a list of pseudo-corporate slang and Russian swear words and built the entire "story" around them--a story which is an embarrassing, exaggerated take on the "crazy Russian" trope and is not nearly as funny as it thinks it is. It's one thing if even absurd situations are written in a way that is believable, but nothing about this story is presented that way, from the protagonist, who supposedly learned her Russian from Renaissance Fair participants, to her (competent? idiot? hard-nosed negotiator? naive?) companion (we don't really know because the writer doesn't even seem to know) to the mishmash of Russian thugs who seem to multiply throughout the story, contributing nothing but "hilarious" and violent hijinks. To add to the exhausting nature of this story, most people are intoxicated and drug addled throughout the story, creating a level of tediousness difficult to achieve with so much senseless action.
Two stars: second one for language use.
Two stars: second one for language use.
August 31, 2019
There was something about this story that captured my attention immediately. The intrigue begins to get built up within the first few lines, and I was enthralled with the writing and characters. The story is eerie, complex, surreal, enticing, and mysterious. The story follows two American's in Russia and is packed with intrigue, deception, lies, secrets, greed, and danger. I loved the tarot card imagery in the book. It gave the atmosphere of the story an eerie and surreal quality that I was absolutely captivated by. The book is filled with dark humor and engaging characters. This book is also written with both Russian and English parts, which I thought was really cool! This book is definitely a surprise. I didn't quite know what to expect going in, but I am so glad I picked it up. A delightful story! I can't wait to read more fro this author.
November 17, 2018
I figured anything that mixes Ambien, alcohol, and heavy firearms was a surefire way to get my interest, but this books mixes so much more than drugs and guns. It’s like the Lovers card Thompson writes about. If she’s correct (I have no idea if she is) then the Lovers represent alchemy, or the combining of ingredients. Red Russia is a big Christmas fruit cake of ideas. It’s mixed up with Russia literature, various tricks of fortune telling, both modern and classical ideas like social media and politics. She’s thrown in the entire cupboard and soaked the whole thing thoroughly in vodka. A wonderfully witty satire for our age. It’s a most relevant book for these times.
October 13, 2018
A brilliant dark comedy that does not once reduce itself to toilet humor or demeaning sex or cringe for laughter. Instead it is a comedy that will delight intellectuals.
May 13, 2021
I've never been stoned (sigh), but what happens and how you feel in the 2nd half of this book is what I imagine must happen when you are stoned.
I wanted to read more about Russia, after the wonder that was "A Gentleman in Moscow", and this was a short read, so got on it hoping to get out of my reading slump. I was also hooked in the initial few pages by the Tarot parallels, having dabbled in Tarot reading myself a few years ago.
This is an enjoyable, albeit super quirky ride. The copious amounts of vodka consumed can't possibly be real. Don't expect to find a protagonist that you root for, or an antagonist that you don't like. Everyone is 18 shades of grey, or should I say red, you're ultimately just observing this freight train headed for the mountain side, wondering who is going to crash where and how.
It also has some absolute gems such as the below:
I wanted to read more about Russia, after the wonder that was "A Gentleman in Moscow", and this was a short read, so got on it hoping to get out of my reading slump. I was also hooked in the initial few pages by the Tarot parallels, having dabbled in Tarot reading myself a few years ago.
This is an enjoyable, albeit super quirky ride. The copious amounts of vodka consumed can't possibly be real. Don't expect to find a protagonist that you root for, or an antagonist that you don't like. Everyone is 18 shades of grey, or should I say red, you're ultimately just observing this freight train headed for the mountain side, wondering who is going to crash where and how.
It also has some absolute gems such as the below:
"And then everything will be honest between us because I really do lov… I mean, I really do like… uh… need? him. Whatever. He’s a great guy."
"(Isn’t there always a great deal of flattery before the word that inevitably undoes everything that precedes it?)"
"...but as Dostoyevsky says, It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently."
“Whoa now, stop driving beyond the headlights.” “Huh?” “You know, like, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” “Oh, okay.”
"...contracts pending with the Berserkistans.” “The who?” “You know, the crazy Stans: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan… there’s like a dozen of them.”
January 15, 2021
I'm convinced every account reviewing this book is just the same robot. The superfluous use of gamer jargon in an attempt to make us dislike Peter (who even with this is far and away the only likable character) was far too overbearing. What is the use of having the whole "red ink is originally in Russian" if half the time the words are still written is Russian. The font itself is terrible, it feels like a grade school report. This is all just technical critique as the story itself was just bad, the main character exceedingly insufferable and, the use of the tarot cards added nothing while detracting from the paper thin plot that was there. I gave an extra star because I do like the bear with a gun
November 26, 2017
genius comedy.
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