Four Steps to Death
Encyclopedia
Four Steps to Death is a historical novel
by John Wilson
, first published in 2005. It is about the horrors and tragedies of the Battle of Stalingrad
. The plot revolves around the lives of various characters involved in the battle on both sides of the conflict and shows how horrible war can be.
. This discovery brings about a series of flashbacks to when Sergei was a child in Stalingrad, as Volgograd was then known. Four Steps to Death is the story of five individuals during the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942.
Vasily is a 17-year-old patriotic machine gunner whose biggest dream is to become a hero of the Soviet Union
by casting away the large Nazi army that has advanced all the way to his homeland. Vasily quickly becomes attached to a famous Russian sniper, a woman named Yelena Pavlova. Although he and his fellow comrades have pledged allegiance to their homeland, Vasily is soon confused at the lack of patriotism expressed by Yelena and many of the other troops. This makes Vasily thinks of home. At first he feels guilty about defying his government but good and evil become entangled and soon, Vasily cannot tell why they are at war in the first place.
Conrad is an 18-year-old patriotic German tank leader commanding his Panzer division
through the Russian steppe and into Stalingrad (which he believes will end the war). With the "Ivan
s" (Russians) defeated, Conrad believes that he and his older brother, Josef, will be able to come back home to Germany as war heroes and be able to celebrate Christmas with the mother. Their father was a WWI veteran and an Iron Cross
recipient for bravery in the Battle of Verdun
who recently died from his wounds. Although Conrad is proud of his father, he sometimes wishes that his father was still alive. As the story progresses, his dream of spending Christmas with his family in Germany slips further and further away.
In the middle of the conflict is eight-year-old Sergei. He lives in Stalingrad in the cellar of his former apartment, scavenging among the ruins of his hometown while the Germans and Russians wage war on one another. Thousands of bodies litter the streets, and yet, Sergei is not bothered by any of this, being hardened by the horrors that he faces every day. He dreams of being a famous sniper one day and ridding his homeland of the "Fascists".
, the 2006 Geoffrey Bilson Award
, the 2007 White Pine Award
. The novel was recognized as a Society of School Librarians International Honor Book (2006), and as a Manitoba Reader's Young Choice Award Honour Book. It was shortlisted for the Stellar Award, the Isinglass Award (2008), and was starred in the CCBC Our Choice 2006.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by John Wilson
John Wilson (Canadian young adults' writer)
John Wilson is a Canadian author.- Biography : was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 2, 1951. He grew up on the Island of Skye, and in Paisley...
, first published in 2005. It is about the horrors and tragedies of the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. The plot revolves around the lives of various characters involved in the battle on both sides of the conflict and shows how horrible war can be.
Plot
Four Steps to Death is told mainly through Sergei Ilyich Andropov, a seventy-year-old police officer who has been called to investigate the case of two mysterious bodies found in the cellar of a building that is being excavated in the present-day Russian city of VolgogradVolgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
. This discovery brings about a series of flashbacks to when Sergei was a child in Stalingrad, as Volgograd was then known. Four Steps to Death is the story of five individuals during the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942.
Vasily is a 17-year-old patriotic machine gunner whose biggest dream is to become a hero of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
by casting away the large Nazi army that has advanced all the way to his homeland. Vasily quickly becomes attached to a famous Russian sniper, a woman named Yelena Pavlova. Although he and his fellow comrades have pledged allegiance to their homeland, Vasily is soon confused at the lack of patriotism expressed by Yelena and many of the other troops. This makes Vasily thinks of home. At first he feels guilty about defying his government but good and evil become entangled and soon, Vasily cannot tell why they are at war in the first place.
Conrad is an 18-year-old patriotic German tank leader commanding his Panzer division
Panzer Division
A panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
through the Russian steppe and into Stalingrad (which he believes will end the war). With the "Ivan
Ivan
-Meteorology:* Tropical Storm Ivan - a number of tropical storms - Places:* Ivan Mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina* Iván, a village in Hungary* Ivaň, name common to two villages in Czech Republic...
s" (Russians) defeated, Conrad believes that he and his older brother, Josef, will be able to come back home to Germany as war heroes and be able to celebrate Christmas with the mother. Their father was a WWI veteran and an Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
recipient for bravery in the Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
who recently died from his wounds. Although Conrad is proud of his father, he sometimes wishes that his father was still alive. As the story progresses, his dream of spending Christmas with his family in Germany slips further and further away.
In the middle of the conflict is eight-year-old Sergei. He lives in Stalingrad in the cellar of his former apartment, scavenging among the ruins of his hometown while the Germans and Russians wage war on one another. Thousands of bodies litter the streets, and yet, Sergei is not bothered by any of this, being hardened by the horrors that he faces every day. He dreams of being a famous sniper one day and ridding his homeland of the "Fascists".
Nominations and reception
Four Steps to Death was nominated for the 2006 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature PrizeSheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize
The Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize is awarded annually as the BC Book Prize for the best juvenile or young adult novel or work of non-fiction by a resident of British Columbia or the Yukon, Canada. It was first awarded in 1987...
, the 2006 Geoffrey Bilson Award
Geoffrey Bilson Award
The Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers is a Canadian literary award that goes to the best work of historical fiction written for youth each year...
, the 2007 White Pine Award
White Pine Award
The White Pine Award is an annual literature award sponsored by the Ontario Library Association that has awarded Canadian young adult books since 2002...
. The novel was recognized as a Society of School Librarians International Honor Book (2006), and as a Manitoba Reader's Young Choice Award Honour Book. It was shortlisted for the Stellar Award, the Isinglass Award (2008), and was starred in the CCBC Our Choice 2006.