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SS-GB
A special edition of Deighton’s classic thriller, the first and certainly greatest ‘what-if?’ novel about the Second World War, to tie in with the new major BBC series starring Sam Riley and adapted by the writers of Skyfall and Spectre.
In February 1941 British Command surrendered to the Nazis. Churchill has been executed, the King is in the Tower and the SS are in Whitehall…
For nine months Britain has been occupied - a blitzed, depressed and dingy country. However, it’s ‘business as usual’ at Scotland Yard run by the SS when Detective Inspector Archer is assigned to a routine murder case. Life must go on.
But when SS Standartenfuhrer Huth arrives from Berlin with orders from the great Himmler himself to supervise the investigation, the resourceful Archer finds himself caught up in a high level, all action, espionage battle.
In February 1941 British Command surrendered to the Nazis. Churchill has been executed, the King is in the Tower and the SS are in Whitehall…
For nine months Britain has been occupied - a blitzed, depressed and dingy country. However, it’s ‘business as usual’ at Scotland Yard run by the SS when Detective Inspector Archer is assigned to a routine murder case. Life must go on.
But when SS Standartenfuhrer Huth arrives from Berlin with orders from the great Himmler himself to supervise the investigation, the resourceful Archer finds himself caught up in a high level, all action, espionage battle.
377 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
556 people are currently reading
5827 people want to read
About the author
Len Deighton
221 books928 followersDeighton was born in Marylebone, London, in 1929. His father was a chauffeur and mechanic, and his mother was a part-time cook. After leaving school, Deighton worked as a railway clerk before performing his National Service, which he spent as a photographer for the Royal Air Force's Special Investigation Branch. After discharge from the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art in London in 1949, and in 1952 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1955.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
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May 16, 2019
***Now you can watch the series inspired by the book on Starz.***
”In England they’re filled with curiosity and keep asking, ‘Why doesn’t he come?’ Be calm. Be calm. He’s coming! He’s Coming!”
--ADOLF HITLER, September 4th, 1940
The UP YOURS version of the V sign.
Even though I know Hitler never made it to the shores of Britain, I still get a chill just reading those words. Winston Churchill eloquently told the runt corporal in Berlin to bring it on and, when you do come, know that every inch of British soil you take is going to be bathed in German blood.
In Len Deighton’s nightmare novel, the Nazis have won in 1941, before the Americans can decide to quit dithering and come help their brothers and sisters across the sea. It is a chilling thought because it came oh so close to being true.
If not for Churchill, Britain would have capitulated. So in an alternative universe where the Nazi’s do win, what do you suppose is one of the first orders of business once they have taken control of Britain?
They stand that erudite, inspiring man, grinning like a baboon, flashing the V sign for victory, up in front of a firing squad and fill him full of holes. Churchill would be simply too dangerous alive, and he would be damned proud he is too dangerous to be allowed to live.
King George is in the Tower, and fortunately, the Queen and the two princesses escaped to Australia.
It is a bloody mess.
Douglas Archer, Archer of the Yard, is an inspector at Scotland Yard, a near celebrity for the astuteness he has shown for solving cases. His boss is General Fritz Kellerman of the German army. His other boss is SS-Standartenfuhrer Dr. Oskar Huth, who is from Heinrich Himmler’s personal staff. His Detective Sergeant is Harry Woods, a surrogate father who is a member of the resistance. His secretary Sylvia, who he was having a torrid affair with, has disappeared. Archer soon discovers that she too is a member of the resistance.
To say that Archer is at the center of a crossfire is really an understatement. The German Army and the SS are not playing nice. Kellerman and Huth are tugging and pulling him in opposite directions, and both want his complete loyalty. They don’t really have anyone to fight so why not fight each other. The resistance insists that Archer needs to join them or be considered a German sympathizer. Archer believes the only way he can help his British people at all is to keep solving crimes and find a way to work with the Germans so he can keep doing his job.
Who will be the winning side in the war after the war?
”’It was easy to see the Nazis would win,’ said Huth. ‘The Nazis were the only ones with the brains and determination. And the only ones with the organisation. I like winners, Archer. Nazis are winners, Archer, don’t be tempted into working against them.’
Douglas nodded.”
When his son Douggie is threatened, he knows that his days being able to tightrope between the conquerors and the resistance is coming to an end.
A group of aristocracy have approached Archer with a plan to liberate the king. Meanwhile, he is investigating the murder of an antiques dealer who appears to be much, much more than what his identity papers would presume. A sultry American reporter, providing quite the distraction for Archer, is mixed up in the intrigue and the murder. Archer soon realizes that everything is connected, and that every side is insisting that it is impossible for him to remain neutral.
SS-Huth is always kind enough to explain to Archer what the penalties are for any infractions against the SS.
”’Would the shooting or the hanging come first?’ said Douglas.
‘We must always leave something for the jury to decide,’ said Huth.”
The shocking, unexpected conclusion adds one last layer of tantalizing betrayal.
Sam Riley is Douglas Archer
The TV series is following the book very closely. Much of the dialogue is lifted right from the book. I watched two episodes before I realized that I’d never read the book, so I postponed watching the rest of the series until I could finish the book. The actor, Sam Riley, who plays Archer looks like he was born to wear the noir shades of blue, black, and gray. His raspy voice adds extra nuance to everything he says. Kate Bosworth plays the distracting American reporter and proves to be a beautiful distraction for all of us.
If you want more alternative history, pair this book with Fatherland by Robert Harris.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
”In England they’re filled with curiosity and keep asking, ‘Why doesn’t he come?’ Be calm. Be calm. He’s coming! He’s Coming!”
--ADOLF HITLER, September 4th, 1940
The UP YOURS version of the V sign.
Even though I know Hitler never made it to the shores of Britain, I still get a chill just reading those words. Winston Churchill eloquently told the runt corporal in Berlin to bring it on and, when you do come, know that every inch of British soil you take is going to be bathed in German blood.
In Len Deighton’s nightmare novel, the Nazis have won in 1941, before the Americans can decide to quit dithering and come help their brothers and sisters across the sea. It is a chilling thought because it came oh so close to being true.
If not for Churchill, Britain would have capitulated. So in an alternative universe where the Nazi’s do win, what do you suppose is one of the first orders of business once they have taken control of Britain?
They stand that erudite, inspiring man, grinning like a baboon, flashing the V sign for victory, up in front of a firing squad and fill him full of holes. Churchill would be simply too dangerous alive, and he would be damned proud he is too dangerous to be allowed to live.
King George is in the Tower, and fortunately, the Queen and the two princesses escaped to Australia.
It is a bloody mess.
Douglas Archer, Archer of the Yard, is an inspector at Scotland Yard, a near celebrity for the astuteness he has shown for solving cases. His boss is General Fritz Kellerman of the German army. His other boss is SS-Standartenfuhrer Dr. Oskar Huth, who is from Heinrich Himmler’s personal staff. His Detective Sergeant is Harry Woods, a surrogate father who is a member of the resistance. His secretary Sylvia, who he was having a torrid affair with, has disappeared. Archer soon discovers that she too is a member of the resistance.
To say that Archer is at the center of a crossfire is really an understatement. The German Army and the SS are not playing nice. Kellerman and Huth are tugging and pulling him in opposite directions, and both want his complete loyalty. They don’t really have anyone to fight so why not fight each other. The resistance insists that Archer needs to join them or be considered a German sympathizer. Archer believes the only way he can help his British people at all is to keep solving crimes and find a way to work with the Germans so he can keep doing his job.
