Book review of The Hangman's Master

 

The Hangman's Master
by Elyse Hoffman
Genre : Historical Fantasy

216 Pages, Project 613 Publishing  


"All revolutions devour their own children" - Ernst Rohm, during the purge of the Brownshirts.

Why didn't God use his power to change Hitler into a nice guy instead of a blood thirsty fascist who led Germans to commit the holocaust ? Is Satan really a fallen angel ? What is the meaning of holocaust? How did Hitler become Chancellor in 1933 as he lost the election in 1932 and couldn't become President of Germany? What happened during the "Night of Long Knives" which led to the purge and murder of brownshirts or the paramilitary SA by the Nazi party masterminded by Reinhard Heydrich and Himmler to consolidate Hitler's power over the German Army. Heydrich was not just head of SS and Gestapo but the architect of the Final Solution and author of the death camp system.He is better known as the Butcher of Prague and the Hangman, who she introduced in her book "The Vengeance of Samuel Val" So who is the Hangman's Master? These questions and more are answered by the author in her book, The Hangman's Master.

Stefan Harkel, 16, gets beaten up by his father, an SS man for being a homosexual and is thrown out by his parents. Homeless, he wanders around till he sees a recruitment poster for the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party and signs up just so he could have a warm meal and a decent bed. He grows up not liking communism and communists and so fascism makes sense to Stefan as he doesn't want people to have power. A loner, he falls in love with Axel Lahner, a fellow Brownshirt in his group who is well off and loves him back. Hitler's lust for power was more than those who were loyal to him.So on the Night of Long Knives which didn't take place over just one night , SS ends up in killing a large number of Brownshirt were murdered all over Germany by SS though they were neither Jews nor Communists, but loyal to the cause and were the Nazi Party's own paramilitary wing. Both Stefan and Axel survive the purge but only for Axel to join the SS. So they breakup. While Stefan joins the Black Foxes, the underground network which helps rescue and protect Jews from the Nazis, Axel continues to save him from Dachau even though Axel is married and has children through a lavender marriage. 

Hoffman writes about how "The Night of Long Knives" orchestrated by Reinhard Heydrich was the major turning point for the Nazis as they killed fellow Germans and  those with disabilities to create the so called perfect Aryan race, especially women and children that turned the tide against Hitler eventually. Also in Nazi Germany, homosexuals, especially male homosexuals were marked with a pink triangle and sent to concentration camps to die. This is something most historians gloss over in how Hitler came to power. She also addresses the Nazi propaganda about Jews which is resurfacing again in the western world and global south, especially among white supremacist gangs.

Stefan is contracted by Satan to be a master of Zone N-74 where he can torture Nazis responsible for mass murder. A dying girl signs the contract over to Stefan  to become the master of Zone N-1 which has just one soul - Reinhard Heydrich, known as the Hangman who was architect of the Holocaust which means "burnt offering" in Greek.  He becomes the Master of the Hangman's soul. What does he do to Heydrich's soul ? He meets Axel again and discovers Axel has multiple contracts as he has stolen them by murdering people after making them sign. Axel kills children because they don't look like the perfect Aryan. What does Stefan Harkel do to Axel Lahner?

Switching easily between different timelines, Hoffman's writing is engaging as usual. Finally the Black Fox series is tied up together from Samuel Val to Stefan Harkel. Though this book is stand alone, Harkel makes someone else the God of Zone N-1.  Who is it? What happens to Harkel?  What happens to the soul of Reinhard Heydrich?

Read the book to find out.
Click to buy it here ⤇  Amazon

Book Review : Bald is Beautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl

 

 

Bald is Beautiful: A letter for a fabulous girl
by Dr. Carola Schmidt

When a loved one - be it a family or friend especially a child gets cancer and undergoes chemotherapy, many lose hair. Most people get clammy and awkward around the person especially if the loved one is a female. Despite support from friends and family and personally being strong and knowing the hair will grow back, the tiptoeing around the person who is undergoing the treatment, doesn't help anyone.

