Lessons for Authors from Steve Berry’s “Kaiser’s Web”
Kaiser’s Web by Steve Berry is part of the Cotton Malone series. To summarize the book, it is an adventure where Malone and his partner Cassiopeia Vitt unravel the web created by the antagonist known as Kaiser. As the name suggests, it is a German-themed thriller. And where there is Germany, Hitler must be there. The story has Hitler as a key character, his close aide Martin Bormann, and Hitler’s wife Eva Braun.
As you will expect, some characters from the past have shadows cast to the present. There are links between the Nazis and the German Chancellor that her opponent, the Kaiser wants to expose. What follows is a non-stop adventure with the hero and his female partner traveling worldwide, flying planes, and enjoying adventures. An explosive ending awaits the reader.
Now, coming to the takeaways for authors from this book:
- The book is part of the series, but Berry only gives a little background information apart from passing remarks. If this is the first book of the series you are reading, you may be a bit confused about who they are and what they have done. If you have missed a few books in the series, the references to past events would be irritating. Daniel Silva has a series involving the famous spy Gabriel Allon. In the series, Silva takes pains to make adequate references to past events so the reader won’t be too much confused. This is essential for first-time readers and a lesson for those who write series.
- When it comes to the plot line, it is good and innovative. I was able to guess the ending, but most readers won’t and the ending will definitely surprise them. It is a major USP for the book. Of course, there are politically correct stuff like supporting immigrants and right-wing bashing. But this is expected nowadays from most English authors who are “liberals.”
- The pace of the story is good and will keep you engaged. Berry knows how to keep readers interested as he keeps shifting from one narrative to another. One narrative features the hero and heroine, the second features the Chancellor Marie Eisenhuth, the third the antagonist, the Kaiser, and the fourth the Kaiser’s hitman Engle. The shift between narratives is smooth, and suspense is created, making you want to read more.
- The language is fairly simple and engaging. The research is excellent. Since Nazi Germany is involved, obviously lot of history would come out. The author has done excellent research and the presentation is perfect. There is no information dump, and the author ensures readers can follow the facts and don’t get confused.
- The characters are strong and believable. The hero is well-known to Berry fans as is his heroine. New readers will also connect well with the hero. The antagonists in thrillers need to be powerful, smart, and evil. In the Kaiser, Berry has created a perfect antagonist. His killer is also well-sketched. All characters play their part well and you will connect easily to them. The key character is the Chancellor, and you will definitely connect with her.
- The ending is unexpected and the suspense is good. However, my major grouse is the events in the conclusion. Some of it is quite unrealistic. There is a gun battle going on in the house of the main opposition candidate for the Chancellor’s post, and yet there is no security and no police around. The police don’t even come at the end like in our movies. This is the only disappointing part of the book for me.
Overall, it is a good book, a thriller you will enjoy reading. I didn’t like the final events, but overall, I would rate the book 8/10 (deducting 2 points for the ending). The author concludes by separating fact from fiction, which is a good lesson for authors who write about histort. Putting out real facts is good as readers need to be fully informed.
Authors should read this book to know how to maintain suspense in a novel, how to create strong characters, how to control the pace of the novel, how to manage multiple narratives, and how to construct a winning plot.
This book was sent by Indica Books and the review is written as a part of the author discussions on books organised by Indica’s dynamic curator, author Abhinav Agarwal.