Who will be the winning side in the war after the war?
”’It was easy to see the Nazis would win,’ said Huth. ‘The Nazis were the only ones with the brains and determination. And the only ones with the organisation. I like winners, Archer. Nazis are winners, Archer, don’t be tempted into working against them.’
Douglas nodded.”
When his son Douggie is threatened, he knows that his days being able to tightrope between the conquerors and the resistance is coming to an end.
A group of aristocracy have approached Archer with a plan to liberate the king. Meanwhile, he is investigating the murder of an antiques dealer who appears to be much, much more than what his identity papers would presume. A sultry American reporter, providing quite the distraction for Archer, is mixed up in the intrigue and the murder. Archer soon realizes that everything is connected, and that every side is insisting that it is impossible for him to remain neutral.
SS-Huth is always kind enough to explain to Archer what the penalties are for any infractions against the SS.
”’Would the shooting or the hanging come first?’ said Douglas.
‘We must always leave something for the jury to decide,’ said Huth.”
The shocking, unexpected conclusion adds one last layer of tantalizing betrayal.
Sam Riley is Douglas Archer
The TV series is following the book very closely. Much of the dialogue is lifted right from the book. I watched two episodes before I realized that I’d never read the book, so I postponed watching the rest of the series until I could finish the book. The actor, Sam Riley, who plays Archer looks like he was born to wear the noir shades of blue, black, and gray. His raspy voice adds extra nuance to everything he says. Kate Bosworth plays the distracting American reporter and proves to be a beautiful distraction for all of us.
If you want more alternative history, pair this book with Fatherland by Robert Harris.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
May 31, 2021
In 2012 we are swamped with alternative history novels and/or series. In my opinion what was once a fun little genre has become overloaded and overdone. It's become commercialized and much of the fun has been sucked out as a result. Of course the other possibility is that I've just gotten older and my tastes have changed. Whatever the reason for my feelings regarding the AH genre I do still enjoy the occasional foray into the field. SS-GB was one of the first AH novels that I ever read and it was also one of the first AH novels to enjoy "mainstream" popularity. Not the first, but one of the first.
By 1979 Len Deighton was a well known author of both fiction (primarily espionage novels) and non-fiction (World War II). Many of his books had been best-sellers since his first book The Ipcress File was published in 1962, but SS-GB was a change of pace for him.I have no doubt it's popularity helped to spur on writers like Harry Turtledove and S.M. Stirling in their AH endeavors as well. Additionally Robert Harris's well known 1992 novel Fatherland owes much to this novel.
After twenty-two years I read SS-GB again. I have recently read a couple of Deighton's earlier spy novels from the sixties and I wanted to see how the novel had aged. I'm pleased to say that it's held up very well. Deighton wrote a murder mystery/espionage novel set in Nazi occupied Britain 1941. A careful researcher Deighton makes the setting of the novel feel real. There are no over the top super charged heroics.Our hero (like previous Deighton protagonists) is more of an observer of events - though he does get involved near the end.In other words Deighton wrote a classic British mystery novel.........only with Nazi's running around in an England that is now controlled by them.
It's a good read. It's biggest achievement is showing that ,even in a conquered Britain, life goes on and our hero has a murder investigation to work. He's a professional and he's going to do his job. Unlike authors who came later to the AH field Deighton had no political knives to sharpen with this story. He wasn't out to show how this world (his world) would have been so much better if only events (or political doctrines) had happened differently. Say like The Probability Broach by L. Neil Smith which is just a political tract in the guise of a novel. It's an easy novel to find and I say give it a try. If you like classic British mystery stories you'll like this one and if you do enjoy Alternative History books you'll want to read SS-GB if for no other reason than it was one of the first AH novels to enjoy mainstream popularity. That makes it something special.
By 1979 Len Deighton was a well known author of both fiction (primarily espionage novels) and non-fiction (World War II). Many of his books had been best-sellers since his first book The Ipcress File was published in 1962, but SS-GB was a change of pace for him.I have no doubt it's popularity helped to spur on writers like Harry Turtledove and S.M. Stirling in their AH endeavors as well. Additionally Robert Harris's well known 1992 novel Fatherland owes much to this novel.
After twenty-two years I read SS-GB again. I have recently read a couple of Deighton's earlier spy novels from the sixties and I wanted to see how the novel had aged. I'm pleased to say that it's held up very well. Deighton wrote a murder mystery/espionage novel set in Nazi occupied Britain 1941. A careful researcher Deighton makes the setting of the novel feel real. There are no over the top super charged heroics.Our hero (like previous Deighton protagonists) is more of an observer of events - though he does get involved near the end.In other words Deighton wrote a classic British mystery novel.........only with Nazi's running around in an England that is now controlled by them.
It's a good read. It's biggest achievement is showing that ,even in a conquered Britain, life goes on and our hero has a murder investigation to work. He's a professional and he's going to do his job. Unlike authors who came later to the AH field Deighton had no political knives to sharpen with this story. He wasn't out to show how this world (his world) would have been so much better if only events (or political doctrines) had happened differently. Say like The Probability Broach by L. Neil Smith which is just a political tract in the guise of a novel. It's an easy novel to find and I say give it a try. If you like classic British mystery stories you'll like this one and if you do enjoy Alternative History books you'll want to read SS-GB if for no other reason than it was one of the first AH novels to enjoy mainstream popularity. That makes it something special.
March 5, 2017
I have been watching the new BBC series SS-GB (of this Len Deighton 1978 book). It's been almost 40 years since I read the book, but I do remember The Horror it engendered in me.
The TV series atmosphere is very claustrophobic, frightening and surreal. We came so close to this reality. "The Few" who repeatedly frustrated the Germans in the Battle of Britain were surely and forever recognized by Churchill's "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
If any young people doubt this, SS-GB will be a terrifying wakeup call.
The TV series atmosphere is very claustrophobic, frightening and surreal. We came so close to this reality. "The Few" who repeatedly frustrated the Germans in the Battle of Britain were surely and forever recognized by Churchill's "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
If any young people doubt this, SS-GB will be a terrifying wakeup call.
March 19, 2017
Description: It’s 1941, the Luftwaffe have defeated the RAF in the Battle of Britain, and Hitler’s Wehrmacht have conquered Southern England. Winston Churchill has been executed, King George VI has been imprisoned in the Tower of London, and Swastika banners adorn the bombed out ruins of Buckingham Palace. Tyranny has triumphed. The Nazis have won.
That’s the fascinating premise of Len Deighton’s counterfactual novel, SS-GB, and now, some forty years since he wrote it, it’s been adapted for TV. As this lavish five part series begins transmission, I spoke to executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle about the challenges of bringing Deighton’s classic thriller to the small screen. source
Don't kid yourself: if the Nazis had occupied Britain, they would have found many willing collaborators source
CR SS-GB
3* The Ipcress File
TR Winter
May 11, 2019
What If?
Germany had won World War Two,
Great Britain occupied,
The King a prisoner,
America is only fighting Japan,
British police investigate murders,
And who has the plans for an atomic bomb!
Alternative history at its best.
Too close to the top
Douglas’s imagination raced ahead, to wonder if the crime might have been committed by some high-ranking Nazi, or a relative, associate or mistress of such a person. ‘Is there a theory about who the killer might be?’
