A Prophet without
Honor by Joseph Wurtenbaugh is a novel of alternative history. The story
begins with the birth of Karl von Haydenreich and the tragic death of his
mother, Charlotte, while his father, Captain Henrich Haydenreich, is fighting
on the western front in World War I. Told through a series of letters,
telegrams and memoirs, the reader hears how young Karl is raised by his
stepmother, Rosamunde. Rosamunde was his mother’s best friend and a Jew.
Despite both families’ objections, Henrich and Rosamunde marry and have a
wonderful life until her death during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Left in
the care of his father, Karl is groomed to follow in the family’s footsteps and
have a career in the military. When he comes of age, Hitler is coming to power
in Germany and the road to World War II is set. In 1936, Hitler sets his army
to occupy the Rhineland and bluffs the French and British thinking the German
army would retreat at the first sight of opposition. The bluff works and
Hitler’s military machine marches across Europe with utter destruction. In a
world where history took a different path, it is a story of danger, spies, and
romance. Would Hitler fully take over the world or would there still be a force
to stop him? Who would have the courage to lead such a charge? Is Karl that man?
A Prophet without
Honor is an interesting retelling of history if one event had taken a
different course. I have never read an alternative universe story before and I
found the idea intriguing. The characters’ voices and actions have a tone of
such accuracy you feel you could really be reading a book about our history. As
Karl follows his orders, the thought is in the back of your mind that he was
raised by a Jewish woman who he called “Mummi” Surely he couldn’t believe in
such hatred against the Jewish people. I enjoyed the story as there is no clear
hero or villain such as with life. I loved the realism that we often cannot and
will never know the heroics of the men and women who fought against Hitler. If
you enjoy reading a story about an alternative universe but reads with such
realism, I recommend A Prophet without
Honor.
A Prophet without Honor
is available on
Amazon for the Kindle
No comments:
Post a Comment