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The Nero Decree
As the Nazis come to power in Germany, a violent argument over a secret key causes young Johann to lose the only parent he has left. Worse, it is his half-brother, Dieter, who commits this horrific act of betrayal. Although their fragile family bonds are irrevocably destroyed, the brothers’ paths are destined to cross again. Years later, Hitler’s army is on the verge of defeat as Soviet forces cross into Germany. Hiding in plain sight, Johann works to save German lives, secretly despising the Führer to whom Dieter has sworn his allegiance. Yet now it is Dieter who holds a terrible secret that threatens not just Johann and his family, but an entire city unsuspecting of the enemy within. As Germany falls before the Allies’ merciless advance, Johann and Dieter are locked in their own furious battle. Who will be left standing in the wreckage of their homeland? The fate of not only the brothers themselves, but the entire city of Berlin, rests in their hands.
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First published November 5, 2013
34 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Lee
2 books11 followersGregory Lee is a pen name: I'm Greg Williams, an award-winning journalist, author, and screenwriter who is currently deputy editor of Wired. Now based in London, I spent a decade working in publishing in New York City. My work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Guardian, Observer, Arena, The Face, Details, and Newsweek. I'm also the co-founder of the digital story-telling platform MyLondonStory. Berlin: Day Zero is my sixth novel. I'd love to know your thoughts, so please feel free to get in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 21, 2014
This is a very intense book. You can feel the desperation and sense of uncertainty of the German people in Berlin at the close of WW2. I feel that it was well worth the time it took me to read it.
February 4, 2014
Awesome thriller set during WWII
This thriller follows two brothers: Johann the bookish, quite one and Dieter, the Nazi bully obsessed with his step father's wealth hidden in a bank vault. This leads Dieter to have his father arrested in the hopes of getting his hands on the vault key only to discover it missing together with his brother Johann. The story picks up towards the end of the war where Dieter, now a SS officer, is brought into a field hospital after suffering horrendous injuries in an incendiary device. The doctor treating him in none other than his half brother, Johann. Johann notices that Dieter has a briefcase chained to his arm and surmises as a high ranking SS officer he is transporting some sensitive information. Whilst Dieter fights for his life, Johann learns from the other officers that Dieter intended to rendezvous with other parties on a remote farm. Sensing highly secretive Reich's information is at stake, Johann decides to to murder Dieter and impersonate him at the meeting. But during the execution of his plan, the murder is thwarted and Johann is forced to flee. Impersonating an SS officer he races to the farm and then onward to Berlin to stop the Reich's ultimate plan: the annihilation of German assets (people, infrastructure and information). What starts off as a mission to prevent the cover up of Nazi atrocities, ends as a race between Johann and Dieter to Berlin. Dieter's obsession with the key and the envisioned wealth propels him to search for Johann's wife and niece to ultimately capture and murder Johann.
This book is so well written that I could almost smell the burning buildings and human effluence, my eyes burnt with the dust and smoke in the air and I felt the character's constant dread and fear whilst trying to stay alive and away from the Gestapo and SS. The sense of hopelessness, but also the human will to survive, was almost tangible. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
This thriller follows two brothers: Johann the bookish, quite one and Dieter, the Nazi bully obsessed with his step father's wealth hidden in a bank vault. This leads Dieter to have his father arrested in the hopes of getting his hands on the vault key only to discover it missing together with his brother Johann. The story picks up towards the end of the war where Dieter, now a SS officer, is brought into a field hospital after suffering horrendous injuries in an incendiary device. The doctor treating him in none other than his half brother, Johann. Johann notices that Dieter has a briefcase chained to his arm and surmises as a high ranking SS officer he is transporting some sensitive information. Whilst Dieter fights for his life, Johann learns from the other officers that Dieter intended to rendezvous with other parties on a remote farm. Sensing highly secretive Reich's information is at stake, Johann decides to to murder Dieter and impersonate him at the meeting. But during the execution of his plan, the murder is thwarted and Johann is forced to flee. Impersonating an SS officer he races to the farm and then onward to Berlin to stop the Reich's ultimate plan: the annihilation of German assets (people, infrastructure and information). What starts off as a mission to prevent the cover up of Nazi atrocities, ends as a race between Johann and Dieter to Berlin. Dieter's obsession with the key and the envisioned wealth propels him to search for Johann's wife and niece to ultimately capture and murder Johann.
