Fractus Europa: Stories

by Peter Heather, Daria Sapenko, Eric C. Anderson (Afterword)

TAKE A THRILL RIDE INTO THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW THROUGH A EUROPE FRACTURED BY SEISMIC CHANGE. An American journalist in Moscow uncovers a startling twist in American/Russian relations. A health care administrator struggles to keep medical services afloat amid a crumbling NHS in post-Brexit England. A Ukrainian soldier struggles to reconcile his pre- and post-war identities. This collection of short stories and beautifully rendered maps takes readers where academics and think tank philosophers dare not tread. Written by journalists and experts in regions with geopolitical unrest who have witnessed periods of great upheaval and threats both foreign and domestic, these fictionalized accounts depict the all-too-real failings of ideology and idealism in a Eurozone dystopia that has already arrived. Edited by the late Eric C. Anderson, former US Intelligence officer and author of several thrillers including the more recent “New Caliphate” trilogy— Osiris , Anubis , and Horus and the cyber thriller Byte and co-edited by Adam Dunn, author of the “More” series— Rivers of Gold , The Big Dogs , and Saint Underground —the collection features works by Conrad Zielan, Constantine Bouchagiar, Preston Smith, Peter Galuszka, David J. Doesser, Daria Sapenko, Graham Thomas, Fergal Parkinson, Nick Eaden, and Peter Heather.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

354 pages, Hardcover

Published May 5, 2020

About the author

Peter Heather is currently Professor of Medieval History at King's College London. He has held appointments at University College London and Yale University and was Fellow and Tutor in Medieval History at Worcester College, Oxford until December 2007.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories written from various countries about the variety of alarming day to day criminal activities. From slave trade to politics this book has a bit of it all. I found it scary for the most part with what is going on currently in the world it was hard to read the variety of stories that touch upon subjects that are incredibly uncomfortable. I thought this was written well by the various authors but like I said with the current political climate it was a difficult read emotionally wise

[BookTrib.com]

These ten stories bear witness to a near-future world amid changes that are already underway. While the anthology covers a wide territory of issues from a variety of vantage points, one fairly continuous thread is the effect it all has on corrupting not only those in power, but also the average person.

Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2020/05/fractus-...

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories set across EUROPE



3.5*
The book opens with thoughts by Peter Heather about the state of Europe. He moots that the seeds for a fractured continent were sewn long ago. National narratives began to be taught as mass schooling became more of a norm over the last century. Wealth increased but so did the divide between rich and poor. Migration was encouraged to fill posts that the locals left vacant, and with subsequently more people arriving from continents all around the world, there is a deep suspicion of difference. 2008 was pivotal in hardening the changes already underway.

These fictionalised stories set in the near future. They paint the evolving nature of Europe, underlining how things have perhaps got to this point, outlining the history of nations and looking at the people who have shaped and shouldered this part of the world. The countries of Europe that are covered:

Belgium / Germany / The Baltics / Estonia / Hungary / Ukraine / Cyprus / Ireland / Scotland / England

I was immediately drawn more the to the stories set in the countries with which I am familiar. Belgium which opens the book was a story which I found hard to relate to (although I have travelled to Belgium quite a lot). The story set in Germany (Shifting Syrian Sands) ponders the meaning of a name and I found it more relatable. Ali Pasha is Syrian and seeks out Germany because he knows it is the most powerful of the European countries. But he tarries in Greece where he hones some skills that may be of use in his destination – translator, enabler of Skype for fellow refugees and a police informer. In this ‘holding pen’, as it were, he also loses his virginity to Jasmina and learns to be careful around the Albanians. There are stories within the story, with edited highlights of a refugee’s passage into a new world.

It is noticeable how Trump and his particular policies infiltrate many of the stories and of course in The Baltics it is Russian actions that form the heart of the story. In Hungary the relief of perestroika and glasnost was palpable in the 1990s, offering freedom, which under Communism was, well, only for the chosen few.

“You can shove anything down people’s throats when they are intoxicated with the notion of freedom” and thus the hero of the story has to grapple with new found wealth and responsibility brought to Hungary by Western organisations. It’s then on through banking and sunshine in Cyprus.

England is set in the near future, with Amber Rudd and Farage still depressingly in the picture but at least the Prime Minister is a woman. This story provides a bleak peek inside the severely pared down NHS, where salaries are on hold, the Pound is slipping into oblivion and people are living on into a more than ripe old age, further depleting resources. All set against the backdrop of global warming. A rather depressing scenario interlaced with a family story.

