The Suicide Exhibition: The Never War

The Never War #1

by Justin Richards

A groundbreaking alternate history World War 2 thriller.
     
The threat is not new. The aliens have been here before -- if indeed they are aliens. Obsessed with the Occult, Hitler and other senior Nazis believed they were destined to inherit the Earth. To this end, they are determined to recover 'their' ancient artifacts -- the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny. When Dunkirk veteran and Foreign Office trouble-shooter Major Guy Pentecross stumbles across a seemingly unbelievable conspiracy, he, together with pilot and American spy Sarah Diamond and SOE operative Leo Davenport, enter the shadow world of Section Z. All three have major roles to play as they uncover the Nazis' insidious plot to use the alien Vril's technology to win the war... at any cost.

This is The Thirty-Nine Steps crossed with Indiana Jones and Quatermass . Justin Richards has an extremely credible grasp of the period's history and has transformed it into a groundbreaking alternate reality thriller.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Alternate History, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Aliens, Historical

400 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2013

About the author

Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Director for the BBC Books range. He has also written for television, contributing to Five's soap opera Family Affairs. He is also the author of a series of crime novels for children about the Invisible Detective, and novels for older children. His Doctor Who novel The Burning was placed sixth in the Top 10 of SFX magazine's "Best SF/Fantasy novelisation or TV tie-in novel" category of 2000.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is right up my alley. Aliens, magic, Nazi's, spies. I should have loved this. I wanted to love this. I really, really wanted to love this.
It was just so, vanilla. So bland. Sanitized is the word.
It should have been dark, terrifying, gritty, rough, ghastly, gruesome,there was no sense of foreboding or danger. The Nazi's were not Nazi enough. The Brits not British enough. The War felt diminished.The Aliens not Alien enough. Things were just too easy.
Maybe I am jaded. Maybe it was me. Maybe my expectations were to high. But come on. Aliens,magic, Nazi's and spies ?? Come on hit me with it.
The characters were ok. Again sanitized. To nice. To pretty. I could go on.
I wanted to be tantalized. I wanted drama. I wanted Sara and Guy to hook up. But I barley got a kiss. Had they gone all English Patient and had sex in the desert I might have been a little happy. But we barley got a kiss. See SANITIZED. All of it.
And there is a second book. This was just interesting enough that I want to see what happens. I have plans for that second book....big plans.
This one is 3.5 stars. But the cover is amazing. 5 stars for the cover.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

he premise of this one is basically ‘German Nazis and British heroes in WW2 meet aliens.’ It’s not a new idea (see also Harry Turtledove’s Worldwar series or W. A. Harbinson’s Projekt Saucer series, for example) but it is solid entertainment, briskly read.

Justin has been a writer for the Doctor Who series, and it shows in this film-script-like novel. Mashing up aliens and UFO’s with Nazi supermen (or Ubermensch) in a wartime scenario is great fun and rather typical of older Doctor Who.

Here is a story of British war heroes (and an American female civilian) who are brought together to work for Station X, sorry, Z, a (surprise surprise!) secret department of the British Intelligence Service. Working at Station Z are Major Guy Pentecross; his boss Colonel Oliver Brinkman, undercover film star (now Special Operations Executive) Leo Davenport, David Alban at MI5, Elizabeth Archer, curator of very strange objects at the British Museum and American Sarah Diamond, Air Traffic Auxiliary pilot (and love interest)

Along the way we get a few ‘real’ people thrown in to add a touch of realism to these rather unusual events: Heinrich Himmler, the German Nazi supervising the recovery of famous relics for the benefit of the master race, Winston Churchill as the British Prime Minister; Rudolf Hess, the Deputy leader of the Nazis with a plan; and even Aleister Crowley, the infamous occultist, currently working for the Allies but clearly with other plans of his own as well.

It’s all good and rather old-fashioned stuff – plenty of derring-do, nasty aliens and greater forces at work throughout, as both the Allies and the Nazis try to determine the objectives of the alien Vril.

As a reader one would hope that the Vril themselves are rather unpleasant, being both Cthulu-ian and other-worldly at the same time. Being able to create Ubermensch from humans, a sort-of zombie-like soldier, is clearly a means to taking over the planet. Justin cleverly lets us know very little about them, their enigmatic presence being an ongoing threat in the book.

And at the end, in typical old pulp serial style, it is clear that this is only the beginning of a much bigger plan for global domination on the part of the Vril. More will no doubt be forthcoming in future books in the series.

I liked The Suicide Exhibition. It’s fast paced and pleasingly unpretentious. You pretty much know what you’re going to get from the off and the book delivers what the reader expects. Imagine a tale where elements of Indiana Jones are combined with Quatermass, and given a good dollop of plotting and pace from all those old war movies you may have seen to pass a wet weekend. Fans of the new Marvel TV series Agent Carter may like this, although unlike that TV series the novel is written from a decidedly Eurocentric, possibly Anglo-centric viewpoint.

