It is 1941 and British Command has surrendered to the Nazis. Churchill has been executed, the King is in the Tower, the SS are in Whitehall, and what seems like a routine murder investigation is complicated by the intervention of Himmler. From the author of "The Ipcress File".
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It is 1941 and British Command has surrendered to the Nazis. Churchill has been executed, the King is in the Tower, the SS are in Whitehall, and what seems like a routine murder investigation is complicated by the intervention of Himmler. From the author of "The Ipcress File".
Read Less
was all I could think as I read through the book. An alternate ending to the Second World War, written by one of its premier historians. I thought the book fantastic.
AgnosticTheist
Aug 16, 2007
Great alternate history
SS-GB is really a detective story, but it takes place in an alternate history universe, where Hitler has conquered Britain in 1941, while making peace with Russia. The book is very well written, and the detective story aspect is exciting, although I haven't read a lot of those, so others may be less impressed. *spoiler warning* There is a slight let-down in the end where the Germans abandon the the nuclear bomb project, which I find highly unlikely to happen in the given circumstances. Also, the placing of a key research lab near the english coast is rather ridiculous, even if this fact is commented on by one of the characters. The Germans were ahead in the race to develop nuclear power and bombs, and had they conquered Britain, they would perhaps have been able to produce a bomb before anyone else. They would certainly not have had to rely on British scientist to accomplish this." *spoiler warning end* However, most of the alternate-history aspects are very interesting and seem plausible, like the rivalry between the German army and SS, and the societal effects of German occupation, the mood of the population etc. There is no explanation given of how Hitler was able to conquer Britain, which perhaps should have been attempted, considering how difficult it would have been for the Germans to invade Britain. Still, the thrust of the book is the moral dilemma faced by a very competent and professional Scotland Yard policeman, of law and order versus patriotism and freedom. I think this dilemma, and the inner thought life of the main character, are very well described in a captivating manner. Anyone with even slight interest in alternate history should seriously consider reading this book. It is not hard or expensive to get second hand.
