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Afrika Reich #2
The Madagaskar Plan
Guy Saville's The Madagaskar Plan imagines a disturbing alternate history in which Nazi victory in World War II brings their "Final Solution" ever closer
The year is 1953. There is peace in Europe, but a victorious Germany consolidates power in Africa. The lynchpin to its final solution is Madagaskar. Hitler has ordered the resettlement of European Jews to the remote island.
British forces conspire to incite colony-wide revolt, resting their hopes on the expertise of Reuben Salois, an escaped leader of Jewish resistance.
Ex-mercenary Burton Cole scours the island for his wife and child. But as chaos descends and the Nazis brutally suppress the nascent insurrection, Cole must decide whether he is master of-or at the mercy of-history.
The Madagaskar Plan is alternate history of the highest order, a thriller of terrifying scope based on the Nazis' actual plans prior to the Holocaust.
The year is 1953. There is peace in Europe, but a victorious Germany consolidates power in Africa. The lynchpin to its final solution is Madagaskar. Hitler has ordered the resettlement of European Jews to the remote island.
British forces conspire to incite colony-wide revolt, resting their hopes on the expertise of Reuben Salois, an escaped leader of Jewish resistance.
Ex-mercenary Burton Cole scours the island for his wife and child. But as chaos descends and the Nazis brutally suppress the nascent insurrection, Cole must decide whether he is master of-or at the mercy of-history.
The Madagaskar Plan is alternate history of the highest order, a thriller of terrifying scope based on the Nazis' actual plans prior to the Holocaust.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2015
18 people are currently reading
510 people want to read
About the author
Guy Saville
2 books38 followersGuy Saville is the author of The Afrika Reich (2011) and The Madagaskar Plan (2015). Born in 1973, he studied literature at London University. Saville has lived in South America and North Africa, and is currently based in the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 17, 2020
The middle part of an alternative history where the Nazis were not defeated. This was written five years ago and there is no sign of the final book, I’m not convinced there ever will be.
It is 1953, the Nazis control most of Europe and have defeated the Russians. The U.K. has come to an agreement following defeat at Dunkirk and the US is not getting involved.
This is nearly all set in Africa as the main characters chase each-other while being pursued by caricature Nazis. Madagascar is full of Jews, transported there from Europe and under Nazi supervision, out of sight and out of mind. Really very little is said about what has happened to the native inhabitants of Africa, perhaps that horror was due to be fleshed out in the third book.
So our characters get in and out of preposterous scrapes, the Nazis get ever more outrageous and it all gets surprisingly dull for an adventure story. Having said that, the author presents an interesting alternative history but this framework is undermined by the plot and the characters within. If the third book ever turns up, I won’t be reading it.
It is 1953, the Nazis control most of Europe and have defeated the Russians. The U.K. has come to an agreement following defeat at Dunkirk and the US is not getting involved.
This is nearly all set in Africa as the main characters chase each-other while being pursued by caricature Nazis. Madagascar is full of Jews, transported there from Europe and under Nazi supervision, out of sight and out of mind. Really very little is said about what has happened to the native inhabitants of Africa, perhaps that horror was due to be fleshed out in the third book.
So our characters get in and out of preposterous scrapes, the Nazis get ever more outrageous and it all gets surprisingly dull for an adventure story. Having said that, the author presents an interesting alternative history but this framework is undermined by the plot and the characters within. If the third book ever turns up, I won’t be reading it.
November 2, 2015
this was better than the first part of this series as felt more gritty and more like the thriller we could of had in the afrika reich. as this alternative history series goes on with burton cole going to madagaskar to search for his lover maddie and her husband is behind an attempt to destroy the naval based to drag american into the war..
September 3, 2016
I found this to be a bit of a convoluted plot and something that would be more at home in a TV soap opera.
The setting of an alternate 1953 where Jews are being shipped to Madagascar instead of being burned in ovens is what I like about alternate history books. But the over laying story was just too confusing to be enjoyable. The characters, their motivation and their actions didn't make sense at times. Some characters disappeared, but there is clearly another book in this series to come so I can see them coming back.
My fear with any future book in the series is that the author will try to correct the alternate history and try to bring it back as close to the real world as he can. Just different countries doing the same thing that other countries did, or doing them at a later point in time. It's a different path through time so just go with it.
The setting of an alternate 1953 where Jews are being shipped to Madagascar instead of being burned in ovens is what I like about alternate history books. But the over laying story was just too confusing to be enjoyable. The characters, their motivation and their actions didn't make sense at times. Some characters disappeared, but there is clearly another book in this series to come so I can see them coming back.
My fear with any future book in the series is that the author will try to correct the alternate history and try to bring it back as close to the real world as he can. Just different countries doing the same thing that other countries did, or doing them at a later point in time. It's a different path through time so just go with it.
January 28, 2016
A few days ago Guy Saville pointed out on Facebook that the paperback of The Madagaskar Plan was coming out today. I’ve had both this and The Afrika Reich sitting in my ‘to-be-read’ pile for some time. I ummed and ahhed over whether it would be wise to start book 2 before I’ve read book 1, but heck with it… I did.
Interestingly, there is enough background, and there are enough illuminating flashbacks in this book that it does not seem to rely entirely upon the first to be readable. Not that I’d heartily recommend starting with book 2, because now that I’ve done it, I have to go back and read book 1 to see what I missed.
Firstly, what is The Afrika Reich trilogy and this book in particular? Well, it’s almost Historical Fiction. It’s a ‘what if’ scenario. The premise behind the series is that the Dunkirk evacuations failed, Churchill resigned over the failure and consequently the succeeding British government came to peaceful terms with the Nazis. By the early 50s, when the book is set, Britain still has its Imperial holdings, Germany has overrun Russia and controls roughly half of all African territory, and the United States is out of it as a neutral nation. Africa is divided between Britain and Germany, with a few smaller states belonging to Italy, Portugal etc, and a neutral South Africa.
Madagaskar is the greatest imaginable prison camp for deported Jews. Europe having been largely emptied of them, there are 5 million living on the island under SS rule, being gradually worked to death.
Burton Cole, a survivor or earlier clashes in Africa and clearly the hero of the first book, returns to Britain to find his lover – a former Austrian Jew – has been found out by her cuckold husband and deported to Madagaskar. He thence rushes off to find her. Meanwhile, his former nemesis, Hochberg, the governor of German Kongo, has his own reasons building to head to the island in the hope of achieving German domination of the continent. And his deputy, now in exile. And a Jewish partisan. And others.
Incredibly skillfully, Saville weaves a web that brings so many seemingly disconnected elements, many with totally different motives, to the island and into the crucible of destruction. For Madagaskar is an island on the very brink of revolt, and the world is watching tensely, for any shake might bring America into the matter. There is no forced or over-woven aspect to the drawing together of the strands of plot.
A word needs to be said on the characters. Despite this being Britain and Nazi Germany, do not expect to read with a ‘black and white’ moral attitude. You will find every shade of grey on both sides. Some of the Germans are almost sympathetic. Some of the British are downright loathsome. And they are all believable, which is perhaps the most critical thing.
Despite the ‘alternate reality’ setting of the novel, it is so realistic and clearly feasible that it doesn’t jar the reader at all. In fact, it is all too easy to accept this version of history as the truth. It so nearly could have happened.
The feel of the plot is something of a mix. It is part war story, part espionage, part drama, part prison movie. At times it felt a little like The Wild Geese, at others Where Eagles Dare, and others again Papillon. It is all of those things but not them alone. It is a masterful example of the craft of fiction and kept me riveted from beginning to end.
It’s out in paperback today. Go get these books folks, and make sure you have them read before the final part of the trilogy is published.
Interestingly, there is enough background, and there are enough illuminating flashbacks in this book that it does not seem to rely entirely upon the first to be readable. Not that I’d heartily recommend starting with book 2, because now that I’ve done it, I have to go back and read book 1 to see what I missed.
Firstly, what is The Afrika Reich trilogy and this book in particular? Well, it’s almost Historical Fiction. It’s a ‘what if’ scenario. The premise behind the series is that the Dunkirk evacuations failed, Churchill resigned over the failure and consequently the succeeding British government came to peaceful terms with the Nazis. By the early 50s, when the book is set, Britain still has its Imperial holdings, Germany has overrun Russia and controls roughly half of all African territory, and the United States is out of it as a neutral nation. Africa is divided between Britain and Germany, with a few smaller states belonging to Italy, Portugal etc, and a neutral South Africa.
Madagaskar is the greatest imaginable prison camp for deported Jews. Europe having been largely emptied of them, there are 5 million living on the island under SS rule, being gradually worked to death.
Burton Cole, a survivor or earlier clashes in Africa and clearly the hero of the first book, returns to Britain to find his lover – a former Austrian Jew – has been found out by her cuckold husband and deported to Madagaskar. He thence rushes off to find her. Meanwhile, his former nemesis, Hochberg, the governor of German Kongo, has his own reasons building to head to the island in the hope of achieving German domination of the continent. And his deputy, now in exile. And a Jewish partisan. And others.
Incredibly skillfully, Saville weaves a web that brings so many seemingly disconnected elements, many with totally different motives, to the island and into the crucible of destruction. For Madagaskar is an island on the very brink of revolt, and the world is watching tensely, for any shake might bring America into the matter. There is no forced or over-woven aspect to the drawing together of the strands of plot.
A word needs to be said on the characters. Despite this being Britain and Nazi Germany, do not expect to read with a ‘black and white’ moral attitude. You will find every shade of grey on both sides. Some of the Germans are almost sympathetic. Some of the British are downright loathsome. And they are all believable, which is perhaps the most critical thing.
Despite the ‘alternate reality’ setting of the novel, it is so realistic and clearly feasible that it doesn’t jar the reader at all. In fact, it is all too easy to accept this version of history as the truth. It so nearly could have happened.
The feel of the plot is something of a mix. It is part war story, part espionage, part drama, part prison movie. At times it felt a little like The Wild Geese, at others Where Eagles Dare, and others again Papillon. It is all of those things but not them alone. It is a masterful example of the craft of fiction and kept me riveted from beginning to end.
It’s out in paperback today. Go get these books folks, and make sure you have them read before the final part of the trilogy is published.
May 29, 2015
I was very happy to win this particular book because my father was in WW11 and he was a POW for 3 months so he had first hand knowledge of Hitler and the Nazi death squads that came to his last camp to kill everyone when Hitler knew he lost the war. Gen Patton freed them. So I have always wanted more info on Hitler. This book is actually part fiction fiction and a thriller of alternate history based on the Nazis actual plans prior to the Holocaust to resettle the Jews to the island of Madagaskar. There are some letters from 1940 to extinquish the Jews through emigration to Africa. I had never heard of this plan before. After Hitler got Europe in his control, he wanted Africa also. But a treaty was reached and Africa was divided up between countries. Germany took the Western portion. Also some of the other European countries wanted all the Jews to go elsewhere also (an appalling thing in any year of the world). So if Hitler would have won the war him and the other countries could work together to move the Jews. But he was losing the war so he then decided on genocide. To think about a world where Hitler could have implemented all of his plans is unthinkable. So this history on which the Author expanded out this theory of what could have happened in is where this book is a thriller. So in this extended version in 1953 the resettlement of of Jews had been ordered and they were sent away. But the British and the colonists actively revolt against this plan. So an ex-mercanary comes into play to help the people who are dislocated. This comes at a great cost to him in his life. This book is a very fascinating thriller and the historical research is excellent. I really enjoyed this book, I read it all day.
May 6, 2020
Absurd
June 15, 2020
The second book in the Afrika Reich series, like my first review of the prior mentioned all is to be expected.
This book takes place mainly in the German Congo and Madagascar and Deigo Garcia, though with no spoilers being stated in this review all charterers are more developed from the first book in the series and you get to know some context from before the first book.
So if you like it, i'd say go for it and give her a gander.
This book takes place mainly in the German Congo and Madagascar and Deigo Garcia, though with no spoilers being stated in this review all charterers are more developed from the first book in the series and you get to know some context from before the first book.
So if you like it, i'd say go for it and give her a gander.
July 16, 2015
Following on from the events of the 'Afrika Reich', and the middle book of a trilogy, 'the Madagaskar Plan' reads much more like a thriller than its predecessor, which felt like an action. We follow a number of intriguing characters, from the determined Burton Cole to the not-so-lovable Nazi Hochburg. Burton must travel to Madagascar to save Madeleine, the woman he loves, who has unfortunately found herself there. Hochburg's own dark plans bring him to the same island, leading to the inevitable trail of destruction between himself and Burton once their paths cross. 'The Madagaskar Plan' demonstrates how to create a perfect sequel to a must read book. There are so many scenes that stick with you, making it a difficult book to put down.
One aspect of the book which really impresses me is the research that must have has gone into crafting this alternate 1950's. A world where Britain surrendered and the USA never entered the war. The geography of the region, and the concentration camps of Madagascar feel so visceral. And the dark truth that this was the Nazi's original plan in the first place gives the reader a horrific glimpse into an all to plausible world.
It was worth the wait for this wonderful book, now to wait for Guy Saville's next triumph.
One aspect of the book which really impresses me is the research that must have has gone into crafting this alternate 1950's. A world where Britain surrendered and the USA never entered the war. The geography of the region, and the concentration camps of Madagascar feel so visceral. And the dark truth that this was the Nazi's original plan in the first place gives the reader a horrific glimpse into an all to plausible world.
It was worth the wait for this wonderful book, now to wait for Guy Saville's next triumph.
April 23, 2015
Received free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In 1940, the Nazi party proposed a plan to relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar. It is now 1952, and in an alternate reality, the plan has succeeded. Madeleine, an Austrian Jew, is one of these prisoners. It is up to her lover Burton to rescue her from the work camps.
Alternate universe novels are truly an interesting concept. Imagine how terrifying it would have been if the Axis powers had won WWII. But while the premise of the book is intriguing, it just didn't keep my interest. I really do believe this was a "it's not you, it's me" situation, because I can't quite figure out what it was that I didn't like about it. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and ended up having to research a few things in order to fully understand what was going on. Not a bad novel, just not my cup of tea.
In 1940, the Nazi party proposed a plan to relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar. It is now 1952, and in an alternate reality, the plan has succeeded. Madeleine, an Austrian Jew, is one of these prisoners. It is up to her lover Burton to rescue her from the work camps.
Alternate universe novels are truly an interesting concept. Imagine how terrifying it would have been if the Axis powers had won WWII. But while the premise of the book is intriguing, it just didn't keep my interest. I really do believe this was a "it's not you, it's me" situation, because I can't quite figure out what it was that I didn't like about it. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight and ended up having to research a few things in order to fully understand what was going on. Not a bad novel, just not my cup of tea.
April 13, 2020
I wrote one of the longest rave reviews I have ever written for the first book in the Afrika Reich series. And yet here I am, writing a 2-star review for the sequel? Why? Largely because of the fact that I found this book to be waaay too historical. It was dull with facts and long paragraphs and not much action. I am sorry to say this but this book is not worth your time or your money. Listen to me and get out while you still can!
December 5, 2016
Výborně propracovaná alternativní historie s vynikajícími vedlejšími postavami, stísněnou atmosférou konečného řešení a vlády Říše. Jen jsem se prostě celou knihu tlačil vpřed, protože jsem nenašel s hlavním hrdinou stejnou mentální rovni a nedokázal jsem se s ním sžít a vlastně mu ani nijak mohutně fandit... :(
August 16, 2015
I quit this thriller after 200 pages because it was just one hairy scene after another and these seemed to get in the way of the story. The premise was preposterous. The characters were stereotypes. Not the kind of novel I enjoy reading. I probably stuck with it longer than i should have.
August 24, 2015
The one thing that threw me was when the writer called the vehicle a jeep.
April 24, 2019
Got a little boring as it went on. The first book is the best I've ever read... this one just ruined the series.
May 12, 2019
Very worthy addition to the Afrika Trilogy that's so far stuck on #2. I enjoyed the first a good deal, but probably equal parts for the unique idea, as much as the story itself, whereas this addition had a crisper story. This chapter took so long to come out I forgot to keep looking for it, so I went a long time in between the first and reading this. As such, the first wasnt too vivid in my mind, but it didn't much matter.
I really liked what Saville did in creating a world through his imagined Jewish penal colony administered by the SS. The dynamics of that premise and how the pressures of that brutal undertaking play out provide a really rich backdrop. Saville constructs a multilayered ghetto/rebellion culture that's really well done. It's also extremely dark and often gut wrenching. While the first book had its fair share of brutality, it thankfully had no direct parallel in actual history, thus making the cruelty less poignant. Because of the actual atrocities committed by the Nazis against Jews the book's fictionalized versions carried extra weight and darkness.
Kudos to Saville for not being scared to let the body count accumulate and not twisting the narrative to allow all primary characters to make it to the third book.
I knocked it down a bit because it dragged at times for reasons I cant quite put my finger on. I think it's because the imagined geopolitical machinations were of greater interest than the individual human dramas. Or maybe it was that there were too many chefs in the stew, so that each character arc became a bit diluted. I also found Hochburg, again his main villain, a bit too cartoonish. It's a stretch how maniacally driven he is by revenge over decades. Even more so because so many other characters are driven by the same lust for vengeance. Too many characters go to herculean lengths in a way that stretches credibility. It's a rare person that can fan the flames of revenge over long periods of time and through intricate planning, without consuming themself in the flames, yet it is a common thread here.
Allowing for those criticisms, I think the creativity and depth of the world far outweigh some convenient character motivations. It reads as extremely well researched, thought out, and the author clearly lost himself in the world he imagined into being. Bring on volume 3!
I really liked what Saville did in creating a world through his imagined Jewish penal colony administered by the SS. The dynamics of that premise and how the pressures of that brutal undertaking play out provide a really rich backdrop. Saville constructs a multilayered ghetto/rebellion culture that's really well done. It's also extremely dark and often gut wrenching. While the first book had its fair share of brutality, it thankfully had no direct parallel in actual history, thus making the cruelty less poignant. Because of the actual atrocities committed by the Nazis against Jews the book's fictionalized versions carried extra weight and darkness.
Kudos to Saville for not being scared to let the body count accumulate and not twisting the narrative to allow all primary characters to make it to the third book.
I knocked it down a bit because it dragged at times for reasons I cant quite put my finger on. I think it's because the imagined geopolitical machinations were of greater interest than the individual human dramas. Or maybe it was that there were too many chefs in the stew, so that each character arc became a bit diluted. I also found Hochburg, again his main villain, a bit too cartoonish. It's a stretch how maniacally driven he is by revenge over decades. Even more so because so many other characters are driven by the same lust for vengeance. Too many characters go to herculean lengths in a way that stretches credibility. It's a rare person that can fan the flames of revenge over long periods of time and through intricate planning, without consuming themself in the flames, yet it is a common thread here.
Allowing for those criticisms, I think the creativity and depth of the world far outweigh some convenient character motivations. It reads as extremely well researched, thought out, and the author clearly lost himself in the world he imagined into being. Bring on volume 3!
August 16, 2018
Bleak.
That is the one word I would use to describe this book. I've read a lot of alternate history (shoutout to Harry Turtledove's usually excellent work), including the book that came before this one (yes, it's a series, even though it doesn't feel like it, as you don't really need to have read the first book to read this one) and though I do enjoy the what-if scenarios explored in alternate history, thinking about what could have been can be demoralizing.
The writing in this book isn't half bad and The supporting characters are all a little bit one dimensional, unfortunately.
The worst part is how bleak the world is in this book. I'm not saying it's unrealistic—I do think the world would be a terrible place if the Nazis had won World War II. Pretty much every alternate history book I've read that assumes a Nazi victory also assumes the Third Reich becomes so powerful there is no hope of it ever falling. Don't get me wrong, this probably is a valid assumption. It's just profoundly depressing to read a book in which all the decent people have absolutely no hope of the Nazi regime ever falling.
That is the one word I would use to describe this book. I've read a lot of alternate history (shoutout to Harry Turtledove's usually excellent work), including the book that came before this one (yes, it's a series, even though it doesn't feel like it, as you don't really need to have read the first book to read this one) and though I do enjoy the what-if scenarios explored in alternate history, thinking about what could have been can be demoralizing.
The writing in this book isn't half bad and The supporting characters are all a little bit one dimensional, unfortunately.
The worst part is how bleak the world is in this book. I'm not saying it's unrealistic—I do think the world would be a terrible place if the Nazis had won World War II. Pretty much every alternate history book I've read that assumes a Nazi victory also assumes the Third Reich becomes so powerful there is no hope of it ever falling. Don't get me wrong, this probably is a valid assumption. It's just profoundly depressing to read a book in which all the decent people have absolutely no hope of the Nazi regime ever falling.
July 31, 2025
This take on what the world might have become had England been soundly defeated at Dunkirk and the world given an uneasy peace with Hitler is certainly a page turner.
Initially, I wasn't overly committed to the story. So much of this seemed to be segments of a separate book pieced together to become one long ballad. However, each part served its purpose, and the outcomes were often surprising.
I read from a previous review that the characters were caricatures of Nazis. Having read a substantial amount of history pertaining to the Nazi era, I can't imagine any character not reflecting the blind devotion to supremacy and power that the Nazis had. Each pushed past personal deficiency in an effort to become superhuman. This was clearly described in various forms through each of the characters our author developed in his story.
While I would have preferred some kind of closure for Madeleine and her children, the final outcome is one that reminded me of James Bond or a tragic hero. What's more, the full scope of Hochburg's heinous desire for revenge was revealed.
Five years later and I see no sign of a sequel. What's more, I don't think I could read one if there was one. This story was so devastating and cruel, it makes me glad the reality of Nazi extremism is over. The world of this fiction is too dark to visit again. I wonder if even our author lost hope.
Initially, I wasn't overly committed to the story. So much of this seemed to be segments of a separate book pieced together to become one long ballad. However, each part served its purpose, and the outcomes were often surprising.
I read from a previous review that the characters were caricatures of Nazis. Having read a substantial amount of history pertaining to the Nazi era, I can't imagine any character not reflecting the blind devotion to supremacy and power that the Nazis had. Each pushed past personal deficiency in an effort to become superhuman. This was clearly described in various forms through each of the characters our author developed in his story.
While I would have preferred some kind of closure for Madeleine and her children, the final outcome is one that reminded me of James Bond or a tragic hero. What's more, the full scope of Hochburg's heinous desire for revenge was revealed.
Five years later and I see no sign of a sequel. What's more, I don't think I could read one if there was one. This story was so devastating and cruel, it makes me glad the reality of Nazi extremism is over. The world of this fiction is too dark to visit again. I wonder if even our author lost hope.
February 2, 2024
Ehm... původně jsem si myslela, že dám 4*...ale ....
Kniha se skvěle čte, to bezpochyb, letělo se jí neuvěřitelně. Vůbec mi nevadilo, že jsem první díl nečetla, nicméně, ten třetí k dokončení potřebujete, i když si myslím, že to, co bude v něm je předvídatelné. Stejně, jako jsem věděla, co bude vlastně tady...
Nicméně... musíte se ohromně odosobnit. Autor se inspiroval skutečným dějem a představil vám svou představu alternativní historie... v reálu to ale mohlo být zcela vymyšlený svět anebo normální děj... protože to byly kulisy a mělo to na vás působit, ohromit...
Tím, jak jste to četli... začali jste narážet na absurdnosti, nereálnosti jako ne historie, ale lidské, co by člověk neudělal a nějak se to tam vytrhávalo z děje. No a potom, když se nad tím celkově člověk zamyslí nad tou alternativou, proč by to vlastně mělo takhle probíhat, když by to šlo vyřešit mnohem jednodušeji, proč někoho kamsi stěhovat a podobně .. bylo tam toho více... co by bylo vlastně zbytečné a kdo by se s tím páral, stálo by to spoustu peněz atd. atd. Takže to mne nakonec vedlo k 3*. Nicméně, pokud se odosobníte, může to být pro vás zajímavý pohled na věc. Pero má totiž autor dobré.
Kniha se skvěle čte, to bezpochyb, letělo se jí neuvěřitelně. Vůbec mi nevadilo, že jsem první díl nečetla, nicméně, ten třetí k dokončení potřebujete, i když si myslím, že to, co bude v něm je předvídatelné. Stejně, jako jsem věděla, co bude vlastně tady...
Nicméně... musíte se ohromně odosobnit. Autor se inspiroval skutečným dějem a představil vám svou představu alternativní historie... v reálu to ale mohlo být zcela vymyšlený svět anebo normální děj... protože to byly kulisy a mělo to na vás působit, ohromit...
Tím, jak jste to četli... začali jste narážet na absurdnosti, nereálnosti jako ne historie, ale lidské, co by člověk neudělal a nějak se to tam vytrhávalo z děje. No a potom, když se nad tím celkově člověk zamyslí nad tou alternativou, proč by to vlastně mělo takhle probíhat, když by to šlo vyřešit mnohem jednodušeji, proč někoho kamsi stěhovat a podobně .. bylo tam toho více... co by bylo vlastně zbytečné a kdo by se s tím páral, stálo by to spoustu peněz atd. atd. Takže to mne nakonec vedlo k 3*. Nicméně, pokud se odosobníte, může to být pro vás zajímavý pohled na věc. Pero má totiž autor dobré.
January 6, 2018
3.5*
Saville has produced an interesting and entertaining follow up to his previous The Afrika Reich. Once again, it's high paced, action packed and damned brutal at points. Having read a decent amount of Nazi history, I particularly enjoy the way that Saville blends fact with fiction in his own vision of alternate-history. This isn't just an author taking pen to paper. He has actually considered the lead-up to and events of WWII and taken a "what could have happened" approach.
I have to say that I think I preferred the first instalment in this series, although it is quite a close call. Whereas in The Afrika Reich I commented that there was perhaps too much action and not enough slower paced plot, The Madagaskar Plans feels like he's trying to introduce too many sub-characters, which I ended up having very little interest in.
Things are set up perfectly for the third instalment, so I look forward to reading it when it's published.
Saville has produced an interesting and entertaining follow up to his previous The Afrika Reich. Once again, it's high paced, action packed and damned brutal at points. Having read a decent amount of Nazi history, I particularly enjoy the way that Saville blends fact with fiction in his own vision of alternate-history. This isn't just an author taking pen to paper. He has actually considered the lead-up to and events of WWII and taken a "what could have happened" approach.
I have to say that I think I preferred the first instalment in this series, although it is quite a close call. Whereas in The Afrika Reich I commented that there was perhaps too much action and not enough slower paced plot, The Madagaskar Plans feels like he's trying to introduce too many sub-characters, which I ended up having very little interest in.
Things are set up perfectly for the third instalment, so I look forward to reading it when it's published.
October 16, 2017
The Madagascar Plan, by Guy Saville, is an alternate history thriller that takes a look into what a German victory during WW2 would have brought to the world. The book follows Burton Cole, an ex-mercenary, and veteran of the Battle of Dunkirk. When his wife goes missing, he searches the entire city of London, his steps leading them to her ex-husband's dwelling. The ex-husband, Cranley, sets the house on fire, forcing Burton to escape with his daughter out the top floor bathroom window. He finds out from Madeleine's daughter that she was sent to Madagascar by the Nazis.
The novel contains many well-written plot twists that just keep you wanting more. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an exciting alternate history ww2 thriller
The novel contains many well-written plot twists that just keep you wanting more. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an exciting alternate history ww2 thriller
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2021
An action packed thriller, cinematic in its scope. Saville has created quite a convincing alternative history with excellent character development, description and depth. The figures in the book are not one dimensional cartoon heroes or villains rather they are very well fleshed out with interesting detail about their own lives and the wider alternative world. Saville does not pull his punches in the book and that is to his credit, it is engagingly written and keeps the reader focused until the very end.
August 19, 2018
Really good alternative fiction book , hadn't read the first one , but it didn't really effect the understanding of this one.
February 26, 2020
A good alternative history novel that is more of a story set within an alternate reality than about how we got to that alternate history. I enjoyed it.
Read
August 6, 2015o be honest, my involvement with Guy Saville’s dystopic alternative Nazi Afrika is a bit accidental. I would not normally pick up a book with a black and silver livery, a hero with a macho moniker like Burton Cole and a quite breath-taking number of things being shot at, blown up and smashed to pieces in worryingly creative ways. I’m far too much of a girl. However, I was invited by The Historical Novels Review to review the first in this sequence of novels, The Afrika Reich, published in 2011 but currently on special offer with various online outlets in the run-up to the publication of The Madagaskar Plan. To my surprise, I absolutely loved it, so was keen to see this sequel as soon as possible, and I haven’t been disappointed.
Although The Madagaskar Plan is a sequel, and features many characters who first appeared in The Afrika Reich, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone read. There is a useful prologue which gives a concise explanation of Saville’s alternative world, as well as a scholarly author’s note which relates the novel’s history to the real history behind it. While some elements of the story follow on from the first book, others run in parallel, or prequel.
The action is high-octane, but don’t let that fool you. This is multi-layered story-telling of great sophistication. The plotting, while complex, is never difficult to follow, and the pace is perfect, breathless page-turners interspersed with more thoughtful and lyrical passages. The book is packed with wonderful characters. I have a particular fondness for Burton Cole’s nemesis, Walter Hochburg, governor of Kongo – sadistic, but stylish with it and redeemed by a terrific intellect and a liking for Schubert and butterscotch. His sidekick, Kepplar, is so deliciously camp he might have stepped straight out of The Producers. Unusually for a writer in this genre, Saville also knows how to create strong female characters, most notably Cole’s touchingly courageous lover, Madeleine, and her redoubtable ally, Jacoba, who, even while enslaved in an abattoir, manages to affect a glorious snobbery.
The novel takes place in April 1953. The Allies capitulated after Dunkirk in 1940, and Adolf Hitler, about to celebrate his 64th birthday, rules an empire which covers half the globe and whose economic powerhouse is Afrika, with its rich agricultural land and mineral wealth. There has been no Holocaust, but Europe’s Jews have been forcibly resettled in Madagaskar, where revolt is brewing against the brutal governor, Odilo Globocnik (one of the characters Saville has imported from real history, who is ‘credited’ with pitching the idea of extermination camps to Himmler) The United States maintains a queasy neutrality under a president who owes his election to the Jewish lobby. (As Globocnik remarks at one point, “’Americans draw their red lines…then do nothing.’” Ouch.)
Into this physical, moral and metaphorical swamp steps ex soldier and foreign legionnaire, Cole, returned home at the beginning of the novel from an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hochburg, which is the main plot of The Afrika Reich, to find the pregnant Madeleine has disappeared. His search for her takes him to Madagaskar, to a second, devastating encounter with Hochburg and arch-villain Jared Cranley, Madeleine’s former husband.
Which brings me to the heart of this novel and everything which makes it surprising, moving and far more than a page-turning thriller. It is, in the end, a perceptive examination of human love in its many forms and one which, despite some exquisite scenes of tenderness and romance, eschews easy answers. For all its wild improbabilities this is a novel which excavates the deep truths of human nature with unflinching clarity.
A must read, for girls as well as boys. And anyone from HBO who’s looking for their next blockbuster mini-series.
Although The Madagaskar Plan is a sequel, and features many characters who first appeared in The Afrika Reich, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone read. There is a useful prologue which gives a concise explanation of Saville’s alternative world, as well as a scholarly author’s note which relates the novel’s history to the real history behind it. While some elements of the story follow on from the first book, others run in parallel, or prequel.
The action is high-octane, but don’t let that fool you. This is multi-layered story-telling of great sophistication. The plotting, while complex, is never difficult to follow, and the pace is perfect, breathless page-turners interspersed with more thoughtful and lyrical passages. The book is packed with wonderful characters. I have a particular fondness for Burton Cole’s nemesis, Walter Hochburg, governor of Kongo – sadistic, but stylish with it and redeemed by a terrific intellect and a liking for Schubert and butterscotch. His sidekick, Kepplar, is so deliciously camp he might have stepped straight out of The Producers. Unusually for a writer in this genre, Saville also knows how to create strong female characters, most notably Cole’s touchingly courageous lover, Madeleine, and her redoubtable ally, Jacoba, who, even while enslaved in an abattoir, manages to affect a glorious snobbery.
The novel takes place in April 1953. The Allies capitulated after Dunkirk in 1940, and Adolf Hitler, about to celebrate his 64th birthday, rules an empire which covers half the globe and whose economic powerhouse is Afrika, with its rich agricultural land and mineral wealth. There has been no Holocaust, but Europe’s Jews have been forcibly resettled in Madagaskar, where revolt is brewing against the brutal governor, Odilo Globocnik (one of the characters Saville has imported from real history, who is ‘credited’ with pitching the idea of extermination camps to Himmler) The United States maintains a queasy neutrality under a president who owes his election to the Jewish lobby. (As Globocnik remarks at one point, “’Americans draw their red lines…then do nothing.’” Ouch.)
Into this physical, moral and metaphorical swamp steps ex soldier and foreign legionnaire, Cole, returned home at the beginning of the novel from an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hochburg, which is the main plot of The Afrika Reich, to find the pregnant Madeleine has disappeared. His search for her takes him to Madagaskar, to a second, devastating encounter with Hochburg and arch-villain Jared Cranley, Madeleine’s former husband.
Which brings me to the heart of this novel and everything which makes it surprising, moving and far more than a page-turning thriller. It is, in the end, a perceptive examination of human love in its many forms and one which, despite some exquisite scenes of tenderness and romance, eschews easy answers. For all its wild improbabilities this is a novel which excavates the deep truths of human nature with unflinching clarity.
A must read, for girls as well as boys. And anyone from HBO who’s looking for their next blockbuster mini-series.
August 19, 2015
note: this was a free eBook from NetGalley
Following up on the same time line that his prior book, “Afrikan Reich”, that dealt with Nazi Germany in the former Belgium Congo (Kongo), Saville move across the Mozambique Channel to the island of Madagascar. The island was ceded to the Germans by the Vichy French government as part of their treaty to end their participation in World War II.
Unlike in our time, the Jews of Europe weren’t resettled in Eastern Europe, but (by 1952) on the Island of Madagascar. The resettlement was supposed to allow the Jews to live on the Island in exchange for their working in the mines and vanilla farms. Their allowed their own city, free from German intercession, but most of the transportees are sent to live in German “Company” towns where they are starved and brutalized.
Burton Cole has worked in covert operations for the British and also as a mercenary in the Kongo. Now working again with the British, he is going to be smuggled onto the island to meet with the Jewish Resistance. The idea is to blow up the major port on the island and incite an island-wide revolt. But Cole has a second reason for going to the island.
He was involved with a woman in Kongo before he had to escape from the colonial governor. He found out that she had been transported to Madagascar. He also found out that she was pregnant with his child. Once on the island he is told by the Resistance, that the Germans are killing Jewish babies, and sterilizing the women who come to their maternity hospitals.
Burton is determined to find her while carrying out his mission. What makes Saville’s books so interesting is the plausibility of his timeline, and of the governmental structures he sets up. Good Read.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com zebsblog@gmail.com
Following up on the same time line that his prior book, “Afrikan Reich”, that dealt with Nazi Germany in the former Belgium Congo (Kongo), Saville move across the Mozambique Channel to the island of Madagascar. The island was ceded to the Germans by the Vichy French government as part of their treaty to end their participation in World War II.
Unlike in our time, the Jews of Europe weren’t resettled in Eastern Europe, but (by 1952) on the Island of Madagascar. The resettlement was supposed to allow the Jews to live on the Island in exchange for their working in the mines and vanilla farms. Their allowed their own city, free from German intercession, but most of the transportees are sent to live in German “Company” towns where they are starved and brutalized.
Burton Cole has worked in covert operations for the British and also as a mercenary in the Kongo. Now working again with the British, he is going to be smuggled onto the island to meet with the Jewish Resistance. The idea is to blow up the major port on the island and incite an island-wide revolt. But Cole has a second reason for going to the island.
He was involved with a woman in Kongo before he had to escape from the colonial governor. He found out that she had been transported to Madagascar. He also found out that she was pregnant with his child. Once on the island he is told by the Resistance, that the Germans are killing Jewish babies, and sterilizing the women who come to their maternity hospitals.
Burton is determined to find her while carrying out his mission. What makes Saville’s books so interesting is the plausibility of his timeline, and of the governmental structures he sets up. Good Read.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com zebsblog@gmail.com
January 27, 2016
This is the second in what seems to be shaping up into a series of stories involving an 'alternate history' one where Hitler wins the war and Britain to escape being invaded becomes an 'ally' and somewhat collaborator in terms of dividing Africa, deporting and cleansing Jews and somehow assisting in the effort to maintain world peace. In this and in the The Afrika Reich, the story of this imagined world, set in the early 1950s is a love story and a hate story. Burton Cole, a mercenary, is sent on a weird mission to assassinate a German High Ranking Officer who is remaking Africa. It is all a bit of a mess and the mission goes terribly bad as various German and British colonies in Africa go to war with each other. It is a very well drawn portrait of how a German victory might well have changed the face of much of the world. In The Madagaskar Plan, the same characters are back but this time the setting is in Madagaskar, where the Nazis have accomplished their dream of the 1940s and shipped much of the world's Jewish population to what is an island large concentration camp. This rethinking of the final solution is handled very well and creates a believable picture of what the Nazis might well have done, given the chance. Saville does a nice job of imagining the mind set and behaviour of the Nazi middle command. SO far I have enjoyed this series and I suspect there will be a third if for no other reason than that this novel left so many unanswered questions demanding a resolution ( to reveal the same would be too much of a spoiler.