This book is so well written that I could almost smell the burning buildings and human effluence, my eyes burnt with the dust and smoke in the air and I felt the character's constant dread and fear whilst trying to stay alive and away from the Gestapo and SS. The sense of hopelessness, but also the human will to survive, was almost tangible. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
November 17, 2013
I'm not sure how it's physically possible, but author Gregory Lee was clearly there for the last grey days of Hitler's Germany in 1945, amid the claustrophobic collapse of the Nazi war machine, as Adolf's world narrowed to a bunker. There's no other way to explain how The Nero Decree can speak in the present tense with such authority and conviction and authentic detail about life in Nazi Germany, as the Fuhrer's frustrated dreams of conquest pivoted toward salt-the-fields destruction instead. History creates its own champions, and this titanic moral struggle pits a brother against a brother on the terms of the times, when all the walls had ears, and speaking out brought down the sword, and killing an immobile hospital patient was almost unquestionably the right thing to do. A rollicking, uncomfortable ride that will take you deep into the heart of the end of the world, and make you question almost everything. Almost.
December 1, 2013
This book was similar to my favourite book of recent times, Two Brothers- both books set in Germany in wartime, and giving the reader great insight as to how ordinary Germans suffered during the war. But that's were the similarity ends. This is a book delivering a story of evil, rage, bitterness and love. Very well written, I was thinking about this book whenever I wasn't reading it. As another reader has said, the end was a little exaggerated and drawn out, and the very end was a shock, but other than that, a great book.
March 6, 2014
I'm only 10% through the book, and yet I love it. This guy has a knack for creating atmosphere and for once, after reading so many books about the Holocaust and Nazi Germany, I get a peek from the inside, though a fictional one. Somehow, these characters feel very authentic. I tend to believe Johann's feelings were shared by a great many Germans who did not go for war-waging and Hitler...
March 8, 2014
Very good
This is an excellent read. It is well written with good character development and more than a little suspense. I only rated it 4 stars because it was a little too predictable. I highly recommend it.
This is an excellent read. It is well written with good character development and more than a little suspense. I only rated it 4 stars because it was a little too predictable. I highly recommend it.
March 25, 2014
This book was fantastic! Not even sure if this author has been published, found it on kindle and it's a great one. Really got a feeling of Berlin at the end of WW2 and its an exciting Historical fiction novel. Highly recommended.
December 2, 2013
A gripping read. Did not like the very end, but extremely realistic.
December 20, 2013
Good read
Though probably not historically correct The Nero Decree is a fast-paced and a good way to keep alive the story of. the Nazis so that this will never happen again!
Though probably not historically correct The Nero Decree is a fast-paced and a good way to keep alive the story of. the Nazis so that this will never happen again!
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January 19, 2014Riveting!
Intense and a good read. At times I had to lay the book down, but it played on my mind, and I had to pick up the book and find out the outcome and follow the storyline.
Intense and a good read. At times I had to lay the book down, but it played on my mind, and I had to pick up the book and find out the outcome and follow the storyline.
March 7, 2026
The book was a page-turner despite the predictability of the major secret of the plot and the less than satisfactory ending.
January 25, 2014
Love WWII books...this is a good one. Sometimes seems kind of repetitive but the resilience of these people is inspiring.
October 14, 2014
Loved it but did not like the ending. I hate being left without knowing exactly what happened. The Narrator was brilliant.
January 20, 2014
I could not put this book down...amazing...I would be shocked if it wasn't made into a movie.
February 13, 2024
Well…it started out promising. I really did like the premise from the start-half siblings with opposing ideals against each other during WW2. Since most novels set at this time focus on the Holocaust, I found it unique to showcase the struggles of the Germans civilians at this time…and even a German soldier who was forced to be on their side regardless of his beliefs. However, it quickly fell flat. The writing was subpar to the point that I kept asking myself if it had been translated from another language, and man oh man was everything SO convenient. Characters repeatedly made ridiculously unbelievable choices only to somehow survive-and Johann didn’t kill Deiter when given perfect opportunity not once, but TWICE?! There was potential…what a shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2019
This was definitely a book that kept me wanting to know what happened next. The author did a reasonably good job making most of the main characters real, though sometimes I rolled my eyes at something unlikely. It was definitely a bit of an edge-of-your-seat experience!
