|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 6 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Great Book Nov 08, 2006
By Roadrunner
The author did an outstanding job of combining military/political history with various religious teachings, creating a fiction based on fact that was very interesting. If you are a religious person, you may find the story line to be believeable. What is really nice is the book leaves the door open for a sequel and my only sorrow is that the author does not write it today.
 Demon Reich Dec 01, 2009
By Dave Jones
"WolfShadow"
As a friend of the author, I found myself much surprised by his knowledge of German and World War I history and his ability to intertwine a new creative twist to a historical event. Although not my usual fare in reading, I found myself drawn in and compelled to read to the end as fast as possible. The characters were believable, everyday people drawn into unusaul circumstances.
At times it was a bit predictable, and I could guess where it was headed.
The cross of an alternate reality with a known history is tricky ground to tread. I think Mr. Rice did an admirable job in this endeavor. I do reccomend this to all, for an intereting "what if" twist on history. I look forward to his next, whether it be a sequel, or something new!
What if Hitler really was the devil -- literally? Sep 04, 2008
By Daniel Jolley
"darkgenius"
Plenty of people have described Adolf Hitler as a devil or demon, but what if he was in fact the Devil Incarnate, come to Earth to kill as many humans as possible and - with a little impish luck - draw God's precious angels into the deadly fighting? That's the question T.L. Rice asks in this fast-paced, gripping work of historical fiction. As an alternate history, it deviates in some regards from the facts (for example, in the novel Geli Raubal's death takes place after Hitler has become Chancellor), but the author still does a good job of anchoring his fictional timeline with the rise and fall of the Third Reich - and beyond. While the evil side of the story works well, I must admit I could never completely buy into nature of the network of heroes who take it upon themselves to stop Hitler.
In the novel, the young Adolf Hitler is not necessarily an evil person; in fact, he is so proud of his personification of the common man that he repeatedly turns down promotions during the Great War. Then comes the fateful day when a mustard gas attack leaves him vulnerable to the demon Nagol's outright possession of his body. Adolf is gone (although we do have a quick and surreal impression of him wailing against the evil that the demon plans to do in his name), and Hitler takes center stage as the future leader who will engulf the entire world in war and oversee the deaths of millions of innocent people. He is aided in his diabolical quest by a Nazi elite made up of fellow demons in disguise (Goering, Himmler, Dr. Mengele, etc.).
The counterbalance to Hitler's evil comes in the form of a circle of college friends, all of whom are gifted with some sort of extrasensory perception, such as remote viewing, astral travel, and the ability to see the future. It is one young lady's ability to see and even experience the dreams of others that truly brings them together, for it is at that time that they realize they have all been seeing the same "boogeyman" in their dreams. Hitler has already become Chancellor before they become convinced that he is the evil man they have been watching out for - but by that point, they feel powerless to stop him. Enter a most extraordinary stranger named Sebastian (who brings with him one heck of a back story); he quickly becomes the group's guide and mentor over the course of the next few years.
While we're waiting for the big showdown between good and evil, we are treated to some fascinating alternate reality scenarios of the burning of the Reichstag, Dr. Mengele's experiments, the Night of the Long Knives, and other aspects of Nazi history. As far as that ultimate showdown is concerned, though, I have to admit I found it somewhat unsatisfying; everything seemed to happen just a little too quickly and easily. As such, I'm glad the novel did not end there. Some readers take the author to task for his epilogue, but I think it rounds out the entire story quite well and gives what otherwise might be an ephemeral piece of fiction a more somber sense of gravity.
There is a lot to like in these pages. It's not every day that you get to listen in on theological discussions among the most prominent of fallen angels, and there's no use denying the fact that Hitler is always fascinating, as either an historical figure or a fictional character. I do think the "good guys" part of the story is problematic, but the Hitler sections make for fascinating reading.
Explosive Dec 04, 2007
By JW Morris
I would begin my review with the fact that this is not the type of novel I would normally select to read ,however I thoroughly enjoyed "Demon Reich ". I am not a history buff yet I am convinced this author did in fact do his research and presented a fictional twist on historically tragic events. The characters in this novel are very interesting and I look forward to some of them pursuing other adventures. I would like to see Sebastian in another attempt at redemption, or maybe even see him spearhead the capture Osama bin Laden. In a literary time when so many novels are so similar to each other, or a well liked author writes novel after novel of predictable story lines and endings I applaud T.L. Rice for a truly unique creation. I look forward to the next novel by this author. Kudos to you Mr. T.L. Rice .
 The ending was predictable and used a plot device that I dislike Oct 04, 2007
By Charles Ashbacher
As I pondered what I would write in my review of this book, I found myself developing two separate thought tracks, one positive and the other negative. The basic premise of the plot is that up to the time of his involvement as a soldier in World War I, Adolph Hitler was a rather pleasant man. However, during a gas attack, he was taken over by a demon and that changed the course of history. Furthermore, most of the other high officials of the German Nazi party such as Goring, Mengele and Goebbels were also human bodies taken over by demons. Those demons were subservient to the Hitler demon. That plot device was one that kept my interest, as demonic possession is as good an explanation of their behavior as anything else.
A small group of teenage youths have discovered that they all possess psychic powers, albeit different types. One can see into the future, another can astral travel and all are telepathic. They are in Germany and are becoming concerned with the changes as the Nazi party is growing in power. As they are talking among themselves a man named Sebastian joins them and he turns out to be on the side of God, who manifests himself as a voice from Ian. Sebastian is immortal and Ian was a Christian that Sebastian met when he was a Druid priest.
All of the above was acceptable, due to the quality of writing. However, the ending was very deflating and I readily admit that much of my distaste is personal. I consider the plot device of anything involving the assassination of President Kennedy to be very frustrating. With thousands of negative events taking place in the world every year, it seems that evil always manages to make Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963 a focal point in its activity.
The quality of the writing is quite good; however it is not enough to overcome the use of a plot device that is just too worn out to be interesting. It was also very predictable, as I knew pages ahead of time where the story was leading. I also found it easy to predict the final location of one of the demons well before that location was mentioned.
See all 6 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
| | |
|
|
