The Viennese Candidate

by Andrew Blair

1912 On a cold late afternoon in Vienna an impoverished young artist is given coffee and sausages by a stranger. It is a meeting that will change the course of world history. The artist leaves convinced that he has a great destiny to fulfil but the meeting is no accident. He has been targeted by a junior agent of a secret organisation dedicated to population control. After hearing the passionate young artist speak Kurt Weber suspects he can become an important political figure and he is given permission from his superiors to help make this happen. Over the next thirty years Weber guides, without his knowledge, the volatile young man to power. Using the organisations vast resources he protects him from the law and his own impulsiveness while planting ideas in his head. But as the world is threatened by the greatest war in history Weber begins to have doubts about the morality of his mission. But the organisation believes Adolf Hitler is the greatest asset in their history and they take steps to protect the monster from the man who created him.

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2021

Reviews

[Sophia James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read two other books by this author so I was keen to read his latest one.
It is not as fast paced as his previous book "The Cursed Sister" but while both books are historical fiction this new book has a lot more true history in it.
The central premise is that a secret, well-funded organisation dedicated to population control help, over many years, Adolf Hitler come to power.
The central character, Weber, exists in the background and Hitler dismisses him as an unimportant old colleague. But Weber has very cleverly caused Hitler to depend on him and he always seeks him out when major decisions are to be made.
Weber has hundreds of different ways, including blackmail, of influencing Hitler while being practically invisible to his inner circle.
But as the World war looms Weber begins to doubt the morality of his mission and this sets him on a collision course with his superiors who see Hitler as vital to their plans.
I really enjoyed the book. The central premise is unlikely but, like the author, I have always been intrigued by Hitler's rise to power as it shouldn't have happened. The moral dilemma is also interesting. What is the bigger evil, a world war now or mass starvation in the future because of over-population.
It is well thought out and the Weber character is superbly complex. I found the ending exciting which is no mean feat as we all know what really happened.

[Guido Colacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hitler has always been a fascination to me in that without the help of Wall Street and American politicians and the Jews themselves, he would have never come to power as he did. I also love the character of Kurt Weber, a crossover take on the Mary Shelley book, Frankenstein, but representing all the people that pushed him to power. I loved the book. The one thing I always tell people is the Novelized version of historical events is much much closer to the real truth than the "accepted official story. WWII is a story that has never been told in the much-needed detail that shines a spotlight on the incredible characters that contributed to it. I also love that this takes place in 1912, before WWI, before the Balfour Declaration, and before The Treaty of Versailles which ultimately led to the destruction of the Weimar Republic which was the German state from 1918 to 1933. There is more truth in this book than most people are willing to admit to and the history books and media will NEVER admit to.