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    The Afrika Reich: A Novel
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    The Afrika Reich: A Novel
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    The Afrika Reich: A Novel
    Ebook507 pages6 hours

    The Afrika Reich: A Novel

    By Guy Saville

    3/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    From Guy Saville, the explosive new thriller of a world that so nearly existed

    Africa, 1952. More than a decade has passed since Britain's humiliation at Dunkirk brought an end to the war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler.

    The swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Britain and a victorious Nazi Germany have divided the continent. The SS has crushed the native populations and forced them into labor. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle, jet fighters patrol the skies. For almost a decade an uneasy peace has ensued.

    Now, however, the plans of Walter Hochburg, messianic racist and architect of Nazi Africa, threaten Britain's ailing colonies.

    Sent to curb his ambitions is Burton Cole: a one-time assassin torn between the woman he loves and settling an old score with Hochburg. If he fails unimaginable horrors will be unleashed on the continent. No one – black or white – will be spared.

    But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life.
    It is a flight that will take him from the unholy ground of Kongo to SS slave camps to war-torn Angola – and finally a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of The Afrika Reich itself.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9780805095944
    Unavailable
    The Afrika Reich: A Novel
    Author

    Guy Saville

    Guy Saville is the author of The Afrika Reich, an international bestseller. Born in 1973, Saville studied literature at London University. He has lived in South America and North Africa and is currently based in the UK.

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    Reviews for The Afrika Reich

    3/5

    87 ratings23 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A bit too actiony but very exciting. Seemingly well researched with main characters that have some bite to them. Overall, it's formulaic and struggles to provide the historical depth it needs.
    • 3/5
      The focus of the book self-evident in the title, this alternative history uses the common trope of What If the Nazis won WWII? However, this is straight adventure a la Inglorious Bastards meet the Rat Patrol. Fast, furious, over-the-top bangbang with no depth or real need for introspection. If you read for Pulpesque fun and not seeking Herman Wouk art.
    • 2/5
      “The Africa Reich” offers some great alternate history color and background settings. Set in a 1952 post-Nazi victory Africa now dominated by Nazi run colonies and the territories of its Italian and Vichy French allies, sharing the continent with remnants of the British Empire still ruled from London (who surrendered after the disaster at Dunkirk). A first novel, this appears to have been written with an opening to a possible follow-on series.As might be expected as enough years have passed since the end of the war, all sides are clearly considering a possible second round in hopes of changing the situation. The central figure in the novel, who is both our narrator and a major player in the events that are unfolding, is described as an ex-mercenary with background and ties in Africa whose involvement in the ongoing action forces him to relive a traumatic event in his earlier life.There is a lot here that I would have liked to see developed further – and I think the book would have benefited from a bit of editing to both pick up the pace and shorten it. I read it all the way through enjoying the locale and settings chosen by the author – but I won’t be keeping this one around.
    • 1/5
      Gave up on page 37 Enough said!
    • 1/5
      This will contain spoilers. Not that I care; you'll not want to read it after you've read this anyway. Oh dear. I'm not sure why I finished this, it certainly wasn't because I cared about Burton Cole. I was mildly intrigued to know what the next improbable hurdle between Burton and his Quince farm was going to be, because just as you think he'll manage to get away something else manages to intervene. Set in a fictional Africa that is under the heel of the Nazis after a peace made after Dunkirk this seems to be an excuse to come up with some of the most distasteful racism, fanatical views and unnecessary violence that can be imagined. Then there are the stereotypical characters, all red blooded, honourable and battle scarred on the Allied side and despicable zealots on the German side. Mostly men, apart from the odd woman waiting at home. I was left with the feeling that Burton was going to get back, regardless of what happened, because the number of times he was missed by a hail of bullets, or they sang past his ear; he had an air of inviolability about him. I mean I haven't fired a rifle since I was in my teens, but I reckon even I could have hit him, the number of times he seemed to be stood still while a whole troop faced him down. As did Patrick until his lucky pipe broke. Then predictably, it all went a bit pear shaped. It had a fair number of thing that were left unexplained. How come Burton immediately assumes the man he's asked to kill is the same man he remembers from his childhood, but had assumed was dead. Where was the logic in that. And to leave the same man in the ocean, on a sinking boat, but known to be a strong swimmer? It wasn't written in great prose either. A lot of short sharp sentences that bring an action sequence to an abrupt halt. And some strange use of adjectives. Not sure that smoke grumbles... It was so bad that it seemed to pass through awful to some sort of bizzare place when I was going to get to the end, just to find out how bad it actually was. And it's left in some sort of unresolved place that leaves you no resolution. He doesn't get home, he doesn't have a showdown with his mistress' husband (yes, i saw that coming from fairly early on) he doesn't find the truth he seeks, nor kill the man he meant to. And the whole plan of which the assassination was part doesn't really come off either. If this is setting up a sequel, I won't be reading it. And I suggest you don't bother either.
    • 4/5
      Another book that surprised me. I did not actually expect to like this book. In fact, all I had to go off of was the back cover. I do not like to really read reviews of others before I have read a book as I don't like to be have preconceived thoughts about a book until I have made up my own. So thus the reason that I picked up this book many times and put it back down. I kind of wondered what I was thinking back than that made me want to read this book. I finally gave in to picking up this book to read. I really enjoyed Mr. Saville's take on the Nazi's and the "what if" regarding the continent of Africa. Plus Burton turned out to be a really likable guy. He was someone that you could stand behind and see as the hero. The battle scenes between Burton and Hochburg were thrilling, especially the last one. There was so much action to keep me intrigued and happy. Yes, I agree with other readers that the scenes at times seemed way over the top in regards to Burton seemed like he had nine lives and had lots of luck on his side to escape every time but still sometimes over the top is a good thing.
    • 2/5
      Whilst having several reviews stating that this was the new "Fatherland", I would disagree. This is a very poorly written, abysmally plotted thriller, set in a 1950's Africa, where Hitler had successfully managed to persuade the British to sue for peace after Dunkirk. It follows the poorly drawn out mercenaries from one action & highly unrealistic encounter to the next. The amount of damage that these people sustain on this mission is ludicrous & highly unbelievable. It shatters all pretence at credibility & makes the whole story difficult to believe. Despite some references at the back of the book, claiming to be drawn from German sources on what they had planned to do with Africa, this feels poorly drawn out. Poor. Avoid, even for holiday reading.
    • 4/5
      This is an alternate history novel and the thing I really like about it is the point of divergence from reality. Some alternate history novels don't handle this very well. The setting is 1952 Africa, most of which is now a German colony.

