The Leader [Kindle Edition]

First off, I'd like to start with a comment on the cover of this book....
Back in the 1970s the humourist Alan Coren once observed that books on the Nazis, golf and cats sold well. Hence his amusing book 'Golfing for Cats' complete with Nazi swastikas. I can't say whether books on cats or golf still do well, but I suspect books on the Nazis and the 'dark decade' of the 1930s still do.

Everytime somebody writes a book on the Nazis, or especially a "What if" book such as this, publishers will always paint the cover blood red and put a swastika, or some such derivative, on the front, and lots of people will go for this -- me included. After reading it I feel let-down.

I've given this "What if" book just one star because while the opening premise is wonderful, the setting is great, and a lot of the initial political set-up for the situation we find ourselves in as the novel starts has been well thought-out -- it just doesn't work at all. I had to force myself to finish the book.

The author is an ex- Times journalist who has done a lot of historical research. Despite this, there are a few schoolboy howlers in the book. For instance he has a ceremonial flypast of RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires in 1937 -- well before either aircraft flew operationally. However whilst irritating they don't really alter the novel itself.

No, this novel really comes unstuck in two main ways:

The first is in its chracterisation. This is rather dreadful. The characters are two-dimensional, and their actions are in some cases simply too unbelievable. A large number of them are real historical characters -- not long dead. It can be difficult to make real people, whom many readers will remember, do things that never happened -- but while Robert Harris does it well -- it is very definitely not done well here.

The second area of major failure is in plotting and pace. There is no thrill in this thriller. Quite simply you are never on edge wondering what will happen next.

This is the author's second novel -- he has some great ideas -- but they are not yet being translated well enough to the page. Having read other reviews on this page, I see some other people liked it. I didn't, sorry.

If you want "What if" books that deal with the Nazis either invading or taking over Britain, then these books are all much better.

Fatherland, Robert Harris Fatherland
Invasion, Kenneth Macksey Invasion: Alternative History of the German Invasion of England, July 1940 (Greenhill Military Paperback)
Operation Sea Lion, Richard Cox Operation Sea Lion
If Britain had fallen, Norman Longmate If Britain Had Fallen
SS GB, Len Deighton SS-GB

There are also useful chapters in the following books:

What If? What If?: Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been
What If 2? What If? II: 2
The Hitler Options, ed Kenneth Macksey The Hitler Options: Alternate Decisions of World War II (Greenhill Military Paperback)
Third Reich Victorious, ed Peter Tsouras Third Reich Victorious: Alternative Decisions of World War II: Alternate Decisions of World War II

Rarely are books written like this any more, The Leader by Guy Waletrs heavily resembles one of those short stories written for Boys Own type annuals and is none the worse for this. The setting to the book is quite convincing (notably Mosely's rise to power, Churchill was in reality only persuaded against forming a Kings Party at the last minuite) but more importantly (and some previous reviewers have overlooked this) it was entertaining and gave the book a real sense of urgency, it is rare in these post modern times to have a real goody to root for versus a defined baddy. The novel was written in a delightfully old fashioned style with the vile Facists versus the plucky War heroes of WWI and whilst some seem to have found this offensive I found it delightfully nostalgic. I have read this book in 3 days unable to put it down and i shall certainly be buying Guy Walters other book The Traitor.

This is Guy's second novel and equally as good as the first (The Traitor) if not better.
It's set in 1937 and Fascism has taken hold in Britain. Oswald Mosley is the Prime Minister (The Leader) and Edward VIII is about to be crowned King with Wallis as his Queen. Hitler and Mussolini are allies; Churchill, Chamberlain et al are imprisoned.
James Armstrong, who was a member of the Tory government before Mosley came to power, decides he has had enough of the Fascist regime and strikes back.

It's a great book, riveting, full of action and really puts you back in 30's England.

Well worth reading.