Katastrophe

Rating:
Summary: A very very STRONG 3 and 3/4 stars
Review: "Katastrophe" starts off in a barn, late at night, somewhere in Ohio. Our main character, a disheveled Hank Thorwald, is caught wearing only one shoe, holding a chicken and a revolver with only four bullets left. He is being held at gun-point by the chicken's owner who recognizes Hank from recent television reports. The sound of approaching police sirens can be heard in the background. What a great way to start off this story!

"Katastrophe" is a very good and swift read. Without repeating past reviews, the Thorwald family fall prey to an easily excited and relentless media, and the Grade-A whack-a-loons that come out of the woodwork when a particular story is overhyped.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story that will surely entertain. The pacing for most of the novel is first rate. There are plenty of people who would like to get their hands on Hank. Some of those people have come from as far away as Berlin. But that's a story within the story that needs to be read to be believed!

My only nitpick comes in the form of the character Detective Gleeworth. I wasn't overly impressed by his procedural tactics and his automatic assumption of guilt towards Hank Thorwald. I was also disturbed by the glibness and utter lack of concern from the entire Terre Haute police department following a shocking incident involving the Thorwald's daughter. (I don't want to spoil anything... read the novel and find out!)

That and the novel's rather quick wrap-up are my only TEENY TINY faults with what is otherwise a great read. I would not hesitate to pick up another novel by Mr. Boyll. I'm a tough grader and this novel was a lot of fun. This one gets 3 and 3/4 stars... so very close to 4 stars.

This novel will certainly entertain! Give it a read.

Rating:
Summary: A compelling read
Review: Halfway through this rather lengthy novel, I found myself wondering why I was reading it. At that point, however, I found it impossible just to stop reading it! Good thing I didn't! This is an unusual book in its plotting, pacing, and the complexity of its characters. The whole premise of a "reincarnated Hitler" is far-fetched, indeed, but Boyll handles it with finesse and you as the reader know that there is something deeper than this hypnosis-induced confession. The book is populated with some very likeable and dislikable characters. Hank and Rebecca Thorwald are interesting victims, in that they try to react in ways that would get them out of their predicament. Rebecca is particularly resourceful, determined, and a strong female character. Karl Von Wessenheim, Ronno Ulgard, and his mother are villains of the most unusual sort. There are times when you actually root for Karl and Ronno; but the mother is reminiscent of the Angela Lansbury character in "The Manchurian Candidate"---what a witch! (Substitute a b for the w in this one!). A strong supporting characters is Dutch, a retired cop who helps Rebecca out. And of course we can't forget Alan Weston, the epitome of the t.v. tabloid host. A bitter, caustic, and lonely man, Alan emerges as a very focal character in the book. It's scary to think that Adolf Hitler could still have such an influence on any society, and that Americans would react in such a violent way. However, in reading the papers recently, I can see where something like this could unfold easily. But read this book, and enjoy it's excellence. The semi-climax on the train is breathtaking; the final scene with von Wellenheim is priceless. Look for more expert stuff from Mr. Boyll!

Michael Butts

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Read But Mesmerizing
Review: Halfway through this rather lengthy novel, I found myself wondering why I was reading it. At that point, however, I found it impossible just to stop reading it! Good thing I didn't! This is an unusual book in its plotting, pacing, and the complexity of its characters. The whole premise of a "reincarnated Hitler" is far-fetched, indeed, but Boyll handles it with finesse and you as the reader know that there is something deeper than this hypnosis-induced confession. The book is populated with some very likeable and dislikable characters. Hank and Rebecca Thorwald are interesting victims, in that they try to react in ways that would get them out of their predicament. Rebecca is particularly resourceful, determined, and a strong female character. Karl Von Wessenheim, Ronno Ulgard, and his mother are villains of the most unusual sort. There are times when you actually root for Karl and Ronno; but the mother is reminiscent of the Angela Lansbury character in "The Manchurian Candidate"---what a witch! (Substitute a b for the w in this one!). A strong supporting characters is Dutch, a retired cop who helps Rebecca out. And of course we can't forget Alan Weston, the epitome of the t.v. tabloid host. A bitter, caustic, and lonely man, Alan emerges as a very focal character in the book. It's scary to think that Adolf Hitler could still have such an influence on any society, and that Americans would react in such a violent way. However, in reading the papers recently, I can see where something like this could unfold easily. But read this book, and enjoy it's excellence. The semi-climax on the train is breathtaking; the final scene with von Wellenheim is priceless. Look for more expert stuff from Mr. Boyll!

