Recently, while I was browsing the "New Books" section at the local public library, I came across a book called The Fate of the Romanovs (by Greg King and Penny Wilson, published in 2003). This book seems to be an attempt to do one of two things (depending on your perspective): either 1) seek out the truth about the last days and execution of Tsar St. Nicholas and the royal family, now that formerly closed archives are opened; or 2) rewrite history based on Soviet texts (these texts most likely being nothing more than deceptive propaganda). Has anyone here read this book, or does anyone here know the work of these two authors?
The Fate of the Romanovs
The book seems a bit confused
I have read the book, and on the whole it is quite interesting, [i][u]but[/u][/i] they seem to have this idea that Grand Princess Martyr Maria had some form of relationship with a guard and as a punishment by her parents wasn't wearing a corset with jewels in it. This seems to me to be nonsense. Nothing in the diaries of the Tsar or Tsaritsa indicates anything untoward being done by any of the children - not even a hint of annoyance about behaviour. It seems to me if the Grand Princess didn't have such a corset it is because she was already in Ekaterinburg with her parents when her sisters were sewing the jewels into their clothing in Tobolsk.
There is great inconsistancy in that it seems they are trying to suggest that Grand Princess Maria died pretty quickly as a result of not having an 'armour-plated' corset, and yet in the extremely graphic chapter about their martyrdom it would seem that she like her sisters was barely injured at first and had to be brutally tortured.
It goes without saying that the authors do not regard the Imperial martyrs as Saints, and writing about this they rubbish our belief. They say that because there was screaming and running around by the Romanovs and their staff that they didn't meekly and humbly meet their death and so they can't possibly be saints. :ohvey:
It does seem though fairly well researched, and my biggest complaints about the book would be what I have mentioned above.
I am pretty sure that Greg King has also written a fairly comprehensive biography about Tsaritsa-martyr Alexandra, though it was so long ago that I read it, I can not comment on whether it was good, bad or indifferent.
George
The easiest way to tell how they died is to read the diary of the head-executioner. I do not remember what his name was at the moment. A few years back, I went to a very well put together exhibit in Wilmington Delaware called "Nicholas & Alexandra." In the last room, the display was all about the execution (dark blood red walls). In one of the middle display case was his diary. It described everything in detail. The Royal Martyrs didn't have a chance to run around. There were a few screams, but that's barely surprising. It was very disturbing reading the words, in that horrible man's own handwritting. On either side of the diary were a telagram. One from Lenin ordering the exectution, the other informing Lenin that it was done.