Customer Reviews

A Change of Regime

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First off, if you haven't read J. N. Stroyar's prior novel, "The Children's War" don't even attempt to tackle "A Change of Regime". While the author does provide a summary, it is barely enough for someone who read and absolutely loved the book; a newcomer will be hopelessly lost within a dozen pages. That said, "A Change of Regime" is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor. While I don't believe anyone could do justice to such a tremendous debut, Stroyar comes very close.

Picking up more or less where "The Children's War" left off, Stroyar continues her exploration of a resistance centered in occupied Poland that has been fighting, with varying degrees of success, Nazi occupation for sixty years. I don't wan't to risk too much in the way of spoilers for those new to the author, but fans will be pleased to know that much of the story continues to revolve around Zosia and Peter, although Zosia's brother, the infiltrator Richard, makes a welcome move to center stage.

As before, while the alternate history is impeccably researched and utterly believable, it is Stroyar's ability to work in issues relevant to our own world that makes "A Change of Regime" such a gripping read. Even more interestingly, she was able to deftly adjusted her focus to encompass the issues surrounding 9/11 and the subsequent War on Terror. Stroyar quite eloquently explores the desperation that drives people to acts of terror, but ultimately rejects such approaches as degrading and self defeating. Likewise, her consideration of whether a failure to act in the interests of humanity everywhere makes one complicit in acts of brutality echo both the justification for invading Iraq and other forceful democratization on the one hand, and the treatment of prisoners in places like Abu Grahib (or even the U.S.) on the other.

At the same time, new to this novel is a remarkable appreciation for the labyrinthine affairs of state that plague totalitarian regimes. While the slow decay of Nazi Germany and the parallels to the U.S.S.R. were quite effectively conveyed in "The Children's War", in "A Change of Regime" she pulls back the veil and reveals the vicious, corrupt decrepitude that permeates the nation's façade. The result is a book saturated with tension as Richard schemes his way to ever greater heights of power, all while trying to preserve his very soul.

My one complaint with the novel is that the relationship between Zosia and Peter is too strained to be effective early in the novel, and to easily resolved later. While the reasons why they would have a dysfunctional relationship are manifold, within the context of the book it is just too bleak; surrounded by horror, they are needed to offer some hope and while they needn't always triumph over adversity, neither should they be prisoners of the past. A corollary to this problem is that Zosia, and several other female characters drift from calculating to hysterical, and the result is what I am sure was a quite unintended, but nonetheless very real, denigration of their worth within the context of the larger resistance.

Ultimately, this shortfall is easily forgiven as it is understandable given the context and inconsequential when compared to the larger issues in play. Totally effective as an alternate history and yet equally powerful as an exploration of the dehumanization that comes with tyranny, "A Change of Regime" can be appreciated equally by genre and literary readers. Given the remarkable experience I had reading the "The Children's War" I approached the sequel with some trepidation, but happily, Stroyar has proven that she has total command of her world and her characters, and I can only hope there will be another follow-up.

Jake Mohlman

Stroyar has done it again. A Change of Regime revisits the chillingly realistic alternate world that she brought to life so vividly in The Children's War. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of DDay it is sobering to realise how close we came to living in Stroyar's world and how great a debt we owe to the heroes who saved western civilisation on the beaches of Normandy.

Many of the characters from the Children's War reappear in Stroyar's new work; but the emphasis this time is subtly different with a greater focus on the inner workings of power in the Reich.

The mood this time is lighter and the glimmerings of hope that were evident at the end of the first novel blossom, if not into freedom and democracy, then at least into tangible improvements. The resistance have to wrestle with the dilemna of when to stop fighting; if it is moral to use violence to overthrow totalitarian regimes is it also morally ok to use vioelnce against regimes that fail to live up to the highest standards of western democracy. Where do you draw the line: if it was ok to violently oppose the Third Reich was it also ok to attack Stalin's Soviet Union, and how about China today.

