Robert Harris' "Fatherland" - What if novel - 1964 - Awakening

After reading few books from Philip Kerr's detective Gunther's series it was quite easy to transition to Robert Harris' "Fatherland".

This is a serious book. Though it is set in an alternative universe where Nazi Germany dominates half of the Europe following WWII and competes with USA, almost all the major events described in this novel are historically correct in a sense that it describes how people in Nazi Germany and then in Soviet Union lived and interacted with outside world. The author simply combined two actual totalitarian regimes into hypothetical victorious Nazi Germany.  

We erroneously think that either Nazi Germany or Soviet Union were monolithic states when citizens were fully committed to its respective ideologies. In reality, however, vast majority of people in both states were lived in a state of fear and indifference, actively avoiding knowledge of what's been happening around them. But what if citizens become aware of real facts? How they will react to real facts individually or as a nation? This novel shows result of such awakening when one person is capable of altering the fate of the nation.

posted by David  

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"The Pale Criminal" by Philip Kerr - A Review

This is a second book in Bernie Gunther's series. This time Bernie is recruited by Nazis to investigate murders of German girls. There is a secret plan by some fanatics in Nazi party to blame these murders on Jews and provoke hatred and animosity towards them. Of course, we know from real history Nazis were successful in creating anti-Jewish sentiments in Germany in 1930s that snowballed into unimaginable, industrial-scale slaughtering of Jewish population in early 1940s.    

This novel is a the author's attempt to show remnants of humanity in Germany under Nazis. That there were some people who did not share anti-Jewish sentiments and wanted to stop the coming avalanche that would go to devour Jews and eventually German people and its identity.

Bernie is one of them. He uncovers the plot against Jews but he is too late to save them.

posted by David      

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Will Adams' "The Exodus Quest" - from Akhenaten to Bible

This is a second book in archeologist Daniel Knox series. In this book he uncovers hidden treasures that supposed to show that Egyptian Pharaoh of 18th dynasty, Akhenaten (Ikhnaton) and his wife, Nefertiti, were actually original Adam and Eve of the Bible and that monotheistic religion of the Sun, Aten/Aton, introduced by Akhenaten in Egypt during his reign were adopted by his followers and after they were declared heretics and were forced to leave Egypt as in exodus became ancestors of modern day Jewish nation.

posted by David

      

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Philip Kerr's "March Violets" - Detective story set in Germany in 1930s

This is a great book. A fictional account of private investigator, Bernie Gunther, working in Nazi Germany in 1930s. It nicely shows how totalitarian system is established in free country slowly, step-by-step. 

This book is a first novel in the series about Bernie Gunther. Bernie's character reminds me of Humphrey Bogart's character as private detective. Takes no bullshit. Although he tries to accommodate the regime to survive but he does it without losing his integrity. 

posted by David

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