Reviews

The New York Times, US:

…An extraordinary book, which has captured the attention of all of Europe.

Newsday, US:

…In essence this is an exposé of the absurdity of war, and a moving plea for peace. As such, it takes its rank with far milder books, such as “All Quiet on the Western Front”.

La Notte, Italy:

…contains a dramatic beauty in all its brutality.

The Washington Post, US:

The Legion of the Damned is an incredible picture of totalitarianism, of war, of stupefying injustice, and one can only look in awe at the objectivity with which Hassel writes. He is graphic, at times brilliantly so, but never brutal or bitter. He is, too, a first rate storyteller. Unquestionably the book is a testament to indestructibility of man.

Neue Zeitung, Germany:

The exquisitely depicted scenes are on a par with Homer’s production of the battle for Troy.

Boston Sunday Herald, US:

The publishers say that this is “a documentary novel which has captured the attention of all of Europe.” We say that it may capture the attention of the world, because it is a strong and moving exhortation against that “filthy business” called war.

Berlingske Aftenavis, Denmark:

His writing skills are very uncommon and undaunted.

Columbus Dispatch, US:

Searing account of War’s Blackest Horror -This is not a story of war, but of people.

Freiheit, Ramat-Gan, Israel:

The safe sense of dramatic antithesis has made Sven Hassel into a new Hemingway.

Hull Daily Mail, UK:

The strength and skill of Mr. Hassel’s pen is uncanny. His reward is of one of the most impressive war books ever written…No one has written a more damning tract against wars and those who wage them. In the process, the world has gained a writer with the deft touch of the master penman. More please, Mr. Hassel.

Morgenavisen, Bergen, Norway:

Sven Hassel’s books glitter and sparkle of redemptive humor. He has an inimitable flair for dramatic antitheses where the gloomy solemnity corresponds with the brightest wit. He mastered the genre as few or none others.

Christian Herald, US:

Sven Hassel’s writing has the lasting proportions of greatness.

De Telegraaf, Amsterdam, The Netherlands:

Sven Hassel is an extraordinary storyteller.

Mitchell Daily Republic, US:

Hassel presents his best scenes with the restraint and emotional control of Hemingway.

Diario de Barcelona, Spain:

Sven Hassel compares favorably with Ernest Hemingway. His macabre humor is brilliant.

The News and Courier, Charleston, US:

Hassel presents a vivid picture of the horrors of war to warn people everywhere never to let another group of gangsters win control and plunge the world into a new holocaust.

Alan Silitoe (Saturday Night – Sunday Morning, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner), UK:

…A great war novel… Hassel’s books of war are the most powerful I have ever read.

Florida Times Union, US:

…Sven Hassel rates among the truly great war book writers.

Tuttolibri, Italy:

…Hassel recounts his experience as a soldier of slaughter and brings the reader into the parallel hell of the barracks and that of fighting through horror, sadism and madness.

Herald Tribune, US:

…In this, his first novel, as one assumes it is, the craftsman is apparent. His next book, if he chooses to go on writing, will be something to look out for…This is the story of the men who neither plan nor cause wars, but must fight them. The story is narrated in a simple and appealing literary style, somewhat similar to that of Ernest Hemingway.

Chicago Sunday Tribune, US:

It is a book that should be required reading not only in English, but also in German and Russian and Chinese and in the language of any country with an army. No ordinary novel of war, this has the special quality of being an accurate account not only of armies fighting but of the opposed loyalties of individuals fighting within themselves while remaining loyal -not to a dreadful system – but to the known and treasured friends…But basically the story shudders from page to page while the devoted friends live precariously from year to year, until only the one survivor is left to write this book. And a gripping book it is.

L’Unità, Italy:

Sven Hassel confirms that war is a searing blasphemy, the most atrocious a sick mind can imagine.

Neue Zeitung, Germany:

…The Splendidly described scenes are at the level of Homer´s representation of the battle of Troy.