The Suicide Exhibition is quickly read but greatly entertaining.

[Paul Hasbrouck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exciting World War II adventure with British agents, from the secret Section Z, discovering that the Nazi are not the only enemy in this conflict. Thanks to the Himmler's hunt for ancient relics the German's have uncover a strange creatures called the Vril. As the Nazi plan to use the Vril, the Vril, real creepy crawlers, plan for the destruction of all humanity!
The action moves from the streets of London, the skies over England, to Germany, ancient tombs, secret vaults, and a host of real life people drop to added to the fun. The readers follows the heroes to grand action ending of this volume. But be warned this is the part 1 of a trilogy.

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think I enjoyed it so much because it was very close to real life with a little sf thrown in. I'm at the library to pick up the next book!

[Alex Nagler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Red City, please.

[Kam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever since film became a viable, profitable storytelling medium, there’s been a trend towards adapting stories told in other media. Stage plays were first, for obvious reasons, but moviemakers were soon adapting novels for the screen, in the same way that some novels had been adapted for the stage. Gone with the Wind began life as a novel before it was adapted for the silver screen and became a hit, proving that book-to-screen adaptations could be incredibly profitable. Jane Austen’s novels (particularly Pride and Prejudice) have received the box office treatment many times over the years. Most recently, adaptations of such entire series of novels, like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games prove that not just standalone novels, but entire series, could be turned into movies that could be both critically-acclaimed and incredibly popular.

The same trend occurred when television became popular. Since producers could run a series of episodes on TV instead of telling an entire novel’s worth of story in one film, TV became another avenue for adaptation, especially for entire series of short stories or novels. Mysteries, in particular, were well-suited to TV adaptation: the Sherlock Holmes and Ms. Marple stories, for example, have been adapted several times for the small screen, and were—and still are—immensely popular. A good example of the latest approach to TV adaptation is the HBO series Game of Thrones, an adaptation (at least as far as Season 3; more recent seasons might be more kindly and politely described as “revisions”) of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series has proven that it is possible to throw a movie-sized budget at a TV series, and have it do very well indeed. Since then, more and more studios are adapting books using talent drawn from the silver screen and the pacing of TV to tell the story. The latest example of this is the BBC’s adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

Perhaps because of this trend, some writers appear to think that writing a story first as a book, instead of going straight to TV or film, is a good idea. I suppose they view the bookstore as a testing ground, of sorts: if their story gains enough popularity as a novel, maybe that means it will continue to be popular as a TV show or movie.

The above is my personal theory as to why Justin Richards’ The Suicide Exhibition is a novel. Another theory is that Richards is more adept at writing novelistic extensions of TV shows—in his case, Doctor Who—and so that influence seeps into his other writing. Whatever the case, The Suicide Exhibition might work well as a TV show, perhaps as a miniseries, but it doesn’t function very well as a novel.

The Suicide Exhibition opens on the early years of World War II. The Nazis have come into possession of a mysterious weapon: an ancient, mystical power that could turn the tide of the war in their favour. However, the existence of this weapon is not as secret as they might like: British intelligence has gotten wind of it, and is doing its best to figure out just what it is the Nazis have, what they intend to do with it, and how to stop them.

However, neither the British nor the Nazis know the true nature of the power the Nazis have unearthed: ancient, yes, and mystical, yes, but capable of independent thought—and it desires nothing less than the destruction and subjugation of the entire human race.

The first thing that came into my mind when I started reading this novel was: Hellboy. Everything about it—Nazis, the Vril, ancient tombs, secret government organisations—all pointed back to the first Hellboy story arc, except with slightly less Lovecraft and slightly more Indiana Jones. At that point I started comparing the novel to what I remembered of Hellboy, and found the novel wanting. I realised later, though that the comparison was hardly fair to the novel: after all, there are only so many ways one can make use of the Nazis’ historical involvement with occult matters, right? Also, Hellboy was another kind of story entirely, and so, although the surface elements were remarkably similar (perhaps too similar, for my liking), I would need another, fairer point of comparison.

A bit more reading led to me decide that perhaps Indiana Jones was the better point of comparison. After all, this novel was shaping into an adventure story, and shared the Nazi occult element with Raiders of the Lost Ark. From there it was easy to spot the other elements that made this novel more akin to not just the Indiana Jones movies, but the Tintin comics and the Allan Quartermain novels—though hopefully The Suicide Exhibition would do away with the racism and misogyny inherent to the aforementioned examples.

But even with those adjusted expectations, I still wasn’t quite happy with it. The most immediate issue is usually the quality of the writing, but that didn’t seem to be the problem, since Richards is a master at world-building with a few choice phrases, as the quote below shows:

An artist’s likeness was circulated, but no one reported seeing a walking corpse. Possibly there were so many emaciated and sleep-deprived Londoners that he didn’t seem so out of place. Possibly people had better things to concentrate on, like surviving.

