THIS is the fourth of nine synopses of books eligible for the Citizen Book Prize.
The winner will be determined by readers’ votes. To help get your favourite manuscript published, vote and make your mark (see the voting box below the synopsis).
Voting for each synopsis will be open for the week following its publication in CitiVibe. If you miss that, you will be able to reread and vote for all nine synopses online from November 5 – 11.
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This is the only book prize for unpublished authors chosen by the reading public.
The Citizen Book Prize synopsis Four
The Wewelsburg Covenant
by Johan Broens
IN 1944, fearing that Germany will lose World War II, Hitler and Himmler hatch a devious plot to ensure the continuation of the Nazi cause: the persecution of Jewish People. A secret organisation, OSSFOW (Organisation SS für Operation Wewelsburg), is created for this purpose.
The plot unravels from the Renaissance-era Wewelsburg Castle in central Germany, ritual headquarters of the SS and Himmler’s Camelot, where twelve “knights”, fashioned on the Arthurian concept, declare an oath of allegiance to the Nazi cause.
A major front corporation for OSSFOW, Trevellian Enterprises, is set up in Argentina using treasure looted during the war and deposited into Swiss bank accounts. Offspring of select fanatical SS men and women and high-ranking Nazi members with pure Aryan lineage are raised in secret on a farm in Argentina, conceived through artificial insemination.
One of these children, James Trevellian, the genetic son of Adolf Hitler, is raised and groomed by his surrogate father, an SS general, to take over the reins of the organisation upon the general’s death.
In 1956 Trevellian Enterprises expands its operations to Britain, assisted by the use of blackmail against high-ranking members of the British establishment; powerful elites that collaborated and sympathised with the Nazis during the war.
OSSFOW retains documentary proof of their collaboration and uses this, together with its vast fortune, to expand globally.
New generations of Nazi offspring, from the 1950s to 2011, operate behind the scenes to realise the aim of destroying the Israeli state; encouraging Israel’s Islamic neighbours to rise against it.
Actual global events of the last five decades are woven into the story.
OSSFOW’s young members are sent to exclusive schools and universities to create a pool of highly trained experts. Using this expertise, and bolstered by the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the organisation manufactures nuclear weapons for use against Israel.
These events lead up to the near future, with the American withdrawal from Iraq leading to civil war and total anarchy; inspiring an Islamic coup in Egypt.
Trevellian is on the brink of realising his life’s ambition; the destruction of the state of Israel. For deceptive and cunning reasons, he intentionally befriends Jewish people, but incongruously falls in love with Elizabeth Rosen, a Jewish woman. Trevellian experiences inner turmoil conflicting with his intrinsic beliefs.
He decides to sacrifice love for the cause, and he severs all ties with Elizabeth, simultaneously divorcing his wife due to her inability to produce an heir. A chance encounter with Elizabeth nine years later rekindles suppressed feelings. It is also the organisation’s most opportune moment to destroy Israel through nuclear attack.
It is the year 2011. The fate of the world is in the hands of James Trevellian. Will the evil physical seed inherited from Hitler triumph within Trevellian? Will Trevellian experience an epiphany, induced by love, and embark on an irrevocable journey of redemption? Or will history repeat itself, resulting in human misery and global mayhem? Will Elizabeth Rosen, unbeknownst to her, augment Trevellian’s evil actions, or will love conquer all?
The order is issued. Trevellian has decided…
Vote for The Wewelsburg Covenant by Johan Broens
Citizen Book Prize Shortlist: The Wewelsburg Covenant by Johan Broens(trends)
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September 23rd, 2009 @14:27 #
I'm fascinated: what is the MacMillan's publishing mission/vision/brand?
September 23rd, 2009 @14:33 #
I think it's more the case that the book prize has the mission/vision/brand, which is driven more by The Citizen's positioning than Macmillan's.
http://panmacmillan.book.co.za/blog/2009/06/09/the-citizen-book-prize-is-back-with-pan-macmillan/
September 23rd, 2009 @14:44 #
Ah. i thought the one above may have been a Nazi fantasy or that re-imagined world genre. but it could be non-fiction. and the last synopsis sells itself as a true story too. very interesting. isn't The Citizen book page home to the notorious Anonymous?
September 23rd, 2009 @16:16 #
When I read the first synopsis, I thought the standard of entries must be staggeringly high. Now ... not so much.
