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Dominion (Sansom novel)

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Dominion
First edition cover
AuthorC. J. Sansom
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPolitical thriller
GenreAlternate history
PublisherMacmillan
Publication date
25 October 2012
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typeHardback
Pages608
ISBN978-0230744165

Dominion is a 2012 alternate history novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is a political thriller set in the early 1950s against the backdrop of a Britain that has become a satellite state of Nazi Germany.[1] The Point of divergence from actual history is that Lord Halifax, rather than Winston Churchill, succeeded Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister in May 1940.[1]

Awards

Dominion won the 2013 Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Long Form.[2][3]

Controversy

Sansom's fictionalised portrayal of some historical figures (among them Lord Beaverbrook, Oswald Mosley, Enoch Powell, and Marie Stopes) as members of a Quisling puppet government caused some controversy. Powell's depiction in particular was problematic:[4] Journalist Peter Hitchens called it a "babyish, historically illiterate slur" and called on Sansom to apologise to Powell's family.[5] Allan Massie for The Daily Telegraph, however, defended the portrayal, arguing that "in the make-believe world of counter-factual history, a novelist is entitled to take a different line" and that having a younger version of Powell be as such was "not inherently improbable."[6]

References

  1. ^ a b C. J. Sansom (19 October 2012). "My nightmare of a Nazi Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  2. ^ Silver, Steven H (July 1, 2013). "Sidewise Award Nominees". SF Site. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  3. ^ Glyer, Mike (August 31, 2013). "2013 Sidewise Awards". File 770. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  4. ^ "Enoch Powell widow 'furious' over 'ludicrous' slur that portray her husband as a Nazi sympathiser". Daily Mail. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  5. ^ Peter Hitchens (13 January 2013). "We dole out £207bn in benefits. Even lemmings aren't that dumb". Mail on Sunday. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  6. ^ Allan Massie (7 January 2013). "Enoch Powell was no fascist. But it's not ridiculous for an author to imagine him in a pro-Nazi government". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2013.

See also