- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Universe (1 Aug. 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1910787698
- ISBN-13: 978-1910787694
Synopsis
It is 1937 and an aimless young historian, back home after six years idling, is summoned to Berlin. He is both thrilled and uneasy to be tasked with an extraordinary assignment: find the Holy Grail and bring it back for the glory of Nazi Germany. Otto Eckhart is right to be anxious. Events soon take a troubling turn and, with a dire threat hanging over him, he is set on an impossible course from which there is no obvious escape. The feckless dreamer must use all his ingenuity and courage to defeat his inner demons and outfox Himmler’s SS and Gestapo. In hunting down the sacred chalice of The Last Supper, can Eckhart discover his own Holy Grail and come of age as a man?
Review
They say fact can be better than fiction, and in Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal this is certainly true. Whilst this may be a work of fiction, it’s base is in fact, where a young historian was sent by the the Third Reich to try and connect the Holy Grail to Germany’s past to cement the regime’s belief of supremacy. Niall Edworthy takes this as the foundation for Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal and sees the eponymous hero, a young and naive historian, hired by Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler to find the Holy Grail. Not a man to cross, Otto finds himself on a fools errand, but as events take a turn for the worst, and Otto’s father is in danger of being sent to Dachau, he needs to find the grail to save his father and himself. An exciting adventure story that is told with wit and humour.
Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal was an origional and highly entertaining read. The fact that it has a basis in fact is unbelievable, I mean searching for the Holy Grail as proof of the German’s supremacy sounds ridiculous. Niall Edworthy shines a light on how Himmler’s obsession with history and mythology blurred his belief’s and sent himm down a path of looking for an ideology of a Nordic race that was the origin of their Aryan race. Very tongue in cheek Niall Edworthy manages to combine the power of Himmler with a more tongue in cheek view that makes fun of him, for instance calling him Heini.
I love Otto as a character, he is charming, hapless, naive and utterly likeable. He is out of University, his thesis that he turned into a book was rejected by every publisher and he has no pospects of a job, until contacted by Himmler anonymously. Their first meeting is bizarre, Otto not recognising Himmler, being naive and flattered by the attention, and ultimately meeting Ingrid, Himmler’s secretary and Otto’s love interest, at least when he actully realises she likes him. I loved his affability, his natural ability to get on with people and for them to value his friendship, even as a German visiting France in difficult times. I have to say one of his funniest moments was when he had to wear and SS Uniform that was several sizes too big and he stuffed his cap with his underpants in front of Himmler and his contemporaries. Ingrid becomes his partner in crime, in finding the Holy Grail and helping save his father.
Niall Edworthy has ghostwritten several books and this shines through in the writing of this book. The prose flows smoothly, it drew me in and kept my attention throughout. He uses a lot of descriptive prose painting a stunning picture of Montsegúr, the landscape, the Château and the beautiful village with ts quirky residents. It’s a place I have always wanted to visit, and after reading Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal I want to go even more. Niall Eckhart also has a wonderful turn of phrase that had me smiling and laughing at many points in the book, for example describing someones smile as “like someone was feathering his testicles”.
Otto Eckhart’s Ordeal is an entertaining, compelling and immersive adventure story. There are so many likeable characters, quriky characters, and yes some unlikeable, and all are well drawn and have a realism about them. The descriptive prose took me from the beautiful countryside of Montsegúr to the harsh reality of Dachau and the force of the SS. I absolutley loved this book, where adventure, thrills and romance combine to make a fabulous read.
I would like to thank Aimee of the Bookollective for my invite to the blog tour and my copy of the book.
