Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Elyse Hoffman’s The God of Nazi-Land Part I follows Adolf Hitler after his death, when he and four senior Nazi officials are trapped in a corner of Hell called Nazi-Land. Here, each successive human Master can recreate Nazi Germany and subject its prisoners to whatever punishment they choose. During a staged 1934 rally, the newest Master appears: a frightened seven-year-old Jewish girl holding a magical Contract she found in a Holocaust museum. It gives her power over the prisoners, although her abilities sometimes fail. Hitler eventually calls her Gottchen and tries to win her trust, hoping for a chance to escape. Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich remains wary of the girl’s arrival and fears an elaborate trap. Meanwhile, a strange shadow begins appearing near Gottchen, raising questions about what else can enter their prison.

Elyse Hoffman’s The God of Nazi-Land Part I is dark historical fantasy done exceptionally well. Nazi-Land is an inspired creation, with punishments that expose the beliefs its prisoners held in life, linking each supernatural horror to history. Gottchen is my favorite, hands down. Her moral convictions survive the cruelty she has experienced, which gives her kindness real meaning. When Reinhard Heydrich explains the agony of a magical Command, Gottchen promises never to issue one, and that told me exactly who she is. Hitler’s portrayal is excellent in the way his excuses reveal how he justifies his own atrocities. Just look at the veterinarian confronting him over the Nazi decree targeting Jewish families’ pets. I have to give special praise to the historical research, especially the way it describes the prisoners’ punishments by rooting the cruelty in details of the actual regime. Readers who appreciate dark historical fantasy and the likes of Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita and Alice Hoffman's The World That We Knew are in for a treat. Very highly recommended.