Although there are other parts of the novel that make clear that London is in the middle of the Blitz, the above quotes shows that Richards is able to succinctly capture what it was like for Londoners to live in constant terror of a bomb dropping onto them at any time. He does this with his other descriptions as well, such as this description of a very notable, very important man further on in the novel:

The General Secretary sat a large desk at the side of a huge office. He did not look up when they came in, gave no acknowledgement that he knew Mikhael and the three men with him had arrived. The four of them stood to attention in front of the desk, waiting.

After several minutes, the Secretary put down his pen, and looked up. He fixed his deep, dark eyes on Mikhael, his stare so intense he might be looking into the man’s soul. Still he said nothing.

…

There was silence for several moments, then Secretary leaned forward to study the photographs again. It was obvious that the meeting was over. Mikhael waited for one of the others to move first, then followed them from the room. At the door, he glanced back at the man at the desk—still absorbed in his work. He could see why he had adopted the name ‘man of steel’—Stalin.

Both quotes show that, whatever else might be problematic about his writing, Richards can not only turn a good phrase, but he can also incorporate historical events and figures seamlessly into his writing. This is a good thing, though also to be expected from someone whose bread-and-butter is mostly writing Doctor Who novels. Still, as someone who’s read some excruciatingly bad historical novels (even those touched by the fantastic, like this one), it’s clear Richards has taken the time to sit down, do research, and incorporate that research as seamlessly as possible into his story, and I can readily appreciate it.

However, although Richards’ writing itself isn’t bad, The Suicide Exhibition has one very large issue that gets in the way of everything else: its pacing. The novel starts very slow, and only really starts to pick up towards the end. Now, this isn’t normally an issue with me: I’m quite happy to have a book start out slow and then pick up towards the end, especially if it’s the beginning of a series (and The Suicide Exhibition is, indeed, just such a book). I expect that sort of thing because I understand the writer’s need to establish the setting and the characters, and to move necessary plot points into just the right position so that everything can move a bit faster in the sequels, thus keeping the overall story moving forward to the very end of the series.

But I don’t feel the same way about the slow start of this novel. Since Richards has already proven he can pack a lot of world-building in a very small space, and since the facts of World War II are well-known to most readers (thanks in large part to the many documentaries and movies made over the years), the slow start has nothing to do with world-building. Therefore, if it’s not about world-building, then it must be about character development: building up both protagonists and antagonists so that the reader can become attached to them, or at the very least interested in them.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. There is very little development for any of the characters; they all fit into certain stereotypes, and never leave them (especially annoying in the case of the female characters). While I understand that a certain amount of stereotyping happens in adventure novels because of the focus on plot, what I do not understand is why Richards let such stereotyping happen at all when there was no urgent need to keep the plot constantly moving forward. The Suicide Exhibition is the first book in a series: the plot can understandably take some time off for other things because it has room to grow. Why Richards does not take advantage of that to truly build his characters into interesting, three-dimensional people worth spending time with is beyond me. As it stands, his characters are irritating to read about: the protagonists are barely fleshed-out caricatures of a list of character traits from TVTropes, and the antagonists (the human ones, anyway) are no better. The only good thing about the human antagonists is that they don’t cackle threateningly to themselves, although they do have a mysterious castle lair (which actually existed anyway: stereotypes must come from somewhere, after all).

Of course, my problems with the characterisation and pace wouldn’t be as much of an issue if this story were presented in some other manner—say, as a TV show. As I’ve said earlier, Richards’ bread-and-butter is writing Doctor Who novels, and all the characteristics of The Suicide Exhibition point towards the very heavy influence of TV. The pacing and characterisation are the most obvious examples of this influence, but even the way the story jumps from the point-of-view of one character to another so closely mimics the cinematography and editing of Doctor Who that I half-expected the TARDIS to show up at some point and for the Doctor and his companion to step out and take the Vril head-on.

This leads me to an interesting question: why did Richards choose to present this story as a novel, rather than as the treatment for a potential TV show? As it stands, it has all the potential elements for a good TV series—perhaps it could even compete with Agent Carter, after it’s been overhauled somewhat. Richards works with the BBC; he could have tried to find a way to pitch this whole idea as its own show. I imagine pitching it as a show won’t be as difficult for him, compared to someone coming in from the outside. So why didn’t he go that route?

Two potential answers come to mind: the first is that the idea for a TV show was rejected, and Richards decided not to waste the story so chose to publish it as a book instead. The second is that Richards chose to go with a novel first as a way to “test the waters”, so to speak, for his story, and if it gained enough attention and popularity, he could then present it as a potential TV show. Or there may be some other, third answer at work that I can’t imagine because I’m not Richards and I do not work in the same industry he does. Whatever the true answer may be, it still doesn’t change the fact that this story, as Richards wrote and presented it in The Suicide Exhibition, doesn’t exactly belong on a bookshelf, but on TV.

