Danzig Passage (Zion Covenant, #5) by Bodie Thoene

Danzig Passage (Zion Covenant, #5) Reviews

• 
  Natalie Vellacott

  The series continues with new characters being introduced and new story lines developed. Some of the books merge well together but with others it feels as if is a completely new story. In general, the series is still worth reading especially when in the mood for something easy...
• 
  James Burns

  The best way to summarize the heart of this book can be found in the book as quoted by Winston Churchill, "NEVER GIVE INTO FEAR, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE IN". When all around you are succumbing to evil, there will always be at least one person who keeps his head about him and stays the course of righteousness and what is morally right.
  I really love the story-line to this book and all of the Character developments and how each handled the trials and tribulations that they had to endure and overcome.
  It is WWII Austria/Germany, It is the Night of the broken Glass, A National Staged program by the NAZI Propaganda machine against the Jewish Community. Jewish owned Shops were broken into and looted, Jews beaten up and removed from their homes, and some taken to Concentration and work camps. It is the night where evil has taken over and caused destruction and death.
  Story one, there is Lucy a beautiful Aryan who is pregnant and madly in love with a Major in the SS, who she has found out that is married and who is planning on sending the baby to his wife to raise. and now she wants to leave. story two, you have the ordeals of a Preacher who is arrested while trying help a Jewish Family from his congregation leave their apartment before the storm troopers arrive and what ultimately happens to his family. There is a lot more going on. This is riveting and sad and intense book that hits the heart strings and leaves you wanting more.
  
• 
  Gloria

  A number of new characters introduced here. Otto is back from the first two books and helps with one group. The other group is a bunch of teens/children connected to the Lindheims, who also show up in this book, but they are not the main focus. The "odd duck" out here is Lucy, a Bavarian woman used in the Aryan breeding program. The tagline on the front says "For those who desperately cling to the tiniest glimmer of hope, even the last illusions are being extinguished...." - the illusions of the Jews that they will be alright as Kristalnacht occurs; the illusions of Lucy that Wolf loves her and is not just using her; the illusion that people are safe and that the Powers that Be in Nazi Germany are not killing or imprisoning people because of their usefulness, or lack thereof. Pastor Ibsen is imprisoned at "Nameless Camp" - Hitler wishes to have him turned to the Nazi Party for propaganda.
  The storyline has "less action", even though at the end of the book, the action sped up. It also ended without a clear denouement - getting on the train to Danzig for all those trying to escape Nazi Germany clutches is evidently seen as "where the characters wish to be".
  
  A couple of places made me laugh/smile, though they were more towards the end of the book.
  (1)Hitler praises two blonde headed boys (one teen, one baby) as models of Aryanism - they're Jews escaping..... and
  (2) As a Nazi Lieutenant is stripped and his clothes are thrown off the train, the other group that the action follows picks them up and uses them in their escape - getting ON the train.
• 
  Lisa Brown

  I loved this installment of the series. It dealt a lot with children escaping the Nazi regime, and how families were torn apart by Hitler.
  
  I truly love how much these books have opened my eyes to so many things that took place leading up to World War II. There were so many people that closed their hearts and minds to the things going on, but thank goodness there were the few who helped, even if it signed their own death warrant. Another great read!
• 
  Eric Bjerke

  One day I will write a longer review of these books, this series. They are wonderful on so many levels. I highly recommend the series to anyone who wants to learn more about the lead-up to WWII and the war itself. It is not a "war" book, but more about lives and people and how they were affected. Very well written and researched.
• 
  Cassandra

  Another great book in this series. These books make history seem more real, and not just something I read about in a history book. Besides that, the events in this book made me think of modern times, with all the terrible things that are in the news these days. Danzig Passage reminds me that there are so many more people in the world besides the ones in my immediate circle.
• 
  Abby Burrus

  This book was *chef's kiss* wonderful to read. And the ending-! Could it get any better, honestly?
  
  Okay, let's talk characters. Because let me tell you, there are some AMAZING characters in this book.
  
  (Potential Spoilers from here on out)
  
  First of all, Theo and Anna are just as perfect as always. As righteous and as good as always, although they don't get as much focus in this book as in the others. And they're trying to fight, and feeling so helpless. And of course there's Murphy, Elisa, Louis and Charles. Oh what dear boys they are!
  
  Then there's Samuel Orde. That British captain who's rallying the Jews and fighting the Arabs craftily, giving them a taste of their own medicine. One of my favorite lines from this book is "As he covered the ground in a rapid hike, he alternated between thanking God for sparing his life and apologizing for having been so stupid that he needed divine intervention." XD
  
  And Alfie, what can I say about Alfie? Aww, darling Alfie. My favorite character, so dear and innocent. So trusting. I could go on and on about him. He's so... perfectly Alfie.
  
