In the Great Tradition of Herman Wouk, Author of Winds of War and War and Remembrance, Wolf is a Thoroughly Researched Historical Novel about a Man who is Not Yet a Monster . . . but Will Soon Become the Ultimate One: Adolf Hitler. Perhaps no one is more controversial or more hated than Adolf Hitler. Yet questions remain about how this seemingly unremarkable man gained power to become one of the … unremarkable man gained power to become one of the most diabolical dictators of all time. Based on extensive research, the historical novel Wolf lifts the curtain on Hitler’s secret life, revealing truths that have been hidden for one hundred years.
The story begins as World War I is ending, when the fictional character Friedrich Richard meets Hitler in the mental ward of Germany’s Pasewalk Hospital. Hitler, a.k.a. Wolf, is an army corporal suffering from hysterical blindness. Unable to see or care for himself, the future Führer relies upon Friedrich for assistance, and the two men form an unbreakable bond.
As Wolf progresses, Friedrich becomes history’s eyes and ears. Interacting with real people, places, and events during a fifteen-year time frame, Friedrich watches Hitler evolve step-by-step into a megalomaniacal dictator. A book for history buffs and fiction fans alike, this remarkable thriller presents a fully-realized, flesh-and-blood Hitler that is more realistic and more chilling than any we’ve seen before.
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Thank you Jane Wesman Public Relations, Inc., Skyhorse Publishing, HFVBT and the authors for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wolf
By: Herbert J. Stern and Alan A. Winter
*REVIEW*
In their novel, Wolf, Herbert J. Stern and Alan A. Winter seamlessly weave historical fact and fiction to create a humanized portrait of the embodiment of evil in Adolf Hitler(Wolf). This is the story of his early life after WWI before he became the greatest dictator of all time. In 1918 in a mental institution, the narrator, a young man with amnesia whom the doctors name Friedrich Richard, meets Wolf, suffering from hysterical blindness, and the two are fast friends. Once released, these men ultimately end up in Berlin where Richard joins Wolf and his Nazi inner circle. The novel spans sixteen years, and during this time, we see Hitler’s rise to power through the eyes of Richard. Many historical figures are named and surprising things are revealed about Wolf. For example, he was a ladies man, which is difficult for me to imagine, but, of course, these women didn’t know what we know about Hitler. It’s also strange to believe that Hitler had actual relationships and friendships with people who cared about him. How could anyone have ever cared about Hitler? I say this, however, with the benefit of hindsight. I found this aspect most striking about Wolf-Hitler as a real person-because no living man could possibly do what Hitler did, and yet, the truth remains. Richard eventually begins to see the direction Wolf and the Nazi party are headed, and he decides to do what he thinks is best, whether in agreement with Wolf or not. Although the narrator, Friedrich Richard is fictional, his story is steeped in historical facts and is truly unbelievable. Wolf is an extremely compelling and absorbing novel that offers a striking and profound characterization of a truly evil man. WWII enthusiasts should pick up this astounding book today. This is a book I will not soon forget.
So many, myself included, have wondered how Hitler rose to be the dictator he did. How he gained the power and votes that he did, how he was able to control thousands, if not millions and bring down humanity. How could one person be able to make other believe that someone with a certain ancestry was to be hated and murdered without a second thought. It is still something that is so unfathomable. One person.
The novel Wolf, was a very interesting look into Hitler’s life starting right after WWI, and the decade that he took to rise to the power he did. Hitler, although often came across as an annoying man who would fail at any sort of government position, took his time to methodical figure out how to get to where he did. He was conniving, he was a liar, he was captivating, he overpromised, he was good at laying blame elsewhere, and most of all he was the greatest manipulator of all.
Wolf is written from the character viewpoint of, Friedrich Richard who met and befriend Wolf just after WWI, in a mental hospital. The two became quick friends as both were finding themselves. Friedrich had not memory of who he was and the doctors were amazed at his recover, and Wolf had temporary blindness and had relied on Wolf for assistance with everyday medial things until his sight came back. The two formed a bond that would never be broken.
Wolf learned quickly that Friedrich was one he needed to keep close, and one who would become extremely loyal as a friend, and reliable for anything he would need. Friedrich at first was glad to be of help to Wolf, and was often straight forward with him. He was the one who could talk him off a ledge, but one who Hitler respected enough to respect that Friedrich could often speak the truth of what he thought. Hitler knew Friedrich had quite a few good Jewish friends, and often was in the same belief as he was.
Throughout the decade, Friedrich is often privy to meetings and insight into Hitler’s slow takeover of Germany. He is often warned by others, and comments are made that people either think Hitler is a joke and full of himself, or that he is bad news and nothing could come out of him gaining any sort of power. Friedrich often took it with a grain of salt, when he would confront Hitler, often he would reassure him, that so and so was behind the Jewish arrest or business closings and move on.
It is isn’t until years and years later, as Friedrich is being pulled into more and more scandals and clean up’s that he is realizing that maybe some of those warnings did hold water and that the person he believed Hitler to be really has been a sheep in Wolf clothing this whole time.
One incident makes him realize that he was blinded this whole time, and as he was often told- maybe he is the only one close enough who could dare bring down this monster. The only one who Hitler trust’s enough to never see anything coming, if Friedrich dare attempt anything.
This novel was VERY good. It really had a lot of information, and background on the slow rise to power that Hitler did accomplish. Even though it is a large novel, it was a fast read and flowed well for covering over a decade of events and people. It was also interesting to read about some of those who came into power under Hitler and how, as you often see the same names repeated the more you read WWII historical fiction.