Overall, The Suicide Exhibition has all the potential to make a great TV show, but it doesn’t work very well as a novel. While Richards’ world-building is well done, and it’s clear his research is solid, those qualities do not excuse the shallow characterisation and agonising pace of the first two-thirds of the novel, with the plot only really picking up speed in the latter third. The reader can easily imagine all the action happening onscreen (not least because of the way the point-of-view jumps are structured), so why this has to be a novel in the first place, instead of a TV show, is rather puzzling. Richards likely has his reasons, but it’s very clear to any reader that this novel should have gone straight to TV, and not made a stopover on the bookshelf—at least, not without some serious overhauling to make it better as a novel.

[Dave Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is an alternate history version of world war 2 wherein Nazis have discovered aliens and are trying to use that technology to win the war. It's a concept that has been done better in other books and mediums as Richards plot has one dimensional characters, some badly written lines, poor pacing, and too much of the plot relies on luck. This is a pulp novel, but it doesn't pretend to be otherwise and I have to say that I did actually enjoy myself when reading it and I want to read the sequel, so there's that. The Suicide Exhibition is definitely not for everyone, but if you want some decent alternate history action this could be for you.

[Daniel Rudge · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action/adventure thriller with a dash of science fiction thrown in for good measure, Justin Richards "The Suicide Exhibition" will appeal to Indiana Jones fans and even some science fiction fans. The plot is well-conceived and paced, with thrills coming at a rapid pace. The characters, while a bit thin, are likeable enough and their is enough british humor to spice things up. Of course, since this book is the first in a series, the ending is rather abrupt and thus the docking of one star. I've already latched onto the second one so I can continue this fabulous yarn. The German war machine has woken an ancient threat - the alien Vril and their Ubermensch have returned. With this new power, ultimate Victory in the war for Europe is now within the Nazis' grasp. Obsessed with the Occult, Hitler and other senior Nazis believed they were destined to inherit the Earth. To this end, they are determined to recover 'their' ancient artifacts -- the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny. When Dunkirk veteran and Foreign Office trouble-shooter Major Guy Pentecross stumbles across a seemingly unbelievable conspiracy, he, together with pilot and American spy Sarah Diamond and SOE operative Leo Davenport, enter the shadow world of Section Z. All three have major roles to play as they uncover the Nazis' insidious plot to use the Vril's technology to win the war... at any cost. If your a fan of action novels and enjoy science fiction, this book is written for you.

[Maryam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5

داستانی جنگی، جاسوسی که کمی جریان جنگ جهانی دوم رو تغییر داده بود و کمی هم چاشنی علمی تخیلی به اون اضافه کرده بود. خیلی خوب نوشته شده بود اما یه جاهایی هم داستانش کمی زیادی برای قهرمانان داستان مثبت پیش میرفت که بهمین دلیل بهش 4 ندادم.

[Myles Parish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the page count, this is no weighty tome, and it has no pretensions towards being one.

A quick-paced thriller full of wartime intelligence intrigue mixed with the supernatural, The Suicide Exhibition strikes all the notes it should.

The characters are good fun - just the sorts who should be in a book like this. The action that they’re involved in is totally preposterous but incredibly enjoyable, and Richards’ snappy prose keeps it bouncing along.

The reason for the title, when eventually revealed, is classically pulpy and hamfisted, but very satisfying.

My major complaints would be twofold. One - the dialogue is good, but inauthentic. Most of the British characters sound far too contemporary or American for the period. Secondly, Richards has an irritating habit of repeating phrases or descriptors within few sentences of each other, often on the same page.

But honestly, it doesn’t matter. This is a fun, inconsequential book which needs to be made into a miniseries, pronto. I can’t wait for the sequel to arrive on my doorstep next week!

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old-fashioned, rollicking adventure. Apparently, the author writes Doctor Who novelisations, and this could easily be a Doctor Who adventure. It mixes real historical events and characters with fantasy science fiction. It often feels like you're reading an Indiana Jones script, with a bit of Aliens and Starship Troopers thrown in. Whilst I do get tired of novels with long, self-indulgent passages where the characters mope around explaining how they are feeling, this goes to the opposite extreme.
There's no ambiguity or subtlety to it at all and everything rattles along at a hectic pace. I think I would have loved this book when I was 10 years old. As an adult I prefer something a bit more thought provoking, but this book "does what it says on the tin".

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

British intelligence tries to thwart the Nazis, who have unearthed an ancient, evil force -- one they believe will give them an advantage in the war, but which could actually destroy the human race. I have heard this book described as Indiana Jones meets the X-Files, which is pretty accurate -- though there are some Lovecraftian elements as well. This was a completely absorbing read and I look forward to reading the sequel.

