Item - Killing Hitler with Praise and Fire

This is a weird one, and honestly one I found a little disappointing when I picked it up recently. The premise is that you are a time traveller from the future who is determined to find the means to dealing with Adolf Hitler (as many time travellers likely would want to try) either lethally or otherwise. The book is quite expansive at over 300 pages with 13 possible time zones to visit - eleven over Adolf Hitler's life prior to the Second World War and two others with slightly wilder aspects. The setup then makes you assume that you can actually deal with Hitler in each time period in some way and maybe not totally judge your planning - like the classic issue of if you're comfortable killing Hitler as a baby or child, given it should be easier than as an adult.

Unfortunately the book doesn't work that way - each time period covers several pages but a number are simply going onto the next page, and you will eventually find in most times that there is nothing you can do to actually stop Hitler, with the book simply asking you to try another time period. There is some consultation in the fact you do learn a number of things about Hitler you might not have known (for example his abusive father and the loss of his brother at a young age from illness) but the increasing realization there isn't much choice in the long run might irritate you. Ultimately there is only one way to stop Hitler properly and whilst it can be great when you find it, the fact there's only one good actual ending in such a big but hollow book is disappointing.

More reviews by DerekMetaltron