The Afrika Reich eBook: Guy Saville: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Review

'Saville gives us an horrific reimagining of the Dark Continent' (The Times 20110129)

'[the] plot is clever, imaginative and, in its finale, wholly unexpected. In a crowded field, THE AFRIKA REICH stands out as a rich and unusual thriller, politically sophisticated and hard to forget.' (Economist 20110129)

'Fatherland for an action movie age' (Daily Telegraph 20110129)

'THE AFRIKA REICH is a gripping novel and a remarkable exercise in alternate history.' (Jacinto Anton in El Pais 20110129)

'Set in a world in which Britain made peace with Hitler after 1940, this account of a mercenary mission to Africa makes for an engrossing and convincing debut.' (Sunday Express Books of the Year 2011 20110129)

'If readers like terrifying stories behind a dense layer of historical depiction this is an unexpected and unforgettable story that they must read.' (Geopolitique Africaine 20110129)

'a tough adventure yarn, a sort of Wilbur Smith on speed.' (Business Day (South Africa) )

'This graphic, pacy alternate history thriller is scarily convincing.' (Australian )

'Saville's alternate world is so carefully crafted that it is all too believable.' (Jewish Chronicle )

'An enthralling look at the horror that might have been if Germany was not defeated' (Sydney Daily Telegraph )

'With THE AFRIKA REICH, Guy Saville has delivered a highly entertaining read in the vein of Robert Harris' Fatherland and Archangel. Selling us us on a plausible and engrossing alternative history, featuring rich characters (who he's not afraid to kill off) and a fastpaced plot.' (New Zealand Star )

'Gripping' (Aucklander )

'Guy Saville's scorching debut novel [is] a terrifying account of the way things might have been . . . Immaculately researched and with accompanying notes to put the story into its context, THE AFRIKA REICH is an exciting first novel which blends history and fiction into an unforgettable drama.' (Lancashire Evening Post )

'Saville's alternative world is so carefully crafted, so meticulously researched and so convincing that it is easy to believe it all might have been possible.' (Weekend Bookworm (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) )

'[an] intoxicating debut . . . a glorious, exhaustingly energetic romp through an Africa which wasn't, but which might have been . . . Written with style, verve and startling lyricism, THE AFRIKA REICH makes serious points as it entertains.' (Historical Novel Review )

Review

'Saville gives us an horrific reimagining of the Dark Continent' (The Times 20110129)

'[the] plot is clever, imaginative and, in its finale, wholly unexpected. In a crowded field, THE AFRIKA REICH stands out as a rich and unusual thriller, politically sophisticated and hard to forget.' (Economist 20110129)

'Fatherland for an action movie age' (Daily Telegraph 20110129)

'A thoroughly enjoyable and compelling read' (Sun 20110129)

'This graphic, pacy alternate history thriller is scarily convincing.' (Australian 20110129)

'An enthralling look at the horror that might have been if Germany was not defeated' (Sydney Daily Telegraph )

'With THE AFRIKA REICH, Guy Saville has delivered a highly entertaining read in the vein of Robert Harris' Fatherland and Archangel. Selling us us on a plausible and engrossing alternative history, featuring rich characters (who he's not afraid to kill off) and a fastpaced plot.' (New Zealand Star )

'[an] intoxicating debut . . . a glorious, exhaustingly energetic romp through an Africa which wasn't, but which might have been . . . Written with style, verve and startling lyricism, THE AFRIKA REICH makes serious points as it entertains.' (Historical Novel Review )

'Guy Saville's scorching debut novel [is] a terrifying account of the way things might have been . . . When this dark and dystopian world is coupled with a cast of credible characters, Machiavellian plot twists, cinematic action scenes and pulsating suspense, the story becomes irresistible . . . Immaculately researched and with accompanying notes to put the story into its context, THE AFRIKA REICH is an exciting first novel which blends history and fiction into an unforgettable drama.' (Lancashire Evening Post )

'Don't miss this explosive blockbuster . . . a blood-pulsing and convincing read.' (Peterborough Evening Telegraph )

'Gripping, well-researched and terrifyingly plausible, this is a fast-paced, ambitious book that paves the way for its sequel with a jaw-dropping twist.' (Lincolnshire Echo )