As Dr Jonathan Lawrence, the central character, muses “First Brexit, then the collapse of the financial sector, now an end to NHS. There was no reason to remain a citizen of Britain’s tottering democracy” … and there we have it. This is England’s fate even without Coronavirus. And our fictional character is more than tempted by an offer of work in Switzerland.

So, what to make of these collected stories? All the stories are fiction, but strongly grounded somewhere along the line in real life, you can just sense it. It is not a book to read in one sitting, as each story is more than enough to sate the reading experience. It was interesting to see the works all brought together, highlighting issues around the land mass that is Europe. Several were more journalistic than fiction writing and could in all likelihood find their place in a magazine like The New Statesman. For me, the premise was inventive but a little too starchy – invariably pretty depressing – and often it was a struggle to care for the characters. The erudition at both the beginning and the end of the book didn’t really carry through the full body of the gathered texts.

As Eric C Anderson says in the Afterword “There is no before, during or after in the realm of ideas and spinning clocks. . . There is simply now and then another now“. I will leave you with that thought.

[Donadee's Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Anderson – Fracus Europa – Reviewed 9/28/20 – Read 9/23-26/20

A collection of short stories written by journalists and experts who have been there, done that!!!!

This is a collection of stories that take the reader on a journey that covers several countries. Even though each is fictional they still represent some of the problems through the eyes of the author. Each story is very professionally written with details and descriptions that bring the stories to life. You can feel the angst of the characters, some of them include the fear of their very lives. The life of the journalists is a precarious life in the first place, but when that man/woman is inserted into countries that have upheaval from within, not including the threats from other countries, you can see through their eyes these problems in real-time.

Now, we know that all the stories are fictional, but can we be sure of what part is real or not? I think not! Aren’t all books/stories based somewhat on real life? The stories shout out the perils that could happen to the ones that live in these places. Such as the young medical student forced into becoming a sniper, along with the other circumstances of people forced into situations that under normal (or at least what we perceive as normal) would never even contemplate much less do. Each story brings these lives to the forefront of our minds, living in unbelievable situations, and we see them through our mind's eye.

Edited by the late Eric C. Anderson, former US Intelligence officer and author of the New Caliphate trilogy—Osiris, Anubus, and Horus—and co-edited by Adam Dunn, author of the More series—Rivers of Gold, The Big Dogs, and Saint Underground.

Editor’s Afterword: Eric C. Anderson gives us a recap of the different takes on each of these countries, their problems, politically and internally. He digests the right of democracies and gives us a clear overview. An excellent read that gives the reader plenty to think about. We live in perilous times; some just don’t know it. If nothing else this book will bring forth the chaos that is all around us, in countries, towns, and people.

• File Size: 2868 KB
• Print Length: 310 pages
• Publication Date: May 5, 2020
• Publisher: Dunn Books
• ASIN: B084NYBDB9
• Genre: Fiction Anthologies, Literary Anthologies & Collections, Dystopian Fiction

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of "Fractus Europa" by Eric C. Anderson and Adam Dunn, through the "Good Reads First Reads Giveaway."

If you are a fan of President Trump, you do not want to read this book.

Although the short stories are fictional, there is a considerable history written about Communist countries which seems accurate. The author hopes that these countries will eventually become Liberal Democracies but this is wishful thinking. Theses countries are Authoritarian Capitalist and are unlikely to become Liberal Democracies in our lifetime.

[Stephen]

didn't read it !!

[Teresa Kander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really what I was expecting. None of the stories really grabbed my interest.

[Cathryn Wellner · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are worried about the future of democracy in Europe, you will find plenty to confirm your fears in this collection of short stories. Written by journalists and people with expertise in the geopolitics of that vast region, the stories are like a collection of short thrillers. This is serious, blood pressure-elevating material that exposes the ugly underbelly and shady dramatis personae of countries usually viewed as members of the stable West.

The stories are not all action. They are also short political and historical explanations of the major, troubling issues facing the western world today. They provide enough food for thought and conversation for those who prefer non-fiction, as well as plenty of adventure for fiction enthusiasts.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictionalized accounts of unrest with the world supported with statistics, actual places, people or things. It demonstrates that things are politically bad all over and that it is important the United States be aware, or the ramifications from ignorance with be terrible. As you read, it helps to remember what you learned in your history and political science classes.