So if you find yourself in a situation where you do not know what to do, buy this booklet and gift it.  Most people need to be reminded of how beautiful they are and how much they are loved though they are strong during the treatment. The illustrations by Dian Ovieta is colourful and heart warming. You can it give to anyone from a child who is trying to understand what is happening to her to a elderly woman who is trying to come to terms with the treatment.

Dr. Carola Schmidt is the author of "The Invisible hand of Cancer." where she deals with the various types of cancer which I have already reviewed on this blog but this booklet is not about disease and recovery but about love, support and friendship.  The writing is crisp and simple. A good gift to give if you cannot find the words to express it yourself.


Buy it here on Amazon 

 

Book Review : Perks, Politics and Pandemonium : Tales of Modern Society - 18 ‘storeys’ high

          

     

                                       

Perks, Politics and Pandemonium : Tales of Modern Society - 18 ‘storeys’ high
by Uma Sarangan
81 pages, Notion Press


In Pompous Moonyside Society ( PMS) , a gated community, Urmila and her husband are suddenly

put in a strange situation when her husband is accused of harassment by two women employees. 

But is it true? What is the real reason behind the accusation and how does it affect the family of

Urmila? Uma Sarangan asks and answers these and more in her novella, Perks, Politics and 

Pandemonium.

Examining the politic and power play between the various cliques, the gossip and WhatsApp Wars,

the "connected but out of touch" relationships between neighbours, families and friends, the power 

wielded by the management committee in a gated community in a well nuanced way, Sarangan's 

naming cliques and its members - Religious Rebels, Randy Racoon, Ritz,Snape, etc.makes the 

reader grin.

The writing is witty, crisp and relationships which is very true in today's India where more people 

know each other through social media than in person.

It makes one wonder when you last had a heart to heart with your neighbour who is not 

in your clique or with your real friend whose house you have actually visited. Everything is now 

done online from chatting to conversation through either WhatsApp or Instagram. 

Sarangan's book is a timely reminder to how living online or through phones can lead to dangerous 

situations thanks to spreading fake news on social media and destruction of relationships leading 

to trauma.

Do buy the book here - Amazon

Book review : When Banana Stains Fade

 

When Banana Stains Fade
by Frances-Marie Coke
Genre : Historical  Fiction
Black Rose Writing


"Slavery finish but we fight and cuss one another same way over who have better hair and color.”


I chose this book for the title. All of us know banana stains cannot be removed but can only fade with time.  With this sort of title, I was tempted to wonder what were the banana stains in the story was but the author surprised me.

How does skin color or skin tone of a woman change society's perception of class, beauty or even education? Do many women opt for single parenting or they forced into it?  How has priorities changed over the years for Jamaican women? What is a banana stain curse? These are some of the few questions answered by the author in the book, "When Banana Stains Fade"

It is the story of four generations of a family of Jamaican women, that is heart wrenching and hopeful as with each generation, women have become more conscious of what they wish to be rather than becoming role models of what a patriarchal society tells them to be.  When a woman is raped or sexually assaulted, how does the family handle it , so as to bring closure and normalcy.

Zapping from rural Jamaica to Kingston city to New York to rural Jamaica, the author moves seamlessly between the past and present. The writing is  sensitive and sensible and doesn't shy away from hard facts  especially sexism and sexual harassment- something which is glossed over in fiction as it is hard to write but Coke does it anyway with a sensibility that most authors don't..

It is surprising how living in a totally different continent.  I could understand the stories of those colonized  even after independence remain the similar especially those of women as colonization has not been just physical draining of resources but also of the mind. .


It is a fantastic read in a world that seems to be at war with itself and with its past. Maybe this book will knock some sense into all of us.