‘You find the killer, that’s all,’ said Huth.
‘But why this particular crime?’ persisted Douglas.
‘Because it’s there,’ said Huth wearily. ‘That should be enough for an Englishman surely.’
A mysterious death
‘Epidemic?’ said Sir John. ‘Contagious disease? Virus? Plague? Pestilence?’ His voice rose a fraction. ‘You mean you’ve seen something like this before?’
‘Some of my staff have seen something like this before,’ admitted Huth. ‘As for plague and pestilence, we’re dealing with something that could prove so deadly that not even the Black Death would compare with the consequences – at least, that’s what my experts tell me.’
Which punishment first?
‘Any breach of this instruction,’ said Huth, ‘is not only a capital offence under section 134 of the Military Orders of the Commander-in-Chief Great Britain, for which the penalty is a firing squad, but also a capital offence under section 11 of your own Emergency Powers (German Occupation) Act 1941, for which they hang offenders at Wandsworth Prison.’
‘Would the shooting or the hanging come first?’ said Douglas.
‘We must always leave something for the jury to decide,’ said Huth.
The SS and the German army disagree on who should guard the British King, now a prisoner in the Tower of London.
And Douglas Archer is discovering a plan to rescue him...
Plans within plans and who is trusting who?
A great "what if" story that lets the reader guess at the sequel.
Enjoy!
Germany had won World War Two,
Great Britain occupied,
The King a prisoner,
America is only fighting Japan,
British police investigate murders,
And who has the plans for an atomic bomb!
Alternative history at its best.
Too close to the top
Douglas’s imagination raced ahead, to wonder if the crime might have been committed by some high-ranking Nazi, or a relative, associate or mistress of such a person. ‘Is there a theory about who the killer might be?’
‘You find the killer, that’s all,’ said Huth.
‘But why this particular crime?’ persisted Douglas.
‘Because it’s there,’ said Huth wearily. ‘That should be enough for an Englishman surely.’
A mysterious death
‘Epidemic?’ said Sir John. ‘Contagious disease? Virus? Plague? Pestilence?’ His voice rose a fraction. ‘You mean you’ve seen something like this before?’
‘Some of my staff have seen something like this before,’ admitted Huth. ‘As for plague and pestilence, we’re dealing with something that could prove so deadly that not even the Black Death would compare with the consequences – at least, that’s what my experts tell me.’
Which punishment first?
‘Any breach of this instruction,’ said Huth, ‘is not only a capital offence under section 134 of the Military Orders of the Commander-in-Chief Great Britain, for which the penalty is a firing squad, but also a capital offence under section 11 of your own Emergency Powers (German Occupation) Act 1941, for which they hang offenders at Wandsworth Prison.’
‘Would the shooting or the hanging come first?’ said Douglas.
‘We must always leave something for the jury to decide,’ said Huth.
The SS and the German army disagree on who should guard the British King, now a prisoner in the Tower of London.
And Douglas Archer is discovering a plan to rescue him...
Plans within plans and who is trusting who?
A great "what if" story that lets the reader guess at the sequel.
Enjoy!
August 28, 2023
2 stars (DNFed at 64%)
An oddly blurry, non-atmospheric and largely unsatisfying alternate history "thriller" written in the '70s on the premise of "What if Hitler had managed to take the UK?".
Interesting idea, but the dialogue is often opaque and tedious, the murder investigations difficult to follow, the action sometimes only sketchily described, and the stakes laughably low. Great, detailed descriptions of room interiors -- the rest of London might as well not exist.
As for characters, the English police are distant and unforgivably dull. "Archer of The Yard" is for all intents and purposes an AI police robot in human form, just without the warmth and charm one associates with robots.
As for secondary characters, the inclusion of Barbara, the American love interest, is as annoyingly sexist -- even allowing for '70s standards-- as it is superfluous and disinterested. (The one "love" scene is done so sketchily that it reads like date rape...but no, she *wanted* him to grab and grope her like that, no really...okay, next morning...)
The one very positive thing I can say about the story is that Deighton did the German characters far better than any of the English. He portrays them as individuals, and that rather well, which is surprising.
All-in-all, however, I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it.
An oddly blurry, non-atmospheric and largely unsatisfying alternate history "thriller" written in the '70s on the premise of "What if Hitler had managed to take the UK?".
Interesting idea, but the dialogue is often opaque and tedious, the murder investigations difficult to follow, the action sometimes only sketchily described, and the stakes laughably low. Great, detailed descriptions of room interiors -- the rest of London might as well not exist.
As for characters, the English police are distant and unforgivably dull. "Archer of The Yard" is for all intents and purposes an AI police robot in human form, just without the warmth and charm one associates with robots.
As for secondary characters, the inclusion of Barbara, the American love interest, is as annoyingly sexist -- even allowing for '70s standards-- as it is superfluous and disinterested. (The one "love" scene is done so sketchily that it reads like date rape...but no, she *wanted* him to grab and grope her like that, no really...okay, next morning...)
The one very positive thing I can say about the story is that Deighton did the German characters far better than any of the English. He portrays them as individuals, and that rather well, which is surprising.
All-in-all, however, I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it.
November 26, 2020
An alternative history novel. The U.S. never became engaged in WWII, Great Britain has surrendered to Germany, the King is imprisoned , Churchill was executed and the English are learning to live under German occupation.
Douglas Archer is a Superintendent Detective in Scotland Yard and has found a way to keep his head down and keep working his job while reporting German authority. He and his Sergeant, Harry Woods, are a "murder team", have been together for years but don't quite see eye to eye about working for the occupiers. They begin to investigate a murder which becomes much more complicated as they get pulled into a labyrinth of plots involving A-bomb research, English resistance cells, competition between German parties and rescuing the King. Quite a lot going on but paced well and kept one guessing to what the end game really was. At times I felt like the I had to take on the x-files warning of "trust no one" as the web became more tangled.
Douglas Archer is a Superintendent Detective in Scotland Yard and has found a way to keep his head down and keep working his job while reporting German authority. He and his Sergeant, Harry Woods, are a "murder team", have been together for years but don't quite see eye to eye about working for the occupiers. They begin to investigate a murder which becomes much more complicated as they get pulled into a labyrinth of plots involving A-bomb research, English resistance cells, competition between German parties and rescuing the King. Quite a lot going on but paced well and kept one guessing to what the end game really was. At times I felt like the I had to take on the x-files warning of "trust no one" as the web became more tangled.
April 20, 2017
In the literature of alternate history, Nazi Germany often wins World War II. Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle, Fatherland by Robert Harris, and Jo Walton’s Farthing Trilogy (Farthing, Ha’penny, and Half a Crown, all reviewed here) are prominent examples. There are many others, of which the one I’ve read most recently is SS-GB by the British thriller writer Len Deighton.
A favorite theme in alternate history
It’s November 1941. World War II ended in Europe on February 19 when Great Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany. A puppet Prime Minister has replaced Winston Churchill, who is imprisoned in Germany. King George VI is being held in the Tower of London. Jews have been rounded up and sent “to the notorious concentration camp at Wenlock Edge.” A curfew is in effect in London. Rationing is severe throughout the occupied zone. Thousands of British soldiers are being held in POW camps or in forced labor camps on the Continent. Everywhere, there are “signs of battle damage unrepaired from the street fighting of the previous winter. Shell craters, and heaped rubble, were marked only by yellow tapes, soiled and drooping between roughly made stakes.”