      It's a story of revenge, searching for answers from the past and confronting ghosts. These themes comes together in an adventure story that's a pleasure to read. Though there are still some horrific themes to consider seeing as the Nazis were victorious and able to export their hatred to a new continent.
    • 3/5
      Book received through Early Reviewers. Based on historical fiction: what would happen if Hitler decided to take over africa? The main characters are well developed and overall likeable. Story started off fast and slowed greatly in the middle. Quite the twist on the final page...worth the read!
    • 3/5
      It was a good read, not great but competent. It was a very interesting premise, the parceling of Africa after the British defeat at Dunkirk, that made this book appealing.The main characters are a bit "cookie-cutter" and at times I felt that Saville just pieced together ideas from old World War II movies.I enjoyed the first chapter but then Afrika Reich had many moments of what felt like down-time. You could lose interest.
    • 2/5
      An alternative history, done well, can be both thought provoking and captivating. The premise in this book, a Nazi Germany victory in World War II has been done many times (The Man in the High Castle, Fatherland to name two that come immediately to mind). In this iteration, Germany wins World War II when it wipes out the British Army at Dunkirk, the Churchill government falls and his successor, Lord Halifax, sues for and achieves an uneasy peace. The United States does not get involved and Germany occupies the European continent and defeats Communist Russia in 1942. By 1950, Germany has moved into Africa, where it shares colonial territories with Britain and Italy.So far, so good, with a plausible and intriguing political and geographic landscape in which to stage the action of the novel. Unfortunately, the story that follows is a train wreck. Imagine a very poorly done, and even more implausible, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The key players are as stereotypical as they come. Of course, you can’t have a Nazi storyline without the sadistic, misogynistic, blood thirsty SS commander. But the British and American mercenaries, ultra competent, tough as steel, but loyal and tender hearted, and the teenaged, black female rebel fighters, who can slay dozens of Nazi storm troopers in hand to hand combat is a little over the top.I lost count of the number of times that our heroes and heroines found themselves in seemingly impossibly situations, only to escape in the most ridiculous and improbable manner. Surrounded by machine gun wielding, trained soldiers, our intrepid band of heroes would run away with bullets barely missing, or even grazing them. It got so bad, that I expected our warriors to be the target of an atomic bomb, burrow into the earth with their bare hands and miraculously discover a lead deposit, fashion a lead blanket and shield themselves from the blast. Absurdity after absurdity made the novel virtually unreadable. Bottom line: Good, though hardly original, backdrop and landscape for an alternative history. Simply awful novel.
    • 3/5
      The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville is an action-filled alternative history thriller. The premise of a world where Hitler defeated the British at Dunkirk and divided up Africa between the Nazi’s and the British is very intriguing and not terribly difficult to imagine.This book is filled with a lot of action. Fast-paced, bloody, gory, no-holds-barred action. Sort of like Indiana Jones meets Rambo and it’s all directed by Quentin Tarantino. The descriptions of violence are uncompromising. There is an interesting plot of revenge and retribution on multiple levels. The character development is thin and emotions consist mostly of rage and regret. Double-crosses and secret plans that stretch across Africa and reach all the way back to Berlin and London keep the story interesting as the action moves across the continent leaving a trail of bodies and destruction behind.The action scenes are very well-written, if extremely graphic. The heroes can take an incredible amount of abuse and still keep ticking. The scenery and in fact the whole alternate world are vividly and cinematically described. If you like non-stop action and vivid descriptions of battle, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. More character depth and slightly more credulous actions may have taken this story to the next level, but all in all a fun and exciting read. I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
    • 3/5
