Collaborator (novel)

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Sidewise Award for Murray Davies's novel Collaborator
Sidewise Award for Murray Davies's novel Collaborator

Collaborator is an alternate history novel by Murray Davies, published in 2003. The novel is set in a Nazi occupied Great Britain in 1940 and 1941. It centers around former POW Nick Penny and life in occupied Britain. It won the 2003 Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

Sergeant Nick Penny has been a POW for four months. He had fought during the Nazi invasion of Britain. His ability to speak German has secured his release to work for the provincial governor of the West Country. He returns to his home (the location of which is undisclosed) to discover what has happened to his family and gets embroiled in the growing resistance movement. He gets involved in evading the Gestapo, collaborating with the IRA, unsuccessfully attempting to convey the British Crown Jewels to Canada and kidnap scientists.

[edit] Characters

Nick Penny - The main character, he was a Sergeant in an Anti-Aircraft unit during the German invasion and now works for the provincial governor.

Mrs. Penny - Nick's mother,who doesn't like the Germans and is very protective of her family.

Joan Pendleton - Nick's sister, she was married to a Royal Navy officer before the war. He was killed in mid 1940 when his destroyer went down fighting.

David Pendleton - Joan's naive young son. He is very adventurous and eager to kill Germans.

Generalleutnant Kurt von Glass - Provincial governor of the West Country, a Prussian. He is not overtly supportive of the Nazis but is proud of his country's military achievements.

Standartenfuhrer Stoltz - A cold blooded SS man who holds the British people in contempt and desires the destruction of the British resistance.

Roy Locke & Matty Cordington - Both are ex POW's and pre-war friends of Nick's. They were both released from POW camps and meet up with Nick only to become heavily involved in the resistance.

[edit] Minor Characters

Jacob & Miriam Venner - Jewish couple who own a shop.

Hauser- Glass's assistant

Sgt Bliecher - A German spy who tries to break up the local resistance.

Vee Harper - A "gerrybag". She has a brief affair with Nick.

[edit] Background

Operation Sealion succeeds in September 1940. After the French handed over its navy to the Germans, the Royal Navy moved to Canada. Pitched battles were fought on British soil in London and Ashford. Eire is also occupied. The British Royal Family and government flee to Canada. Winston Churchill leads a government in exile, while Samuel Hoare leads a collaborating government with Germany. The Duke of Windsor is awaiting to be crowned regent, but the Germans don't know that he and the Duchess of Windsor are actually spies. The British fleet and whats left of the army reside in Canada awaiting the re-invasion of Britain. Meanwhile the Germans are trying to locate the Crown Jewels which went missing during the invasion. Several battalions of the British Free Corps have been formed. Sir Oswald Mosley surprised most people by refusing to collaborate with the Germans and is locked up in the Tower of London. The Germans are attempting to charm the British people into submission. Organisations sprout up promoting Anglo-German Friendship. However there is a darker side to the occupation a hundred people have been killed in Liverpool and Glasgow. Jewish people are beginning to be persecuted, whilst a resistance movement is steadily growing.

[edit] Earlier similar works

A Nazi victory in WWII is a frequent theme in alternate history. Specifically, Len Deighton's book SS-GB has the same setting as the present book - i.e., the immediate aftermath of a successful Nazi invasion of Britain in 1940. Many of the specific details in Davies' book are, however, different from those in Deighton's earlier work.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links