At Scotland Yard, Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer reports to SS General Fritz Kellerman, “whose police powers extended over the whole country.” The Superintendent is “Archer of the Yard,” “the Sherlock Holmes of the 1940s.” He’s the country’s most famous detective because of his success in closing several high-profile murder cases. Archer and “the other half of the murder team,” Sergeant Harry Woods, are investigating a mysterious murder when they receive word that an SS Colonel is coming from Germany under express orders from Reichsfürer Heinrich Himmler to take over the case. Archer will now report to the new man, Dr. Oskar Huth. Huth lives up to the reputation of the SS for arrogance and ruthlessness. As the story advances, the murder case becomes fraught with connections to high-level intrigue. Archer, Huth, and Kellerman warily circle around each other in a high-stakes game that puts all their careers—and their lives—at risk.
Resistance is widespread
Meanwhile, Resistance to the German occupation is growing. As one woman remarks to Archer, “‘In the towns it’s just bombs and murdering German soldiers. In the country districts there are bigger groups, who ambush German motorized patrols . . . ‘” But Resistance is underway at a much higher level: senior British officials in the puppet government are plotting to release the King from the Tower and spirit him off to the United States, where he can lead an eventual effort to bring the Nazis to account. Archer discovers that his seemingly straightforward murder investigation is closely related to this plot—and he becomes deeply involved in the dangerous action that follows.
Not only did Deighton live through World War II as a teenager—he was born in 1929—he thoroughly researched this topic. SS-GB is alternate history of the first rank.
About the author
Len Deighton is often ranked with John le Carre and Ian Fleming in the pantheon of spy novelists. His most familiar books include The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and the Samson series (Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match, and subsequent novels). At this writing, he is 88 years old.
A favorite theme in alternate history
It’s November 1941. World War II ended in Europe on February 19 when Great Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany. A puppet Prime Minister has replaced Winston Churchill, who is imprisoned in Germany. King George VI is being held in the Tower of London. Jews have been rounded up and sent “to the notorious concentration camp at Wenlock Edge.” A curfew is in effect in London. Rationing is severe throughout the occupied zone. Thousands of British soldiers are being held in POW camps or in forced labor camps on the Continent. Everywhere, there are “signs of battle damage unrepaired from the street fighting of the previous winter. Shell craters, and heaped rubble, were marked only by yellow tapes, soiled and drooping between roughly made stakes.”
At Scotland Yard, Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer reports to SS General Fritz Kellerman, “whose police powers extended over the whole country.” The Superintendent is “Archer of the Yard,” “the Sherlock Holmes of the 1940s.” He’s the country’s most famous detective because of his success in closing several high-profile murder cases. Archer and “the other half of the murder team,” Sergeant Harry Woods, are investigating a mysterious murder when they receive word that an SS Colonel is coming from Germany under express orders from Reichsfürer Heinrich Himmler to take over the case. Archer will now report to the new man, Dr. Oskar Huth. Huth lives up to the reputation of the SS for arrogance and ruthlessness. As the story advances, the murder case becomes fraught with connections to high-level intrigue. Archer, Huth, and Kellerman warily circle around each other in a high-stakes game that puts all their careers—and their lives—at risk.
Resistance is widespread
Meanwhile, Resistance to the German occupation is growing. As one woman remarks to Archer, “‘In the towns it’s just bombs and murdering German soldiers. In the country districts there are bigger groups, who ambush German motorized patrols . . . ‘” But Resistance is underway at a much higher level: senior British officials in the puppet government are plotting to release the King from the Tower and spirit him off to the United States, where he can lead an eventual effort to bring the Nazis to account. Archer discovers that his seemingly straightforward murder investigation is closely related to this plot—and he becomes deeply involved in the dangerous action that follows.
Not only did Deighton live through World War II as a teenager—he was born in 1929—he thoroughly researched this topic. SS-GB is alternate history of the first rank.
About the author
Len Deighton is often ranked with John le Carre and Ian Fleming in the pantheon of spy novelists. His most familiar books include The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and the Samson series (Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match, and subsequent novels). At this writing, he is 88 years old.
January 17, 2020
-Ucronía como excusa en el seno de una policiaca de toda la vida.-
Género. Novela (con un punto de partida fantástico, eso sí).
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro SS-GB (publicación original: SS-GB, 1978) nos traslada a la Inglaterra de finales de 1941, pero a una Inglaterra ocupada por los alemanes desde hace varios meses tras una exitosa operación León Marino durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La administración británica está bajo control alemán y Scotland Yard no es la excepción. Uno de sus policías, el detective Douglas Archer, comienza a investigar un crimen y, de inmediato, recibe la notificación de que el SS Standartenführer Oskar Huth, alto cargo de la Oficina de Seguridad de Himmler, volará desde Berlín para encargarse de la investigación.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Novela (con un punto de partida fantástico, eso sí).
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro SS-GB (publicación original: SS-GB, 1978) nos traslada a la Inglaterra de finales de 1941, pero a una Inglaterra ocupada por los alemanes desde hace varios meses tras una exitosa operación León Marino durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La administración británica está bajo control alemán y Scotland Yard no es la excepción. Uno de sus policías, el detective Douglas Archer, comienza a investigar un crimen y, de inmediato, recibe la notificación de que el SS Standartenführer Oskar Huth, alto cargo de la Oficina de Seguridad de Himmler, volará desde Berlín para encargarse de la investigación.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
October 25, 2016
Whilst I enjoyed the alternative history set up of SS-GB, I feel Deighton failed to capitalise on it and instead created a look-warm and frankly humdrum account of a Nazi Britain. The story is at times, very good, but the majority of the book is boring, full of needless talking and jargon. In SS-GB Deighton has managed to create one of the least thrilling thrillers I've read in a long time. The original murder that Archer is trying to solve is mostly forgotten amongst bureaucratic jargon and a needlessly in depth investigation into the structure of the German army. The main focus of the book is all over the place and it is then all rounded up in a rushed and bare-bones final few pages which reveal everything - but by this point its difficult to care.
January 26, 2016
majstor ostaje majstor, ma o čemu pisao. Deighton je maestralno spojio svoju vještinu pisanja političkih trilera i svoje znanje povijesti drugog svjetskog rata u uzbudljivu knjigu iz žanra 'kako je moglo biti', i kako u posebnim okolnostima nešto tako banalno kao što je istraga ubojstva može posati...posebno. Kraj me pomalo iznenadio, i zbog osjećaja koji ostavlja smanjio ocjenu za jednu zvjezdicu.
vidjet ćemo što će BBC napraviti od toga svega...
vidjet ćemo što će BBC napraviti od toga svega...
August 4, 2021
UPDATE: Just finished the very good 2017 BBC "SS-GB" miniseries, available on Hoopla, which may or may not be available through your library. Don't remember how the book ends, so can't vouch for how closely this follows the original, but it was well worth the 4.5 hour investment, even if it did sometimes proceed at the slower pace of most all BBC productions.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: One of the earlier and still best examples of "alternate World War II fiction," and a direct predecessor of such later books as Robert Harris' Fatherland, (as well as a linear descendant of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle). I'm tempted to say I liked this better than Fatherland, but I just reread my review of that and apparently I really liked that one too.
