Hitler Victorious: Eleven Stories of the German Victory in World War II (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)

By Gregory; Greenberg Benford

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824086589
• ISBN13: 9780824086589
• Release Date: August 1986
• Publisher: Garland
• Length: 299 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 2.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Frightening "What If" Collection

"Hitler Victorious" collects 11 short stories based upon the premise that Nazi Germany won World War II. The premise alone is enough to make for compelling reading, and fortunately the stories themselves expand upon it. The highlight of the book is Brad Linaweaver's novella "Moon of Ice," which masterfully extends the famous diaries of Nzai propoganda chief Joseph Goebbles into the mid-1960s. Goebbles chronicles in the first person the death of The Fuhrer and the intrigue surrounding the foundation of Burgundy, the medieval mini-state formed by Heinrich Himmler's notorious SS. Linaweaver throws into the mix Goebbles's relationship with two of his (now adult) children, each of whom has chosen a much different path.Other highlighs include Hilary Bailey's noir-ish tale of intrigue "The Fall of Frenchy Steiner," and Howard Goldsmiths nastly little horror tale "Do Ye Hear the Children Weeping." There's even a good Rip Van Winkle-like tale in C.M. Kornbluth's "Two Dooms." Also it must be said that, title of the book not withstanding, Hitler rarely remains victorious at the end of most of these stories.Overall, this a juicy little short story collection for those who like alternative history tales.

Interesting and fun...

I am a huge historical World War II buff. Therefore, I also like to "dabble" in some alternative history scenarios such as the eleven stories presented in this narrative. Overall, the book is "fun"...meaning that some of the stories are pretty good and based in "reality", meaning they are believable. Others are a little "hokey"...meaning they would be good for a "Tales From the Dark Side" or "Outer Limits" episode. All in all...for some fun reading at night, I enjoyed the book. Give it a shot and see for yourself.

An exceptional alternate history collection

I'm a sucker for alternate history stories, partly because of my professional background in history. I like to play "what if" myself, but writing something that succeeds both as fiction and as plusible alternate history is really tough. Among themes, having the Germans win WWII is a close second to the South winning the Civil War, and virtually all the stories in this excellent collection succeed admirably. Some I've read before, like "Weihnactsabend" by Keith Roberts and Brad Linaweaver's excellent "Moon of Ice," but others were apparently written especially for this volume, including the terrific "Thor Meets Captain America" by David Brin. A very good collection.

A Wonderful Alternate History Anthology

Probably the most used senerio for alternate history stories is a German victory in World War Two, (the second being a confederate victory in the Civil War.) 'Hitler victorious' gives several thrilling stories based on this theme. While many of the stories are slow and some can't help but seem a little repetitive, some of the stories rank among the great works of alternate fiction. Two of the best stories in the collection, 'Thor vs. Captain America,' and 'Moon of ice,' make reading this anthology worth reading alone. 'Thor' deals with the ancient Norse gods appearing midway through the war and throwing thier lot in with the Nazi's, wreaking havoc with America's war effort. 'Moon of ice' centers around Josef Goebbles' harrowing ordeal at the hands of the S.S. in the newly created S.S. kingdom of Burgandy. Fans of alternate history should get a kick out of this book and there is enough speculative fiction to entertain fans of mainstream science fiction. A lot of fun.

Good Stuff

An interesting book. Some of the stories are a little dragged out, but they all end in a satisfying manner. It's not one of those books that you take everywhere until it's finished. But it's nice to leave sitting around so that you can pick it up from time to time and read a story or two.