Winter Fire

Nazi intelligence officer Erich Ziegler experiences a harrowing odyssey that takes him from the misery of Arctic combat to the security of Finland to the Russian front, where he plunges into a nightmare of violence. 20,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.

Historian Trotter ( A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939 - 40 ) ably draws on his area of expertise for his first novel, although his narrative occasionally strikes melodramatic chords. Rising conductor Erich Ziegler is drafted into the Wehrmacht and sent to the Arctic in June 1941. Surviving the grueling winter, he becomes a roving liaison (read: spy) in Finland and a friend and protege of the great composer Jean Sibelius. In Sibelius's woodland hideaway, Erich falls under the spells of the northern forest and of Kylliki, a beautiful young kitchen servant. Wounded in further action, Erich recuperates at the Sibelius estate, where he wins more than Kylliki's hand, conducts the Fourth Symphony for the master's 79th birthday and hears the composer's piano version of the long-sought Eighth Symphony. Convinced he possesses tickets to postwar success and bliss (the debut of the Eighth and Kylliki), Erich is shattered when both composer and woman deny him. Although he clearly limns the twists of Finnish wartime policy--from belligerence with Germany to alliance with Russia--and the horrors at the Finnish and Eastern fronts, Trotter mars his debut with an overly contrived ending.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Trotter ( Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 , LJ 7/1/91) uses a blend of mysticism, music, greed, and ambition to craft a wonderful story set in World War II Finland. German intelligence officer Erich Ziegler is also a conductor. While on duty in Finland, he meets the composer Jean Sibelius, becoming a frequent guest at Sibelius's forest lodge. As their friendship grows, Ziegler learns that Sibelius's long-awaited eighth symphony may exist. But after angering his superiors, Ziegler is sent to the Russian front, where he thinks only of Kylliki, a servant who works for Sibelius, and the symphony. Ziegler is determined to be the first to present the symphony to the world. Trotter contrasts the brutality of war with the humanity of music. He vividly depicts the Finnish countryside, the extreme cold of Lapland, and the horrors of the Russian front. Yet he remains focused on his story and does not allow the inhumanity to take over. Recommended for most collections.
- Karen Stewart, Colorado Legislative Council Lib., Denver
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.