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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There are positive qualities to this book. The alternative history is a bit more nuanced than simply representing a German WWII victory as ‘total global domination’. The narrative moves along at a relatively quick pace, which made completion possible. It also seemed researched enough to make certain events seem plausible. However, it sometimes feels like Harris is trying a bit too hard to demonstrate that he read a few pages out of a general history book. That’s perhaps not entirely fair, but ’Fatherland’ feels significantly more superficial than his later work like ‘An Officer and a Spy’.
The main problem with ‘Fatherland’ is that it suffers from what I’ll call 1980s/90s thriller syndrome. Specifically, I felt like I was reading a Robert Ludlum book. If you’ve ever had the ‘pleasure’ of reading any of the Bourne books, you’ll know what I mean. The structure is basic and it lacks any sense of urgency despite being called a thriller. It features a man in his forties implausibly (and almost immediately) bedding a 25 year-old (you wonder if this is the author living out a little fantasy on the page). National stereotypes abound (‘young, persistent American journalist determined to dig for the truth’). Each chapter attempts to end with a little ‘hook’ of intrigue, which subsequently fizzles out within a page or two of the following chapter. Near the end, there’s the threat that everything is going to unravel, but it ultimately doesn’t. The protagonist is a beleaguered but essentially honourable man (emphasis on ‘man’). Women exist as marginally capable, but otherwise ‘fragile’ (Harris’s adjective) and in need of protecting. Does this sound like the Bourne Identity yet? Yep, and so many others from that era.
The unique quality to Harris as an author, though, is that his work improves over time (with the possible exception of Pompeii), which is not always the case for everyone. In sum, this is a distinctly average book that is probably a product of its time.
The main problem with ‘Fatherland’ is that it suffers from what I’ll call 1980s/90s thriller syndrome. Specifically, I felt like I was reading a Robert Ludlum book. If you’ve ever had the ‘pleasure’ of reading any of the Bourne books, you’ll know what I mean. The structure is basic and it lacks any sense of urgency despite being called a thriller. It features a man in his forties implausibly (and almost immediately) bedding a 25 year-old (you wonder if this is the author living out a little fantasy on the page). National stereotypes abound (‘young, persistent American journalist determined to dig for the truth’). Each chapter attempts to end with a little ‘hook’ of intrigue, which subsequently fizzles out within a page or two of the following chapter. Near the end, there’s the threat that everything is going to unravel, but it ultimately doesn’t. The protagonist is a beleaguered but essentially honourable man (emphasis on ‘man’). Women exist as marginally capable, but otherwise ‘fragile’ (Harris’s adjective) and in need of protecting. Does this sound like the Bourne Identity yet? Yep, and so many others from that era.
The unique quality to Harris as an author, though, is that his work improves over time (with the possible exception of Pompeii), which is not always the case for everyone. In sum, this is a distinctly average book that is probably a product of its time.
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Crisp, mostly a page turner and sometimes a what if story that holds, shakes and leaves you with some opaque feeling of another word.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
We can encompass all the issues with writing alternative fiction in one term, unlimited. The creativity is unlimited. The scope is unlimited. The flight of fancy is unlimited. But in the world of alternatives the saving grace is often the most fatal of flaws. The lack of such a sense of logic, a sense of reality as well as plausibility is something which has come to define alternative fiction-particularly of the historic mold.
So, what is it about Harris' 'Fatherland' which makes it such a successful piece of historical alternative fiction? For one, the man is a master at providing a believable possibility. In 'Fatherland' Adolf Hitler has won WWII, the Nazis reign supreme over Europe, mighty Britain is a client state and Pax Impera (or whatever is left of it) is crowned by the Reich eagle. As for any resistance, it is confined solely to the Americas. Against this backdrop we have our protagonist Xavier March who uncovers evidence of a colossal coverup-that of the existence of Concentration Camps. The Nazi Regime, on the brink of socialism, cannot afford to admit the existence of such institutions. Let's remember this is alternative fiction, the allies never succeeded in Normandy and most of the Rhine's horrors died with their victims.
What follows is a grim spectre of conscientious awakening.
'Fatherland' is an enthralling book because it imagines a narrative synchronizing with our reality. Something we can believe in.
So, what is it about Harris' 'Fatherland' which makes it such a successful piece of historical alternative fiction? For one, the man is a master at providing a believable possibility. In 'Fatherland' Adolf Hitler has won WWII, the Nazis reign supreme over Europe, mighty Britain is a client state and Pax Impera (or whatever is left of it) is crowned by the Reich eagle. As for any resistance, it is confined solely to the Americas. Against this backdrop we have our protagonist Xavier March who uncovers evidence of a colossal coverup-that of the existence of Concentration Camps. The Nazi Regime, on the brink of socialism, cannot afford to admit the existence of such institutions. Let's remember this is alternative fiction, the allies never succeeded in Normandy and most of the Rhine's horrors died with their victims.
What follows is a grim spectre of conscientious awakening.
'Fatherland' is an enthralling book because it imagines a narrative synchronizing with our reality. Something we can believe in.
Harris has this amazing ability to show you an alternate world that operates so naturally and unassuming you have to remind yourself it isn't historical fiction you're reading. There are no subtle winks to the reader to let you know that he knows that you know. That being said, it's truly terrifying how seamless the victorious Third Reich blends in with our own.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated