''Four Steps to Death'' is a 2005

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

John Wilson John Wilson may refer to: Academics * John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of ''Our Israelitish Origin'' (1840), a founding text of British Israelism * John Wilson (agriculturalist) (1812–1888), British agriculturalist * John Matthias ...

. It is about the horrors and tragedies of the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

. 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. The title is derived from a line of the Soviet song "

Zemlyanka Zemlyanka (Russian, , . , , ) is a North Slavic name for a dugout or ''earth-house'' which was used to provide shelter for humans or domestic animals as well as for food storage. Based on a hole or depression dug into the ground, these structure ...

": "And here there are four steps to death."

Plot summary

In this novel by John Wilson set during the Battle of Stalingrad, three participants — two soldiers and a boy — are caught in its horrors. Their story is told over seven days of fierce and deadly street-by-street fighting. Vasily is a patriotic Russian soldier determined to rid his country of the hated Nazi invaders — if he can stay alive long enough. Conrad is a German tank officer, part of the seemingly unstoppable force sweeping eastward over the steppe, expecting a quick victory over Stalin's ill-trained and badly equipped

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. Between them is eight-year-old Sergei, whose home is the maze of rubble that used to be the city of

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

. None of them can know that their fates will be intertwined as the cataclysm engulfs them. In the middle of the conflict is eight-year-old Sergei who lives 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 Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social h ...

Characters

Sergei Illyich Andropov: Sergei is an eight-year-old boy living in the city of Stalingrad. He faces the horrors of The Battle of Stalingrad every day and is physically and mentally hardened by the sights and challenges he faces. Vasily Sarayev: Vasily is a seventeen-year-old Soviet soldier fighting to defend Stalingrad, following the orders of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, their leader. Conrad Zeitsler: Conrad is an eighteen-year-old German tank officer serving under

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. He is the younger brother to Josef Zeitsler. Josef Zeitsler: Josef is the twenty-two-year-old, older brother to Conrad Zeitsler. While barely present in the novel he has a sense of maturity and joviality about him.

Nominations and reception

''Four Steps to Death'' was nominated for the 2006

Sheila 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 Yukon () is a Provinces and territories ...

, the 2006

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 award is named after Geoffrey Bilson, a writer of historical fiction ...

, the 2007

White Pine Award The White Pine Award is one of the annual literature Forest of Reading awards sponsored by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Every year, 10 books are nominated for the award and students vote their favourite book. The White Pine Nonfictio ...

. 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.

References

* Rebizant, Rita. "Four Steps to Death." Manitoba Library Association. Manitoba Library Association 19 March 2009. Se
'Four Steps to Death' at umanitoba.ca
2005 Canadian novels Canadian historical novels Canadian young adult novels Children's historical novels Novels set during World War II Novels set in the Soviet Union Works about the Battle of Stalingrad Children's books set in Russia Children's books set in the 1940s Children's books set during World War II {{2000s-WWII-novel-stub