Do buy it here on Amazon

Book Review - The Last Bird of Paradise

 

The Last Bird of Paradise
by Clifford Garstang
340 Pages, Black Rose Writing
Genre: Historical Fiction



Aislinn Givvens and Elizabeth Pennington are separated by a century but Singapore is what they have in common. One is a artist and the other is art lover who loves the other woman's paintings. Both have almost similar lives and views after they experience personal losses. Givvens lives in New York and in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks agrees to move with her husband Liam to Singapore leaving behind her career and identity just like Elizabeth almost a century before her who is packed off by her aunt just before the first world war from Britain to Singapore to live with her Uncle Cyril. Both are independent women but find themselves leaving for an unknown country and despite themselves fall in love with the multicultural East.

Zigzagging across New York, Britain, Singapore and Australia and across timelines that seem so different and yet so same, Garstang gives a quick lesson on Singapore history while making us wonder, when does a woman feel emancipation? It also examines the power politics in relationships between couples and between nations which was refreshing.

The writing is crisp with colourful multi-dimensional characters as he alternates between  the story of both women with ease. It was nice reading about the late Mr. Selvadurai even if it is fiction.

Apart from enjoying the book, I learnt a lot about Singapore history and was stunned there was a sepoy mutiny there too during World War 1 as the only Sepoy mutiny I knew of was Indian sepoy mutiny of 1857.

This book is highly recommended as not many write about the city-state of Singapore or the wonderful people and almost too disciplined government that borders on fascism there.

Do buy it and read it here  ====  AMAZON

Book Review : Me Power

 

Me Power 

LaNysha T.Adams

254 pages, New Defree Press

Genre : Non Fiction

 

Who are you? What is empowerment? Does education make you more self aware? More importantly what is education?  How do you take control of your own learning? These questions and more are asked and answered in LaNysha Adams book, Me Power. She doesn’t just answer but also helps the reader practice it.  This is a powerful guide for most people who in this technological world are bombarded with loads of information but not real knowledge.

Adams was refused admission to a doctoral program stating that it was not for her. However, she didn’t give up.  In addition, she narrates startling stories of remarkable people from Monet – nope I didn’t know he had eye disease to her ninth grade teacher. It is an amazing collection of people including the author herself.

Reading books brings me happiness but this book brought me joy. This is one book that completely made me rethink all my limiting beliefs thanks to popular narratives. LaNysha Adams bowled me over with her book. She has kindly given small exercises at the end of each chapter to help the readers achieve what they think is impossible. Once you are done with book, you will think of empower as Me power. Also, you will know how to deal with the ever changing technological world better than you are doing now.

It is a must read for those who find themselves wondering what they can do in a world that seems almost hopeless - that seems filled with hate and seems to drawn into wars which we feel we can only watch and not do anything to stop.. 

 Do buy it here   AMAZON

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: How We Were Before

 

How We Were Before                                                                                                                                     by Jonathan Kravetz                                                                                                                                  294 pages, Running Wild Press                                                                                                           Genre: Fiction

Do we really know what is going on in the minds of our family members and friends? How important is a local school incident to the rest of the community? Do we really understand the dangerous ends to which small town gossip can lead to? These questions and much more are asked and answered by the author in his book, How We Were Before.

This is a crime novel with a difference. It starts with the crime, the double murder of an elderly couple Pete and Tara when a home invasion is attempted due to rumors, goes wrong and the murderer Billy Lawson who is 18 years old is caught within hours. However, the POV changes as it is narrated by the surviving friend and family of the murdered and the murderer. the local police force, local newspaper and school and how this affects them. Kravetz has used a brilliant technique to narrate what would be a regular murder mystery bringing the small town of Benfield to life including the story of the murdered who fill the gaps to ensure there is smooth transition. Though set across multiple timelines and multiple POV, it brings all the characters to life in the small town of Benfield, Massachusetts.

The writing is good as the pace changes between timelines, and you are learning about the social landscape of Benfield but could be any place in the USA or world and how a crime affects the people of the town directly and indirectly. It has a chaos effect which many may not realize.

This is the feat of the author as this book brings to life full-fledged 3D characters and not just crime and who did it? It makes you wonder. 

It is a must read as it makes you think about your way of thinking about yourself, friends and family and society as a whole. 

Buy it here     AMAZON