Reich

By: Drew Avera

Narrated by: Keith L. O'Brien

Length: 1 hr and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

In the 158 years after Hitler's death (AH158), Germany has become the utopian state that he had originally envisioned. The Aryan Dynasty has conquered the free world at the cost of billions of lives. Hitler has become the patriarch of a new religious fervor, one that even he did not see coming. The wastelands that surround Germany are the only threat awaiting the German citizens. That is at least what everyone is taught. This is a story of how misplaced power can lead to tyranny, but it could be Germany that falls victim to a new Reich.

©2013 Drew Alexander Avera (P)2013 Drew Alexander Avera

Sequel Please

In the future German is how Hitler envisioned it a utopia for the people all though it is a just a illusion, and when some of the people find out there is a revolution.

This was quite a different take on history and how it could have possible proceeded, I found the characters interesting and as well developed as you can get in a novella. I think this would have been a much better full size book as the novella leaves you clamoring for more. Narrator Keith O'Brien does a awesome job with the audiobook version keeping all of the characters separate and the level of action up throughout. This was a good book, it just leaves you asking the author for a sequel, please.

Reich

Any additional comments?

This book wandered a bit and the ended soo sudden. It had a lot of potential. I wish it had a better ending.

A short tale with an unexpected twist.

Where does Reich rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the 4 star range, hence the rating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think the first 2 kids in the tale. They had plenty of character even though they had such a short amount of the story.

Which character – as performed by Keith L. O'Brien – was your favorite?

The main female character, because I think that character provided the greatest challenge for O'Brien.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Set roughly ~150 years after Hitler’s death, the citizens of Germany still live under the Reich, the Aryan Nation reigning supreme within her borders. Life is orderly, a little too orderly, and plenty of people stomp around in big boots and ill-designed uniforms. The average citizen of Germany lives in a tyrannical hell, and those that keep the order abuse it. Without giving away a huge plot twist, this book is more than the back cover description gives it credit for.

We open with a boy who runs afoul of authority. I have to say that the first three jumps, or was it four?, in point of view through me in a creeped-out-by-the-viciousness-of-authority-gone-astray kind of way. Folks die in this book people, hence some of the shifting POVs. Yet, everyone is a hero in their own heads. I definitely enjoy a tale where everyone believes that they aren’t really all that bad. So it was good to show that through the shifting POVs.

At under 2 hours, the plot has to move along pretty quickly. So we start with the view of the average citizen born and raised this in this new Germany, then learn the BIG SECRET, which is followed by a rebellion of the citizens. A young mother ends up leading this rebellion and we end up following her for most of the book. While I found her character a bit lacking in military leadership skills (she is chaperoned around everywhere by chivalrous men), I can see her as a very efficient administrator of a country.

There wasn’t much in the way of character development once the character was established, but then, this isn’t a very long piece. I was more fascinated with the plot and the idea of a world where Hitler and/or the Reich are worshiped and carried on in some way. Other than that very questionable movie about Nazis setting up a long-term camp on the moon (oh and it was short story from the 1950s too, I think), I have never really contemplated this. Toss in Avera’s twist (which has something to do with misplaced authority on a very large scale) and you have an ever deeper level of contemplation.

All in all, Drew Avera is an author to keep an eye on, specifically his writing pen, to see what he turns out next.

Narration: O’Brien did a good job narrating this story. His German accent and little bit of German was well done (to my ears which have only had 2 years of school German). His little kid and female voices were believable and each character was distinct.

Imaginary History

This was an interesting take on a historical event as it described a world in which "The Aryan Dynasty" has come to power. The author added a creative spin in which nothing was as it seemed. I liked the creativity. I appreciated that the characters were also unusual for the "new" society and the roles that each portrayed. Keith L O'Brien's narration was fantastic. His performance kept my attention and added to the story's entertainment. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.