Thank you to Andrea Stein with Jane Wesman Public Relations and Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours for the opportunity to read and review Wolf! I HIGHLY recommend this novel for anyone interested in knowing more about how Hitler was able to gain such power over people.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Wolf A Novel” by Herbert J. Stern & Alan A. Winter, Skyhorse Publishing, February 2020
Herbert J. Stern and Alan A. Winter authors of “Wolf A Novel” have written a disturbing, dark, intense, and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this Novel are Historical Fiction and Fiction. The authors have used poetic license to use some fictional characters to help narrate the story of Adolf Hitler before he was so powerful. The timeline for this story starts in 1918 in a mental hospital. It continues to when Hitler has risen to power.
Friedrich Richard is a fictional character who needed plastic surgery and regular surgery after being hurt during World War One. In addition, he has no memory of who he is. He is given the name of “X’ and then Friedrich Richard. At this hospital, he meets Adolf Hitler, who is called “Wolf”, who has hysterical blindness. Friedrich helps Adolf with everything, and when Adolf gets his eyesight back, they become very close. In this book, Friedrich and Wolf are friends for 15 years. Friedrich is sympathetic to the Jewish people that he meets and becomes good friends with some of them, Although he has amnesia, Friedrich is able to play the piano, and is very strong. It seems that the authors have created Friedrich to try to moderate Wolf’s moods and actions, and be sort of a “conscience”.
I appreciate that the authors have done such a tremendous amount of research. I also found it surprising that “Wolf” seemed to have a way with the ladies. At one point he uses a poem and claims he has written it, but it was written by another poet. Also, it is mentioned that Wolf (Hitler) was very loyal to early friends. As Hitler and the Nazi party become powerful, there are betrayals and evil, that we know from History.
“Wolf” is an evil, “psychopathic” man, that caused millions of people to die, and this book does show how he came to power. I would recommend this dark and thought-provoking novel for those people interested in World War Two and the life of how Hitler became so ruthless and powerful.
Welcome my Fellow Freakish Feasting Feydragons! Tonight’s Gem is in this old, cracked leather bag, pay great attention to that ugly symbol on the pouch. It is reviled the world over by good Dragons everywhere. It is the contents we concern ourselves with this evening. Let us pour them out on this piece of blue velvet. See? Runes carved from diamonds. Germanic and Teutonic they appear to be, but on second look they have been altered to do someone’s bidding, like propaganda. On second look, they aren’t even diamonds, but some type of crystal. Everything seems very real at first, but then we realize it was all a fraud, used by a subtle beast to get his way, to murder, plunder, control. This is Gem Makers’ Herbert J. Stern and Alan R. Winter’s “Wolf“, one of the best historical fiction novels I have read to date.
Imagine you wake up in a hospital, you are wounded and have no memory of who you are. You do not remember what you look like, your name, your family, what you did, what your tastes or beliefs were before the explosion that tore your memory from your brain the way your fellow soldiers had their limbs torn from their bodies. You work hard to bring it all back, but you cannot. Day after day, nothing comes to you. Plastic surgery has fixed your face. The doctors had no photo to go on and so they do their best by making you look like a famous movie actor, but they can do nothing for your brain.
You are one day asked to help a fellow soldier placed in the bed next to yours. He has been blinded. You think it is by a chemical weapon, but your doctor confides it is not a weapon, but rather hysteria at your country losing the war that has brought on this lack of sight. So, with nothing better to do, you begin to help. He eventually regains his sight, you do not regain your memory. He keeps you as a fast friend, closer than a brother, you appreciate this, but are at loose ends..no memory, no history, you cannot settle so easily. Then your new friend begins to spout ideas that bother you, but what can you do? You are not one for speaking out. You are too unnerved by your situation.
This is the predicament Friedrich Richard finds himself in. He only has the name because the a doctor gave it to him. It belonged to a dead soldier that no one will come looking for and his death was not reported (so you believe). His new friend calls him Friedrichshen (dear or close fried) a symbol of their closeness. He asks Friedrich to call him, not by his formal name, but rather ‘Wolf’ as his friends do. This is Friedrich’s introduction to Adolf Hitler.
Stern and Winter introduce us to one of the most evil men in world history in this way. He is not the crazed dictator, shouting, railing, shaking his fist…rather he is a wounded soldier. They build him over a stretch of years so that we are given a seat at one of the ugliest plays on the Human Stage. This is how Adolf Hitler was made. This is how he evolved from a mediocre artist and decorated corporal to a dictator who took millions of lives and would have taken millions more had he been able.
Friedrich is one of the best characters I have ever read. I had sympathy for him at times, at others not at all. I wanted to shake him, shoot him, help him, hide him. The people he meets and the places he took me in this story were phenomenal. He hides a secret because part of his memory begins to return and it would seem to very insignificant. He sits down one afternoon and suddenly plays the piano and does it very well. His life is now in danger from this moment on.
I would love to see this book be read in every high school in America. Every college. I have a list of books I would love to see read to expose dictators for who and what they were, both the small and the large.. I refuse to use the word “great”. We live in a time when too many adults say they do not know what the Holocaust was or they do not understand who the dictators of WWII were. This is one of those books. If you know someone who is one of these persons…I would urge you to buy them this book. At 500 pages it is not a quick read, but it is captivating, at times breathtaking, but most of all, I could not put it down. I read it over the course of 10 days while fighting of the dreaded Beast Bronchopneumonia. The characters in this book lived, ran businesses, held government posts. This is not fiction from whole cloth. This is fiction from Truth.
If you are a student of WWII you very well may learn things you did not know, I certainly did! If you love excellently researched historical fiction, this is it! It is very reasonably priced as well and is sold wherever good books are sold.
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I received a copy of this book from Sky Horse Publishing #skyhorsepublishing and #hfvirtualbooktours as part of the tour for this book.