      The Nazi swastika is flying over much of Africa in this thriller set in 1952 – ten years after England settled WWII peacefully with Hitler. Written by first time novelist Guy Saville, the book runs the gamut of “ifs” including a re-imagined Africa – where colonialism is once again the norm and the indigenous population is basically enslaved by the Nazi/SS hierarchy.Throw in rebels trying to save their country, an Englishman trying to kill his nemesis who is now a Governor of the German-Afrikan territories and you have the setting for a political thriller/action/adventure and fast paced alternative reality page-turner!Some of it is a little hard to believe (how does our Brit always overcome any obstacle it seems – is it the thought of true love?) The Germans seem very stereotypical (all brutish thugs with no redeeming characteristics – you can draw your own conclusions).It’s a fun romp but there are not enough answers to so many questions that you cannot help but wonder why the British settled? How did it come to this – before you can really appreciate the story as it unfolds.
    • 4/5
      An alternate history story where the British made peace with the Nazis soon after Dunkirk, giving Germany control over most of Europe and eventually over all of central Africa. British ex-mercenary Burton Cole is hired to take a team to Africa and assasinate the Nazi administrator there, Walter Hochburg, with whom Cole has personal history. Of course, the simple plan goes wrong and Cole and his teammates are forced to flee across Africa trying to get back to British-controlled areas.The Afrika Reich doesn't do much with its alternate history or with its African setting. They just provide some minimal backdrop for the heroes to move through, and a convenient set of villains. The book is really an action-movie style thriller that has the characters continually moving from one action scene and improbable escape to another, and it does that well. I will probably be interested in the sequels that are apparently coming.
    • 3/5
      This ER book developed based on the Nazi plans for Africa should they win the war. Of course, it's not the first novel to address what would happen if Hitler had suceeded. But, using Africa as the background puts an entirely different spin on it than what I encountered before. And, my hopes remained high as I opened the book. But, as things moved along, what apppeared as a winning idea came crashing down as violence skyrocketed and my interest plummeted. In spite of my reaction, hope remains. Although this novel misses the mark, as an action movie success might be in site. Maybe my expectations, set in the wrong direction, colored my opinion. Still, this book with a complicated plot, strong characterization, and vividly portrayed setting seems poised to make its real mark on the silver screen.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this alternate history set in Africa in a post WW2 where the Nazis won. A good narrative, plenty of action and more than a few surprises made for an excellent read.Looking forward to more from this author in this series.
    • 3/5
      I'm not exactly sure what to say about his book. It surely had some interesting and page turning moments. However, other parts of the book I found tedious and uncredible (I know it's fiction). I personally thought Fatherland (Harris) was much better. That being said, I will likely read the next book hinted by the author. A decent read but not great.Thanks LTBob in Chicago
    • 2/5
      While this book is a very exciting thriller, I had several problems with it. For one thing, I went into the book excited by the premise of a book that imagines what would have happened had the Nazis achieved victory in Europe and then moved onto Africa. Unfortunately, Saville does not give a lot of detail about how any of this has happened and instead focusses more on using the Nazis as the ultimate villain to take on his protagonist, Burton. I'm not sure why the Nazis had to be in Africa during the 1950s. This book would have worked just as well in Eastern Europe during the 1940s. The details were unimportant and seemed to merely be a hook to get people to read the story.A second problem that I had with it was that I am really not a fan of the kind of thriller where it is obvious who the hero is supposed to be, and the reader knows that the hero is never in any real trouble because a dead hero would mean a premature end to the story. Consequently, all of the tension that Saville spent so much time building fell completely flat for me. I never felt that Burton was in any real danger because Saville could not kill him before he had finished writing the book.I will, however, admit that I did like some of the characters in the book. In particular, the Neliah character was particularly strong, and I found myself rooting for her. Giving the reader some interesting characters who have some depth and are not just cliches to root for makes for a more rewarding reading experience for readers, and this attribute of the book was particularly strong in the second half of the book as Saville revealed more and more about each character. The fact that I had begun to care more for the characters by the end of the book made the constant action sequences much more thrilling since I was finally starting to care what would happen to these people.
    • 1/5