The plot of SS-GB is considerably more complicated (i.e., confusing) than Fatherland, but I found the premise more intriguing. Fatherland is a more conventional mystery set in a 1964 Germany that now controls all of Europe, and features a disillusioned German detective, à la Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko. However, SS-GB takes place in Nazi-controlled 1941 London and stars a British detective who is forced to work with his new German masters, and who becomes a pawn in the various German Army-SS rivalries.
(SPOILER): Both books involve neat additional twists on history - Fatherland's detective is trying to expose the Holocaust, which in this story is still a well-kept German secret; while SS-GB involves Germany's attempt to develop an atomic bomb, which they could then use to invade America. (END SPOILER)
In any case, I highly recommend both books to any fan of either WWII or alternate history fiction. In fact, thinking about it now both books could probably exist in the same alternate universe, just set 23 years apart - an interesting if depressing prospect.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: One of the earlier and still best examples of "alternate World War II fiction," and a direct predecessor of such later books as Robert Harris' Fatherland, (as well as a linear descendant of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle). I'm tempted to say I liked this better than Fatherland, but I just reread my review of that and apparently I really liked that one too.
The plot of SS-GB is considerably more complicated (i.e., confusing) than Fatherland, but I found the premise more intriguing. Fatherland is a more conventional mystery set in a 1964 Germany that now controls all of Europe, and features a disillusioned German detective, à la Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko. However, SS-GB takes place in Nazi-controlled 1941 London and stars a British detective who is forced to work with his new German masters, and who becomes a pawn in the various German Army-SS rivalries.
(SPOILER): Both books involve neat additional twists on history - Fatherland's detective is trying to expose the Holocaust, which in this story is still a well-kept German secret; while SS-GB involves Germany's attempt to develop an atomic bomb, which they could then use to invade America. (END SPOILER)
In any case, I highly recommend both books to any fan of either WWII or alternate history fiction. In fact, thinking about it now both books could probably exist in the same alternate universe, just set 23 years apart - an interesting if depressing prospect.
May 11, 2019
I picked this up on a whim, having heard Deighton described as a master of the understated spy thriller. This is all that, and more. Even in alt-hist Nazi occupied England, people are shot and murders have to be investigated. But this being an espionage novel, nothing is simple, and our protagonist, Douglas Archer, finds himself drawn into a deadly web of intrigue between factions in the SS, Wehrmacht, and the struggling British Resistance.
The characters and plot are nothing that stands out, but that's all part of the subtle English charm of the book. It is a very, very gray novel. Even the Nazis refuse to be cast as genocidal monsters; merely self-interested conquerors who are taking advantage of the moment to loot everything not nailed down. And of course, there is little honor or glory in collaboration--even collaboration which might soften the iron grip of the Third Reich.
And as for the setting, it's great alternate history. It skips the part when Operation Sea Lion works (military history consensus: lol, nope), to focus on the bitter aftermath of life under occupation, and trying to salvage some sort of dignity from the wreckage of defeat. Great book, lots of fun, if that level of grimness is your thing.
The characters and plot are nothing that stands out, but that's all part of the subtle English charm of the book. It is a very, very gray novel. Even the Nazis refuse to be cast as genocidal monsters; merely self-interested conquerors who are taking advantage of the moment to loot everything not nailed down. And of course, there is little honor or glory in collaboration--even collaboration which might soften the iron grip of the Third Reich.
And as for the setting, it's great alternate history. It skips the part when Operation Sea Lion works (military history consensus: lol, nope), to focus on the bitter aftermath of life under occupation, and trying to salvage some sort of dignity from the wreckage of defeat. Great book, lots of fun, if that level of grimness is your thing.
March 20, 2017
Drama series based on the novel by Len Deighton. It is 1941, and the Germans have won the Battle of Britain. Detective Douglas Archer finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London.
Episode 1 of 5
It is 1941 and the Germans have won the Battle of Britain. Detective Douglas Archer finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London. Archer investigates the murder of a black marketeer. When the glamorous US journalist Barbara Barga is spotted at the scene of the crime, Archer's gut feeling that this crime is far bigger than it would at first seem is confirmed, and he soon finds himself embroiled in a deadly plot.
Episode 2 of 5
An unexpected meeting with Himmler and Huth's boss, Professor Springer, underlines to Archer why the SS so desperately needs to track down the elusive Dr John Spode. When Archer finds himself unwillingly dragged into the resistance's plans, Huth endeavours to swing Archer's allegiance to the SS cause. Whose side will Archer choose?
Episode 3 of 5
Finding the missing atomic bomb documents becomes Archer's main priority as he frantically tries to track down the elusive Dr John Spode. Still a target for the Resistance, Archer faces a fatal tussle on the underground and a deadly explosion at Highgate Cemetery.
Episode 4 of 5
With the army imposing martial law and a rounding-up of Resistance members, Archer faces life-changing decisions.
Episode 5 of 5
Archer and Harry attempt to drive the king out of London, but things do not go to plan and Sylvia becomes an unlikely ally. Following a rough interrogation with a badly shaken Barbara Barga, Kellermann is hot on Archer's heels.
With Huth desperate for the atomic secrets, will the showdown at Bringle Sands end in triumph for Archer and the Resistance or will Kellermann have the last laugh?
Episode 1 of 5
It is 1941 and the Germans have won the Battle of Britain. Detective Douglas Archer finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London. Archer investigates the murder of a black marketeer. When the glamorous US journalist Barbara Barga is spotted at the scene of the crime, Archer's gut feeling that this crime is far bigger than it would at first seem is confirmed, and he soon finds himself embroiled in a deadly plot.
Episode 2 of 5
An unexpected meeting with Himmler and Huth's boss, Professor Springer, underlines to Archer why the SS so desperately needs to track down the elusive Dr John Spode. When Archer finds himself unwillingly dragged into the resistance's plans, Huth endeavours to swing Archer's allegiance to the SS cause. Whose side will Archer choose?
Episode 3 of 5
Finding the missing atomic bomb documents becomes Archer's main priority as he frantically tries to track down the elusive Dr John Spode. Still a target for the Resistance, Archer faces a fatal tussle on the underground and a deadly explosion at Highgate Cemetery.
Episode 4 of 5
With the army imposing martial law and a rounding-up of Resistance members, Archer faces life-changing decisions.
Episode 5 of 5
Archer and Harry attempt to drive the king out of London, but things do not go to plan and Sylvia becomes an unlikely ally. Following a rough interrogation with a badly shaken Barbara Barga, Kellermann is hot on Archer's heels.
With Huth desperate for the atomic secrets, will the showdown at Bringle Sands end in triumph for Archer and the Resistance or will Kellermann have the last laugh?
February 12, 2024
Not bad. Bit slow and dreary throughout but had a good unexpected ending.
June 27, 2018
I become aware of SS-GB due to the forthcoming BBC adaptation, an alternative history set during the Nazi occupation of Britain.
I’m a big of alternative history, so had to pick up the book.
I felt it was an enjoyable read, very well written and had some great ideas.
It didn’t fully engage me as much as I’d hoped.
I’m glad that I’ve read it, but probably won’t watch the 6 part miniseries now.
I’m a big of alternative history, so had to pick up the book.
I felt it was an enjoyable read, very well written and had some great ideas.
It didn’t fully engage me as much as I’d hoped.
I’m glad that I’ve read it, but probably won’t watch the 6 part miniseries now.
