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226th out of 488 books
—
450 voters
The Losing Role
by
Steve Anderson (Goodreads Author)
In the last winter of WWII a failed German actor, Max Kaspar, is forced to join an absurdly desperate secret mission in which he must impersonate an enemy American officer. So Max cooks up his own fanatical plan — he'll use his false identity to escape tyranny and war and flee to the America he'd once abandoned.
The Losing Role is based on an actual false flag operation du...more
The Losing Role is based on an actual false flag operation du...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
December 10th 2010
by CreateSpace
(first published March 19th 2010)
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Full of vibrant, engaging characters and with an original plot that sidesteps the overplayed tropes of many World War II novels, "The Losing Role" is highly readable and very enjoyable as a light espionage novel where theatrical performance can almost always fool someone. Anderson's is a book that elevates the promise of self-published novels, and is certainly of high enough quality to stand on its own, surpassing many titles that have found larger audiences and even a few film adaptations. Reco...more
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Late in 1944, the German Army pressed westward along the western front in a desperate attempt to break the Allied advance. The offensive would later come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. While plenty of novels and movies have portrayed the American side of the struggle in Belgium's Ardennes forest that winter, Steve Anderson's The Losing Role examines the story of a German soldier caught up in a cause he knows is lost.
Max Kaspar is an out-of-work actor drafted into the German Army to figh...more
Max Kaspar is an out-of-work actor drafted into the German Army to figh...more
2 likes · like · see review
Feb 24, 2011
Alice Yeh
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
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World War II and the German false flag operation are historical facts, but Anderson takes poetic license with the details, introducing us to an imaginary German soldier known as Max Kaspar. His geniality and optimism seem out of place in the middle of a battlefield, and yet the author depicts him with just enough hardness to make his persona believable. When an impossible mission is set before him, it is easy to wish for his personal success and to cheer him on anxiously, even with an ever-prese...more
Jan 02, 2011
Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009
“The Losing Role” by Steve Anderson is a historical fiction book which takes place during World War II. The story follows a failed German actor who is drafted to infiltrate American lines posing as an American officer.
Max Kaspar, a.k.a. failed German-American actor Maximilian von Kaspar, is fighting on the Eastern front when he is drafted by the SS for an unknown mission. Soon Max discovers that he has been recruited to impersonate American officers and cause havoc behind enemy lines.
Realizing t...more
Max Kaspar, a.k.a. failed German-American actor Maximilian von Kaspar, is fighting on the Eastern front when he is drafted by the SS for an unknown mission. Soon Max discovers that he has been recruited to impersonate American officers and cause havoc behind enemy lines.
Realizing t...more
Jan 02, 2011
TC
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
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It's winter 1944 and Max Kaspar is pulled from the Eastern Front for a role in a secret mission. Before the war Max was an actor and having lived and worked in New York, and as an English speaker, he is considered ideal for the task at hand. The role - masquerading as an enemy US officer, his aim - to use the opportunity to escape the war and return to the States. Having been trained and put into a team Max finds himself caught up in the Battle of the Bulge, and his plan goes far from smoothly....more
I was looking for a historical novel on Smashwords and took a chance on The Losing Role. I didn't expect much. Many of the self-published novels on Smashwords are barely readable. But after reading the sample of The Losing Role, I was hooked. I found that I really cared what happened to Max, the main character.
Max is German, spent some time in the U.S., returned to Germany just before WWII. He's an actor, not terribly political. He just wants to act. When the war starts, his roles dry up. He's d...more
Max is German, spent some time in the U.S., returned to Germany just before WWII. He's an actor, not terribly political. He just wants to act. When the war starts, his roles dry up. He's d...more
I enjoyed this very much. I've found myself drawn more and more to history and historical fiction and Steve Anderson did a great job with both in The Losing Role. His attention to detail in the locations and events surrounding the storyline are much appreciated, yet those details are used to bring life to the story rather than merely rehashed trivia.
