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Kenneth Hite
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The Nazi Occult (Dark Osprey Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Kenneth Hite (Author), Darren Tan (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 107 ratings
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In the dark dungeons beneath Nazi Germany, teams of occult experts delved into ancient and forbidden lore, searching for lost secrets of power. This book tells the complete history of the Nazi occult programs, from their quests for the Ark of the Covenant, the Spear of Destiny, and the Holy Grail, through their experiments with lycanthrope and zero-point energy. It also includes information on the shadow war fought in the dying days of the Reich as the Nazis deployed strange flying saucers that battled to save their final stronghold in the Antarctic. For years, the Allied governments worked to keep this information from reaching the public, and sought to discredit those few who dared to seek the truth. Now, using a combination of photography and artwork reconstructions, the true story of the most secret battles of World War II can finally be told.
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  1. Book 1 of 9
    Dark Osprey
  2. Print length
    157 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  5. Publication date
    June 20, 2013
  6. File size
    12202 KB
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Dark Osprey Book 1 - Book 9
Bundle price: Kindle price
$29.97
Bundle price: Kindle price
$54.32
Bundle price: Kindle price
$94.28
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book, as with most Osprey offerings is short but packed with useful information. I highly recommend it for game masters wanting to plumb the depths of Nazi occult activities in a future campaign. There is even a short passage at the end that implies a sequel may be in the works for this book. I truly hope so." - Livingdice.com

"For those who are fans of Alternate History fiction, this book is also a must-have for your bookshelf." - Multiverse / TSR Games

About the Author

Kenneth Hite holds a MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. For the last twenty years he has worked as a full-time writer and role-playing game designer, contributing to many famous games including GURPS, Hero System, Vampire: The Dark Ages, and Savage Worlds. He has also written or co-written numerous books on esoteric subjects such as Cthulhu 101 and Where the Deep Ones Are. He is also the designer and writer of the Trail of Cthulhu role-playing system and its supplements. The author lives in Chicago, IL.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01DPPPW72
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing; 1st edition (June 20, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 20, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 12202 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 157 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 107 ratings

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Kenneth Hite

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
107 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book fantastic, fun, and a treasure tome of ideas. They appreciate the high-quality illustrations, layout, and presentation. Readers describe the book as a wonderful read and interesting.

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SlantVisual qualityReadability
4 customers mention "Slant"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a fantastic exercise in alternate history. They say it's a fun read with much historical seriousness blended with some great conjecture. Readers also mention the author excels in blending fact and fiction.

"...horror and history together in a series of concepts and ideas useful for any WWII game...." Read more

"...A fun read with much historical seriousness blended with some great conjecture. A skilled author...." Read more

"Kenneth Gore does historical fantasy proud with this fine product of history and imagination...." Read more

"A truly fantastic exercise in alternate history and a brilliant read from Ken Hite, one of the great masters of alternate history...." Read more

4 customers mention "Visual quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the visual quality of the book good. They also appreciate the great color panels.

"...It's an Osprey book so the art, layout and presentation is of the highest caliber." Read more

"...search wouldn't yield, the writing was well done and the illustrations memorable. as a researcher, I am happy to own this book." Read more

"Very nicely illustrated, with great color panels. A fun read with much historical seriousness blended with some great conjecture. A skilled author...." Read more

"A Good Overview on the subject; some good illustrations. A volume for the interested reader to start with" Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book wonderful, brilliant, and interesting.

"very interesting...." Read more

"...The result is an excellent resource for role-playing gamer and a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys conspiracy theory as a hobby." Read more

"A truly fantastic exercise in alternate history and a brilliant read from Ken Hite, one of the great masters of alternate history...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

John Q Gamer
5.0 out of 5 stars How to make Nazi's fun in games..
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2016
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A must read for gamers, Cthulhu mythos roleplayers, GURPS, CoC, ToC, etc.. Ken Hite connects the weird with the plausible to mix fantasy horror and history together in a series of concepts and ideas useful for any WWII game. It can also be used in pulp adventure games and is made to be mined for ideas. It's an Osprey book so the art, layout and presentation is of the highest caliber.
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Theresa Bane
4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely done.
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
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very interesting. although this book presents nothing that a quick google search wouldn't yield, the writing was well done and the illustrations memorable. as a researcher, I am happy to own this book.
2 people found this helpful
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The Many-Angled One
5.0 out of 5 stars Secret History of the Third Reich
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2013
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Some of the top Nazis were interested in the occult and formed special units to investigate and develop the "occult science". The Nazis really did send expeditions to Tibet and other places looking for magical artifacts. This resulted, historically, in a waste of money and manpower. In this book, written as if it were a serious history, Hite takes the real history of the Nazi occult and writes as if the claims made by the various charlatans and lunatics in the fringes of the Nazi movement were true. Some of these are hilarious, such as the mystical psychic who claimed to be the reincarnation of an aryan sorceror-king who ruled the earth in 200,000 BC "when the Earth was lit by three suns". Hite repeats this claim as if it were a plain fact, and his deadpan matter-of-factness makes it even funnier.

