|
The British Lion by Tony Schumacher is the sequel to his first novel,
an alternate history where the Nazis actually win World War
II, occupy England, and are supported by the US government.
The hero of The Darkest Hour, John Rossett, returns as he
helps his Nazi boss save his daughter, who has been kidnapped
by American spies. He must find Ruth Hartz, a Jewish scientist
imprisoned by the Germans and forced to work on developing
an atom bomb, so she can be swapped for the daughter. Rossett
battles not only the Nazi occupiers, but also the British
Resistance who are from the criminal underworld, as well as
some rogue American spies led by Allen Dulles who covertly
works to defeat Hitler.
Besides the real-life figure of Dulles, Schumacher incorporates
into the story Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joe Kennedy
and US President Charles Lindbergh. Both men desire to have
a good relationship with Hitler and to start a trade agreement.
Although many historical books ignore Kennedy’s and
Lindbergh’s anti-Semitism, Schumacher uses it to enhance
the plot. Readers will learn the true facts of Lindbergh’s
views regarding the Jews, considering them sinister, corrupt,
and committed to destroying Christian morality. They also
learn that Kennedy looked upon appeasement with Hitler as
something positive, especially the economic ties between the
two sides.
But the most powerful part of the novel is its theme, what
will people morally sacrifice to pay the price for their life?
This is brought home by the quote, “We’re part
of a machine, John…whatever I think about the machine,
how I feel about what it does, it doesn’t matter. If
I don’t do what I’m supposed to do…I die.”
The author also takes the theme one step further by having
readers decide if the person with the clipboard is as responsible
or more responsible for the Jewish deaths than the ones who
actually did the killings.
The author noted, “I read about this incident where
a sixteen year old shot a policeman in the 1950s. There were
these two guys on the rooftop, one pulled the trigger and
the other told him to do it. I thought about my book story
and wondered about those who ordered people on trains: are
they just as guilty as those who actually killed. I think
the minute anyone knows what they are doing they are just
as responsible. Without the bureaucrat you could not have
had the actual killer. I want readers to ask questions and
think about the issues.”
Through his brilliant character development readers begin
to sympathize with not only Ruth, the Jewish scientist, but
with her Nazi collaborator rescuer, John Rossett. Ruth is
the only one in the story with complete moralistic integrity,
willing to kill herself to make sure the Nazis never get the
bomb. Rossett comes across as someone wanting to make amends,
to become a better person, since his original job was to displace
Jews. Although people will not give this complex and flawed
character a full pardon, they find themselves rooting for
him as he tries to overcome his sins by fighting subversively
against the Nazi regime.
The British Lion reminds readers in many different
ways about man’s inhumanity to man. It becomes obvious
Schumacher has done his historical research about Nazis, their
sympathizers, and the Holocaust, He mixes those facts into
a riveting story, creating an alternate history that has readers
tremble with the realistic possibilities.
|