[Katie Vaughan · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. (stopped halfway)
I wanted to like this book so much but I found it to be too slow and dry to make it through.

[Sam Schneider · Rating 1 out of 5]

drivel. couldn't finish it

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, well-rounded characters in a believable alternate reality. Worth a go.

[Dorkmissile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I didn’t think I was going to like, it had a weird description. But I read it and loved it. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[john · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on ww2

[Aaron Advani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good fun read

[Jackie Kennedy]

I DNF'd this book. I am not saying it was awful but at the half way point it just was not holding my interest. I don't feel like it was book for me.

[Stacie (MagicOfBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://www.youtube.com/magicofbooks

In "The Suicide Exhibition" by Justin Richards, it's the middle of World War Two, and British Foreign Office troubleshooter Guy Pentecross has stumbled into a conspiracy involving a secret war with an alien race called the Vril. The Nazis, notorious believers of the occult, are in league with the Vril, and believe it their destiny to side with the Vril and inherit the Earth. It's up to Guy and Sarah Diamond (an American pilot), and Leo Davenport (an actor turned SOE operative) to join a secret unit of the British intelligence to fight the Vril and win the war for humanity.

First off, I won this book in a Goodreads first-reads giveaway. Thank you Goodreads!

I don’t read much science fiction, so I’m not sure how to properly analyze this book, but I did, overall, really like this book, and I’m certainly willing to continue with the series. Justin Richards is a popular writer of “Doctor Who” fiction, so I was excited to check out an original piece by him. If you are a “Doctor Who” fan, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll enjoy this book. If you like the episodes where the Doctor and his companions deal with the military, or groups like Torchwood and UNIT, then this novel is probably right up your alley.

So what did I like and dislike about this novel? Let’s start with the premise. What caught my attention was the fact that it was World War Two historical fiction with a science fiction edge. It’s about a young man named Guy Pentecross who stumbles into a web of conspiracy involving an alien race and the only people in Britain who know about it is a special section of British intelligence. On top of that, the Nazis are working with this alien race to take over the world. This alien race, known as the Vril, have apparently been on Earth for millennia, and they have been waiting for just the right moment to make their move to do away with humanity. Sounds intriguing, right? The premise is well done over the course of the novel. Justin Richards takes quite a while setting up the novel, which at first, is a bit boring, but once Richards gets his stride you start to have fun. If anything, this book is probably one large setup for the books to come. It takes a while to start getting answers and an idea of where this series is heading. Like I said though, once Richards sets up the story and the characters, the novel is incredibly fun. As I also said earlier, I’m not a big science fiction reader. I did find quite a bit of the novel hard to understand and sometimes a tad bit boring. Add on top of that that the book also deals with some military lingo every now and then, and I had a hard time comprehending what exactly characters were doing.

As for the characters, I also liked the characters quite a bit. The main character, Guy Pentecross, unfortunately, is rather a bit dull. Don’t get me wrong, I liked him, but there wasn’t much to his character. All I can really tell you is that he’s brave and loyal and determined to figure out what’s going on with this alien race. Guy is easily outshined by a lot of the other characters in this novel, especially Leo Davenport. Leo Davenport…what can I say…he was easily, and quickly, my favorite character. He was the most fun, the most humorous. He’s actually an actor but he helps out with British intelligence on the side. Leo easily steals any scene he’s in. I also enjoyed Sarah Diamond who is a half American, half British, and she also flies planes. Sarah is definitely not your typical woman during this time. Think Peggy Carter from Marvel’s “Captain America” movies. Sarah very much can look after herself, she doesn’t rely on the men to save her. She’s quick thinking, and she often helps out the guys when they need her. Of course, there are numerous other characters that populate this book, but this three stand out the most.

Moving over to the Vril…we’re not given much of them. They are a mystery for the majority of the novel. We do find out what they look like (which I won’t spoil), and we do get a semi-idea of their goal, and we find out why they are working with the Nazis. I can’t say the Vril impressed me at the moment. Like I said, they are a mystery, so I’m assuming we’ll get more of them in the next books. I think you do get an idea of the threat they pose to humanity, though.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and definitely plan on continuing the series. Excellent premise, great writing from Justin Richards, and an interesting set of heroes and villains.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t read a massive amount of alternate history, but I have to admit that something about the premise of this novel immediately appealed to me. Secret Nazi schemes involving advanced alien races and the quest for the Nietzschean superman. A plot like that sounds as though it could certainly hold the promise of something entertaining.

Rising against the Nazi/Vril threat are the men and women of Station Z, the British department who exist shrouded in the utmost secrecy. They are tasked with stopping Axis plans by any means necessary, even if that involves working with “the most evil man who ever lived”. There are also a handful of chapters that cover the action from the perspective of the Axis soldiers. These provide a nice counterpoint to the main narrative.

