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21st out of 215 books
—
387 voters
SS-GB
by
Len Deighton
It is November 1941, nine months after the British surrender. Douglas Archer is a British homicide detective assigned to Scotland Yard. He is torn between loyalty to his country and his professional commitment to law enforcement. He begins investigating what seems to be a typical murder case in London, but which finally involves him in the highest levels of the Nazi occupa...more
Mass Market Paperback, 375 pages
Published
April 12th 1980
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1978)
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Originally published on my blog here in July 2004.
Because of Deighton's long history as a successful thriller writer before the appearance of SS-GB, it is packaged as a thriller; but in fact it is science fiction dealing with a classic theme of that genre, and would doubtless have been classified as such if it had been a first novel. For this is alternative history, set in a Britain occupied by the Third Reich after a successful 1941 German invasion. Central character Douglas Archer is a senior...more
Because of Deighton's long history as a successful thriller writer before the appearance of SS-GB, it is packaged as a thriller; but in fact it is science fiction dealing with a classic theme of that genre, and would doubtless have been classified as such if it had been a first novel. For this is alternative history, set in a Britain occupied by the Third Reich after a successful 1941 German invasion. Central character Douglas Archer is a senior...more
Dec 05, 2012
Checkman
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Alternative History buffs, WWII buffs
In 2012 we are swamped with alternative history novels and/or series. In my opinion what was once an fun little genre has become overloaded and overdone. It's become commercialized and much of the fun has been sucked out as a result. Of course the other possibility is that I've just gotten older and my tastes have changed.
Whatever the reason for my feelings regarding the AH genre I do still enjoy the occasional foray into the field. SS-GB was one of the first AH novels that I ever read and it w...more
Whatever the reason for my feelings regarding the AH genre I do still enjoy the occasional foray into the field. SS-GB was one of the first AH novels that I ever read and it w...more
Entertaining alternate history from a time before alternate history scenarios (of WWII in particular) were overdone. Deighton actually lived in Britain during WWII and has the integrity to do his homework before writing, so this actually is a fairly plausible idea of what would have happened to Britain if the Nazis had successfully conquered it - needless to say, it ends very (but not universally) badly for the British. A few plot points were obviously conflated for the sake of drama, but the ma...more
“SS-GB” Is a book about Englishman and detective Douglas Archer. The book picks up in England after an unfortunate twist of events where the U.S. stays out of WWII and the Soviets join with Hitler. England has been captured by the Germans but that is the least of the “Archer of the yard”, Douglas Archer, Who is wrapped up in one of the largest murder cases he has ever been assigned. One day Douglas comes across the murder of a mystery man who deals weapons to the underground resistance who fight...more
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SS-GB is a detective story set in a 1941 Britain which has been successfully invaded by Nazi Germany. The main character, Douglas Archer, is a Scotland Yard detective asked to investigate a killing that seems at first to be related to black market dealings but rapidly assumes a high political significance. Archer not only has to solve the murder but also avoid being damaged by political infighting between powerful superiors as well as decide how to deal with approaches from the resistance moveme...more
This is the granddaddy of alternate history stories: Hitler wins World War II. In this case, Britain surrenders after the farce that was the BEF, and the UK is now an occupied country. The protagonist of SS-GB is a Scotland Yard detective, working under the SS, but still solving the sort of crimes he solved before the war. The plot kicks off when the body of a dead scientist is found in a flat above an antique shop in London, and goes on to take in the German Army's secret research in atom bombs...more
Typical Deighton 60's thriller where Britain is under Nazi occupation after defeat in World War 2.
The main character Douglas Archer is a British Scotland Yard detective working under German supervision. As a murder detective he's called to investigate the death of a man in a squalid flat in London and quickly becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving both the British resistance and German organisations struggling for supremacy in post-war Britain.
The plot is easy to follow with the twists quit...more
The main character Douglas Archer is a British Scotland Yard detective working under German supervision. As a murder detective he's called to investigate the death of a man in a squalid flat in London and quickly becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving both the British resistance and German organisations struggling for supremacy in post-war Britain.
The plot is easy to follow with the twists quit...more
reads like Agatha Christie imagines a Great Britain under Nazi rule. in other words, a police procedural/ detective story set against a German victory over Great Britain. Overall Len Deighton's work is fairly unimpressive, although not without merit, containing twists, drama, and a measure of plausibility.