It is also refreshing to see a portrayal of a German soldier as something other a buffoon or a soldier mindlessly following in Hitler's quest for wo...more
It is also refreshing to see a portrayal of a German soldier as something other a buffoon or a soldier mindlessly following in Hitler's quest for wo...more
This was a good historical fiction novel set in WW2 told from a German perspective about a real blackflag (i.e., counter-intelligence) operation.
I liked how the author takes you into the mind of Max Kaspar, who is an anti-hero. He struggles with his feelings for Germany and for America, since we find out he lived in both countries.
There is some foul language as the German soldiers attempt to impersonate the cussing that was common to American soldiers. There was also a non-graphic reference to...more
I liked how the author takes you into the mind of Max Kaspar, who is an anti-hero. He struggles with his feelings for Germany and for America, since we find out he lived in both countries.
There is some foul language as the German soldiers attempt to impersonate the cussing that was common to American soldiers. There was also a non-graphic reference to...more
This was an interesting take on the Battle of the Bulge from a German perspective. I appreciate the thorough research Mr. Anderson did in creating this work of fiction. As the victors WWII, it's easy to vilify all things and persons Nazi and forget that many of those who fought were forced to do so, especially toward the end of the war. This story attempts to humanize one such soldier, an actor named Max who had spent some time America before the war and returned to Germany when his American sta...more
This novel is written from an interesting point of view, that of a German soldier who had lived in the U.S. for many years before returning to Germany on the brink of World War II. This could have been a terrific novel, but just misses. This held my interest and was a good "summer read", if a war novel can be a good read. I do however, expect to see a film made from this novel and will be first in line to buy a ticket.
An interesting story, well written, with some surprises. The author has very obviously done his research, not just about the operation that Max Kasper (the main character) is involved in, but about everything the book touches on.
I started by reading the sample, not knowing what to expect. I soon found that I was hooked, and bought the full copy. Max is a character that it is easy to empathise with, and he's put into an interesting situation.
This was the first self-published book I read, and I st...more
I started by reading the sample, not knowing what to expect. I soon found that I was hooked, and bought the full copy. Max is a character that it is easy to empathise with, and he's put into an interesting situation.
This was the first self-published book I read, and I st...more
Max was born in Germany; his family emigrated leaving him in German to finish a baker's apprenticeship. Which, to say the least and the most, didn't work for Max in any way. His father was totally intolerant of that, so he went on from a New England town to NYC where he could pursue his theatrical abilities which were rather obvious. He decided to go back to Germany, not really a good decision. Any how he and few others are set up to do their thing for the government, a spying of sorts and turn...more
I enjoyed this book alot. I find myself being drawn to history and historical fiction. The Losing Role
is a terrific book that is exciting and funny, and it keeps you thinking long after the action is over.
I look forward to the next installment of this series. Also, I thought this book was very good in
describing a different aspect of WW2. A good read.
is a terrific book that is exciting and funny, and it keeps you thinking long after the action is over.
I look forward to the next installment of this series. Also, I thought this book was very good in
describing a different aspect of WW2. A good read.
Written by Sönke's good friend who lives down the street - Steve! Interesting perspective on a NAZI attempt to infultrate the American army during WWII using Germans who had lived in America. Steve also incorporates the cultural differences between Germans and Americans in a fun way.
This is a book that was given to me to review on BookRooster and it wasn't something I would normally have chosen to read, but very glad I did. It was well written and I learned alot about The Battle of the Bulge and WWII without realizing I was learning.
May 04, 2013
Raquel
marked it as to-read
I'm currently taking AP World History, so reading this book would help me immensely! I'm looking forward to reading this
Sep 04, 2011
Ken302
added it
A good book. I was surprised to find it historically accurate. But I found it hard to connect with Max, the main character.
May 10, 2013
Amy Hustead
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Steve Anderson is the author of
The Losing Role
and other novels with crime, history and mystery, noir and humor. Anderson was a Fulbright Fellow in Germany, and has also written Kindle Singles, short stories and screenplays. He's a big soccer fan and lives in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
More about Steve Anderson...
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