The main character, Guy Pentecross, acts as the reader’s conduit into this shadowy world of espionage and aliens. Naturally gifted and with an ear for languages he has a strong sense of duty and is more than willing to do his bit when it comes to the war effort. He unwittingly finds himself drawn into plans of Station Z and as he learns their secrets he becomes another member of the team who are the Allies last line of defence. I liked Pentecross, he’s like the living embodiment of a stiff upper lip. Terribly British and all that.

Add to that the extra wrinkle of some nicely developed science fiction and the beginnings of an intriguing new series are starting to emerge. This first novel in The Never War is all about setting the scene, revealing the existence of a hidden conflict that is running parallel to the world at war. There are certainly still plenty of tantalising questions left unanswered at novel’s end and I think this will make readers come back for more. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I suspect this series is going to continue to work within the confines of the established facts of the Second World War. I rather like this approach. It plays up the idea of a secret war within a war.

My only real gripe with the story, and it is a minor one, is that I would have liked to have discovered more of the Vril. Just shy of four hundred pages and I felt like I only got the tiniest glimpse of this alien species. That said, this is book one and I’ll reserve judgment at this early stage. I hope there will be plenty of opportunity to further explore this enigmatic bunch in more depth in future novels.

Justin Richards’ writing does a good job of effectively capturing that boy’s own adventure/World War II radio serial vibe. I have to admit, part of me was almost expecting to hear the strains of the Devil’s Gallop and a plummy voiced announcer, with perfectly executed enunciation, proclaiming “…previously on The Suicide Exhibition”. There is an episodic feel to the novel. It quickly becomes obvious that this is just the first part of something much larger.

The action moves all across the theatre of war, from London to mainland Europe and then on to North Africa. The chapters detailing the action in the German headquarters had me immediately thinking of Where Eagles Dare and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. You can’t beat an isolated schloss in the mountains when it comes to Nazi related shenanigans. The writing is so vivid and action packed that the locations all have a wonderfully evocative feel. The book jacket proudly states that this would be perfect for fans of The Thirty Steps, Indiana Jones and Quatermass, I have to say I’m inclined to agree. If you’re a fan of gritty action novels and enjoy science fiction then this mash-up could well be the book for you.

My interest has definitely been piqued, and I look forward to finding out where things are going next. I can only hope we’ll learn much more of the Vril and their grand designs for humanity.

[Ross Kitson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the recent fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who it seems an opportune time to be reviewing the first instalment in a new British science-fiction series. Justin Richards is no stranger to the wonderful world of Who either, in fact the bulk of his output over the past decade has been Whovian fiction.
The audacious use of historical characters in this book owes much to the vast influence of the ever-changing Time Lord, but there are other traces of Brit sci-fi lurking in here—notably Quatermass (with its science gone wrong angle), Torchwood (a specialist unit dedicated to investigation of aliens) and UFO (again with a specialised anti-alien unit). And, with Richard's evident knowledge of historical settings, it works very well.
The premise of the series is that Nazi archaeologists have unearthed evidence of a hidden alien society from the Stone/Bronze age and are seeking to control it to aid the war effort. At the same time a secretive government unit called Station Z is collecting data on sightings of unknown aircraft picked up by RADAR. Into this come two main characters - Guy, a former major who works for the Foreign Office, and Sarah, an auxiliary pilot. Despite being warned off they become involved in the investigations, teaming up with the third main character - the amusing Leo, an actor-come-archaeologist-come-adventurer (with more than a trace of a Time Lord’s panache to him).
The aliens are typically grotty bug things called Vril, who can utilise humans via infection as puppet creatures referred to as Ubermensch. Most of the book builds up the background of how the Vril are being contacted and revived, and how they are starting to infiltrate both sides in WW2. Naturally the book is a setting-up work for the next ones in the series, although it doesn’t suffer particularly for that reason.
I liked Richards’ use of historical characters - he pulls in Hess, Hitler, Himmler and even Alistair Crowley. They give a certain integrity to the plot, grounding the somewhat fantastical scenes with a mortar of factuality. The downside of the historical setting is that Richards is bound to a pre-determined time-line, which requires some rather contrived fillers and changes in pace. In fact the pace is a real struggle in areas, with some excellent set scenes losing momentum as we enter a lull. Of the scenes, the infiltration of Himmler’s castle is very well done, but felt rather like a finale - despite coming at 80% through the book. The final scene was suitably over the top and cinematic, although I preferred the aforementioned castle chapters.
There are odd uses of flashback scenes to fill the background of the plot out, which given Richards’ vast back catalogue felt surprisingly clunky and oddly placed. Having said this, Richards has definitely created a likeable set of characters whom I hope will evolve more in the subsequent books. The style of the book is reasonably superficial and action-packed, and character development and emotional progression take second place for much of it. You don’t really get a sense that the characters, except perhaps Sarah, are ‘making a journey’ in the book - changing or gaining anything. I’ll forgive him this, however, as it kept my interest until the end and I’ll be happily reading the next book.

Review originally posted on http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Ju...

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Suicide Exhibition” was published in 2015 (March) and was written by Justin Richards (http://www.justinrichardswriter.com). Mr. Richards is the author or co-author of more than 50 novels.

I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I would categorize this novel as ‘R’ as there are instances of Violence. This Science Fiction WWII Thriller novel is set in the early days of World War II. The primary characters are Major Guy Pentecross, Sarah Diamon and Leo Davenport.

Leo Davenport is a noted actor, but once WWII has broken out he uses his skills to work behind German lines to gather intelligence. He finds himself part of a German dig at a burial mound in France. He realizes what the Germans have found are important to the war effort and returns to England with what he has been able to steal from them.

Major Guy Pentecross has seen action on the continent and was wounded in the withdrawal from Dunkirk. His wounds kept him from returning to active duty, so he has taken up a position in the Foreign Office. Pentecross’ language skills has made him an asset, which often involves him with captured German airmen.

Sarah Diamond has split loyalties, with an American mother and British father. She has been a flyer for some time, and is now doing what she can for the war effort by ferrying aircraft for the British.

Colonel Brinkmann runs a very secret group that is charged with focusing on the more paranormal research that the Allies know is being carried out under the command of Himmler. Working closely with the Unclassified Artifacts department at the British Museum, they have tracked members of the German SS as they explore and loot ancient tombs at various places. Pentecross and Diamon stumble across what Brinkmann is doing. But instead of arresting them, Brinkmann recruits them onto his team.

As they learn more, they find that the Germans are on the trail of what appears to be remnants of an advanced civilization hidden in ancient tombs. Their concerns quickly change from the Germans finding new weapons, to what they may have awakened in their digs.

I thoroughly enjoyed the nine hours I spent reading this novel and look forward to more in the series! There is a lot in this plot to remind you of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I thought that this has been a good kick-off to what appears to be a very exciting series. I like the plot centered on WWII with more than a touch of Science Fiction. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Joana Felício · Rating 4 out of 5]

READ THE ORIGINAL REVIEW ON MY BLOG: http://thebookaddictsblog.blogspot.pt...

I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.

Even after reading the synopsis several times, I still couldn't completely picture what this book could have within its pages. As I started reading, I got more confused than before. From the first introductory page, the whole concept and story is incredibly intriguing and the fact that it's hard to wrap our minds around it contributes to its brilliance.
Firstly, the writing pulls you right in, as if you were caught up in a vortex that spits you out at the end questioning everything you thought was true. It was fabulously engaging, absorbing and provocative, in a way that you, deep down, know that what you're reading is practically impossible, but, in that moment, Justin Richards is telling it to you with such certainty and persuasion that you can't help but wonder.
The story itself was fantastically built. If it had been executed any other way it could have gone completely wrong. However, the author turned it around and created one of the most original and uncommon plot lines I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Like I mentioned, in the beginning I was rather confused as to what was exactly happening, but in a way that I just wanted to keep on reading to find out exactly what was behind all those crazy events. Richards was, basically, able to join two of my favourite things: World War II and aliens, and do it in a genuine, riveting and thought-provoking way.
As for the characters, I found each and every one of them to be realistically represented, amazingly likable and altogether peculiar. The manner in wich we got their perspectives, alternating during the course of a chapter was so gripping, leaving us in the edge of our seats, biting our nails in anticipation. There wasn't one character that I couldn't love, even if they were absolutely detestable people.
The ending was entirely satisfactory, although it was also a huge cliff-hanger. All the little story threads were tied and resolved, but with that came new questions, opening way for a promising, action-packed sequel.
The best word I can find to describe this book is 'exciting'. A recommendation that I can't express enough times.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before and during World War Two, Himmler and many of the men at the top level of the Nazi Party were believers (Rudolf Hess, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank) in the occult. Himmler had based his SS organization on the style of the Norseman and his imagined ancient Aryan conquerors. Many of his colleagues had been members of the Thule Society before joining the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party –i.e. Nazi).
The Thule Society was originally a “study group for Germanic Antiquity” it later morphed into the NSDAP.

Their primary focus was a claim concerning the origins of the Aryan race, in Hyperborea a lost ancient landmass in the extreme north. There are stories of Himmler having sent archeologists into Tibet and Egypt looking for ancient artifacts -- the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Destiny.

In this alternate universe, archeologists working for Himmler discover a cache of artifacts belonging to the Vril. The Vril were an underground race of “ubermenschen” with extraordinary powers and strength. This legend comes from a book published in 1871, called “The Coming Race” by Baron Edward Bulwer-Lytton. The book had been a sensation among the intelligentsia of the Victorian London, and had been used by the Theosophist Madame Blavatsky as if it were true occult history.

