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Max Overton
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Ascension Series, Book 1: Ascension: A Novel of Nazi Germany (Ascension Series, A Novel of Nazi Germany) Kindle Edition

by Max Overton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
Before he fully realized the diabolical cruelties of the National Socialist German Worker's Party, Konrad Wengler had committed atrocities against his own people, the Jews, out of fear of both his faith and his heritage. But after he witnesses firsthand the concentration camps, the corruption, the inhuman malevolence of the Nazi war machine and the propaganda aimed at annihilating an entire race, he knows he must find a way to turn the tide and become the savior his people desperately need.

Being a Jew in Germany can be a dangerous thing...

Fear prompts Konrad Wengler to put his faith aside and try desperately to forget his heritage. After fighting in the Great War, he's wounded and turns instead to law enforcement in his tiny Bavarian hometown. There, he falls under the spell of the fledgling Nazi Party. He joins the Party in patriotic fervour and becomes a Lieutenant of Police and Schutzstaffel (SS).

In the course of his duties as policeman, Konrad offends a powerful Nazi official who starts an SS investigation. War breaks out. When he joins the Police Battalions, he's sent to Poland and witnesses there firsthand the atrocities being committed upon his fellow Jews.

Unknown to Konrad, the SS investigators have discovered his origins and follow him into Poland. Arrested and sent to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Konrad is forced to face what it means to be a Jew and fight for survival. Will his friends on the outside, his wife and lawyer, be enough to counter the might of the Nazi machine?

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Ascension Series, A Novel of Nazi Germany
  2. Print length
    433 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    June 28, 2013
  5. File size
    6.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DPGT4QM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writers Exchange E-Publishing; 2nd edition (June 28, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 28, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 433 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1549914936
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

About the author

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Max Overton

Max Overton

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Max is a published author of varying genres including historicals, a contemporary thriller, and a western.

He has lived all over the world, from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Townsville, Queensland, Australia; from Gerrard’s Cross in England to Kingston, Jamaica; from Düsseldorf in Germany to Wellington, New Zealand; from Antwerp in Belgium to Collinsville, Illinois, USA.

Max has a Master’s degree, with Honours, in Plant Physiology, and has worked as a university lecturer and demonstrator, a research scientist, a school teacher, a technician, a quotes officer for a microscopy supply house, an assistant manager at Walmart and Max has even caught bumblebees for a living.

Max's main occupation these days is as an author. Having always had a great love of history and recently discovering writing, it made perfect sense combining the two, writing historical fiction – from ancient Egypt to World War II – but he is not limited to that genre. He has also tried his hand at horror, paranormal and westerns, and has plans to write fantasy and science fiction.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Margaret Darley
    5.0 out of 5 stars WWII from a different perspective
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A gripping novel about a Nazi with a conscience. The story begins when Konrad is a young boy in Germany before the First World War. His mother was Jewish but because of violent taunting by a gang of boys, Konrad rejects his faith and becomes a "good German". We follow his ascension from youth to soldier to war hero to policeman and SS officer. In the course of his duties, he discovers that his superior officer is taking advantage of his position to defraud people of their land. Konrad now has a powerful enemy who digs into his past, finds out he is Jewish and has him thrown into a concentration camp. Konrad survives but is haunted by what he witnessed while he was incarcerated. I want to know what happens next: that author finishes with Konrad saying to his beloved wife "There's something I must tell you..." and then tantalisingly: Konrad's story continues in "Book 2 - Maelstrom".