In a rainy, perpetually night-time UK, the German invasion has come, and the population, mostly, is cowed and obedient. America remain neutral and although poised against Japan; Germany and the...more
In a rainy, perpetually night-time UK, the German invasion has come, and the population, mostly, is cowed and obedient. America remain neutral and although poised against Japan; Germany and the...more
Reasonably good detective story set in an alternate universe Britain where the Nazis invaded in the 40s. Characters aren't too convincing, or at least the main character isn't: the Nazi superiors with departmental rivalries come across as more interesting. The atmosphere of Nazi London, with deprivation, curfews, and spivs, isn't as detailed or involving as it could be. The main plot is faintly ludicrous, but that's not really a big problem except when it becomes difficult to remember who's moti...more
Having enjoyed Robert Harris’s Fatherland, I decided to check out SS-GB on the basis of Harris’s recommendation. Harris’s debt (which he has acknowledged) is obvious – in a sense Fatherland is merely a retelling of SS-GB, with key elements (premise, characters) transposed from early-1940s London to early-1960s Berlin. But aided by the shift in setting and (or so I would judge) Harris’s greater imagination, Fatherland portrays a world both more vivid world and more horrifying.
That’s not to say SS...more
That’s not to say SS...more
An outstanding alternate history novel in which Germany occupies Great Britain in 1941 and hope is lost until... I've read it three or four times over the years and own both print and digital copies. What makes this book so good is that it's a combination of history and mystery and romance with psychologically well-detailed characters and an ending which will stun you. Not to be missed if you're into the alternate history genre, and maybe even if you're not. I first read this book in 1979 when b...more
In the pattern of ' what would have happened if? ' in this case if the Germans had achieved an early defeat on the British.
Would there be collaboration by some with the victors as in France. Yes, by some according to Deighton. Would their be a resistance, again as in France, again yes.
Deighton explores the fine line between collaboration and assisting to uphold law and order of the old school with the more onerous requirements of the victors.
A mixture of detective novel and war story. It provoke...more
Would there be collaboration by some with the victors as in France. Yes, by some according to Deighton. Would their be a resistance, again as in France, again yes.
Deighton explores the fine line between collaboration and assisting to uphold law and order of the old school with the more onerous requirements of the victors.
A mixture of detective novel and war story. It provoke...more
I don't normally go for crime thrillers, but this one had the added twist of being set in an alternate history Great Britain after it's defeat at the hands of an alliance of Nazi Germany and the USSR. It is very well written, intriguing, and the alternative history is fascinating and well developed (despite a couple of unrealistic elements such as fudging the Nazi's intense hatred of "Jewish Bolshevism" in order to justify the alliance with the USSR). This book will be especially enjoyable for t...more
This is an oldie but a goodie...Deighton's SS GB was one of the first major contribution to the sub-genre of alternative histories...ie the Germans win...this novel is set in 1942 and the British have surrendered to the Nazis and there is a struggle among the German conquers and the British resistance as to what direction the future will take. Told through the eyes of a British Detective, Douglas Archer, there is a missing monarch, looted billions and the possibility of an atomic bomb...it is a...more
Fascinating portrait of what might have happened had Britain lost the war in 1941. If Britain was in a poor state after winning the war, you can imagine how badly it fared in defeat. Archer of Scotland Yard is Len Deighton's focus here, caught between the SS, the army and the British resistance. Deighton's research is used masterfully to create a convincing, if nightmarish, vision of Britain under the jackboot. The plot is a bit convoluted, but it all ties up in the end. One of those novels that...more
I misunderstood what the novel was going to be about. I thought that we were going to read Deighton’s idea of how the Nazi strategy was different (from that which they actually followed in 1940-41 – which was terrible) and how the invasion took place and how they succeeded. Instead, the Nazi conquest was a fait accompli, and all we have is a run of the mill murder mystery with a plan to rescue the King and destroy the Nazi nuclear weapons plant (why is it in England, anyway?). I was very disappo...more
this review first appeared on [http://intraspace.blogspot.com]
and now, for something completely different. in need of a little light relief, i read this novel that anna picked up at an op-shop for a few cents.
len deighton is actually quite an established author and is known for meticulous research.
anyway, the interesting thing about this book is that it is set in great britain after it has fallen to the nazis in ww2. it is the story of a scotland yard detective who finds himself working for the...more
and now, for something completely different. in need of a little light relief, i read this novel that anna picked up at an op-shop for a few cents.
len deighton is actually quite an established author and is known for meticulous research.
anyway, the interesting thing about this book is that it is set in great britain after it has fallen to the nazis in ww2. it is the story of a scotland yard detective who finds himself working for the...more
An entertaining 'what if?', made all the more so by the impossibility of picturing the main Nazi characters as anyone other than Colonel Von Strohm and Herr Flick from 'Allo, 'Allo.
