Official Review: WIIar Eagles by Donald E. Zlotnik

lane_vespertine · Post by **lane_vespertine** » 20 Sep 2016, 01:05

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "WIIar Eagles" by Donald E. Zlotnik.]

3 out of 4 stars

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WWIIAR EAGLES

By Donald E. Zlotnik

For the sake of clarifying the title, I am going to refer to it as World War 2 War Eagles, or War Eagles for short.

War Eagles, by Donald E. Zlotnik, is a historical fictionalization that follows German soldiers who deal with all of the hardships of war just prior and continuing after Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies at the end of World War 2. It begins with a secret meeting at the Soviet Front, where through the guise of bestowing honors to a young officer a general concocts a plan to get the best and brightest Germans safely back to Germany and away from the retribution of the Soviets. They all know the war is coming to an end. The general in charge, affectionately called “Papa,” hands each of the men in the room orders and sends them to a well-stocked bunker where they can plan their escape back into Germany.

We follow the groups' harrowingly close calls, their reconnection to the larger German army, and eventually the lives of some of these officers as they make for home and attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives. From this point on, the story alternates between the major players. Some live under the suspicious and stern eye of the Russians in East Germany. Others negotiate life under jurisdiction of the other allies. All of these stories make for captivating reading.

Zlotnik, in his note given before the book, makes clear that he intends to “keep honorable men honorable and evil men evil.” Zlotnik never makes excuses for the actions of the Nazi regime or any of its gestapo agents, and places them in stark contrast to those who fought as Germans for Germany on the front lines.

Overall, War Eagles succeeds in exactly what it intends to do. It gives an interesting and compelling perspective of the German people during and after World War 2, not just the famous generals and leaders. The story of a family having to live in East Germany and what they had to do in order to survive is especially heart-breaking at times. Throughout a particularly violent encounter the members of a family remember and repeat to each other their intention to “survive.”

I imagine this subject has been a source of fascination for Zlotnik. His familiarity with, and authenticity in, presenting the perspective of the time is comprehensive. Every single character has their own interesting life and journey. Many of these journeys take the story very near the present, reminding us that these people are not simply history.

The only issues I had with War Eagles were small points that could easily be fixed in a thorough editing. A few of the characters were difficult to differentiate from each other, the language associated with sex seemed to be straight out of a romance novel (a penis is referred to as “his power”), and some of the jumps between the different narratives are a little jarring.

Excepting these few small points, War Eagles is a book of distinction. I would happily recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction. However, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I will change this to four stars after the aforementioned editing issue are fixed.

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WIIar Eagles
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Monica R · Post by **Monica R** » 02 Oct 2016, 03:42

Sounds a bit heart wrenching!

Lauren M · Post by **Lauren M** » 02 Oct 2016, 20:24

Really great and thorough review. I don't get into much WW fiction, but it sounds like a good read for people interested in those novels.

lane_vespertine · Post by **lane_vespertine** » 02 Oct 2016, 20:42

Lauren M wrote:Really great and thorough review. I don't get into much WW fiction, but it sounds like a good read for people interested in those novels.

I agree, some people don't dig historical fiction. That said, if you were to give it a try, you could do a lot worse than this!
The best books, in any genre, come from passion on the part of the author, and War Eagles has that passion in droves.

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 03 Oct 2016, 04:05

Sounds like an interesting and exciting book. I have read a few war stories and this sounds like something I would enjoy. Great job on the review.

lane_vespertine · Post by **lane_vespertine** » 12 Oct 2016, 03:08

kimmyschemy06 wrote:Sounds like an interesting and exciting book. I have read a few war stories and this sounds like something I would enjoy. Great job on the review.

Thanks! Except for the fact that the name is a little confusing, WWII War Eagles (or War WWII Eagles... or WWIIAR Eagles...), this is most definitely a book to check out.