You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[a:Robert Harris|3367417|Robert Harris|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s best-selling alt-history novel, basically asking what the world would be like if the Nazis had won WW2, and following the investigation by a police officer in the 1960s when a naked body is found floating in a lake on the outskirts of Berlin just ahead of Hitler's 75th birthday, leading to the uncovering of a vast conspiracy...
A conspiracy covering up events, in the 'real' world, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of WW2 history would know about. And rightfully so.
That, I felt, was my biggest problem with the novel - there was just no sense of mystery or intrigue, no real 'what-will-happen-to-the-characters-next?' that made me really want to read on - indeed, there were times that I had to force myself to continue rather than starting another book.
From a personal POV, I think I would have preferred more emphasis on the the alt-history portions of the story (how did Germany win the war? What happened in the UK? To name but two ...) than on the central mystery: to me, at least, the balance is out of whack, favouring the mystery over the little nuggets of such information carefully doled out throughout the course of the novel.
I'm also not that much a fan of cliff-hanger endings, personally ...
A conspiracy covering up events, in the 'real' world, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of WW2 history would know about. And rightfully so.
That, I felt, was my biggest problem with the novel - there was just no sense of mystery or intrigue, no real 'what-will-happen-to-the-characters-next?' that made me really want to read on - indeed, there were times that I had to force myself to continue rather than starting another book.
From a personal POV, I think I would have preferred more emphasis on the the alt-history portions of the story (how did Germany win the war? What happened in the UK? To name but two ...) than on the central mystery: to me, at least, the balance is out of whack, favouring the mystery over the little nuggets of such information carefully doled out throughout the course of the novel.
I'm also not that much a fan of cliff-hanger endings, personally ...
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Two alternative histories in one month! Sidebar: pulling out this book on the trolley was a little nerve wracking what with the huge swastika on the front.
So Harris constructs an alternative reality in which the Germans beat the Russians, conquer Europe (creating a common currency and easier border crossings) and win WW II. And Hitler is still alive.
There is a lot of promise in this premise but it quickly becomes a formulaic spy novel--a lot like Gorky Park. In fact, almost all of the descriptions of the Nazi regime read just like any American or British author's description of the Soviets. Which was not very creative or mind-bending.
So, eh.
So Harris constructs an alternative reality in which the Germans beat the Russians, conquer Europe (creating a common currency and easier border crossings) and win WW II. And Hitler is still alive.
There is a lot of promise in this premise but it quickly becomes a formulaic spy novel--a lot like Gorky Park. In fact, almost all of the descriptions of the Nazi regime read just like any American or British author's description of the Soviets. Which was not very creative or mind-bending.
So, eh.
Read this at school and loved it. Not my usual type of book but thought it was amazing. Some books stay with you.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I previously read The Man in the High Castle and came across this book while looking for other alternate history stories.
It was a little slow and hard to get into at first, but it gets more engaging as it goes on, and overall ends up being a good mystery. I do wish it leaned into the alternate world and went into more detail though.
It was a little slow and hard to get into at first, but it gets more engaging as it goes on, and overall ends up being a good mystery. I do wish it leaned into the alternate world and went into more detail though.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved the setting and atmosphere of this novel. The idea of what if Hitler won has been done before, and done better, but this was a decent telling. I wish the world was flushed out and we saw more of Germany, and even the rest of the world and how they perceived Germany. The police procedural was done decent as well. The ending was bittersweet, and I blasted through the final quarter without putting it down. I did enjoy it enough to pick up another book in the future if I see it.