well done ( )

2487 The Last Tsar: The Life and Death of Nicholas II, by Edvard Radzinsky translated from the Russian by Marian Schwartz (read 24 Jan 1993) The author is a playwright who has spent 25 years researching Nicholas II. The book spends a great deal of time on what happened at Ekaterinberg, and lists in its bibliography those fascinating books: The Riddle of Anna Anderson (read by me 24 Oct 1983), The Hunt for the Czar (read 16 Oct 1980), and The File on the Czar (read 16 Jan 1977). This book is a thrown together book, but I believe a little more carefully done than the last two above mentioned. The author seems to believe the whole family perished at Ekaterinberg, but does tell of a F. G. Semyonov, who believed he was Alexei, and does not reject Anna Anderson absolutely. However, because of the rather disjointed way this book is put together it was not as absorbing as other books I have read in this area. ( )

The author's writing style was rather jarring but otherwise, this Russian writer's meticulous research into the life and times of Nicholas II and the tragic end of him and his family was superb. ( )

Gave up on this book after 60 pages. Radzinsky didn't always write it in chronological order, making it confusing. In addition, he would frequently insert himself into it by giving theories and opinions about events. He may have had support for his comments, but offered none to the reader. Too bad it was so badly written, because I was really looking forward to learning about the Tsar. I'll try another book in the future and hope for better. ( )

Pacey written history that mixes eye witness accounts with written sources to explore how the royal family were a factor in their downfall as well as speculation that some members survived ( )