Set during World War II, An Honourable German follows the story of a patriotic German naval officer named Maximillian Brekendorf.  As the war drags on, however, Max's pre-war training and experience sets him apart in two distinct ways.  First, experienced naval officers quickly became short in supply making Max an invaluable asset.  Second, increasing Nazi zealotry aboard ships was at odds with classic naval traditions.  For example, at the start of the book we see how great care is taken to treat defeated enemy officers with respect, as if to say "Yes, today we beat you in battle and we shall make you our guest.  Tomorrow our fortune may turn and we may end up being your guest."  This attitude, drilled into Max early on, is clearly at odds with Nazi "Kill them all" rhetoric.

It's a difficult thing writing a story from the point of view of the Germans in WWII.  They're such standard villains for movies and games, that it'd be like trying to write a likable modern day terrorist.  So the author goes to great pains to make sure Max is a "good" character.  That, I think, is his downfall.  Max is too perfect.  He does nothing wrong, and has no faults.  He's a plastic hero who happens to be wearing a German uniform.  While the story is interesting and I wanted to know how it turned out, I didn't really feel much connection with Max or his Fiancee back home.

I picked up this book because I thought it would help me with my own novel series that I'm writing.  My main character somewhat mirrors Max in that he too gets mired in a fanatical organization.  However what I discovered was that my main character mirrors Max is the wrong way as well.  Too perfect.  This leads me to think it's an easy trap to fall in when writing likable characters stuck in bad groups.

An Honourable German is an entertaining read.  The naval battles are exciting, and the details accurately describe the scene without being overwhelming.  The story itself seems well put together and you do want to keep turning the pages (with one exception*) to find out what happens next.  I give this book a score of 75%


* I found myself uninterested in the sections devoted purely to Max and his Fiancee.  Two perfect lovers separated by war..  bleh.  I know the author wants to show that this is what keeps Max fighting, but there's no depth to their relationship.