Name: The Only Thing to Fear
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9780545629881

Caroline Tung Richmond

It has been nearly seventy years since Hitler's armies won the war, and sixteen-year-old Zara St. James lives in the Shenandoah hills, part of the Eastern American Territories, under the rule of the Nazis--but a resistance movement is growing, and Zara, who dreams of freedom, may be the key to its success.

The Only Thing to Fear

In a stunning reimagining of history, debut author Caroline Tung Richmond weaves an incredible story of secrets and honor in a world where Hitler won World War II.It's been nearly 80 years since the Allies lost WWII in a crushing defeat against Hitler's genetically engineered super soldiers. America has been carved up by the victors, and 16-year-old Zara lives a life of oppression in the Eastern America Territories. Under the iron rule of the Nazis, the government strives to maintain a master race, controlling everything from jobs to genetics. Despite her mixed heritage and hopeless social standing, Zara dreams of the free America she's only read about in banned books. A revolution is growing, and a rogue rebel group is plotting a deadly coup. Zara might hold the key to taking down the Führer for good, but it also might be the very thing that destroys her. Because what she has to offer the rebels is something she's spent her entire life hiding, under threat of immediate execution by the Nazis. In this action-packed, heart-stopping novel of a terrifying reality that could have been, Zara must decide just how far she'll go for freedom.

jess

I think my main problem with this book is that it's not alternate history. It uses history as a basis, yes, but what's missing is the strong sense of competing ideologies in the world building. For instance, Hitler and Stalin. Au doubt that either dictator would allow the other to survive. Hitler invaded well before the war ended in this timeline, and the ideology between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union was so different that they hated each other. No, really. If the USSR and US were pitted against each other in the Cold War with so much fear, this would be even worse, except with both Hitler and Stalin - two ruthless dictators - I doubt that either would have cared if they destroyed the world in an attempt to conquer each other. Communism and fascism hated each other. Hitler's nonaggression pact was so that he could lull Stalin into a false sense of security so he didn't have to fight the Soviets while he was attacking the other front. 

Also, the genetic engineering didn't ring true to me, especially as there's no scientific basis in it. Atomic bombs, super strength - yeah, but I don't buy -kinesis.

I guess I was looking for a novel that explored the after effects of an Axis win. (The Soviet Union was Allied, by the way.) What I got was a dystopian I've read several times before.

The Only Thing to Fear

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