December 20, 2013
The Nero Decree skillfully takes the reader back in time to Nazi Germany; food is scarce, the fear and paranoia of the citizens is palpable, the blind allegiance of the Nazi soldiers is horrifying. But, as the war comes to a close, the British air force bombs the cities to rubble and the Russians are expected to invade Berlin within days. Germany is losing and there is a frenzy of citizens trying to leave while the Nazis continue to invoke military rule. This sets the perfect backdrop for two half-brothers with opposing convictions but a shared hatred for one another.
Raised by their widowed father, the brothers are diametrically opposed in nature. Thomas, the younger brother, is empathetic, musically talented, and devoted to their father. Dieter, a rabid Nazi party member full of anger, is disgusted by the father’s intellectualism and feels he is a threat to the party. When Dieter commits the ultimate betrayal, he forever divides the two brothers.
Eleven years later, Dieter is a highly trusted Sturmbahnfuher in the Nazi army. Thomas, now known as Dr. Johann Schultz, hides from Dieter on the battlefield as a field surgeon. He has a wife and niece in Berlin. He knows that if he is ever found, Dieter will kill him, and not only out of hatred, but because Johann has the key to their father’s bank vault. Dieter assumes it is full of riches. Johann knows it contains secrets that Dieter must never have access to.
The story kicks into a frenetic pace when fate brings the two half-brothers together and Dieter realizes Johann still has the key. But Johann discovers Dieter is on a secret mission, the Nero Decree, that must be stopped or Berlin will be destroyed. As Dieter fervently searches for his brother and the key, Johann is desperately trying to get back to Berlin to save his family from the Russians, and now the Germans. Their intense rivalry leads both to make dangerous decisions and their fight to the end makes The Nero Decree a real page-turner.
It is a fast-paced story with intense scenes, not just between the brothers, but also of the daily hell the German citizens endured during the war. Rations, bombings, duplicity amongst neighbors, and the Nazis continued mindless adherence to the Fuhrer’s rule as the country disintegrates, paint a very bleak, and sympathetic, picture of the German citizens’ day-to-day attempts to survive. The writing is straightforward and uncomplicated and makes for a fast read.
The final confrontation between the brothers is not truly a surprise, but the candid ending of the book is surprising and reminds the reader that war is cruel and impassionate to it’s survivors.
Raised by their widowed father, the brothers are diametrically opposed in nature. Thomas, the younger brother, is empathetic, musically talented, and devoted to their father. Dieter, a rabid Nazi party member full of anger, is disgusted by the father’s intellectualism and feels he is a threat to the party. When Dieter commits the ultimate betrayal, he forever divides the two brothers.
Eleven years later, Dieter is a highly trusted Sturmbahnfuher in the Nazi army. Thomas, now known as Dr. Johann Schultz, hides from Dieter on the battlefield as a field surgeon. He has a wife and niece in Berlin. He knows that if he is ever found, Dieter will kill him, and not only out of hatred, but because Johann has the key to their father’s bank vault. Dieter assumes it is full of riches. Johann knows it contains secrets that Dieter must never have access to.
The story kicks into a frenetic pace when fate brings the two half-brothers together and Dieter realizes Johann still has the key. But Johann discovers Dieter is on a secret mission, the Nero Decree, that must be stopped or Berlin will be destroyed. As Dieter fervently searches for his brother and the key, Johann is desperately trying to get back to Berlin to save his family from the Russians, and now the Germans. Their intense rivalry leads both to make dangerous decisions and their fight to the end makes The Nero Decree a real page-turner.
It is a fast-paced story with intense scenes, not just between the brothers, but also of the daily hell the German citizens endured during the war. Rations, bombings, duplicity amongst neighbors, and the Nazis continued mindless adherence to the Fuhrer’s rule as the country disintegrates, paint a very bleak, and sympathetic, picture of the German citizens’ day-to-day attempts to survive. The writing is straightforward and uncomplicated and makes for a fast read.
The final confrontation between the brothers is not truly a surprise, but the candid ending of the book is surprising and reminds the reader that war is cruel and impassionate to it’s survivors.