May 21, 2017
This book turned out better than I thought it would be. My youngest brother had it on his shelf, which inspired me to read it. That, and my finding out it was an 'alternate history' tale about what happens after Germany wins its invasion of the British Isles in 1940. Although it moved at a 'slower pace' than many novels due to today, it still held my interest throughout the entire book. Having said that, I did not have any problems putting the book down until toward the end.
The story starts out as a murder mystery, but expands into internecine struggle[s] well as international politics. A man is found dead and superficial evidence points to it possibly being a black market deal gone awry. However, upon deeper investigation, discoveries are made that suggest the man was murdered involved in some sort of espionage. I thought this part of the book was well-done, how it moved from the murder-mystery at the local level to a broader mystery that threatened the relative stability of the German occupation of England.
I thought the character development was decent, I guess. I could not quite decide if the ‘main character’ [Douglas Archer] is a neutral party, a collaborator, or a ‘patriot’ in sheep’s clothing. I still cannot quite decide what the man is. I know at the end of the book he appears to finally decide ‘where he stands’, but I am still not 100% certain of his motivations. Oskar Huth was an ‘interesting’ antagonist, I guess. He is an SS officer with his own motivations who was brought in to investigate the murdered man. He seemed to take an interest in Archer to the point of protecting Archer from some bad decisions as well as offering Archer a place on his [Huth’s] staff. Fritz Kellerman is the man in charge of occupied-England, and he wishes to see what he sees as stains on the German Army’s honor removed as well as to maintain his ‘kingdom’ in England.
There is the prerequisite female love interest – two actually. One, who is no longer a lover, and one who is an exotic American woman that manages to steal Archer’s heart. I am not quite sure how or why Archer ‘fell in love’ with Barbara Barga; there is nothing in the book to indicate the ‘root cause’ for this ‘deep love’ for each other. I know there are people who met and knew each other briefly in WWII before they were married [and whose marriages lasted a lifetime], but this ‘relationship’ in the book made no sense whatsoever .
To be honest, I did not care about any of the ‘main’ characters. I cared more about the background characters, the peripherals. I cared more for the citizens and what they were going through under the German occupation. There are mentions made throughout the course of the book about mass arrests, about men, women, and children being executed on the basis of nothing more than mere suspicion of wrong doing. The Germans were portrayed as both benevolent conquerors and as monsters – you never quite knew what you would be facing on any given moment. .
Archer had a hard road to walk. He attempted to do his job as a police officer, as a detective and solving crimes. However, this meant working with the Germans, and that obviously put him at odds with the general population who opposed the Germans being there in England. I think the book brought to light how hard it could be for a man who saw himself as honorable and wanting to make a difference in a very difficult situation. I do not know what it is like to exist under an occupying force that will execute as easily as let you live; I cannot adequately imagine how hard that must have been.
There is a ‘scene’ in the beginning of the book that plays a ‘minor’ part at the end of the book. It made me wonder if there were more ‘smaller’ scenes that took place in the early part of the book that show up later in the book [regardless of the level of ‘significance’] that I may have missed.
It is kind of funny, but it never hit me until I actually started reading the book that the title might be referring to England [GB] as being occupied by the Germans [SS]. Yeah, sometimes I am pretty darn slow on the uptake.
Overall, it was an interesting book. It might have moved ‘slow’ at times, but it still held my interest throughout most of the tale. I do not know if I will ever read it again, but I still enjoyed it.
The story starts out as a murder mystery, but expands into internecine struggle[s] well as international politics. A man is found dead and superficial evidence points to it possibly being a black market deal gone awry. However, upon deeper investigation, discoveries are made that suggest the man was murdered involved in some sort of espionage. I thought this part of the book was well-done, how it moved from the murder-mystery at the local level to a broader mystery that threatened the relative stability of the German occupation of England.
I thought the character development was decent, I guess. I could not quite decide if the ‘main character’ [Douglas Archer] is a neutral party, a collaborator, or a ‘patriot’ in sheep’s clothing. I still cannot quite decide what the man is. I know at the end of the book he appears to finally decide ‘where he stands’, but I am still not 100% certain of his motivations. Oskar Huth was an ‘interesting’ antagonist, I guess. He is an SS officer with his own motivations who was brought in to investigate the murdered man. He seemed to take an interest in Archer to the point of protecting Archer from some bad decisions as well as offering Archer a place on his [Huth’s] staff. Fritz Kellerman is the man in charge of occupied-England, and he wishes to see what he sees as stains on the German Army’s honor removed as well as to maintain his ‘kingdom’ in England.
There is the prerequisite female love interest – two actually. One, who is no longer a lover, and one who is an exotic American woman that manages to steal Archer’s heart. I am not quite sure how or why Archer ‘fell in love’ with Barbara Barga; there is nothing in the book to indicate the ‘root cause’ for this ‘deep love’ for each other. I know there are people who met and knew each other briefly in WWII before they were married [and whose marriages lasted a lifetime], but this ‘relationship’ in the book made no sense whatsoever .
To be honest, I did not care about any of the ‘main’ characters. I cared more about the background characters, the peripherals. I cared more for the citizens and what they were going through under the German occupation. There are mentions made throughout the course of the book about mass arrests, about men, women, and children being executed on the basis of nothing more than mere suspicion of wrong doing. The Germans were portrayed as both benevolent conquerors and as monsters – you never quite knew what you would be facing on any given moment. .
Archer had a hard road to walk. He attempted to do his job as a police officer, as a detective and solving crimes. However, this meant working with the Germans, and that obviously put him at odds with the general population who opposed the Germans being there in England. I think the book brought to light how hard it could be for a man who saw himself as honorable and wanting to make a difference in a very difficult situation. I do not know what it is like to exist under an occupying force that will execute as easily as let you live; I cannot adequately imagine how hard that must have been.
There is a ‘scene’ in the beginning of the book that plays a ‘minor’ part at the end of the book. It made me wonder if there were more ‘smaller’ scenes that took place in the early part of the book that show up later in the book [regardless of the level of ‘significance’] that I may have missed.
It is kind of funny, but it never hit me until I actually started reading the book that the title might be referring to England [GB] as being occupied by the Germans [SS]. Yeah, sometimes I am pretty darn slow on the uptake.
Overall, it was an interesting book. It might have moved ‘slow’ at times, but it still held my interest throughout most of the tale. I do not know if I will ever read it again, but I still enjoyed it.
December 17, 2024
Len, you’ve done it again.
An 8 sided chess board, a web of calculated manoeuvres, a deep plot revealed expertly throughout the narrative.
I was expecting a classic murder investigation story, how naive.
An 8 sided chess board, a web of calculated manoeuvres, a deep plot revealed expertly throughout the narrative.
I was expecting a classic murder investigation story, how naive.
April 19, 2017
This book was a delight to read!
After reading the insane (in a good way) novel, The Man in the High Castle by Dick and the United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas I`ve discovered that, in a way, all the three of them have similar things in the plot.
Ok, so the Nazis have won, the World is separated in two, Them and The Reds Soviets or the Japanese, and now the enemy comes within.
It`s very interesting to see the struggle for power inside the Nazi camp where we could find different parties with not so similar goals.
The depicted world is tremendous scary and convincing in all the three novels and I find a hard time to think that someone could dislike them.
The Dick`s novel is more psychological hyped while this one is more action driven, with a small respiro part in the middle, but very engaging and fast to develop until the surprise from the end.