Deighton is good on the 'occupied London' mood; he should never have been allowed to attempt 'poignant' or 'sexy', however.
It's a bit disappointing that the plot ends up hinging on complex rivalries between different parts of the German administration, rather than on a King with an atom bomb up his ass, which would...more
Deighton is good on the 'occupied London' mood; he should never have been allowed to attempt 'poignant' or 'sexy', however.
It's a bit disappointing that the plot ends up hinging on complex rivalries between different parts of the German administration, rather than on a King with an atom bomb up his ass, which would...more
I read this book while serving in the US Air Force in what was then West Germany during the early 1980's. It was about a year after I visited Dachau, a concentration camp just outside of Munich. It was a fascinating story idea: What if the Nazi's had won World War II and occupied Great Britain? It held my attention and I felt the author had a wonderful grasp of history to present a realistic story.
A good "what if " story of Britain under Nazi rule. Len Deighton does an admirable job of constructing his characters and a setting that is quite believable, due no doubt to his painstaking research. He uses the tension between Wehrmacht and S.S. to good effect creating a plot that is entriguing and creative with an ending that is both intelligent and unexpected. I will certainly be looking for more of Len Deightons work !
Deighton does a great job in describing a Nazi-occupied Great Britain. Well thought-out, the occupation structure and details could well be real, and this makes this book a very interesting book.
The plot itself is nothing spectacular, but does hold and is entertaining to say the least.
All in all, a page-turner and probably quite better than Jo Walton's Ha'penny and farthing.
The plot itself is nothing spectacular, but does hold and is entertaining to say the least.
All in all, a page-turner and probably quite better than Jo Walton's Ha'penny and farthing.
Ignore the airport thriller title and likely cover. This is more than just an alternate history of Hitler winning WW2 (an already crowded subgenre). This is a gripping, complex political thriller and murder mystery, told by one of the masters of the art. Deighton's style is clearer than usual, but lacks none of his trademark wit.
Nov 24, 2011
Read1000books
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
alternate-history
What would have happened if the Germans had been able to launch "Operation Sea-Lion" (the invasion of England) during World War 2 and had captured the British Isles?! The story here involves a German-run Scotland Yard and an inspector's attempts to investigate a murder, but finds his efforts hampered at every turn. But by whom??
Slušná alternativní historka, která bohužel trpí schematičností postav (a naprosto trapným pokusem o lovestory). Motivace a vztahy jednotlivých německých organizací také nejsou vždy zcela zřejmé. Ty tři body tedy dávám spíše za vzácnost, knih z blízké alternativní historie je nemnoho (z hlavy mě napadá jen 5 i s touto).
Brilliant. This is definitely an author I will start following. The story, a murder mystery set in a German-occupied London during an alternate WWII, follows "Archer of the Yard" as he follows the trail through the German army, the SS, the British resistance and the dawn of the atomic age.
England has fallen and is occupied by the Germans. Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer of Scotland Yard tries his best to do his job under the new management -- but a routine murder case with SS complications sucks him under. A fascinating "what if" book.
Ha I was throwing (to charity shops) some more treebooks from the shelves and picked this up. Thought have I read it???? No actually but I have now so it can continue its progress.
Not too bad - I wonder if reading this triggered Fatherland in Robert Harris' mind?
Not too bad - I wonder if reading this triggered Fatherland in Robert Harris' mind?
i loved SSGB when i read it. i imagined michael caine playing the part of the older policeman, and thought that with special effects being as they are, that it would be no problem to dress up whitehall with nazi banners.
he has the spare prose of genre writing down pat, and it's a ripping read. a simple premis which lets you get on with the story without having to labour the change of reality.
he has the spare prose of genre writing down pat, and it's a ripping read. a simple premis which lets you get on with the story without having to labour the change of reality.
Another great tale...this one a murder mystery thriller and you will never guess how it all plays out. If you like historical non fiction you will fall in love with this alternate setting if Germany had taken over Britian in WWII
I read this in London, so I give it extra props. I do love Deighton and he does this alternate history with aplomb and the mixing of carefully observed detail and the whimsy of humans that is its trademark
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Deighton was born in Marylebone, London, in 1929. His father was a chauffeur and mechanic, and his mother was a part-time cook.After leaving school, Deighton worked as a railway clerk before performing his National Service, which he spent as a photographer for the Royal Air Force's Special Investigation Branch. After discharge from the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art in London in 1949...more
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