May 14, 2014
This book interweaved a familiar story of brotherly infighting with a vivid picture of the ravaged Berlin as it experienced the final days of World War II. While the setting was masterfully displayed, most if not all plot points in the story were quite predictable. The character development was a bit shallow, as their personas can be directly plucked from the age-old good vs. evil paradigm, especially since the good guy has his evil moments and, as is typical, questions or justifies those moments. Giving the characters more depth and muddling their morals, might make the plot less predictable and more interesting. The author also used the dichotomy of his characters to reflect the dichotomy of Berlin during the war. However, there were more than just Nazis (what Johann would think of as mindless followers) and Nazi-haters (who Dieter calls courage-less, bourgeois traitors) in Berlin during WWII. There were levels of complicity and levels of defiance, and merely harping on the extremes does little to explore the nuances of a complex situation, which can give depth to a story.
Additionally, the ending was not satisfying. Not in the "I didn't get the answers I wanted"-sense, more so in the "wait, that is really how the author chose to end this book?"-sense. It leaves the reader questioning and perhaps wanting more, which is not a bad thing, but it also seemed to cut the action right in the middle.
Lastly, this book could really have used a better editor. There were numerous distracting typos and spelling and grammatical errors. There were also instances where the author interchanged the use of Johann and Thomas, which could've been a purposeful attempt to reflect the character's duality, but really just served to confuse. The author also chooses to spell out all of the parallels he is trying to weave in, which leaves little effort (and little fun) to the reader (see location 5455 in Kindle version).
Additionally, the ending was not satisfying. Not in the "I didn't get the answers I wanted"-sense, more so in the "wait, that is really how the author chose to end this book?"-sense. It leaves the reader questioning and perhaps wanting more, which is not a bad thing, but it also seemed to cut the action right in the middle.
Lastly, this book could really have used a better editor. There were numerous distracting typos and spelling and grammatical errors. There were also instances where the author interchanged the use of Johann and Thomas, which could've been a purposeful attempt to reflect the character's duality, but really just served to confuse. The author also chooses to spell out all of the parallels he is trying to weave in, which leaves little effort (and little fun) to the reader (see location 5455 in Kindle version).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2013
This is an historical novel and a thriller that mostly takes place on the Eastern front and in Berlin toward the end of WWII, with introduction to the story and its main characters circa 1934. It is a story of conflict between two brothers, each with totally different beliefs: one a fanatical Nazi and the other a person of conscience. All the elements of suspense and actions are embedded in the story.
Gregory Lee is especially adept at creating the atmosphere for the story. When he describes a devastated Berlin and its residents, you can actually see the ruins. His descriptions of the choas and the SS ring true.
The integration of history and a good plot make this an interesting and entertaining story.
Most readers are too young to remember WWII and the totality of destruction of German's cities, but what the author descries is factual as I witnessed an an Army private arriving in Germany close to the time of the story. What is surprising is the rapidity with which the population forgot Nazism and adjusted to the new reality. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the vast majority of Germans were very much in favor of Hitler and his policies including his evil racial policies. Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story, A Novel Not for Childre (about good and evil as in the Holocaust and beyond).
Gregory Lee is especially adept at creating the atmosphere for the story. When he describes a devastated Berlin and its residents, you can actually see the ruins. His descriptions of the choas and the SS ring true.
The integration of history and a good plot make this an interesting and entertaining story.
Most readers are too young to remember WWII and the totality of destruction of German's cities, but what the author descries is factual as I witnessed an an Army private arriving in Germany close to the time of the story. What is surprising is the rapidity with which the population forgot Nazism and adjusted to the new reality. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the vast majority of Germans were very much in favor of Hitler and his policies including his evil racial policies. Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story, A Novel Not for Childre (about good and evil as in the Holocaust and beyond).
March 16, 2016
I hovered between a 3 and 4 star rating for The Nero Decree because I really wanted to rate it 3.5, but settled on 4 stars because of its strengths rather than marking it down for its weaknesses. Lee knows how to create a setting and the novel had a very authentic feel of the Second World War drawing to a close and the hopelessness felt by the German people. The story moves along at a decent pace and as the threads converged I wanted to keep reading to discover the fate of the characters.
The main issue I had with Nero Decree was that the protagonists repeatedly found themselves in perilous situations and in some cases the solutions were a bit too convenient. I realise that the thriller element in the book means that this is somewhat inevitable and also that almost every other thriller is equally guilty, but there it is. The other issue, also one that many stories share, is that the characters have a tendency to make stupid choices that lead them into further peril.