The moral questions Stroyar raises, albeit framed by her imaginary world are starkly relevant for us. If you want to understand why it is important to use force to overthrow totalitarian and why the human rights of all people not just Americans are always worth protecting then please read this book.

I must admit I approached this book with some misgivings after being given a copy by an enthusiatic friend. First, I am not a fan of alternate history and second, I have read more than enough about WWII and the Third Reich. But I was very pleasntly surprised; what Stroyar has done is to produce that rare and beautiful thing an allegory.
By taking us out of our complicated world, Stroyar drops us in an alternate reality where the moral choices, without being less complicated are just that little bit more starkly delineated. Importantly the choices that Stroyar's characters wrestle with are not abstract hypothetical ones but the ones we today face: when is violent opposition to tyranny legitimate; are the human rights of one group of humans less important than another and, vitally important for the USA today, how far can sel-defense go before a country loses the moral high ground and ceases to be worth defending.
Stroyar provides no canned answers to these questions, but after reading this book you may find your own answers subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) shifted,
Sure this book works as alternate history too, but really it is an important contribution to the current political debate.

Stroyar"s imaginary world is more gripping than present reality, The moral dilemnas that her characters wrestle with are exaggerated versions of the problems faced by today's political leaders. Yet this book never forgets that it is a gripping thriller. This is a book that will keep you up late turning page after page and then will keep you awake pondering the issues it raises.
This book works successfully on so many levels: it is amazing this is the author's second novel; it reads as if written by a much more experienced hand.

Not only is this book a gripping political thriller but it is also a deeply moving love story. As Peter and Zosia's affection for one another is buffetd by almost overwhelming geopolitical forces but remains unbroken. The characterisation is superb - you end up caring as much for the characters as your own friends.

This is quite simply a must read, remarkable work from an author who deserves to be much better known

This book was a great sequel to "The Children's War". While it did wrap things up nicely I feel that it ended somewhat abruptly. The author had written some very long books and I think could have used an little extra at the end to wrap it up. However on the whole both books together were excellent.

I great continuation to the first book. Its a must read if you read the first one.

This is one of those thrillers that grabs you on the first page and doesn't let go until the last. The tension mounts frompage to page; this is a book that is genuinely hard to put down.

Great summer reading.

Not so often anymore do I read a book, or a book series that captivates and inthrawls. But Stroyar's two books, this being the sequel have left me with a great sense of hope not only for the world of literature, but also for mankind.
In this the sequel to Children's War we pick up where we left off with our wonderfully developed main character Peter Halifax, though he has had many names in the past. Also in the fray is Peter's wife Zosia, her brother Richard, and his daughter Stefi. Now this latest episode in the saga (Maybe Stroyar Has Another Novel In Her. She Certainly Left The Possibility Open) Peter's trials and tribulations continue, to disolve and undermine the Third Reich in modern times. I don't want to reveal too much about this 2nd book so as to ruin for any of you out there, but let me just say this, Peter's problems are far from over, intrigue and espionage are being played out on both sides. I will however tell you that this book takes a much more political drive to it than Children's did. There is far less action and intrigue in this one.

Its interesting to note that in an interview I read with Stroyar she noted that her two novels were not actually alternate history, but her instead novels about the Holocaust. But I really don't think so, its more about human rights, and what happens when no one does anything to stop violations of them. Several times it is discussed about why the NAU (North American Union) denounces the human rights violations of Nazi Germany, but still is trading partners and an aid distributor to several other countries with long standing violations themselves. Well what to you know fiction imitates fact on this one. I've often asked myself the same question. Why was it necessary to lie, cheat and steal the American way into a war to take out a one sadistic totalitarian dictator in Iraq, and allow other torturing regimes to go on in existince in Africa and other places throughout the world. And the only thing I can come up with is OIL.

The other reviewers essentially all stated: "if you liked the author's previous book, then you'll love this one." I thought the first books was one of the worst books I had ever read, so this one is most likely just as dull and lacking in historical understanding as the first one.
Of course I have not read this one - and never will - so I am entirely judging a book by its author.