Fatherland: A Novel (Mortalis): Amazon.ca: Books

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Customer Reviews

101 Reviews

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (101 customer reviews)

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Alternate History, 1964, Jun 14 2003

By

Kev11sky (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatherland (Paperback)

This is a phenomenal work for a first-time novelist! The book shows the author's knowledge and study of the Nazi system from its inception in the early 1930's until its demise in 1945.

The story takes off on a tangent in which Hitler makes peace with Britain in 1941 or 1942 and later withdraws from France and the Low Countries in favor of his primary goal: "Drang nach Osten". Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States, and the western heartland of Russia are conquered by the Wehrmacht. Leningrad and Moscow are taken. After the so-called "peace treaty" the British Crown and loyalists flee to Canada, as do DeGaulle and the French loyalists. North America is the only refuge for a non-socialist/non-fascist free Libertarian ideology which resists totalitarianism. Freedom of the Press still exists in the USA, in this version of 1964.

The Beatles are performing in Hamburg, but they are a bunch of decadent English drug-using musicians from Liverpool. Their music uses savage Negro rhythms. The Jews were relocated to the east, to work camps in eastern Germany and Poland. There was much turmoil in those early years (1940-1945). Who cares, anyway? That's all ancient history.

Anyway... if you want to read and think at the same time, this one is a good one.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Enthusiastic Fiver Stars, Mar 20 2011

By

Fitzsy (Vancouver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fatherland (Paperback)

I give Fatherland an enthusiastic five stars and two very big thumbs up! I have read a lot of World War II novels, and a lot of alternate history novels, and this one stands at the top of both categories. I have read it three times and it is without a doubt one of my top five all-time favorite books.

The plot is relatively simple (though no less moving) in that it deals with events that we already know much about in this day and age. However, the main characters in this book feel like real people, and through their realistic actions and dialogue help to bring alive the dark alternate reality of Europe under Nazi rule. I found it particularly interesting that the main protagonist is an SS Kriminalpolizei officer: supposedly one of the baddies of history. But again, that's where Harris's skill comes into play, successfully separating the man from the uniform.

I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

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5.0 out of 5 stars It is absolutely remarkable!!!, April 23 2007

By

Matthew Gawelczyk (Calgary) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fatherland (Paperback)

I have read this novel for the first time many years ago, and it had a profound impact on me. I re-read it a few days ago and the impact of this story on me was even grater than before. The plot, the characters, the setting, are so masterfully describe, as I turned the pages, it convinced me that I was inside the capitol of the Third Reich in 1960's. Naturally, this work is one of fiction, but it has something within it that makes it all too real and all to scary. In my humble opinion, this book is one of the masterpieces of the 20th century, a fictitious tale probing the inner sanctum of our minds. It demands of the reader to figure to answer the question "What if?" But it also points the reader to find the answer within, within the concrete walls of our minds.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling reading of a well thought-out mystery
The audio cassette reading of this abridgement of _Fatherland_ is read by two-time Emmy Award-winning Werner Klemperer (who won twice for his portrayal of Colonel Wilhelm Klink on... Read more

Published on Aug 23 2002 by Bernard R. Assaf

5.0 out of 5 stars All Around Great Story
Hey, wait a minute, am I confused or did somebody write a dark, spooky alternate history novel that can actually claim to be at the same level as Gorky Park? Read more

Published on April 11 2002 by John G. Hilliard

3.0 out of 5 stars Stale Land
The first 50 or so pages were great!

But then, it started to feel more like a history lesson. There was really no reason why it had to take place in a gigantic Nazi state... Read more

Published on Feb 14 2002 by John Marsten

5.0 out of 5 stars Speer's Metropolis
Seeing as WW2 was such a damn close run thing, it's not surprising that there are very, very many "what if" books speculating on the alternative outcomes. Read more

Published on Dec 7 2001 by Matherson

4.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant concept.
Brilliant. No, not the plot, which is certainly above average, but mostly typical of a good suspense thriller. Read more

Published on Nov 26 2001 by Godly Gadfly

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!
I am still trying to absorb everything that this book had to offer: a murder of two very high ranking political officials, art fraud, government cover-up, betrayal & a little... Read more

Published on Nov 12 2001 by Jodi

4.0 out of 5 stars A Chilling Reminder Of What Might Have Been
Robert Harris is one hell of a writer, who certainly knows his stuff and has researched meticulously for this novel, which is both scary and an interesting alternative history... Read more

Published on Oct 22 2001 by Ken Searle

3.0 out of 5 stars Overpraised
Fatherland is overpraised as a work of alternate history, but is still a good yarn. I was disappointed largely because Harris seems less interested in his setting -- Berlin in... Read more

Published on Aug 27 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book.....Now
"Fatherland' is stylish, disturbing, and depraved. It is a masterpiece of noir fiction.