However, when I looked back at the novel as a whole once I had finished it, I realised that I had enjoyed the ride enough to accept these flaws as occupational hazards. Historical Fiction, and in particular this era, is a genre I enjoy and The Nero Decree is a well written and enjoyable example with a thriller slant.
The main issue I had with Nero Decree was that the protagonists repeatedly found themselves in perilous situations and in some cases the solutions were a bit too convenient. I realise that the thriller element in the book means that this is somewhat inevitable and also that almost every other thriller is equally guilty, but there it is. The other issue, also one that many stories share, is that the characters have a tendency to make stupid choices that lead them into further peril.
However, when I looked back at the novel as a whole once I had finished it, I realised that I had enjoyed the ride enough to accept these flaws as occupational hazards. Historical Fiction, and in particular this era, is a genre I enjoy and The Nero Decree is a well written and enjoyable example with a thriller slant.
November 28, 2013
The Nero Decree is an exciting read. Set in a collapsing Berlin during the final month of the Second World War, the plot interweaves four stories which come together at Lehter Banhoff as the final trains head out from Berlin to the west.
As a portrait of the death throes of the German capital, this book has seldom been bettered. The heroes and villains are clear cut - good v evil. Working on the premise that the Nazis were prepared to sink as low as humanly possible to carry out their deeds of terror, the plot is both credible and interesting.
If I had one gripe it is that the climax was a bit too stretched out, as if often the case with action novels. But then I'm a 'pared to the bone man' (that's why I love film noir)and my novels are fairly short.
David Lowther author of The Blue Pencil (thebluepencil.co.uk)
davidlowtherblog.wordpress.com
As a portrait of the death throes of the German capital, this book has seldom been bettered. The heroes and villains are clear cut - good v evil. Working on the premise that the Nazis were prepared to sink as low as humanly possible to carry out their deeds of terror, the plot is both credible and interesting.
If I had one gripe it is that the climax was a bit too stretched out, as if often the case with action novels. But then I'm a 'pared to the bone man' (that's why I love film noir)and my novels are fairly short.
David Lowther author of The Blue Pencil (thebluepencil.co.uk)
davidlowtherblog.wordpress.com
October 17, 2014
This book was a nice surprise. It's well-written and the plot is interesting (although WWII Germany has always been a subject of interest and intrigue to me). There is one particular scene that stays with me months later--it came to mind last week and I couldn't place it right away but thought it was from a movie because the images in my mind were so vivid. Then I realized it was from the Nero Decree, and Lee had given such a dynamic, detailed and harrowing account of the scene that it came to life in my mind. If you have an interest in the time period and subject matter, I'd definitely recommend reading this book.
April 14, 2016
Atmospheric
The story of two brothers, one a fanatic Nazi and the other a doctor on the frontlines, at the fall of Berlin near the end of WWII left me feeling distressed and forlorn. While much of the actions of the main characters seemed farfetched, the author did capture the atmosphere of panic and despair overwhelming the surviving residents as the Russians over ran Berlin from the east. I took away one star only because the characters always seemed to escape from inescapable situations.....at least until the end.
The story of two brothers, one a fanatic Nazi and the other a doctor on the frontlines, at the fall of Berlin near the end of WWII left me feeling distressed and forlorn. While much of the actions of the main characters seemed farfetched, the author did capture the atmosphere of panic and despair overwhelming the surviving residents as the Russians over ran Berlin from the east. I took away one star only because the characters always seemed to escape from inescapable situations.....at least until the end.
January 4, 2014
A really gripping novel . Has obviously been extensively researched , and was a totally new ( for me) perspective of the end of the Second World War in Berlin . The characters were very well constructed , and the storyline well paced . Would definitely recommend
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January 16, 2014The fall of Berlin in WWII
A graphic picture of th
A look at the horror of a city and it's occupants during the
closing days of Nazis regime in WWII.
l
A graphic picture of th
A look at the horror of a city and it's occupants during the
closing days of Nazis regime in WWII.
l
November 28, 2015
I prefer believable characters....
January 7, 2016
This is fairly well-written book, but I just couldn't bring myself to really like it. Maybe growing up during the war affected my attitude.
July 1, 2021
bad cover art. boooooo
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews