At World's End: A gripping and heartbreaking post-WWII novel of love, defiance, and impossible choices

by C.K. McAdam

East Germany, 1972. In a divided world, every choice has a cost.
In the shadow of Gisela’s past, another woman’s fate is set in motion. One night. One choice. A lifetime of consequences.
Susanne Schmidt risks everything to slip past the border guards and escape the Communist regime, but when her attempt goes terribly wrong, she loses more than she ever thought possible. Cut off from the man she loves, she quickly learns that in a world ruled by fear, every smile can be a lie and every neighbor a threat.
Sent to her mother-in-law Gisela’s home in the small village of Wallhausen, Susanne is forced to build a life she never wanted under the ever-watchful eye of the Stasi. To protect what little she has left, she must feign loyalty, guard dangerous secrets, and wait for the moment she can finally try again.
But when a new chance at freedom—and a long-awaited reunion—appears on the horizon, Susanne faces an impossible choice: risk the fragile life she has built, or the family she cannot bear to lose.
A gripping and heartbreaking post–World War II novel, At World’s End continues the journey begun in Sky on Fire, where love, defiance, and survival come at a devastating cost. With vivid Cold War detail and a haunting sense of time and place, it is perfect for readers of The Secrets We Kept and A Night Divided.

Genres: Historical Fiction

252 pages, ebook

Published April 28, 2026

About the author

C. K. McAdam writes historical fiction and women's fiction. She holds a Ph.D. in history and literary studies and teaches college. Together with her family, she resides in Texas but hails originally from Germany where she grew up. In her free time, she loves to travel, hike, read historical fiction, play pickleball, spend time with her family, and go on walks with her Corgi Merlin.

Reviews

[Alex Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"East Germany, 1972. In a divided world, every choice has a cost. In the shadow of Gisela’s past, another woman’s fate is set in motion. One night. One choice. A lifetime of consequences. Susanne Schmidt risks everything to slip past the border guards and escape the Communist regime, but when her attempt goes terribly wrong, she loses more than she ever thought possible. Cut off from the man she loves, she quickly learns that in a world ruled by fear, every smile can be a lie and every neighbor a threat."

I truly felt like the author whisked me away to this time period and place (although definitely not somewhere I would have wanted to be in that time, AT ALL), but she just has a way of pulling you into the book! I was literally in a trance the entire time I read it. This is the second in the series, and while I didn't read the first one since this could be read as a standalone, I think reading the first one probably would have helped me just a little bit. (totally not necessary though!)

I feel like I haven't read a lot of historical fiction books where the setting is in East Germany and I feel like you get a sense of what people went through during that time in East Germany, It also reminded me that "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it"...especially in this day and age that we live in, the world is a scary place. East Germany was communist while West was more democratic.
From what I gathered in book one, Gisela is a lot older in book two now, and we are introduced to Susanne and what horrors she had to endure as her husband was on one side of Germany and her on the other.

✨ "A future she had dreamed about lay ahead of her. Her future with Dieter and the twins. In the West. How long she had waited for this moment. How much she had suffered to get here."
✨ "She tightened her grip on the children and forced herself to take that first step toward the gate, toward the man she loved, and toward freedom." 🥹

Read if you LOVE:
📗 historical fiction
❤️ love triumphing over all
👯‍♀️ sisterhood
🇩🇪 germany background

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for my copy of this digital ARC. All opinions are my own and my review reflects as such!

[Marcia Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I raced through the first book in C. K. McAdam’s No Man's Land Series, “Sky on Fire,” in a few hours. I was enthralled from beginning to end and found it literally to be a thrilling page-turner, filled with non-stop action, surprises, and suspense, as well as shocking and disturbing developments. I loved everything about the book and eagerly awaited the second installment. I’m happy to report that my wait has ended and that I was given an advanced reader’s copy of book two, “At World’s End,” by Ms. McAdam and NetGalley. My opinions are voluntary.

I was surprised to discover that the new novel is completely different from it’s predecessor. While “Sky on Fire” is a gripping story about the devastating effects World War II inflicted on regular, every-day German families and towns that lost innumerable lives during the conflict, “At World’s End” is a much more subdued, quiet, plodding telling of one family’s struggle to free itself from the resultant effect of the war when Germany and Berlin were divided between East and West.

The story begins with a young couple’s brazen attempt to flee East Germany by crossing into West Germany in a less guarded and protected area than typical for other areas. However, only the husband successfully climbs the remaining barrier, while his pregnant wife fails to do so and then is caught and imprisoned by East German authorities. The rest of the book is filled with what life is like for the couple on opposite sides of the border—how little communication is possible and how starkly different their living conditions and resources are. Mostly we see how the wife lives and is treated by the authorities and by her friends and neighbors. It’s dark, and it’s dreary. And time seems to move extremely slowly, which I think is the very point Ms. McAdams makes subtly yet eloquently.

Bravo to Ms. McAdams. Another book excellently executed!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

At World's End is another powerful novel by C.K. McAdam, this one set in post-World War II East Germany. (Although it is the second in a series, it could be read as a standalone.) If, like me, you clearly remember when the Berlin Wall was a forbidding reality, this book will bring back dark memories. And, if the Iron Curtain was before your time, this book will transport you into the grim life of those who lived in East Germany.

The author begins this book with this epigraph from Epictetus: "Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else." For most of us, that is all we wish for. Not grand dreams or schemes but just the right to make our own choices, big or small. The author shows us the price that East Germans paid if they managed to escape, and what a momentous decision it must have been, knowing that you'd never see your family and friends again. Near the end of the book, these are Susanne's thoughts: "It was not their friends, family, and jobs they wanted to leave. They had longed for freedom. To work and live wherever they wanted. To travel. To speak their minds freely. Not to be watched by the government. To read and watch whatever they pleased." At World's End reminds us that this is not ancient history and that those of us who live in countries with such privileges must never take them for granted. This is the third book I've read by C.K. McAdam, and each one was excellent. I highly recommend all of them.

[Jamie Cha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I read the authors book The Seamstress of Auschwitz and loved it. I was really looking forward to this book.

I didn't know much about Germany before the wall came down. This book gave me a little background. It's kinda sweet story.

I liked the characters. The characters are likeable and slightly flawed. A good combination.

It took me a little longer than usual to read this book. The book isn't too long and the chapters are not too long.

The story started out slowly for me. The middle got really good. I gained more of an interest. The ending wàs flat for me. I reread the last couple of pages to make sure I didn't miss anything.

I am thankful to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to reading the next book from the author.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful novel about love, yes, but also sense of responsibility in a world of lies, denunciations and lack of freedom, where hope still prevailed. I felt very emotional because of choices to be made, injustice and fear as well. The storyline is powerful, because it illustrates what it really was like in East Germany. It shows what happened if you wanted to defect, then when caught. I could relate to Suzanne, Dieter and Gisela so well! The tension remained till the conclusion I was not sure about till the end....A great novel (which could have been longer though... ). I enjoyed it very much.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

At World's End is the second book in the No Man's Land Series by C. K. McAdam. This series is a saga of sorts. The first book beginning in 1942, with the second book continuing with the same family in a small village in East Germany in 1972. Giselle is now older, and Dieter is grown. Life has not become easier for them, Dieter and Susanne find that the world in which they live is unbearable, seeking to change it they are separated. Gisela is such an unforgettable character, her strength, her stamina, and her determination to be happy in such an unhappy existence. This continues to be an eye-opening series that makes one ponder the different perspectives on life in such a flawed world. At World's End is a book worth reading.

[Maree Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the first book in the No Man's Land series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I was very please to receive an advance copy of this second book in the series.

It was wonderful to meet up with Gisela again, and see how her life has been since we left her.

What a harrowing ordeal Susanne has to endure, being torn away from her husband Dieter, thrown into prison and having to make a deal with the devil to keep her family safe.

I can't wait to read the third book to see where life takes her next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Lindsaywms1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

At World’s End drew me in from the first page. I could not put it down! I was on the edge of my seat as Susanne and Dieter raced for freedom. This book continues the story of Gisela and her family from Sky on Fire, as we learn how Dieter, Susanne, and Gisela navigate post-WW2 Poland. These are stories not often told, hidden behind the Iron Curtain of communism. CK McAdam gives us a glimpse of the challenges and joys of that trying time. At World's End, much like Sky on Fire, also fills the reader with hope. CK McAdam leaves the reader wanting more. I will be on the edge of my seat, waiting for her third book to learn how Susanne, Dieter, Georg, and Gisela navigate their new worlds.

[Aline Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way this book was written. I didn’t know much about the difference between east and West Berlin. Very eye opening. Enjoyed the fictitious story of love, endurance and survival of a young couple trying to escape.

[Edward J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping Cold War Tale of Defiance and Bravery

I really enjoyed this story of one womans story of defiance and yearning for freedom in communist East Germany. Ms McAdam’s storytelling keeps the reader gripped from the first page to the last such that I read it in two days. Highly recommended.