      On the surface this book has an intriguing premise. The British forces were trapped at Dunkirk in 1940. Instead of the near-miraculous escape that happened, in this story the bulk of the army was killed or captured, resulting in and early end to World War II. Fast forward to 1952. The Nazis have occupied much of Africa, and it’s clear that they won’t be long confined to territory they have already conquered. I was prepared to like this book, but about two-thirds of the way through I decided it wasn’t worth the time to finish it. The bad guys are evil, sadistic, thoroughly despicable, and predictable. They commit atrocity upon atrocity, each one more disgusting than the others, and described in vivid, gory detail. The good guys meet with calamity after calamity. Chapters end with cliff-hangers that seem to spell disaster for the heroes, but miraculously something comes along to rescue them, but without the plausibility of the British escape at Dunkirk.The action is fast-paced and the technical craftsmanship is good, but the book is written to a formula that relies almost exclusively on action and gore. Too much of this destroys the suspense and becomes boring. I reached the point of not caring what happened to the heroes because I didn’t believe them any more. Many people enjoy such a story, and similar authors have enjoyed wide readership, but in my opinion, fiction has to be credible to be worth reading.
    • 2/5
      Recipe for The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville:Take one Alternate History. Hitler’s Germany has conquered Europe. After Dunkirk, England agrees to a peace treaty that restores Germany’s old colonies (and those of the countries they’ve overrun) to them. The U.S. has remained neutral. The year is 1952, and the Nazis are in firm control of central Africa, and is pushing for more.Add one Thriller. An international team is hired to assassinate the Nazi’s kingpin in Africa. The plan goes awry, and the team splits up to escape capture and return to safe ground. Hair-raising adventures ensue, with chases, evasions, captures, escapes, and more chases.Lubricate with one Bloodbath. A non-exhaustive list of violence includes stabbing, shooting, decapitating, raping, burning at the stake, torturing, poisoning, and strangling. Blood sprays everywhere. People slip on floors slick with blood. Bodies rot in huge piles. This isn’t the first book I’ve read that appears to be designed to nauseate. While it’s handy to have the Nazis still around to blame for sadistic and racist carnage, there is still a basic rotten core to the author’s way of advancing the action and to his idea of what will bring him readers. While the pacing is excellent and the African backdrop he supplies (a mix of reality and alternate future) is vivid, all that stays with this reader is the gross violence. Add to that the fact the book has no satisfactory closure at all, and I give it two stars and recommend it only for those with strong stomachs.
    • 4/5
      In a colonial Africa where Nazi "racial hygiene" is leading to a "final solution" to the Negro Question by transferring large parts of the black population of the German colonies restored or established after a foreshortened Second Great War to "Muspel" (the Sahara), a British assassin who has tried, and failed, to kill the governor of German Kongo flees for his life. His adventures intersect with those of a biracial (Portuguese-Herero) resistance fighter in a rump Angola who is resisting the plans of the same governor to conquer that territory. It's a plausible, and frightening, story of a world that could have existed in which we see the heroism of the principal characters turn out to be merely the acts of men manipulated by byzantine figures at the heart of empires. There's a tip of the hat to Robert Harris's *Fatherland*.
    • 4/5
      This is an adrenalin-filled page turner about an assassination attempt in SS-dominated Africa (it is set in an alternative version of history whereby the UK was defeated at Dunkirk, and the two countries split Africa between them). The first 200 pages or so are a fantastic read, and you can just picture Jason Statham starring in the movie version. After that, the pace slows as the author scrambles to finish all the loose ends. The violence, never lacking in this book, descends into almost pornographic gore, and the male characters become full action-movie caricatures (there are no well-developed or credible female characters in this book). Still, a very novel and interesting take on what might have been if the Nazis had won, and if watchting late-night UFC is your guilty pleasure, you're certain to like this book too.
    • 5/5
      The character development in this action-packed thriller is excellent. The writing style is exemplary. Even a non-thriller reader like myself will be pulled into the frightening, exciting story, I think because Saville is so adept at creating what comes across as a very real world, with people you care about. The concept of the Nazis winning the war is one many of us can relate to, and it plays strongly on the imagination - our fears and dreads and curiosity. In the hands of an author as talented as Saville, we find someone who can use this natural draw in a way that does not disappoint. Highly recommended.