The Leader

by Guy Walters

Great Britain, 1937:

Edward VIII will not abdicate. He and his new bride, Wallis Simpson, are preparing for their coronation.

Winston Churchill is a prisoner on the Isle of Man.

The Prime Minister, Oswald Mosley consults the new Chancellor of Germany, and his close ally, Adolf Hitler on a more 'permanent' solution to the 'Jewish problem'.

The secret police have Britain in an iron grip.

But one man, James Armstrong , a hero of the Great War, is organising the resistance against the government . While 'the leader' is determined to see him hang, Armstrong, constantly on the run, is every bit as clever and resolute as his enemy.

Genres: Thriller, Alternate History, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

404 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2003

About the author

Guy Walters (born 8 August 1971) is a British author, novelist, historian, academic and journalist.

Reviews

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if Edward VIII had not abdicated and, still marrying Wallis Simpson, had become king? Guy Walters imagines from then on such a political crisis that Oswald Mosley would have ended up Prime Minister, here opposed by a rebel Conservative MP who will have to associate with lefties to fight such regime.

If the plot and characters are alright, I really like 'The Leader' mostly for its credible alternate Britain. Describing a brutal regime which is as terrifying as it is believable, Guy Walter's fascist kingdom is also darker and more violent than any other book I have read playing with the same ideas.

A nice take on history, here's a pleasant -though chilling- read, both entertaining and persuasive.

[Meg ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

despite taking a while to get going and find it’s feet, this was overall an engaging, action packed, if a little predictable, alternate history.

[Lucy Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in an alternative history in which Sir Oswald Mosley and his fascist Blackshirts made it to power, allying with Nazi Germany, this book is an easy, almost enjoyable read.

Despite the premise being intriguing and engaging - I am very interested in the period of history surrounding WWII, as well as historical fiction - and the author's research evidently being very thorough and detailed, I didn't enjoy the style 'The Leader' was written in. I found the prose quite clunky and the language overly simplistic and a bit bland. The plot twists were pretty transparent with heavily emphasised 'clues' as to what would happen later on, and the characters were all a little two-dimensional and type-cast. However, as a nice page-turner this book was good, although I did feel the author tried a little too hard to incorporate period features into his story and at time this was quite jarring.

Nothing intellectually stimulating or stylistically innovative, but reasonably fun. Good holiday reading.

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exceedingly cringe fantasy wherein Moseley takes power and loses it, all in the space of seconds. The worst part was when our fearless protagonist engages the dictator in a SWORDFIGHT to settle matters across the nation.

[Thomas McCall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat rushed and breathless ending doesn't detract from what is a great action adventure novel set in a convincing alternative past.

[Philip Chaston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due to a highly contingent set of circumstances, Sir Oswald Mosley becomes The Leader at the time of the abdication, and moves to enforce fascism upon Britain. The takeover of a democratic society is fictionalised through hindsight with the popular version set out through vignettes of murder and lawlessness in a gangster society. Walters does convey the permeating suffocation of a growing fascist order quite well.

However, Hitler, always mindful of his legitimacy as the Fuhrer, advanced slowly extending the tendrils of National Socialism. What took five years against a backdrop of incipient civil war is undertaken in Britain within a few months against a backdrop of elite crisis. That is why the book fails a test of plausibility: the point of divergence and the changes thereafter do not convince.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! Britain, 1937 under Fascist rule.....what a story!

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it, interesting take on fascism nearly getting a foothold in the UK. Based on factual information and people...

[Rebecca Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual read, but I enjoyed it. I like history and the author was well researched. I liked being able to suspect what was going to happen, although I didn’t predict it all.

[Peter John WEST · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read throughout, a believable and quite disturbing report on what might have been. He held us entranced until the very last page. Superb, thank you.

[Geevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read for me that was set in the late 1930s and took the rise of Fascism in Europe, the Constitutional crisis that enveloped King Edward VIII, Sir Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and melded it into a story that had some plausibility.

It is as, other reviewers have said, a story with plotlines and characters that can be second guessed or easily picked up on but this, along with the wider ideas and events in the book, was fine for me, as I wanted an easy to read break from non-fiction - and after all there are many other wider read or popular authors who employ this method (or fall into this trap?) so I'm not too hung up with this approach.

If you like a good fast paced story with a historic "what if" then this will suit you fine.

[Roy]

The Treaty of London had been signed that morning , and the future had been sealed . Today was a good day for Britain , the Leader said , a good Germany , a good day foe Europe , Fascist Europe , The Germans are our friends now, he said , Herr Hitler has brought miracles to his country , and I shall do the same for ours .... Great Brittan 1937 , Edward V lll and his new bride , Wallis , are preparing for their coronation ; Winston Churchill remains a prisoner on the Isle of Man ; and Prime Minister Oswald Mosley - the leader of , as he is known - consults Adolf Hitler on a more permanent ' solution's on to the Jewish problem . In exchange for employment and full bellies, the British has population has yielded to a regime of terror , enforced by Mosley,s

[Simon Guest · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK read, light, fairly quick.

[Mike Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this on holiday. It gripped me from the start - I do quite enjoy some of these counter-factuals. The characters were rather sketchily-painted and the style wasn't particularly flowing but in this sort of novel I can excuse that.

[Peter Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plausible story, good use of real people

[Seth Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this a while ago, do not recall hating it.

[Jer Wei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story with plots and twists. An interesting look into fascism in modern Britain.