    This book made me think that our government is not much better than the Nazis when they incarcerate asylum seekers for years in remote locations without charge, trial or hope of a decent life.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this Story
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I have learned much about World War II and many of the stories are quite predictable as we all know how the war ends.........well, not this story. This is a tale of someone, who for most of their growing up, tries to hide their identity and who continues to do so under extreme circumstances. I would rather not say more so as not to give away any of the plot, however I couldn't put this book down. I have read many of Mr Overton's novels now and read each new one as it comes out as he has become one of my favourite authors. I always know that I am going to be in for a heck of a ride with no idea where it will end. His research into the place and time his stories are set is extensive which makes his stories all the more believable. As with all of Mr Overton's books, I highly recommend this one also.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Moseley
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping read
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016
    For me Max Overton's Ascension was a gripping read that explored the personal struggles of the principal character Konrad, born of a Jewish mother and German father, a mischling under the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Bullied because of his association with Jews at school, Kondrad denies his own Jewishness, and later joins the German Army and fights and is wounded in the First World War. Afterwards he manages to join the Order Police as a single officer in a rural district. As the National Socialists and Hitler come to power Konrad is swept up in local intrigues where his honesty and regard for the law are at odds with his superior. He finds himself drafted into the Police Battalion 101, a unit under the control of the SS that was involved in "resettlement actions'' in the Warthegau district, following behind the Wehrmacht as they invaded Poland. Konrad's moral code is sorely tested during these harrowing horrific events, and he is oblivious to the dark machinations of others that soon envelop him, but from which he eventually is freed. The historical details portrayed in Ascension are detailed and accurate. Max Overton's vivid writing made me feel as if I was there sharing with Konrad the horrors and pain he experienced. The novel ends in suspense, and I look forward to ''Maelstrom'' and ''Dammerung'', the remaining titles in this trilogy. I also found that this novel dovetailed quite well with Max Overton's book ''We came from Konigsberg'', an excellent and moving novel based on a true story of the flight by a mother and her five young sons from Konigsberg in Eastern Prussia to escape the atrocities and horrors of the Russian advance in the dying stages of World Ward 2 in Europe.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dr. Robert Rich
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hell is a place for spiritual growth
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014
    I’ve just read the Prologue and I’m caught. This is Writing.

    I’ve never thought I could have liking and sympathy for a Nazi, a member of the SS who was involved in rounding up and killing Jews during the Holocaust. Max Overton has managed to achieve this miracle. He has told the story of a good, decent man caught in the evil web of Nazi Germany, forced to do his work as a police officer in a thoroughly immoral way, gradually sucked into horrific crimes in the name of the State.

    This book is not for everyone: you need a strong stomach to read the unvarnished truth of the crimes of the Second World War. However, a valuable lesson is that ordinary, decent people can be subverted by the lies of those in authority, in the way this is happening right now, in our times.

    In 1971, Zimbardo published "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil," based on the famous Stanford prison experiment. Like his student participant “prison guards,” Max’s hero Konrad slipped into the demands of his situation. Eventually, through suffering himself, he surmounted this and chose honesty and dignity even in the face of torture and death.

    So, the story ends with the triumph of good over evil, and this makes it worthwhile to read through the terrible parts. With the warning I’ve given, I can thoroughly recommend this wonderfully written book.
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  • Theo Cage
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable story ...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2014
    This is my first Max Overton novel and I have to say I am in awe of his abilities as a storyteller. Overton draws you in from the first page and holds your attention with his finely drawn characters and knowledge of the period.
    This book is full of revelations for me - what it would feel like to be an SS officer with a conscience - how the local German townspeople reacted to the purges -and what it would feel like to live and work in a concentration camp. Make no mistake, this a chillingly realistic depiction. But told with great skill.
    Meticulously researched, powerful and immersive storytelling - Ascension is a novel you will not soon forget.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Moseley
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping read
    Reviewed in Australia on April 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    For me Max Overton's Ascension was a gripping read that explored the personal struggles of the principal character Konrad, born of a Jewish mother and German father, a mischling under the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Bullied because of his association with Jews at school, Kondrad denies his own Jewishness, and later joins the German Army and fights and is wounded in the First World War. Afterwards he manages to join the Order Police as a single officer in a rural district. As the National Socialists and Hitler come to power Konrad is swept up in local intrigues where his honesty and regard for the law are at odds with his superior. He finds himself drafted into the Police Battalion 101, a unit under the control of the SS that was involved in "resettlement actions'' in the Warthegau district, following behind the Wehrmacht as they invaded Poland. Konrad's moral code is sorely tested during these harrowing horrific events, and he is oblivious to the dark mechinations of others that soon envelop him, but from which he eventually is freed. The historical details portrayed in Ascension are detailed and accurate. Max Overton's vivid writing made me feel as if I was there sharing with Konrad the horrors and pain he experienced. The novel ends in suspense, and I look forward to ''Maelstrom'' and ''Dammerung'', the remaining titles in this trilogy. I also found that this novel dovetailed quite well with Max Overton's book ''We came from Konigsberg'', an excellent and moving novel based on a true story of the flight by a mother and her five young sons from Konigsberg in Eastern Prussia to escape the atrocities and horrors of the Russian advance in the dying stages of World Ward 2 in Europe.
    Report
  • keith wood
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Good read
    Report

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