SS-GB

SS-GB was written in 1978 by legendary spy writer Len Deighton, author of The IPCRESS File, A Funeral in Berlin and Billion-Dollar Brain.

“The Nazis have won the Battle of Britain and the united Kingdom has been invaded, the swastika flying over Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. When a defiant Winston Churchill is executed by firing squad, there seems little hope for the people of Britain.

But life must go on. As rationing causes horrific deprivation, London is ripe for criminal classes to take advantage. But Superintendent Douglas Archer is there to uphold the law, under the watchful eye of his new German masters.

There is just one hope for the freedom of Britain, and Archer will be key if it is to succeed…”

Len Deighton is regarded as one of the ‘big three’ British espionage thriller writers, the others, of course, being Ian Fleming and John le Carré. In the 1960s, Deighton was regarded as the height of cool among young, educated males, The IPCRESS File being made into a film starring the epitome of British cool in the 60s: Michael Caine.

Deighton never had any interest in science fiction, but was fascinated by the ‘alternative history’ genre. And so, SS-GB is Deighton’s attempt to dip his toe in the water. The premise of having Germany win the Second World War is hardly a new one today. The same premise has been explored in the 2012 novel, Dominion, by CJ Sansom, 1992’s Fatherland, by Robert Harris (later being made into a feature film starring Rutger Hauer) and prior to that in 1962 the Philip K Dick story The Man in the High Castle (now a TV series produced by Amazon Studios et al). But in 1978, the idea wasn’t as familiar as it is today.

So, is SS-GB actually any good?

I have to say, it is a masterpiece. The prose just seems to effortlessly roll off the page, Deighton managing to convey in a few words enough detail to paint the most vivid of pictures, allowing the reader to really feel a part of the story. His powers of description really are pretty amazing. The characters are beautifully written, each having a distinct voice and personality, each playing their own vital part in a tense drama, with twists and turns, surprises and gripping scenes that capture the reader and won’t let him or her go.

Too often, over the years, the Nazis have been portrayed as bumbling stooges, usually lining up to be shot and letting the heroes make easy escapes. But not here. In SS-GB, the Germans are intelligent, thoughtful, resourceful and cunning. They are also ambitious, vain and self-serving. Just like any politicians or middle managers in the real world. At no point do you feel that Superintendent Archer has the measure of his Nazi masters. This is a cat-and-mouse game from start to finish, and Archer himself isn’t sure where his loyalties lie. All he knows is that he’s a copper, and as such has a job to do.

At its heart, as with all great fiction, this is a story about people, and examines the motivations of its characters. Thrust into this situation, with the proud British nation subjugated under the rule of a ruthless dictatorship, one is forced to consider what he or she would do. Getting on for eighty years since the time that this book is set, it’s easy to say that we would never capitulate, would fight the Nazis at every corner. Yes, fight them on the beaches and never surrender. But would we? Archer treads the fine line between hating his German masters, and working with them, because he needs their cooperation to do his job. It’s an interesting dilemma and an uncomfortable one at that.

This is a magnificent book, Deighton’s world-building skills far greater than he has given himself credit for. The prose style is so majestically fluid that most modern writers – from any genre – would really benefit from experiencing it.

A fantastic book.

Really enjoyed but sure am glad this did not happen.