Swastikas Over the Sahara: The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville
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Who doesn’t love a good Nazi alternate history? I sure do. Twenty years ago I read Richard Harris’ riveting Fatherland, about a relentless detective who stumbles on the long-buried evidence of the Holocaust in 1964 Nazi Berlin, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Something else I like? Discount books. I’ve found a few online sellers who specialize in new-condition titles at remaindered prices, and I’ve spent waaay too much money cozying up to them. They call on the weekend and send birthday cards now. I think we’re all going walleye fishing in Alberta this August.
One of those sellers had a curious book called The Afrika Reich in stock and, well, let’s just say we came to an arrangement. I admit to buyers remorse about the Star Trek cookbooks and picture books on Damascus architecture, but this one, about the realization of the Third’s Reich’s diabolical plans for Africa, definitely has my interest. It made the Sunday Express Books of the Year list in 2011, The Times calls it “An horrific reimaging of the Dark Continent,” and Daily Telegraph says it’s “Fatherland for an action movie age.” That all sounds great to me. I’m sold (literally, in this case).
The Afrika Reich was published by St. Martin’s Griffin on January 13, 2015. It is 379 pages, priced at $16.99 in trade paperback. The cover was designed by David Shoemaker (click the images above for bigger versions). BookOutlet USA currently has new copies in stock for $1.98.
Sounds like it’s time for one of John O’Neill’s patented old anthology roundups, this time on the subject of a triumphant Third Reich. There have been a few, haven’t there?
I remember about 25 years ago seeing a Nazi werewolf novel called WerewolfSS or perhaps Werewolf SS at a Waldenbooks. I didn’t pick it up on that occasion and the next time I was in the store it was sold-out. I never even knew who wrote it but back when I was a teenager reading too much Stephen King and watching too many Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street movies, that book actually looked kind of interesting. As a 40-something I’m not as interested in reading it anymore, but I would be kind of curious to find out who wrote it, as it seems to have sunk without a ripple, the way so much of the late-80’s horror did.
> Sounds like it’s time for one of John O’Neill’s patented old anthology roundups, this
> time on the subject of a triumphant Third Reich. There have been a few, haven’t there?
There have! Some of the most recent include:
I think that last one is a book of essays, not short stories.
Either way, it looks like I have a lot of reading to do first!
> I remember about 25 years ago seeing a Nazi werewolf novel called WerewolfSS or perhaps Werewolf SS
Amy,
That had to be The Wolf’s Hour by the great Robert McCammon.
Still available in digital format if you’d like to try it!
Amy – The Wolf’s Hour is an excellent read. McCammon is one of the best horror writers in the genre and that’s one of his best books. There’s also a short story collection with the character.
John Gardner, who wrote the Bond novels for several years as well as three Professor Moriarty pastiches, wrote Jack Higgins-esque thrillers.
The Dancing Dodo and The Werewolf Trace were two that were contemporary to the time but with Nazi tie-ins.
Len Deighton’s SS-GB is fantastic police procedural set in a a Britain ruled by the Nazis. I’ve read it at least three times.