Michael Butts

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, fast paced action, thought provokin
Review: I have two very strong interests: Hypnosis and World War II. This book blends the two themes into a brilliant and satirical story. The book starts fast. A college professor is hypnotized and in front of a party quotes Hitler. He is Hitler! Or is he? No one would believe that Hitler has been reincarnated...right? The Manchurian Candidate was this fun/exciting/powerful and I promise you that you will turn pages in this book until 4AM for three consecutive nights when you finally finish it.

The book has no holes and it makes you wonder when they will make a movie of it!

100% five stars. No hesitation. This is a winner!

Kevin Hogan
...

Rating:
Summary: AN UNBELIEVABLY EXCELLENT READ!
Review: The novel is based on an interesting premise, but the author fails to develop it's potential. Hank Thorwald, a young professor at a university in Indiana, is hypnotized at a faculty party and is revealed to be the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. Within days Hank's life and those of his wife and daughter are virtually destroyed.

The story line has the pace of a Warner Brother's cartoon. There are many unlikely coincidences and improbable events. The actions and reactions of the public in the novel are exaggerated to the point of being completely ridiculous. The climatic fight scene take place in the baggage compartment of a train and is reminiscent of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, but perhaps a bit more violent. The surprise ending, which is supposed to explain all, is unimaginative, too easy, and too abrupt.

The Hank and Rebecca characters are fairly well developed, but the remaining ones less so. One of those is Alan Weston, a much reviled tabloid television reporter. He also happens to be Jewish and to have trouble with a neo-Nazi motorcycle gang. A great deal of ink is spent on the two "facts", neither of which is very interesting or important to the story.

The German characters are stereotypes straight out of a World War II-era film or the Indiana Jones films. The personalities of each are internally inconsistent. They are all materially successful -- they run their own businesses, obtained great wealth, own castles, etc. Yet, one is expected to believe that underneath all that competence, they are really buffoons. For example, Von Wessenheim, of noble lineage and a collector of Nazi artifacts, becomes lost for a few hours in the tunnels underneath a rival's castle. When he finally finds a way to make good his escape undetected through a temporarily deserted banquet room with the food still warm on the tables, VW stops to try the beef and noodles, drink a glass of wine, and have a cigarette. In the meantime, the guests begin to return to the hall and VW is forced back into the dreaded tunnels.

The dialog is snappy and well done. Some of it is in German and the author does a good job in providing translations. The German language used is easily understood by anyone who has had a semester of high school German. However, early in the book several characters, including a high school teacher of German, come to believe that Hank is Hitler reincarnate due to the complexity of the German spoken in the initial trance. The argument doesn't work. The most glaring German error is the use of the word "Du" rather than "Sie". Both are used to address someone as "you". The difference being that one uses "Du" with family members and close friends and one uses "Sie" with acquaintances, strangers, and persons in authority. When Von Wessenheim speaks with Hitler/Hank, VW uses the "Du" form. Someone pleased by the possibility of speaking with Hitler would likely use "Sie". Likewise the ghost of Der Fuehrer is probably going to be angered by "Du" and insist on "Sie". A minor point, but one that should have been caught by the author or editor.

There are a number of historical inaccuracies. It is understood that this is a work of fiction and not a history book. However, it is one thing to exploit gaps in the historical record or to play a bit with history for the sake of a good story (like a Bernard Cornwell novel), and quite another to be unnecessarily sloppy in providing inaccurate historical tidbits to provide some color. After all, truth is often stranger, and more interesting, than fiction. Some examples:

-- Von Wessenheim hires two scholars of the National Socialist period to help him in his quest. One of the scholars explains that Hermann Goering, the one-time heir apparent to Hitler, became addicted to morphine as a result of wounds suffered in World War I. In fact, Goering became addicted to morphine while recovering from wounds sustained during the failed Munich Putsch in 1923.

-- Martin Bormann did not have a son named Paulus. Bormann also had nine children, not one. His eldest son, Adolf Martin Bormann was Hitler's god son. After the war, he rejected his Nazi roots and became a Catholic priest serving in missions in Africa.