September 23rd, 2009 @17:07 #
What Trevellian doesn't realise is that Hitler is not his real father, and that he was instead conceived when Michael Jackson molested Hitler's nephew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyTBXzfQJ8. Will Trevellian hear "Heal the world" before its too late?
September 23rd, 2009 @19:07 #
Brilliant satiric You-Tube clip from Sven. Hitler and co in an IT era.
Having judged a few literary competitions, I can attest that there are many, many people out there capable of writing a book. A Very, Very Bad Book. When I think of the work and hope involved, I could weep. I wonder if MacMillan know what they've let themselves in for?
September 23rd, 2009 @19:55 #
My submission:
The year is 2050 and the Earth is going through an ice age. Mickey Marx is one of a few survivors of the Great Leap Forward Version 2 which saw the entire planet turned into a centralised socialist welfare state and every productive member of society taxed into starvation. Once they died, the remnants of humanity turned on one another, but made sure not to use potentially offensive, discriminatory language as they hunted one another down and ate each others' livers (and prepared them according to the Great Leap Forward Little Red Cookbook).
Mickey Marx is now left with the task of rebuilding society from scratch and overthrowing the evil World Messcientist 'His Happy Prince of Peaciness' who heads the McChange World Bankerment. The only weapon at his disposal is the world's last remaining 20th century dictionary (which had all the adjectives blanked in the great discriminatory adjective purge of 2020), which he plans to throw into the flames of Boredore just because he can't really think of anything else to do.
Looking to thwart him in his task will be the hungry hordes looking to eat his liver and a group of crack thought police who will hunt him down using GM sniffer potatoes. Will Mickey Marx make it across the Panama Glacier in time to burn the dictionary in Boredore and wonder what the hell to do next, or will humanity spontaneously come up with an even more idiotic system of government to solve its problems and prevent it having to exercise personal responsibility and use rational thought once and for all?
September 23rd, 2009 @20:25 #
Now where's the Polldaddy box so I can vote for Sven's submission to win?
September 23rd, 2009 @20:45 #
Fiona, that's actually the manuscript in its entirety. My muses have short attention spans. I may throw in some acknowledgments.
September 23rd, 2009 @22:44 #
Don't forget to praise me as your editor. Also as your editor, I am forced to point out that even if you added some more adjectives, once Mickey has reached Boredore, the story peters out somewhat. Like civilization is about to. Nevertheless, I definitely want to vote for this one...
September 24th, 2009 @08:46 #
I'd like to see love conquering all in your story. Would that be possible? Perhaps Mickey could fall for Elisabeth Engels, leader of a rag-tag band of Frodom Fighters based on yon edge of the Panama Glacier.
September 24th, 2009 @12:08 #
As a contestant myself - I really hope that the standard is not low. And yes, I know.
September 24th, 2009 @13:23 #
Thanks Helen, Richard, for your suggestions.
During his journey Mickey Marx comes across the enigmatic Elizabeth Engels on the Panamanian tundra, and instantly falls in love with her moustache. Engels then plays no further part in the story for the rest of this paragraph.
Following the as yet to be scripted dénouement which will account for Engels' followers (with a series of deadly purges), Marx and Engels set out across the Bering Straits ice-bridge to conquer Eurasia with love and recovered nuclear weapons.
September 24th, 2009 @15:39 #
You're really pushing the edge of the envelope with those "recovered nuclear weapons". May I suggest a "vial containing the deadliest virus ever known in the history of mankind since the cradle of civilization began". It's so much easier to conceal than a cruise missile. Then again, it's your story.
Last little gripe: If the title is "My Submission", I'd suggest you drop the colon or add a subtitle.
September 24th, 2009 @17:00 #
"My Submission" is a fabulous title. Esp if the cover art includes a whip and a hint of manacles.
September 24th, 2009 @17:47 #
Richard, leaving a colon at the end of the title is part of my attempt to take speculative fiction to the next level. 'My Submission:' is so speculative that the readers actually have to fill in 99% of the events, plot and dialogue of the story for themselves, in essence becoming platforms for speculation. This may sound like idiocy, but it has something of madness in it.
September 24th, 2009 @18:01 #
Crazy but true, Sven. It's the ultimate open ending.
Helen, Helen, Helen, much too obvious. On an icy surface, close-up, we see The Vial about to be crushed by a seven-inch Louboutin heel...
September 24th, 2009 @18:48 #
You will not be surprised, dear Richard, to hear that cover design was never my forte. You and Sven, however, are clearly going places. Like the future. Like the asylum.