The crime commited is kind of a second plot, like I said the struggle for power of different factions of the Nazis and how the Brittish people try to cope with their new situation is the main course here.
Loved some of the dialogue here with the characters well builted and I must say that the book has all that it needs not to be let off hand when started.
This was indeed a real gem for me that I`ve would regreted not discovering it so I must say my thanks to the creators of the television serie that have made possible that this book to be reprinted.
And also a big role finding this peculiar one it was played by the sole Albanian library that brings monthly the english books of the moment.
Anyway with this one I feel like a real winner.
After reading the insane (in a good way) novel, The Man in the High Castle by Dick and the United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas I`ve discovered that, in a way, all the three of them have similar things in the plot.
Ok, so the Nazis have won, the World is separated in two, Them and The Reds Soviets or the Japanese, and now the enemy comes within.
It`s very interesting to see the struggle for power inside the Nazi camp where we could find different parties with not so similar goals.
The depicted world is tremendous scary and convincing in all the three novels and I find a hard time to think that someone could dislike them.
The Dick`s novel is more psychological hyped while this one is more action driven, with a small respiro part in the middle, but very engaging and fast to develop until the surprise from the end.
The crime commited is kind of a second plot, like I said the struggle for power of different factions of the Nazis and how the Brittish people try to cope with their new situation is the main course here.
Loved some of the dialogue here with the characters well builted and I must say that the book has all that it needs not to be let off hand when started.
This was indeed a real gem for me that I`ve would regreted not discovering it so I must say my thanks to the creators of the television serie that have made possible that this book to be reprinted.
And also a big role finding this peculiar one it was played by the sole Albanian library that brings monthly the english books of the moment.
Anyway with this one I feel like a real winner.
October 18, 2016
The story itself is well thought out and written, albeit not too challenging.
I found the first third of the book a joy to read but for about 100 pages in the middle thought it was a bit of a drag. The inclusion of romance provides a nice breath of fresh air in what is otherwise a dark view over occupied Britain.
The final hundred pages are an absolute joy to read and nothing short of a masterpiece. The pace seems to pick up and the story kicks in full blast - you are taken on a literary rollercoaster.
All in all, brilliant book! I was left wanting to read more and to find out how Douglas moved forward. This book is definitely recommended to anyone who would like a view of Britain under German rule.
I found the first third of the book a joy to read but for about 100 pages in the middle thought it was a bit of a drag. The inclusion of romance provides a nice breath of fresh air in what is otherwise a dark view over occupied Britain.
The final hundred pages are an absolute joy to read and nothing short of a masterpiece. The pace seems to pick up and the story kicks in full blast - you are taken on a literary rollercoaster.
All in all, brilliant book! I was left wanting to read more and to find out how Douglas moved forward. This book is definitely recommended to anyone who would like a view of Britain under German rule.
May 8, 2017
I don't particularly care for alternate history, there are too many good real history and historical fiction out there to spend time reading about things that didn't happen. SS-GB is an exception. I have carried the book around for years and just finished it. A chilling look at what could have happened if the Nazis had successfully invaded England. Looking forward to seeing the TV adaptation when it gets to the States. 4 Stars because alternate history is not my thing and this one succeeded.
September 3, 2017
A story set in 1941, when Britain has surrendered to Germany and is occupied with Churchill executed and the King in the Tower of London. A clever construct for Superintendent Archer to operate in and investigate a murder, with the German Army and the SS in different political camps and a secret Resistance in play. I have to say the espionage all got too complicated for me and I lost the plot!
May 14, 2015
Fictional tale about a Scotland Yard detective caught up in German intrigue in Nazi occupied London. Book was very good in describing what daily life in London may have been like under German rule, the actual detective story line was less interesting.
March 20, 2017
If you enjoy alternative World War II History - you will love SS-GB; the historical detail is in-depth and comes alive visually. BBC-1 has just released a television series based upon SS-GB. Can't wait for it to come to US!
November 27, 2018
This detective/spy story was set in an alternate history in which the Nazis won.
Given this break from reality, it reads as well as "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", with all the attendant optimism.
Given this break from reality, it reads as well as "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", with all the attendant optimism.
February 25, 2024
În acest roman care prezintă o istorie alternativă, Germania Nazistă a câștigat cel de-Al Doilea Război Mondial. Este noiembrie 1941. Al Doilea Război Mondial s-a încheiat în Europa pe 19 februarie, când Marea Britanie s-a predat Germaniei Naziste. Un prim-ministru marionetă l-a înlocuit pe Winston Churchill, care a fost executat în Germania. Regele George al VI-lea este reținut în Turnul Londrei. Evreii au fost adunați și trimiși în lagărul de concentrare de la Wenlock Edge.
Londra este în ruine. Raționalizarea este severă în toată zona ocupată. Mii de soldați britanici sunt ținuți în lagăre de prizonieri sau în lagăre de muncă forțată de pe continent.
La Scotland Yard, Detectivul Superintendent Douglas Archer raportează generalului SS Fritz Kellerman, ale cărui puteri (în poliție) se extind asupra întregii țări. DS este supranumitși „Archer of the Yard” sau „Sherlock Holmes al anilor 1940”. Este cel mai faimos detectiv al țării, datorită succesului său în închiderea mai multor cazuri de crimă importante.
Pe măsură ce povestea avansează, cazul de crimă devine mult mai complex, cu conexiuni neașteptate și care-i depășesc cu mult puterile lu Archer, mai ales că realizează destul de rapid că de rezolvarea axestui caz depinde viitorul lumii. Archer, Huth și Kellerman se învârt cu prudență unul în jurul celuilalt într-un joc cu mize mari care le pune în pericol cariera și viața.
https://www.5oclockbookclub.com/post/...
Londra este în ruine. Raționalizarea este severă în toată zona ocupată. Mii de soldați britanici sunt ținuți în lagăre de prizonieri sau în lagăre de muncă forțată de pe continent.
La Scotland Yard, Detectivul Superintendent Douglas Archer raportează generalului SS Fritz Kellerman, ale cărui puteri (în poliție) se extind asupra întregii țări. DS este supranumitși „Archer of the Yard” sau „Sherlock Holmes al anilor 1940”. Este cel mai faimos detectiv al țării, datorită succesului său în închiderea mai multor cazuri de crimă importante.
Pe măsură ce povestea avansează, cazul de crimă devine mult mai complex, cu conexiuni neașteptate și care-i depășesc cu mult puterile lu Archer, mai ales că realizează destul de rapid că de rezolvarea axestui caz depinde viitorul lumii. Archer, Huth și Kellerman se învârt cu prudență unul în jurul celuilalt într-un joc cu mize mari care le pune în pericol cariera și viața.
https://www.5oclockbookclub.com/post/...
February 13, 2018
Len Deighton did not mess around with a Nazi plot to damage the U.S. or a British peace treaty with Germany -- he posited a successful German invasion of Great Britain that resulted in complete surrender and occupation in 1941. The Nazis work in Whitehall, King George is locked away and Winston Churchill has been executed. But there are still crimes in London, and there is still Scotland Yard around to solve them, in spy novelist Len Deighton's 1978 SS-GB.
Douglas Archer is one of the Yard's keenest minds, but even he is unsure about a man murdered in a London flat which is obviously not his own. There is no identification on the man and there are no clues about his death, but even so the new German masters of the Yard seem very interested in the case. That could make Archer's work easier, or more difficult, depending on what he finds. And depending on whether other interested parties let him live long enough to find anything at all.
