Scan barcode
A review by macaparket
The Four Symbols by Éric Giacometti, Jacques Ravenne
4.0
[Thanks to @netgalley and @HodderBooka for the ARC!]
#TheFourSymbols is an exciting historical thriller set during the early years of the Third Reich. It is focused on the Ahnenerbe, the Nazi cultural division of the SS which was dedicated to fashioning the myth of the Aryan exceptionalism, and the Allies trying to stop its sinister plan of conquering the world.
Giacometti and Ravenne weave a complex tale with rich characters. A lot of the characters are Nazis and it's morbidly fascinating reading from their perspective. However, they are never venerated. Instead, the perspective of characters outside the Nazi cause constantly point out the cruelty and madness that they bring wherever they go throughout Europe.
The thrill of the story comes from the suspense around the sacred ancient swastikas that the Reich is searching for because its officials believe that their power will help them win the war, but also from the fate of one of the main characters the Frenchman, Tristan. He has many brushes with death and a lot of unlikely allies and enemies. Nothing is black and white for him and the others keeping him company on these pages, but that's exactly what makes this book so engrossing.
The Ahnenerbe was a real organization and I found it interesting to read more about it as I first came into contact with it in one of Steve Berry's books. He recommends the book "The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust" by #HeatherPringle as a nonfiction resource on this organization dedicated to creating a mythology by way of science and mysticism.
In an age when such beliefs are making an unwelcome comeback, books like "The Four Symbols" are important because they confront us with the untypical forms fascism and nazism can take.
#TheFourSymbols is an exciting historical thriller set during the early years of the Third Reich. It is focused on the Ahnenerbe, the Nazi cultural division of the SS which was dedicated to fashioning the myth of the Aryan exceptionalism, and the Allies trying to stop its sinister plan of conquering the world.
Giacometti and Ravenne weave a complex tale with rich characters. A lot of the characters are Nazis and it's morbidly fascinating reading from their perspective. However, they are never venerated. Instead, the perspective of characters outside the Nazi cause constantly point out the cruelty and madness that they bring wherever they go throughout Europe.
The thrill of the story comes from the suspense around the sacred ancient swastikas that the Reich is searching for because its officials believe that their power will help them win the war, but also from the fate of one of the main characters the Frenchman, Tristan. He has many brushes with death and a lot of unlikely allies and enemies. Nothing is black and white for him and the others keeping him company on these pages, but that's exactly what makes this book so engrossing.
The Ahnenerbe was a real organization and I found it interesting to read more about it as I first came into contact with it in one of Steve Berry's books. He recommends the book "The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust" by #HeatherPringle as a nonfiction resource on this organization dedicated to creating a mythology by way of science and mysticism.
In an age when such beliefs are making an unwelcome comeback, books like "The Four Symbols" are important because they confront us with the untypical forms fascism and nazism can take.