January 31, 2016
This book has a little something for everyone: action, suspense, history, romance, and dystopia. Guy Saville poses the question, what would happen if Nazi Germany and Great Britain signed a non-aggression pact and the United States remained neutral? What would happen to Africa, and what would happen to the Jews? Heck, I read this book and asked myself what would happen to people's humanity?
There was a real plan on the table to send all of the Jews to Madagascar instead of death camps. Author Guy Saville asks what would happen if that came to pass? He wrote all of this so vividly you would have thought he went back and forth in a time machine to tweak history and mess with us!
This was an upsetting book for me, but I had to keep reading. Why anyone reads about vampires and zombies when Nazis in diverse manifestations still roam this earth I have no idea. I imagine there will be a sequel to The Madagaskar Plan, as there were quite a few questions left unanswered, and some people have to pay for their evil.
There was a real plan on the table to send all of the Jews to Madagascar instead of death camps. Author Guy Saville asks what would happen if that came to pass? He wrote all of this so vividly you would have thought he went back and forth in a time machine to tweak history and mess with us!
This was an upsetting book for me, but I had to keep reading. Why anyone reads about vampires and zombies when Nazis in diverse manifestations still roam this earth I have no idea. I imagine there will be a sequel to The Madagaskar Plan, as there were quite a few questions left unanswered, and some people have to pay for their evil.
July 22, 2015
After the fast-paced, straightforward adventure of The Afrika Reich, Guy Saville returns with an epic, widescreen sequel that expands hugely on his alternate world.
In an Africa controlled by Nazi Germany, an ex-British agent discovers his Jewish lover is imprisoned on Madagascar. With the island rebelling, his archenemy pursuing him, and their children missing, he must fight insurmountable odds to rescue her.
More thoughtful, longer and more political than The Afrika Reich, The Madagaskar Plan is an entirely more ambitious novel, with four main characters whose conflicting missions bring them inevitably to a confrontation in Madagascar.
Epic alternate history, and in my opinion, better than The Afrika Reich.
For my in depth review, including a plot synopsis, analysis of the plot, characters and alternate history scenario, see http://graemeshimmin.com/the-madagask...
In an Africa controlled by Nazi Germany, an ex-British agent discovers his Jewish lover is imprisoned on Madagascar. With the island rebelling, his archenemy pursuing him, and their children missing, he must fight insurmountable odds to rescue her.
More thoughtful, longer and more political than The Afrika Reich, The Madagaskar Plan is an entirely more ambitious novel, with four main characters whose conflicting missions bring them inevitably to a confrontation in Madagascar.
Epic alternate history, and in my opinion, better than The Afrika Reich.
For my in depth review, including a plot synopsis, analysis of the plot, characters and alternate history scenario, see http://graemeshimmin.com/the-madagask...
August 17, 2015
Review
This book is set immediately following the events of Afrika Reich, Burton Cole has finally made his way back home after the events in Africa. His revenge against Hochburg unfulfilled, but his goal clear, to find Madeleine and his child, to put Africa and the losses behind him. But life isn’t that fair and isn’t that kind to Burton. Madeleine’s husband isn’t who she thinks he is, and he isn’t as blind to their relationship as either Burton or Madeleine had hoped.
Burton is drawn by life and fate back to Africa, worse than the Kongo ever was he must go to its darkest part, Madagascar, an island converted to a concentration camp to hold the Jews of the world, and to slowly dispose of them away from the eyes or the world. It’s a race for survival and revenge, set against a backdrop of horror and personal darkness.
click link for full blog review
https://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/...
This book is set immediately following the events of Afrika Reich, Burton Cole has finally made his way back home after the events in Africa. His revenge against Hochburg unfulfilled, but his goal clear, to find Madeleine and his child, to put Africa and the losses behind him. But life isn’t that fair and isn’t that kind to Burton. Madeleine’s husband isn’t who she thinks he is, and he isn’t as blind to their relationship as either Burton or Madeleine had hoped.
Burton is drawn by life and fate back to Africa, worse than the Kongo ever was he must go to its darkest part, Madagascar, an island converted to a concentration camp to hold the Jews of the world, and to slowly dispose of them away from the eyes or the world. It’s a race for survival and revenge, set against a backdrop of horror and personal darkness.
click link for full blog review
https://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/...
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May 26, 2018Guy Saville's The Madagaskar Plan imagines a disturbing alternate history in which Nazi victory in World War II brings their "Final Solution" ever closer
The year is 1953. There is peace in Europe, but a victorious Germany consolidates power in Africa. The lynchpin to its final solution is Madagaskar. Hitler has ordered the resettlement of European Jews to the remote island.
British forces conspire to incite colony-wide revolt, resting their hopes on the expertise of Reuben Salois, an escaped leader of Jewish resistance.
Ex-mercenary Burton Cole scours the island for his wife and child. But as chaos descends and the Nazis brutally suppress the nascent insurrection, Cole must decide whether he is master of-or at the mercy of-history.
The Madagaskar Plan is alternate history of the highest order, a thriller of terrifying scope based on the Nazis' actual plans prior to the Holocaust.
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