Hite has a degree in international relations and has studied history. He knows how to write history and make it entertaining.

If you enjoy "secret histories" like Tim Powers' Declare, or alternate history novels like Harry Turtledove's, or even just a fan of Indiana Jones, you'll probably enjoy The Nazi Occult. Players of roleplaying games in the 1930s pulp era or Weird War II genres will also get a lot out of it - plenty of historical characters and plot hooks.

If you are looking for a genuine, serious history of the lunatic ideas behind Nazism, this will not be satisfying for you, and I'd give it a miss. There is some discussion of those ideas but you'd be frustrated by the necessity of sorting the truth from the BS.
43 people found this helpful
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Tom Kiley
3.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Weird War II Gamers.
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2013
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Reads a bit dry, because it tries to be a history book. It mixes lots of occult history together with some imaginative extrapolations for a Weird War II setting. I nice book for anyone who's into gaming the Weird War II genre for games like AE-WWII, Secrets of the Third Reich, Weird Wars, Achtung! Cthulhu, etc.
3 people found this helpful
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Shinobi
5.0 out of 5 stars Quality writing, research & a polished publication with blending of fact & fiction.
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2016
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Very nicely illustrated, with great color panels. A fun read with much historical seriousness blended with some great conjecture. A skilled author. The book is somewhat short but it makes up for it's brevity in some great quality. I really liked it & recommend it especially for those of you who love this genre in RPG's.
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HK
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertainment Not Education
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2015
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The author pulls together a variety of mystical writings about the Nazis that has appeared in print -- some scholarly and some BS -- to produce a short handbook of Nazi occultism. His bibliography is okay and he seems to possess enough of a knowledge base of nazi lore to weave together an interesting and semi-believable read although he draws some different conclusions from other writers who have explored this subject. This book is hardly serious research or history and much of it is obviously speculation and entertainment. Some of the topics touched upon are downright silly. Much of the artwork is also riddled with contradictions (Wehrmacht insignia on SS uniforms, fictitious waffenfarbe and litzen, etc.) and errors because there is very little factual basis for the illustrations to begin with. Don't even believe that there were distinctive skill badges and sonderfuhrer rank insignia for specialist practitioners of Nazi mysticism. Readers who are into Nazi occultism probably already have their own favorite reading lists and opinions about the subject.
6 people found this helpful
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Ray Spitz
5.0 out of 5 stars The Occult Reich for Gamers
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2013
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If you need villains in an RPG campaign, nobody serves the purpose better than Nazis. There are lots of them and nobody cares...

Kenneth Hite has condensed all the information and folklore on the Third Reich and the Occult and presented as if it were an Osprey Elite book. Where the various accounts lapsed he filled in with his extraordinary imagination. Where they conflicted, he untangled them. The result is an excellent resource for role-playing gamer and a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys conspiracy theory as a hobby.
20 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Uriel
5.0 out of 5 stars The textbook that never was
Reviewed in Canada on July 8, 2013
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This is written like a textbook for a late high-school, maybe 101 University course on occultism and the Nazi Party. It's detailed, well-written, meticulously researched, and above all, READABLE. It takes a very neutral viewpoint on whether the occult research of the Nazis was based on reality, and is therefore both an excellent primer on the subject (if taking it seriously), or else a wonderful insight into the mindset of those who did.
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Martin Shipway
5.0 out of 5 stars Nazi mysticism
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2014
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Really enjoyed reading this book which seemed to blur fact and fiction. All manner of topics dealing with Nazi occulticism and the supernatural are covered here from the origins of Germanic neo-paganism in the early 1900s to Nazi flying saucers in the final days of the Third Reich in May 1945. Other topics include the zero-point energy of the Hans Kammler 'bell', the Spear of Destiny, Ahnenerbe organisation, Black Sun and Wewelsburg castle, Holy Grail and werewolves, all of which have the typical strand of racial superiority running through it. Really bizarre but fascinating.
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Dan
5.0 out of 5 stars Información histórica con un punto de fantasía
Reviewed in Spain on April 16, 2014
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Kenneth Hite es editor de juegos de rol (El Rastro de Cthulhu, suplementos para d20 y La Llamada, Delta Green...) y se nota en este pequeño libro a todo color. Siendo de Osprey sigue la misma línea que los libros históricos de esta editorial, con imágenes a todo color intercaladas de vez en cuando. La información no está mal y hay que observarla con cierta distancia, pues se centra en los aspectos ocultistas de algunas operaciones del Tercer Reich. Como trasfondo para una partida de corte pulp o simplemente por el interés de leer esta información es una buena compra a un precio asequible.
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Oliver Bischoff
5.0 out of 5 stars Nichts für Historiker aber ein Spaß für Heiden und ein Heidenspaß!
Reviewed in Germany on October 6, 2013
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Das Erstlingswerk einer neuen Serie aus dem legendären Osprey Verlag ist definitiv diesmal kein historisches Werk, sondern folgt dem Ansatz des Verlages mehr auf seine potentielle Kundschaft (Tabletop- und Rollenspieler) einzugehen (dementsprechend auch die Serie "Myth and Legends" die sich mit König Artus und sonstigen Sagen beschäftigt und diverse neue Regelwerke für Tabletops quer durch die Jahrhunderte.......).