-- Martin Bormann did not escape from Berlin in 1945. His remains were discovered in 1972 at a construction site in Berlin near to where Bormann was last seen alive in 1945. In 1998, the remains were positively identified through DNA anaylsis as those of Martin Bormann. The German government ordered the remains to be cremated and the German navy dumped the ashes somewhere in the Baltic Sea in mid-August 1999. This extreme measure was taken to prevent neo-Nazis from making Bormann's grave into a shrine or place of pilgrimage as they had with the grave of Rudolf Hess. The total cost to the German government was DM 5600.

-- The charred remains of Hitler and Eva Braun Hitler were discovered by the Soviets on May 4, 1945, in Berlin and were moved to a number of locations in East Germany during the post-War era. In 1970, the graves rested on land near Magdeburg which was slated for construction. Yuriy Andropov, then head of the KGB, ordered the remains to be cremated and then dumped in the River Ehle.

The book had great promise and was entertaining for the first half. About midway, the story became to improbable and too ridiculous to be fun, even on an airplane or commuter train. The ending was not just disappointing, but also outlandish. The glowing recommendation from Stephen King on the front cover of the paperback edition clearly explains why I have not enjoyed anything Mr. King has written in the past decade.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Premise Followed Through
Review: This book hooked me from the very start. What would happen if a happily married father of one was hyponotized and recalled an earlier life as Adolf Hitler? Author Boyll puts together a chilling tale of how the media will take an incident and create news and what this can do to the life of a family. While far fetched in some aspects, you can quite literally picture seeing this on "Current Affair" or "Hard Copy". The writing is extremely well done and the characters are fully realized. I would recommend this book highly.

Rating:
Summary: Scarcely entertaining...
Review: Was it a page-turner? Maybe. Did it make me embarrassed to be reading it? Yes.

This book features a solid idea, a stupid plot, average writing and B-movie twists that require the kind of faith leaps usually reserved for suicide cults.

You may like this book. But you are smarter than this.

I will never understand why King recommended this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Scarcely entertaining...
Review: Was it a page-turner? Maybe. Did it make me embarrassed to be reading it? Yes.

This book features a solid idea, a stupid plot, average writing and B-movie twists that require the kind of faith leaps usually reserved for suicide cults.

You may like this book. But you are smarter than this.

I will never understand why King recommended this novel.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS IT! THE HOTTEST BOOK OF THE SUMMER!
Review: WHY THIS BOOK ISN'T ON THE BESTSELLER LIST IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY! This is such an amazing, phenomenal intense page turner that will stay with you for a long time after you've finished it! The plot is the most original one since 'the genesis code' and the writing is soooooo fine that i found myself slowing down just to be able to savor each and every word but the suspense is soooooooo intense that you just want to read it fast! Don't let the Nazi references in the editorial reviews turn you off.....i almost didn't read this amazing book because of that....because this is such a fantastic book! and the Nazi stuff isn't intrusive at all! soooo please grab this immediately and just wallow in over 500 pages of incredible writing and nonstop action! I reallly hope that Randall Boyll is a prolific writer! Cannot wait for his next one.....sooooon?

Rating:
Summary: A marginal read
Review: With the lack of the traditional summary on the back cover of the book, I had no idea what the book would be about. However, as I had a five hour wait for my next flight, I figured I'd give it a shot. For the most part, the book was a long, drawn out story. I had a few major complaints about the book, one concerns the language. The author attempts to have some of the characters speak German, yet the forms used are improper. As a student of German, I found it disheartening that the author used the full verb form when he was trying to have the characters use the imperative. The story was that much less convincing because of the linguistic errors. There was also a historical error. The author has the elderly Hitler Youth members listening to Strauss at a party. A brief study of the history of the Third Reich would reveal that the music of Strauss was banned in Germany at the time, because Strauss was Jewish. Elderly Hitler Youth members, then, would most certainly NOT be listening to Strauss. Additionally, there was a factual error that any editor should have caught. Initially, one of the characters is paid one million dollars, but further in the book and with no explanation, the fee is changed to a hundred thousand dollars, and the author stays with this for the duration of the book. So which is it? One million or a hundred thousand? That error also made the story more difficult to read. I give the book two stars because the latter third of the book was quite a page turner. All in all, though, I would recommend skipping the book altogether.