Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: this was a great read - i learned alot about stalinist russia - and had alot of fun with the plot - for a thriller, i thought the writing was definitely above average, and the main characters Kelso, O'Brian, and Savourin(sp.?) were extremely well drawn. I had alot of fun with this book - Great airplane read but way above level of normal thriller writers.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling premise - very poor follow-through
Review: The premise of this book - How would the face of modern Russia change if Stalin's attrocities were ever brought to light (through the discovery of his secret journel) - is a very compelling theme. Harris starts us on the journey down this path in a suspensefull manner that makes the book hard to put down for the first 100 pages. Past that, the plot falls apart and becomes one non-sensicle farce after another. Past the first 100 pages, all character development (such that there is) stops and Harris seems to change his tone and begins to regard the reader as a teenage girl reading "The Nancy Drew Mysteries". This book has a wonderfull premise, a passing beginning, but in the end, falls well short of it's promise.Having read other works by Robert Harris, I would have to say this: If you are a Harris fan, you will probably not be too disapointed; if you are a first time Harris reader, I would pass on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it.
Review: Archangel was a very good fast paced story. I couldn't put it down
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and Thought Provoking
Review: I found Harris' novel to be exciting and thought provoking. I enjoyed the images of modern-day Russia interwoven with those of the Soviet Union in the 1950s. The ending may be considered far-fetched, but not beyond the realm of possibility. Especially when one considers the last Japanese soldier of World War II who surrendered 25 years after the fact. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Great build-up, wasteful ending
Review: I bought this book as a curiosity. I visited the Soviet Union in 1989, but haven't been back. Also, I had enjoyed Harris' blending of fact and fiction in "Fatherland." This book begins well, and seems to be an even better blending of Harris' historical sense and fiction-writing talent. I very much enjoyed it until the ending. I won't discuss it, in deference those that have yet to read it, but I suspect that the ending was meant to be symbolic. I don't mind that, but it contrasts so starkly with the rest of the novel, that the details and work laid in the first half of the novel are seemingly ripped up. Historical fiction becomes historical fantasy. It is a waste of investments by the writer and reader.
Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: I enjoyed this thriller very much. The action is exciting, the characters are engaging, and the portrait of Russia is chilling (if everything I've ever read about Russia is close to true, what a depressing place, full of pollution, deprivation, and misery). The critical reviews by some readers are way too harsh: sure, the ending is a bit unbelievable, but this is a good book--lighten up.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Follow
Review: The basic plot had the makings of some real intrique, but from from page 250 to the end I could not figure out where we were or what we were doing. I still cannot figure out what the ending of the book was all about and I was glad to get this read over with. I was very disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A very good read!
Review: This book was a wonderful thriller and it grabs hold and doesn't let go! I finished it yesterday and I am still having it run through my mind. The "gripping" effect reminds me of The Charm School of Nelson DeMille. Sure it is fiction but the author definitely had the flavor of Russia --- it was right on!
Rating:
Summary: Stalin meets the Legend of Bigfoot!?!?
Review: You'll know what the summary means if you read the book, folks...I suppose for those out there who need to get their history with a touch of juvenile thrill, 'Archangel' does have something to offer. (Although, truth be told, everything Harris used as reference can be found in David Remnick's outstanding works 'Lenin's Tomb' and 'Ressurrection'--and Volkogonov's captivating biographies of Stalin and Lenin.) The first clue that 'Archangel' was taking a turn for the worst was just past midpoint, when Harris uses his 'pushy american journalist' character to spout out his grammar-school thesis on contemporary Russia: "It's the Weimar Republic...waiting for their Hitler." Please. History has revealed to us that we are all dangling upon the fragile thread of geopolitics--The aftermath of this century's tension has left many potential heirs of destruction. In such an unstable circumstance, singling out Russia as such a powder-keg is an exploitative cheap-thrill for those sorry few who miss having "The Reds" to conveniently justify their limited worldview. Without giving away Harris' ending, I will say that it was laughably pathetic. Ridiculous. If you're a Russian, I would wager it's downright offensive. I can just imagine what the pitch-meeting will sound like when Harris' agent tries to sell Archangel to film or television, "It's like The Manchurian Candidate meets Bigfoot...!"
Rating:
Summary: A historical novel of present times
Review: In his latest book Robert Harris takes the reader to present day Russia. He offers a grim description of the political and social situation of the once evil empire after the fall of communism. Nevertheless, the novel is a historical thriller very much like its predessors FATHERLAND and ENIGMA. This time Harris deals with a secret surrouding the former leader of the USSR Josef Stalin, one of the darkest figures of 20th century`s history. Packed with meticulous historical detail, ARCHANGEL makes us believe its fiction to be true. High on suspension the book is a page turner from the start. Very realistic.
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