City of thieves
by David Benioff · first published 2008
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Wartime novel set during the siege of Leningrad, praised as wonderful storytelling and a quick read at about 250 pages; suits readers who want engaging historical fiction, and the audiobook is recommended.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime. During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable depriv
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…implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels. It's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past…
on “Ask HN: What literature do you read?” ↗…things in that book I could make into a standalone project that could occupy years at a time. Some other picks: The Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick. The Plague or The Outsider by Albert Camus. City of Thieves by David Benioff.
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗I read 57 books this year, a mix between fiction and non-fiction Top 5 fiction - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - Trust by Hernan Diaz - City of Thieves by David Benioff - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders - Widow Basquiat by by Jennifer Clement Top 5 non-fiction - Boom Town by Sam Anderson - The Second Founding by Eric Foner - The Club by…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗…Food: A Cultural Culinary History - The Great Courses (if you've ever searched for 'authentic' food, I strongly, strongly recommend this book. It was one of my favorite listening experiences of the year) City of Thieves - David Benioff (Wonderful storytelling, I recommend the audio version just for the performance) The Elephant Whisperer - Lawrence Anthony (Another example of great storytelling, highly recommended)…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗City of Thieves by David Benioff (of Game of Thrones fame) is a fictional story of the siege of Leningrad and might also be enjoyable for those interested in Grossman's books. At around 250 pages, it's a very quick read.
on “Reading Grossman's “Stalingrad” and ”Life and Fate”” ↗David Benioff’s (Game of Thrones show runner) City of Thieves is a very entertaining book set during the siege. It was an inspiration for The Last of Us video game (and later HBO series) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Thieves_(novel)
on “The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad: Science and Sacrifice in a City Under Siege” ↗…Ancillary Justice, the debut novel from Ann Leckie. It was great, although I didn't find the rest of the trilogy had much to add to it. Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award, though, holy shit right? City of Thieves by David Benioff. Memoirs of a Geisha, the unbelievably awesome debut novel from Arthur Golden, from which an unbelievably horrible move was somehow extracted (this story is the kind that cannot be told…
on “Wil Self: In Praise of Difficult Novels” ↗_City of Thieves_ by David Benioff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Thieves_(novel)
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading?” ↗