Fatherland

Rating:
Summary: Good Mystery, Good AH
Review: Fatherland proves that even alternate history can succeed in the mainstream. And this book deserves it. As well as an evocative portrayal of a very depressing parallel world, it is an exciting, well-done mystery thriller.

It must be admitted that the point of divergence is not terribly original or realistic: Germany, utilising superior strategy and technology, defeated Russia and forced a peace agreement on Britain in 1944. As a result, Berlin came to dominate all of Western Europe via a monolithic EEU-like organization. The USA remains defiant, however, and a trans-Atlantic Cold War ensues.

Not the most creative historical background, perhaps, but the alternate world is still handled very well. Most of the story takes place in this world's Berlin, where Albert Speers' grand architectural vision has become reality. Vast domes and palaces tower over the city, embodying the triumph of the Nazi way. Adolf Hitler himself continues to rule his nation with an iron fist. But amidst all this imperial grandeur, the population lives a life of bitter oppression. Gestapo informers are everywhere. Anyone who speaks out against the system disappears without a trace. Harris captures this environment very effectively. The paranoia, violence, and claustrophobia of a true totalitarian society really come to life.

The plot takes place in the '60s, as the USA and the Greater German Reich work towards towards friendlier relations. The President and Der Fuhrer are planning a summit meeting. Is it time for a new era of peace?

Then German police detective Xavier March is called in to investigate a death by drowning. What starts out as routine police work suddenly turns very complex when the deceased is found to be a high Nazi official. Then it transpires that, shortly before his death, he was in contact with two other Nazi officials. Soon, one of them turns up dead, too. What seemed a freak accident soon becomes part of a highly suspicious, and highly disturbing, pattern. Xavier March's investigation leads him into the heart of a terrifying conspiracy... a conspiracy of which he himself may well be the next victim.

The plot moves at an energetic pace against the film-noirish background of Berlin, carrying the reader through a fascinating, page-turning alternate history extravaganza.

Fatherland lacks the military and political aspects present in many AHs, which may disappoint some readers. But in terms of adventure and atmosphere, it is top notch.

Rating:
Summary: Murder mystery, Nazis make a good, not great, weekend read
Review: Having just returned from Northern and Eastern Europe where I spent time in Berlin and Poland (the setting for "Fatherland"), I was pleased to find this book at a friend's house the other day. And so I plopped down on a lawn chair and read the whole thing, straight through, yesterday afternoon. I fully admit that I am a sucker for techno/action/spy/anything-WWII novels and this was no exception. Harris is a fine enough writer who has come up with a interesting plot that reminds me of some novels I've read involving alternate US civil war outcomes. Of course you have to stretch your imagination a bit, but isn't that the point? I'm sure that those who love the bulk of mass-market novels out today realize that much of what they read is less-than literary genius, but fun nonetheless. Harris' hero, Xavier March, is likeable, yet not loveable and the other characters fill their necessary plot roles as well as any supporting figures in such books. His descrip! ! tion of a 1964, Nazi-ruled, capital of Europe, Berlin is right on (at least as Albert Speer would have had it) and his concentration camp lessons (i.e. detailed descriptions of how Hitler and his cronies came up with and planned the "final solution") are chilling. Throw these elements together with a murder mystery and you've got a most enjoyable book.

Rating:
Summary: Fatherland
Review: I tend to go for books with exotic settings. Books such as "Brick Lane" or "The Bark of the Dogwood." So it was only natural that I would find Robert Harris's "Fatherland" appealing, for not only is the setting exotic, but the premise is also. What would have happened if Nazi Germany had won WWII? Harris explores this, and a few othe things. My hat's off to Harris, who seems to have tried very hard to avoid cliches and name dropping for effect. He instead creates a psychological thriller equal to any Dan Brown novel. Kudos.