What actually happened in Munich in 1938?

This is a great novel. Its 1938 and everyone in Europe is scared that another war is coming. How to stop it?

It looks like no one in Europe wants or are ready for war except Nazis. WWI was such a shock to people in West Europe that they are willing to go to great length to "appease' Nazis as much as they can rather than to take a risk for another WW. 

But was it really an appeasement what transpired in Munich in 1938? Harris tries to show in vivid details that it is not what actually happened. It is true that Munich did not solve the problem of Nazi expansion in Europe but it gave 1 extra year that was essential to prepare the countries to fight Nazi in WWII. It is possible that 1 year saved humankind and led to defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII.

posted by David       

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what would happen if AI program takes over?

As usual Harris is great in creating feeling of suspense without saying or showing much. 

In this book Harris imagines what would happen if investment fund is run by AI. This fully autonomous AI is a brainchild of asocial physicist/computer programmer with some mental issues (even Harris could not escape from this cliche). This AI does high speed trading and makes lots of money.

But after upgrade to newer version, strange and scary things start to happen to programmer.

It is a fine fiction though little bit confusing. It is not clear if things are done by AI or programmer's deranged alter ego. Its scary.

posted by David   

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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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Robert Harris' "Conclave" --- a Review

I liked this book. The ending is completely unexpected.

The book opens with the death of old Pope. Dean of Cardinals, charged with organizing a Conclave to elect new Pope, has been finding out that those members of conclave who are leading candidates for new Pope are having questionable past that practically prevent them to be a Pope.  

So, it is now up to Dean to make decision how to handle the situation. In addition, a new person appears just before a conclave begins who claims he is a new cardinal elevated in cardinal position by late Pope in secret.

What other secrets are out there? It is a good read.

posted by David  

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