SS-GB is as much a mystery thriller as anything else. Different details about how Archer has to go about his business in a bombed and occupied London, and about what underground resistance fighters are trying to do give the book its other-history character, but the core is how Archer finds himself manipulated by people playing a much larger game than he realizes. This is often a theme for Deighton, who sees espionage as a matter in which those in the front are often working for people they don't know who have agendas they would never dream of. They will be the ones who risk everything, even though the cause for which they do so might turn out to be less of a truth than they realize.
Some of SS-GB runs improbably quickly, such as Archer's love interest and his own connection to the underground resistance, and some of the rest is sketched out less thoroughly than is best for the story. Deighton's never been one for bloat, but SS-GB could have used a sandwich or two to help its appearance. It's still a great read and a testament to Deighton's grasp of the ins and outs of espionage and the bureaucratic mess that often lies behind the cloak and dagger in the field.
Original available here.
Douglas Archer is one of the Yard's keenest minds, but even he is unsure about a man murdered in a London flat which is obviously not his own. There is no identification on the man and there are no clues about his death, but even so the new German masters of the Yard seem very interested in the case. That could make Archer's work easier, or more difficult, depending on what he finds. And depending on whether other interested parties let him live long enough to find anything at all.
SS-GB is as much a mystery thriller as anything else. Different details about how Archer has to go about his business in a bombed and occupied London, and about what underground resistance fighters are trying to do give the book its other-history character, but the core is how Archer finds himself manipulated by people playing a much larger game than he realizes. This is often a theme for Deighton, who sees espionage as a matter in which those in the front are often working for people they don't know who have agendas they would never dream of. They will be the ones who risk everything, even though the cause for which they do so might turn out to be less of a truth than they realize.
Some of SS-GB runs improbably quickly, such as Archer's love interest and his own connection to the underground resistance, and some of the rest is sketched out less thoroughly than is best for the story. Deighton's never been one for bloat, but SS-GB could have used a sandwich or two to help its appearance. It's still a great read and a testament to Deighton's grasp of the ins and outs of espionage and the bureaucratic mess that often lies behind the cloak and dagger in the field.
Original available here.
July 19, 2018
The premise of the book is great - Germany has won the war in 1941 by occupying Britain, which has surrendered. The US and Japan never joined the war. Now Britain has to deal with post-war rationing and being governed by German forces. A police detective by the name of Douglas Archer is carrying on with his life and doing his job as well as he can, considering his wife was killed by a bomb strike, and his superiors are all German now. Due to his hard work, lack of protestations, and fluent German knowledge, he becomes embroiled in a political battle between the English Resistance and a number of different German governing bodies, all with their own goal. So far so good.
However, while the writing is catchy, and the book is reasonably easy to read, Douglas is not a likable character, who can be easily associated with. Also, the writing is unclear at times, not really letting the reader in on anything at all, so the reader never really understands much of what is happening, except the largest events. One moment Douglas is a cold, emotionless man, next moment he is going to be getting married to a person who has spoken to twice, and then suddenly, he is over her. There is a lot of potential here, but not enough body; it is as if the book was written for the author to enjoy, and not its readers.
However, while the writing is catchy, and the book is reasonably easy to read, Douglas is not a likable character, who can be easily associated with. Also, the writing is unclear at times, not really letting the reader in on anything at all, so the reader never really understands much of what is happening, except the largest events. One moment Douglas is a cold, emotionless man, next moment he is going to be getting married to a person who has spoken to twice, and then suddenly, he is over her. There is a lot of potential here, but not enough body; it is as if the book was written for the author to enjoy, and not its readers.
May 8, 2020
SS-GB is a very rich novel, offering multiple reading levels; one is that of a post-WWII alternate history where Nazis won the war; another is the detective story, with a complex plot blending murder, state secrets, political intrigues and espionage, which turns soon into a wilderness of mirrors.
But all this, no matter how good, slides to a second plane with respect to the hero of the story, superintendent Douglas Archer, whose towering figure dominates the book.
Leighton makes of Archer a complex, troubled personality, who finds himself navigating through several contradictory aspects of his soul; a very modern character for a book nearly 50 years old, when the literary figure of the flawed hero was far from being the norm.
It comes quite natural, when reading of Douglas Archer, to think of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther; but where the latter is so much forced into the cliché of an hard-boiled detective à la Philip Marlowe to become almost the caricature of himself, the former is much more nuanced, hence natural and real.
But Leighton does not leave Archer alone: we have in SS-GB a fantastic gallery of powerful characters, all perfectly sculpted in their multifaceted personalities.
Having read the vast majority of Deighton's works, SS-GB definitely ranks among his best.
But all this, no matter how good, slides to a second plane with respect to the hero of the story, superintendent Douglas Archer, whose towering figure dominates the book.
Leighton makes of Archer a complex, troubled personality, who finds himself navigating through several contradictory aspects of his soul; a very modern character for a book nearly 50 years old, when the literary figure of the flawed hero was far from being the norm.
It comes quite natural, when reading of Douglas Archer, to think of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther; but where the latter is so much forced into the cliché of an hard-boiled detective à la Philip Marlowe to become almost the caricature of himself, the former is much more nuanced, hence natural and real.
But Leighton does not leave Archer alone: we have in SS-GB a fantastic gallery of powerful characters, all perfectly sculpted in their multifaceted personalities.
Having read the vast majority of Deighton's works, SS-GB definitely ranks among his best.
October 15, 2019
se si dovesse giudicare da questo libro, ritradotto da Sellerio, ma scritto negli anni 70, il lettore suoperficiale direbbe un minore.....
Ma Don Leighton è il creatore di Harry Palmer (Ipcress/Funerale a Berlino etc...) e quindi in parte del mito si Michael Caine (uno dei miei attori preferiti con Connery, per cui, potete immaguinarvi quante volte all'anno veda/riveda l'uomo che volle farsi Re).
Ergo merita un giudizio più approfondito...
La trama è intrigante in quanto all'epoca era un "Primo"; una immaginaria Inghilterrra governata quasi pacificamente dai Nazisti vittoriosi... Harris 20 anni dopo avrebbe perfezionato in Fatherland questo meccanismo.
E' la azione che manca, da buon giallo psicologico inglese sono le minuzie, oserei dire gli accenti che contano, non l'azione che , quando accade è confusa e poco incisiva....
A Mio parere danneggiato anche dalla traduzione (credo abbiano usato quelle degli anni 70)
Ma Don Leighton è il creatore di Harry Palmer (Ipcress/Funerale a Berlino etc...) e quindi in parte del mito si Michael Caine (uno dei miei attori preferiti con Connery, per cui, potete immaguinarvi quante volte all'anno veda/riveda l'uomo che volle farsi Re).
Ergo merita un giudizio più approfondito...
La trama è intrigante in quanto all'epoca era un "Primo"; una immaginaria Inghilterrra governata quasi pacificamente dai Nazisti vittoriosi... Harris 20 anni dopo avrebbe perfezionato in Fatherland questo meccanismo.
E' la azione che manca, da buon giallo psicologico inglese sono le minuzie, oserei dire gli accenti che contano, non l'azione che , quando accade è confusa e poco incisiva....
A Mio parere danneggiato anche dalla traduzione (credo abbiano usato quelle degli anni 70)
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