'it would certainly be fair to say that the page-turning speed and the gritty action displayed in this novel are at times as good - if not better - than the fiction of McNab and Chris Ryan. But The Afrika Reich also has believable characters, many of whom have real emotional depth, and this really adds another layer to the novel, making it far more than 'just another thriller' (Crime and Publishing blog )

'Saville delivers thrills worthy of Len Deighton, Alistair McLean, and other masters of the WW2 thriller, in a way that's both action packed and thought provoking, which is a difficult trick to pull off. Bravo.' (Bookgeeks )

'If readers like terrifying stories behind a dense layer of historical depiction this is an unexpected and unforgettable story that they must read.' (Geopolitique Africaine )

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

A fascinating premise 12 Feb 2012

By Sancho

Format:Hardcover

I have often wondered what the world would have become had some of the evil geniuses succeeded in the ambitious plans to totally control the world. What if Napoleon had succeeded? Or Hitler. Or what if Shaka had lived to a ripe old age? Or what could have happened further had Cecil Rhodes lived another ten or twenty years; could he have completed the railway line from Cape Town to Cairo?

Guy Saville did a good job with this. well-written, character-rich story; with a plot that mirrors a lot of what went on and is still going on in Africa, even though we might have to substitute the Reich with other powers like France. It echoes a lot from Flash of the Sun and other books that touched on the Francafrique and the machinations that are keeping the people with the evil dispositions in power in Africa.

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Dark, fast-paced action adventure 16 Jan 2012

By Mr. D. P. Stringer

Format:Paperback

I've just finished reading Afrika Reich, which is a very tough book to read at times. The book is set in a parallel universe where Nazi Germany's victory at Dunkirk forced a ceasefire with Britain. They then defeated Soviet Russia, while pacifist America stayed out of the war. At the Casablanca Conference in 1943, Germany and Britain then carved up Africa between them.
Burton Cole, a retired former soldier and the protagonist, is hired to kill Walter Hochburg, the Governor of German Kongo.

There's a dark image painted of an Africa that could have been. I don't know how historically accurate the events after Dunkirk are, but it all seems believable.
Although it's not central to the narrative, the book mentions in passing the repatriation of black Africans and the world's Jewish population, with a map of the alternative Africa coming before the story begins. At the very least, the alternative world has been well thought out.
The book quotes memos passed back and forth between high ranking officials, and a speech given by Hitler in 1942, so, from my position of relative historic ignorance, it all seem very plausible.

Some of the imagery shown - the large scale projects in Africa, are truly haunting. I'm not sure whether these are taken from memos and diaries, or if the writer has a very dark imagination.
I was left feeling a sense of astonishment at the dark pragmatism, and the twisted madness of the Nazi ideology.
Most people are aware of atrocities like the gas chambers and labour camps. But being familiar with the ideas but not wanting to take in their darkness, they can be difficult to imagine. We're all aware of the words, but it can be difficult to imagine the full, human consequences.
New images, which seem plausible but don't have the mental fatigue associated with them, can horrify in a new way.

But the story is, first and foremost, an action story. The action scenes, and the pacing, are excellent.
A lot of Hollywood blockbusters are a series of action set pieces, poorly strung together by character-based scenes that are dull to watch and that don't show why we're supposed to care about the character.
The action in Afrika Reich is fast-paced, there's an atmosphere of tension throughout, and the characters of Cole, Whaler and Hochburg are characters I rooted for and hated respectively.
The action - gun battles, vehicle based fights and more, are imagintive and well described. There is, overall, the feeling of a few good men, in a world gone to hell, battling impossible odds.
The world created, one in which the Nazi Empire is the dominant global force, and seem to be growing in power, lends itself to a feeling that, however bad things are, they might be about to get worse.

Verdict: A difficult read at times because of the darkness of the fictional world, but an excellent action adventure.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Reich up my street 12 Jan 2012

By Bally

I got a loan of this book from one of my mates as he shares my love of WW2 books fiction and non. I really enjoyed the whole twist in the story of how WW2 ended and the setting in Africa really sets this off.

It reminded me of the type of action movie you go to see and folk say leave your brain in the foyer and get some popcorn. That isn't meant to bring the book down in any way its just to give you a heads up that it'll be full of action and some points you think "how did they survive that?". While reading this i've been late for work twice as i've missed my bus stop too busy reading :-0.