Title: Dominion
Author: C. J. Sansom
Author: C. J. Sansom
Publication Information:
Hardcover, Mulholland Books (Hachette), February 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction ISBN: 0316254916
Plot: Imagine if England had surrendered to
Hitler. In Sansom’s dark and convincing
alternate history, it is 1952 and Germany is ruling England while Winston
Churchill is hiding out from the authorities, encouraging a British Resistance.
Newly recruited to the cause is David Fitzgerald, who has been surreptitiously
passing along information obtained from his government job. He kept his involvement from his wife whose
family are ardent pacifists but that has created distance in his marriage,
already strained by the death of their child.
When David’s Oxford friend Frank is committed to an asylum, both the Americans
and Germans learn that Frank holds the key to a secret that could result in
devastation to the whole world. Only
David can be trusted to rescue Frank, and as his cover is blown, he and his
cohorts desperately try to escape with German agents in hot pursuit.
You can see the book trailer here, which is quite atmospheric.
Audience: Fans of Robert
Harris’ Enigma, Alan Furst, and my old favorite, Anthony Price. Sansom is best
known for his historical mysteries about Matthew Shardlake (the first of which I gave my mother
for Christmas two years ago) but no previous knowledge of his work is
needed to enjoy this book, one of just two standalones he has written. You can buy the book here:
What I liked: This is a brilliantly depicted vision of what could have been, and even the minor characters are fully drawn and believable, particularly the secretary whose interest in David causes her downfall. It’s a big, thick book (my favorite kind) and hard to put down. It was the perfect read for a cold winter night (the last alternative history I liked this much was Black Hearts in Battersea). It's a dark and deliberate journey to another world.
What I disliked: I sympathized with the main character, David,
but couldn’t really like him. However, I
forgot my feelings for him as I was drawn into the deadly chase, which included
memorable scenes set in a pervasive, ominous London fog. It takes a few minutes to acclimate oneself to
lesser known historical characters, but then I sat back and enjoyed the blend
of real and imaginary.
Source: I received this book
from the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and urge you to stop by the tour
to learn more about the author and various readers' interpretations of this book. For one lucky person, I have a hardcover copy to give
away (US/Canada only) – please leave a comment if you are interested, and I
will pick a winner.
5 comments:
Sounds right up my alley with the English setting and the alternative history. I see that my library has already ordered it. Just listened to Alan Furst's "Spies of Warsaw" so I know this will be in good company.
You always have the best recommendations. Thank you!
Sounds intriguing and well-written and somewhat realistic. I'm not big on alternative histories, but one once in a while works for me.
Great post--I find minor characters can really make or break the fictional world.
Interesting circumstances. I'd love to read it. Thanks for the giveaway.
I really find the concept of this book really intriguing.
Thanks for the post, review and giveaway .
Campbellamyd at gmail dot com
I love CJ Samson's Tudor mysteries. Dominion sounds like a good read too, since I enjoy Alan Furst's books, as well as those by Jonathan Raab.Thank you for the giveaway.
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