'Original, adept and confident… What can I say, except that I wish I had written it myself?' -Hilary Mantel May 1907. Young Stalin — poet, bank-robber, spy — is in London for the 5th Congress of the Russian Communist Party. As he builds his powerbase in the party, Stalin manipulates alliances with Lenin, Trotsky, and Rosa Luxemburg under the eyes of the Czar's secret police. Meanwhile he is drawn to the fiery Finnish activist Elli Vuokko and risks everything in a relationship as complicated as it is dangerous.'Captivating' -The Telegraph'A seething, febrile world of plots, schisms and revolution.' -Daily Mail 'Historical facts furnish May with a cast of legends to bring to life, and he does it with verve and humour.' -The Times