  And there are many more characters that I could go on about. And the plot too, was wonderful, the ending, perfectly satisfying. This is what I aspire to write as an author.
• 
  ClaraBelle

  This book continues the inspiring saga of Elisa and John Murphy, and their adopted twin boys, Charles and Louis. It introduces new characters such as:S.S. officer Wolf von Feider, and his affair mistress, Lucy Strasbourg; Nazi agent Samuel Orde, a RAF deserter, while giving more details about the lives of Alfie Ibsen, and his grandchildren, Rachel, Peter, Lori.
  This was the most enjoyable book in the series so far for me! It pursued the question of:will Elisa’s pregnancy end well in a precarious world? Will Lucy be able to escape wolfs clutches as he now wants her imprisoned for her helping the Ibsen family escape and as she runs away from him now that he desires to take her baby away after it’s born to raise it in a Nazi home?
  Rating:1000+ stars
  Concerns: Lori Ibsen struggles with physically desiring her boyfriend, Jacob Kalner. Lucy and Wolf have a brutal, lusty affair though he’s married with 3 children. Samuel Orde sadistically refers to Louis and Charles. Lucy and Elisa’s births are very traumatic and disturbing.
  Recommends: for older teens, ages 16+
• 
  Kate Copeseeley

  This is a reread for me, I've had these books for years. Such a great mix of historical and fictional characters. Also doesn't gloss over any truth about how horrible conditions were for all under the purview of Hitler.
• 
  BernieMck

  Just like every other book in the series, I loved it. I will definitely continue on with the other books, in the series.
• 
  Katie

  Danzig is the name of this city in German, but the polish equivalent is known as Gdansk. A major port and thoroughfare for trade from Sweden to England to Poland and beyond. They highlighted this particular area because the book focuses on how 10,000 Jewish children were able to be sent to England for adoption from the Third Rei ch – so everyone that was capable tried to make it to Danzig in hopes of greater freedom in England.
  The story continues to follow the main characters, but also takes a spin off on Elisa’s Aunt & Uncle – staunch Christians who despise Hitler and the practices that are overtaking Germany. Their opposition lands the children in hiding while the parents are deported to forced labor camps until they rescinded their opposing views of the third reich. Not willing to change their stance lays out for an interesting battle found against the Nazi’s on more than one front.
  Another spin off comes from Captain Orde – a prominent figure in the prior book “Jerusalem Interlude” and how, as a Christian, he tries to show Jews how important it is to fight for a Jewish homeland because that is what God has promised. His determination is highly contagious and interesting to read about.
  Lastly, the book follows Otto Wattenburger – a Nazi only in name. As he plays games with the SS and Nazi’s he is also trying to secretly help any of those that he can to escape the horror that is unraveling towards the Jews.
  This historical fiction novel also incorporates ways in which Hitler continually tried to collaborate with the Arabs to obliterate the Jews in Palestine, Kristalnacht, and the increased tactics of how Nazi & SS officers manipulated the public into hating and getting rid of the Jews.
  I really love the way that this author writes because I feel like I’m watching a movie. It contains my whole attention and really opens up new views that I never understood before. (I especially loved the ending of the book!) The author has brought fictional and non-fictional characters to life by intertwining stories in such a clever fashion. I’m excited to see how the journey is concluded with the remaining book: Warsaw Requiem.
  
• 
  Heather Painter

  Another Winner in this Series!
  
  I have been rereading the books in the Zion Covenant series for the first time in several years, and this book definitely ranks as one of my favorite books in the series! What I like best about this book is it intertwines the themes of good vs. evil and miracles. It was very easy to stay engaged in the book, from the beginning to the end.
• 
  Lawrence

  Well written. I've read the 4 books prior to this one also. Found myself emotionally drained because of the tension in the story. Will need to psyche myself up to read number 6, but believe it will be just as well done.
• 
  Bethany

  I truly loved every book from this series until this one. They are so beautifully written, so full of heart and feeling and drama. I loved the way they all tied into music, as the titles imply. But I really struggled reading this one. The first half dragged on and on without much happening. The introduction of so many new characters was difficult because there were already so many from previous books. And the writing was very choppy, only a page or two in each setting before we jumped abruptly to another place and another cast of characters.
  That said, things really picked up at the 2/3 mark and soared onward from there. I wish I had gotten to know more about the inner workings of a few people; I felt like they were still only acquaintances to me instead of friends. But it's evident the care the authors took to tie all the pieces together not only in this book but in the entire series, and on through other series as well. We never do get to a clear point where we know we've wrapped it up with previous characters, so I wish we still could hear more from characters like Murphy and Elisa.
  It might be a while before I want to pick up the next one of the series.
• 
  Alana

  This volume returns to Europe for most of the players, this time to several persons trying to escape to the free city of Danzig on the coast of Poland. This shows my lack of knowledge of pre-WWII history, since I'd never heard of the city before reading this, although it was apparently some point of contention in the pre-war years.
  
