A Change of Regime

by J.N. Stroyar

The struggle against evil continues in A Change of Regime, with the characters introduced in J. N. Stroyar's award-winning, critically-acclaimed novel The Children's War. The Third Reich lives on! Having carried out the assassination of his former tormentor Peter Halifax returns to the secret enclave of the anti-Nazi resistance to continue the fight against the regime with his wife Zosia. Emboldened by his success in overcoming his past, Peter returns to Berlin and dices with death to fulfill his providing an escape route for the slave laborers of the Reich. Meanwhile Zosia's brother Ryszard continues his attack from within as he infiltrates, as S. S. Colonel Richard Traugutt, ever deeper into the core of Nazi power, even to within grasp of the ultimate Fhrer of the Third Reich. But there are other forces at work and as Ryszard is forced into betraying Peter, his political enemies plot their own Armageddon. Based on meticulous research and real-life stories, painstaking attention to detail gives the story a brutal reality. The novel addresses the issues of today as the characters wrestle with mad dictators, terrorism, and their own desperate passions. A tale of espionage, of love and betrayal, of courage and collaboration.

Genres: Fiction, Alternate History

652 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2004

Reviews

[Federico Di Paolo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is it. This is the novel Stroyar wanted to write in the first place.

"Childrens War" Is a long leftover/preamble that the author itself proves to be prefectly repleaceable in a few pages, as a prologue to this "Change of Regime", which is, also, a lousy, cheap, forgetable pierce of ... ... ... literature, but the distant, foggy ideas from the first novel are now limpid and clearly put foward.


"Szlafary" Is a small unrecogniced country-redoubt-sanctuary-haven in wich a few exiled freedom fighters resist obliteration, surrounded by enemies (idiotic, fanátic, ineficient enemies) that are actually unable to defeat them because their own leaders are puppets, or independent agents, of "Szlafary". It Is the undeniable superiority of this "opressed" minority the only obstacle to its racial extincion. O, shall we say, the "polish" superiority AND the disinteressed support of the USA governement and nation (the latter obtained due to the simpathy of certain T.V celebrity for the cause and the Bondesque hero of this story).


This is not the Paranoid pornographic sadomadochist mish-mash plot of "Childrens War". This is straightfowardly the "Sionist Israel" worldview, from begining to end, presented as a ficcion. Thats why no allohistorical background, or explanation is presented in any of the two tomes. This novel has nothing to do with any history (written o not), any period of the past, or any event that could have happened. It Is a self indulgent onanistic realization of a never-ending strugle, never-ending war, never-ending victory of the chosen ones against the goyim.

Every single action taking place in this novel is a mere fantasy sprout from that worldview. It's Massada all over again, it's war after war against the world, it's Jahwe ex Machina chapter after chapter.


This Time, it seems, Stroyar got bored of torturing and humilliating His nazi gimps and finally killed "Rudy" (the führers name, now that it has one, Is Rudy, just Rudy) and has his succesor raped by the Master Puppeteer. Nazism itself is shot in the head and yet doesn't die. It can't. You can't be forever victorious over your atackers if they cease to attack you. If your society is based on war and survival against all odds, you can not ever end your struggle, or else your entire existence losses its meaning.


All in all, "Change of Regime" Is Crudely hypocritical, grotesquely mesianic, drooling, foaming, barking at hallucinatory nazis, but lacking the meaningless surrealism that clouded the argument in the first volume of this story, which makes it a much more sincere, transparent, text. This time, fundamentalism imposes over rage. The story goes somewhere, it means something. As I Read it I had the impression that all the pieces scattered in the first book, where finally placed to Fit in this one.


This Time Stroyar nailed it, and I Salute her for it.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthy continuation

Nice pick up from The Children’s War but at times a bit too implausible and very difficult to keep track of the time jumps. But, for all that, captivating reading!

[Beth Peninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to The Children's War which I finished earlier this month. At the beginning of this book Stroyar provides some information as to how she was able to write such a realistic story. While it is a book of fiction due to the characters being fictional the events and personal histories are not fiction but real and have been lived by many people that she interviewed and read about. She took the events and histories and weaved them together to create the world the characters live in both in The Children's War and this book. In her own words, "Some of the stories dated from the Second World War from Europe, some from the present elsewhere. They were all united by the common thread of individuals denied basic human rights and, to a greater or lesser extent, their humanity....As before [The Children's War], the setting within Nazi Germany is a convenience and in no way is meant to reflect upon modern Germany or its people. The Third Reich is used solely to provide the reader with a familiar and historical representation of any number of repressive governments, regimes, or authorities. It is a reminder, too, that no people, no matter how advanced their civilization, should take their liberties for granted."
Because The Children's War is so fresh in my mind I was immediately drawn right back in to a world where Nazi Germany has won and reigns. The book picks up at the very moment the first book leaves off so there is no time to catch up on. The war for human rights and equality continues as Peter makes bold moves and dangerous attempts to further the cause. A manhunt for him keeps him hiding in plain sight and at times he becomes reckless, not just with his life but with others. Trial and error continues as the Home Army continues on the inroads Richard has spent the last 20+ years creating. Many times just when it seems it will all fall apart something happens and it turns around to continue creating hope for change. Peter continues to be the main focus of all the characters and he feels the weight of expectations. Slowly but surely members of the Home Army begin to recognize Peter's value to the cause and begin to use him in more strategic ways but could it be too late? The Furher wants Peter's life and will do whatever he needs to in order to take it. Peter is willing to give it if it means a future life free of the regime for his children. The Home Army members struggle in this book with disillusionment over the many years of war with no noticeable changes, mistrust with one another and their methods in the fight for freedom, and maintaining the distance between their personas and who they really are...or were. Will a change of regime happen? Can it happen? If it happens then what does happen? These are all questions members of the Home Army struggle to answer as they continue to make moves for freedom from the Third Reich.
This follow up to The Children's War was spot on. Stroyar didn't stray from the characters and their missions, she stuck to the storyline that is so realistic and scary, and she once again drew a very reality based picture of the world under the regime of the Third Reich. Due to her brief explanation at the beginning of the book I saw more within her story of the various regimes, repressive governments, and authorities that she drew from for the story. Her continued commentary of the role of America was still extremely accurate, in my opinion. She exposed the false pride of regimes through their insistence that they are the greatest civilization on earth but yet so behind the rest of the world in technology, education, etc. Which is happening still today in countries around the world. As with the first book there is so much to say that I can't, or won't, say much at all. It is an excellent follow up and I was satisfied with the ending. Another weighty read, although half the size of the first book. Both books would make for excellent serious book club discussion. If you can find the time to read both titles I highly recommend them.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the follow-up to "The Children's War" - I'm afraid that I found the storyline a little too fantastic... and elitist.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see my review of the prequel "The Children's War".

[Ashley H · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely amazing, great sequel to A Children's War

[Lainey Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as The Children's War, but an interesting follow up with the characters from the first novel.