A. Rivera reviewed Fatherland by Robert Harris
Review of 'Fatherland' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
A nice premise. A decent piece of speculative fiction, but that hanging ending was just not a good way to end it. It sort of ruined the book for me.
mass market paperback, 440 pages
French language
Published April 17, 2003 by Pocket Jeunesse.
Fatherland is a 1992 alternative history detective novel by English writer and journalist Robert Harris. Set in a universe in which Nazi Germany won World War II, the story's protagonist is an officer of the Kripo, the criminal police, who is investigating the murder of a Nazi government official who participated at the Wannsee Conference. A plot is thus discovered to eliminate all of those who attended the conference to help improve German relations with the United States. The novel subverts some of the conventions of the detective novel. It begins with a murder and diligent police detective investigating and eventually solving it. However, since the murderer is highly placed in the Nazi regime, solving the mystery does not result in the detective pursuing and arresting the murderer. The contrary occurs: the murderer pursuing and arresting the detective. The novel was an immediate best-seller in the UK and has sold …
Fatherland is a 1992 alternative history detective novel by English writer and journalist Robert Harris. Set in a universe in which Nazi Germany won World War II, the story's protagonist is an officer of the Kripo, the criminal police, who is investigating the murder of a Nazi government official who participated at the Wannsee Conference. A plot is thus discovered to eliminate all of those who attended the conference to help improve German relations with the United States. The novel subverts some of the conventions of the detective novel. It begins with a murder and diligent police detective investigating and eventually solving it. However, since the murderer is highly placed in the Nazi regime, solving the mystery does not result in the detective pursuing and arresting the murderer. The contrary occurs: the murderer pursuing and arresting the detective. The novel was an immediate best-seller in the UK and has sold over three million copies and been translated into 25 languages.
A nice premise. A decent piece of speculative fiction, but that hanging ending was just not a good way to end it. It sort of ruined the book for me.