  The characters aren't as engaging as the prior novels, but I did really enjoy the way all the stories came together, with some obvious divine intervention, in the final chapters. It reminded me that sometimes what seems the negative in our lives, could be a blessing in disguise, sometimes to us, and sometimes to someone around us, about whom we never know.
  
  As always, these novels serve as a warning to me to be aware of not only the politics around me, but to the plight of people that it can be so easy to ignore, if I'm not the one immediately threatened. May I always be open-hearted to the broken and abused of the world!
• 
  Leash

  This book was much better than the previous book for sure. I was disappointed that Leah and Shimon were not involved in this as the previous books though. I’m glad that Leah was mentioned and so was your family. I didn’t joy the fact that Alfie, a child with special needs, what is involved in the plot. It seems like he may have had autism? Anyways, I really also enjoyed how Bodie Thoene used a lot of Scripture in the book. What fascinated me was the part when Bodie had Pastor Ibsen specific scripture references to the German reverend. It reminds Christians that we cannot read one verse from the Bible. Biblical readers need to read the whole passage from the Bible in order to fully understand the context. The German “Christians” had struggled with taking the Scriptures out contacts during their fight against Jews.
• 
  Evelyn Lilyana

  4.5 stars. The Thoenes have easily become two of my favorite authors. I have enjoyed every novel I've read thus far. They are master storytellers. I love that I learn history while enjoying a great story, and as a history lover, this series is definitely my favorite.
  
  I've given every novel in the series 5 stars so far except this one. The beginning started slow and there seemed to be more characters than in the previous novels. It's not difficult to keep up with the new characters but switching from one character and place to the other took away from the enjoyment. But the pace picked up quickly half-way.
  
  As for the characters, Peter is too unrealistically mature for a 15-year-old and Lori and Jacob too immature for 16 but then again, they faced a lot of trauma and that takes a toll on people.
  
  Can wait to start the next book in the series.
• 
  jaimedannie

  Danzig Passage is the fifth book in the ZionCovenantBooks. A post KristalNacht Berlin. This chronicles the journey of Pastor Karl and his family as they face persecution for helping Jews. We meet his children and two Jewish children trying to escape Berlin in hopes of one day reuniting with all their parents. Lucy is a new character who is the mistress of a Nazi officer who don't discovers she is only being used to bear a child for the Fatherland and to further the Aryan people. All these characters see one hope, the Danzig Passage. Unfortunately history had already told us that even there you can't hide from Hitler. The authors do take creative license and we get to listen in on a lot of conversations between Hitler and his officers.
• 
  Ed

  An exciting book that is hard to put down, because you want to see what happens next. One major theme of this book is to discover the Truth through fiction. Many times you can see God working in people's lives through circumstances, and answered prayer. There is also a study guide at the end of the book that can be used to open awareness of God's influence throughout the story. This book, like all the previous volumes in this series, is a great book for teens to understand more about previous history and understanding how God works in different situations.
• 
  Elaine

  I am grateful for heroes especially those committed to God. But my heart is torn with sorrow as I read of the lives of people fighting against evil or fleeing from evil. Wish I could reach through the pages and help somehow. The same horror that existed in the late 1930's, early 1940's is trying to get a foot hold in America...and our leader apparently approves.
• 
  Hannah Louise

  Danzig will always be one of my favourites, mostly because I could relate to Lori when I first read it.
  
  I enjoy that, unlike most Christian WWII novels, the Thoenes touch on other groups of people targetted by the Nazis & not just the Jews - in Danzig it is the Christians, the disabled & the children of prisoners, but are also able to continue the Murphey's & the Jerusalem stories.
• 
  Carol Goodpaster

  Totally enthralled with the multiple story lines that follow the straits of Jews trying to escape Nazi Germay, the people who hide and abet them, and the Zionists who keep the Palestinian terrorists at bay. Masterful writing keep all of these juggling "plot balls" in the air. Can't wait to read #6.