An Honorable German - Hardcover

American readers of World War II stories are familiar with the Allied point of view. First novelist McCain reverses that perspective, portraying the war from the viewpoint of a German naval officer. Max Brekendorf begins the war aboard the "pocket battleship" "Graf Spee", hunting Allied shipping in the South Atlantic and looking forward to the postwar life he hopes to enjoy with his aristocratic fiancA e. The brutality of war and the stodgy German class structure stand in his way, but the most sinister obstacle may be the growing political power of Nazi hard-liners, who seem to become ever more fanatical as Germany's military prospects darken. Exposed to wartime atrocity from both sides, Max may have to choose between loyalty and humanity. No government, Axis or Allied, comes out looking very good in McCain's tale; Brekendorf's moral salvation is up to him alone and could cost him his life and his reputation. A vivid and compelling portrayal of World War II naval service.--Library Journal Novels of naval warfare have long captured readers' attention and imagination, perhaps because many of them, in addition to simply being great yarns, illuminate the moral dilemmas of command, offer glimpses of social and political history, and describe life at sea. An Honorable German does all those things. Aboard first the pocket battleship Graf Spee and later a U-boat, there is plenty of action, skillfully described. Lieutenant Max Brekendorf, the book's protagonist, is angered that the Graf Spee's captain scuttles his ship instead of sacrificing his 1,000-man crew in a hopeless battle against the Royal Navy, but he emulates the Spee's captain when he commands a U-boat. Life aboard these two ships is starkly contrasted, from the relative comfort of the Spee to the cold, claustrophobia, deprivation, and sheer terror of the U-boat. But the most compelling parts of the book occur ashore, in wartime Germany. As war wears on, the apolitical Max is appalled by Nazi zealotry and terror, and the staggering destruction wrought on Germany by Allied bombing. A gripping and eye-opening first novel.-- Booklist "Novels of naval warfare have long captured readers' attention and imagination, perhaps because many of them, in addition to simply being great yarns, illuminate the moral dilemmas of command, offer glimpses of social and political history, and describe life at sea. An Honorable German does all those things... A gripping and eye-opening first novel." -- Booklist "The action sequences are undeniably stunning...Fans of naval fiction couldn't ask for more authentic action." -- Publishers Weekly