The Nazi Occult ist von der Aufmachung den besten Standards des Verlages ebenbürtig. Mit wunderschönen Farbseiten und einer exzellenten Auswahl des Bildmaterials.

Inhaltlich bastelt der Autor auf der Basis des tatsächlich starken Interesses am Okkultismus in den 20er und 30er Jahren sowohl allgemein, wie auch speziell bei hochrangigen Nazis (hier wird meist Himmler als Aushängeschild bemüht, aber auch Hess und andere waren nicht nur leichtgläubig solange es Hitlers Allmachtsphantasien betraf.....). Tatsächlich bestanden sowohl bei der sagenumwobenen Thule-Gesellschaft (die noch heute ein Mekka für alle Verschwörungstheoretiker bietet) wie auch durch das Ahnenerbe der SS staatliche oder halbstaatliche Körperschaften die im okkulten Bereich Forschungen betrieben. Historisch war dies wohl eher Ausdruck der philosophischen Entwurzelung der Nazis und dem speziellen Ehrgeiz einiger ihrer "Anführer" geschuldet (wieder drängt sich Himmler auf), doch sowohl in angelsächsischen wie in deutschen Köpfen spukt seitdem die Phantasie, dass die Nazis zumindest versucht haben Okkultismus für ihre ruchlosen Ziele nutzbar zu machen, wenn es nicht sogar gelungen ist und von den Alliierten geschickt vertuscht wurde.

Genau in dieser Grauzone setzt das Buch an und erläutert pseudohistorisch die okkulten Taten der Nazis. Allerdings immer mit einem Augenzwinkern (da wird z.B. die Jagd nach der Bundeslade in Ägypten durch ein amerikanisches Archäologenteam vereitelt.....der Name des Teamleiters Dr. Jones wird zwar nicht angegeben aber der eingeweihte Cineast ist natürlich im Bilde.......). Natürlich werden die Tibetexpeditionen des Ahnenerbes genutzt, Yetis tauchen auf, "Hexensoldaten" (für die natürlich sogar eine Uniform existiert, es ist noch immer ein Osprey-Buch - bis 1940 mit kastanienbrauner, danach mit lichtblauer Paspelierung....) bergen den heiligen Gral unter dem Montsegur und versuchen (erfolglos) einen Djinn in der afrikanischen Wüste zu beschwören um Rommel zu unterstützen. Schließlich bekämpfen sogar Werwölfe (die in der Realität herzlich erfolglose Stay-Behind-Organisation trägt in diesem Buch nicht zum Spaß diesen Namen) die Alliierten Invasionstruppen und selbstverständlich verteidigen Reichsflugscheiben den Südpol gegen Admiral Byrds Flotte.

Als Inspiration für Rollenspieler (insbesondere des Regelwerkes "Weird Wars") oder als Lesestoff für Verschwörungstheoretiker oder freunde alternativer Realitäten ein exzellentes Werk. Historische Puristen sollten sich wohl eher abgestoßen fühlen auch wenn Ahnenerbe und Thule-Gesellschaft schön beschrieben werden ist hier doch nie klar wo Fiktion beginnt und die Wahrheit endet.
Besonders positiv finde ich, dass das Thema Judenverfolgung angenehmerweise ausgespart wurde. Dieses sensible Thema hat nicht in pseudowissenschaftlichen Büchern verloren und verdient ernsthafte Aufarbeitung an anderer Stelle.

Einen Punkt hätte ich fast abgezogen , denn ich finde es ziemlich ungeschickt in eine neue Serie mit einem Thema einzusteigen, dass so kontrovers sein kann. Vermutlich werde einige Rechtsradikale demnächst mit einem Werwolfsfell Passanten beißen oder versuchen aus einem Wartburg eine Reichsflugscheibe zu bauen, aber dann sind sie zumindest beschäftigt…….
Der von mir herbeigesehnte zweite Band der sich mit den Tempelrittern beschäftigt wäre definitiv ein gelungenerer Einstieg gewesen.
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Massimo Spiga
5.0 out of 5 stars Meraviglioso
Reviewed in Italy on August 1, 2013
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Un must per tutti gli amanti del bizzarro e dell'inusuale, prodotto da un esperto del genere come Kenneth Hite. Lo consiglio.
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