So, the discovery is found out by a member of the British Foreign Office (Major Guy Pentecross) who goes looking for the German archeologist. He is assisted by an American spy Sarah Diamond (who is also a pilot) and an operative of the SOE (Special Operations Executive, which became MI6) Leo Davenport. The three of them must infiltrate Section Z and recover the Vril before the Germans can use it to win the war.

Richards does a fine job of presenting the era as it was (very noir) while moving along his credible plot. I won’t say how it turns out except to say that a sequel is scheduled to come out later this year. Believable and fast moving.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com

[Tom Loock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable exciting novel that builds on Bulwer-Lytton, Edward's (public domain-) novel The Coming Race and incorporates real life people like General Hastings Ismay, Aleister Crowley and Heinrich Himmler as active characters as well as real (and well described) events and places like Wewelsburg castle.

The fictitious part of the mix is well executed and has some intriguing characters like actor Leo Davenport, Guy Pentecross from the Foreign Office and their colleagues Penelope Manners and Sarah Diamond from Station Z (a companion to the real Station Z: Bletchley Park).

The story reads like a really good adventure mix somewhere between Indiana Jones, the X-Files, a spy novel and alternate history. I'm very much looking forward to part two and I hope this will not stretch over half a dozen novels.

PS: A word about the publisher Del Rey: 1) The cover is misleading: There are neither UFOs flying over London, nor fighting against planes, 2) the backcover text can not possibly refer to this book (if you want to be picky, there is a short reference on page 375 of 400) and 3) - most embarrassingly - they seem to have no ¨ available for German words like 'Führer', 'Göring', 'Übermensch', so we get 'Fuhrer' and 'Goring' etc. That is pathetic. Also, no mention that this is the first part of a series (they were probably worried they might lose a handful sales).

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old fashioned WW2 romp with a blend of sci-fi. Take those evil Nazis from something like the Indiana Jones films and imagine they have managed to awake ‘something’. While the bad guys are trying to discover and control something beyond human understanding, a small team in the UK are tasked with investigating the Nazi plot while also trying to understand some odd goings on in the UK in terms of UFOs.

This is obviously a positioning novel in the start to a series, which is good news for readers as it means we will get some more of this quirky alternate history. And it could go in a number of directions, I could almost see the Allies teaming up with the Germans to combat an unearthed threat to humanity.

The author has a lot of fun with this, blending historical fact with his story and I suspect it is in the next novel that we will see the real diversion from history as we know it. The level of sci-fi in this is probably akin to the Nazi elements of the Indiana Jones films so not too heavy but you have to be receptive to this kind of thing.

I really enjoyed it- generally good characters, a fast paced plot, some very bad “bad” guys and something very nasty indeed being unearthed. Roll on the next one, looking forward to it already.

[Kurt Rocourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like an episode of Doctor Who. That's not a bad thing but it does influence the pacing of this story. The author has written many Doctor Who books. The thing is the story doesn't feel different from a Doctor Who episode even though it's set in World War 2. I found myself substituting characters in the book with characters from the show. There's the Doctor whose a Major in the book, I thought 5th Doctor. The Brigadier is a Colonel here. The Cybermen are alien zombies. But I'm not sure if the female is Rose Tyler or Sara Jane Smith. Still the story was good but the ending feels like the end of season for the year. I will say that the author knows his World War 2 history. London felt like it was in the midst of the Blitz. I thought the beginning was slow but once it picked up speed the book was off and running. I expect the Daleks and the Ood to pop up in the next book. It will be funny to see if Hitler is the Master or if that's someone else. It's a good read but better for someone who watches Doctor Who.

I read this book thanks to NetGalley. I thank them for this book. #NetGalley

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god, what a fun book. Justin Richards does a bang up job with nutty Nazis (think Heinrich Himmler, Rudolph Hess and all the Nazi occult stuff), evil aliens (and these are nasty in a number of ways!) and a small, resourceful and intrepid crew of Allied agents.

This is a real page turner. Think Stephen Spielberg when he filmed fun adventure movies (especially Indiana Jones)- before he became "serious." This novel is that exciting. The characters are well done, especially the female characters, and the villains are truly nasty. The plot goes quickly and keeps the reader very involved. I did not want to stop reading this book. It is so fast paced and fun. Well worth my time. And I look forward to reading the rest of the series!


A great read!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came in to the library with a SF sticker on the spine (sorry I'm not a sci fi reader) but a colleague read it and said what a good read it was so I gave it a go. What a brilliant read!!It will be flying off the Mobile Libraries shelf.
Justin Richards writes Dr.Who books, The Suicide Exhibition does have a Dr.Who feel with a dash of Indiana Jones, and yes a few strange aliens.
Set during the Second World War lots of great characters,fighting their way across France , Germany and the African Desert.
Can't wait for the next book in series The Blood Red City out later this year.
And yes I will be reading Science Fiction again!!