Wayne H. Bowen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

I enjoyed this book because the storytelling was captivating, combining compelling characters, a world of pagan Vikings, Germanic tribes, and the rising empire of Charlemagne in vibrant historical fiction.

The author delves into Norse mythology, military history, and cultural traditions of the Saxons, Northmen, and Franks, bringing to life a compelling set of warriors, priests, heroes, and villains from the 8th century AD. This is the first book in the Fire Born series; the other volumes continue the story in the same style, with a plot of compelling interest and craft.

Dread Nation portrays the experience of Jane, a young black woman, in an alternative history set in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, a conflict ended not by a Northern victory but by a zombie apocalypse. While slavery has ended, blacks are trained to serve as the defenders of white privilege against the undead, from Southern plantations to large cities to frontier outposts.

I came across the book after having written professionally about the American Civil War. I found the historical plausibility – admittedly in the midst of a fictional zombie plague – spectacular, with a compelling lead character and a rich level of detail. 

If you’ve seen Indiana Jones or Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, you may have noticed a Nazi fixation on the occult, whether the Ark of the Covenant or artifacts from Norse mythology. Eric Kurlander demonstrates that Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich were truly obsessed not only with occult mysteries, astrology, and other pseudo-sciences and faux sciences, but indeed made major strategic decisions based on these odd beliefs. 

With a narrative that at first glance would seem to come from science fiction, but as demonstrated by the critical use of invaluable sources, Hitler’s Monsters recounts the story of what Nazi leaders believed, how they incorporated these beliefs into policy, and the impact on the shape of the war, the racial worldview of the Third Reich, scientific decision-making, and their reactions to global events.

As a historian, I appreciated the professional approach of Dr. Kurlander, given how many sensationalized accounts there are about the Third Reich, but as a reader, I also enjoyed the story as he told it.

The author is a professor of history at Stetson University and he has given us a gripping read, as a solid accompaniment to the on-screen visions of the Nazis that continue to hold the attention of movie-goers worldwide.