Erik Pagh, BT, Denmark:

…Hassel’s books are stern fare. He tells things straight. The language of the soldiers is coarse and racy. Their experiences in brothels are orgies of debauchery. Their battles against the Russians are bestial slaughters. Sven Hassel has something on his mind—and he possesses the ability to tell his stories in a way that sweeps the reader along.

Börje Heed, Aftonbladet, Sweden:

…Compared to Sven Hassel’s depictions of the Eastern Front, Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” is a novel fit for Sunday school.

Stockholms Tidningen, Sweden:

…Sven Hassel depicts a Ragnarok that must never be forgotten. We should be grateful to those who are able to bear witness to the cruelties of war. And it is our duty to read their books.

Langreis, De Telegraaf, Holland:

…Sven Hassel is an excellent storyteller.

J.T.-H, Tribune libre, France:

…Sven Hassel is a tough and realistic writer.

P.C. Il Popolo, Italy:

…Sven Hassel presents a first-rate, dramatic account of the Second World War.

Otto Gelsted, Danish poet:

…If anyone has any doubts about what war is really like, I recommend reading Sven Hassel.

Tore Nilsen, Arbeiderbladet, Norway:

…Sparklingly well written — reaches real heights in its anti-military tendency.

Göteborg Handels- och Sjöfartstidning, Sweden:

…Sven Hassel gets closer to reality than anyone else.

Hasse Havgaard, Roskilde Tidende, Denmark:

…What on earth is an author like Sven Hassel supposed to do with his enormous success? He writes books that people actually want to read. Not just in Denmark, but all over the world—and that is a highly suspicious matter, one that the chosen few ought to treat with the deepest suspicion and contempt!

Otto Gelsted, Land og Folk, Denmark:

…In all its harrowing horror, it could only have been written by a man who has himself been in hell. And there is something beautiful in the depiction of the bond among the soldiers—men who increasingly abandon any hope of finding meaning or a glimmer of hope within the senseless slaughter in which they are taking part—until they themselves are crushed, impaled, or burned to death.

Bogens Verden, Journal of the Danish Library System:

…Švejk-esque humor and Remarque-like intelligence – but not for the faint of heart.

Henning Kehler, Berlingske Aftenavis. Denmark:

…He is capable of hating and loving the people he writes about.

Journal de Genève, Switzerland:

…To kill so as not to be killed—that is the moral in Sven Hassel’s books. He sweeps his readers along with him.

Wiener Wochenblatt, Austria:

…Hassel possesses a masterful ability to depict the impact of war on the individual. This skill secures him a unique place in war literature and strong sales.

Le Monde, France:

…Hassel’s novels are a unique documentation of the bloody battles of the last war on the Eastern Front.

Morgenavisen, Bergen, Norway:

…We know that humor is a mental-health factor of the highest order. Bringing such an insight to life is the privilege of the writer, and Sven Hassel belongs to the few chosen ones.

Staffordshire Evening Standard, England:

…Sven Hassel is among the best European novelists with a flair for excitement that has few equals.

Morgenbladet, Norway:

…In an almost magical way Sven Hassel unites the powerful style of Ernest Hemingway with Remarque´s unique way of writing. The Unknown Soldier of the Second World War has received his monument.

Nouvelles Littéraires, France:

…A talented author!

Haagsche Courant, Holland:

…Hassel’s descriptions of tank battles are the best that world literature has to offer.

La Voce Repubblicana, Italy:

…A brilliant author.

Hull Daily Mail, UK:

…but amidst death and destruction no one will forget the brief interludes of soldier humor, love, and the Berlin ‘cockney’—Porta’s sardonic wit.

Badisches Tagblatt, Germany:

…In a dazzling form, Sven Hassel depicts the brutality and meaninglessness of war.

Irish times, Ireland:

…Frighteningly vivid, a most strongly-felt piece of writing.

Vigie Marocaine, Morocco:

…Surpasses its big predecessors “No News from the Western Front” and “A Farewell to the Arms”.

Glasgow Daily Record, Scotland:

…Hypnotic study of the horrific Stalingrad campaign. A powerful unsparing portrait of war and its nightmares.

Miroir de l’Histoire, France:

…A fascinating illustration of war.