When William Came


Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)

(4.2 stars; 16 reviews)

We have had many novels about alternate histories, often of the 'What would have happened if Hitler had won the war' type and this is another - except that this one is set in 1913 and the 'William' of the title is that old bogeyman 'Kaiser Bill'. For some reason, at the height of Britain's power, the fear of invasion was common at that time. (See The Riddle of the Sands, The Battle of Dorking, Spies of the Kaiser or even The War of the Worlds)
WARNING: Contains mild anti-semitism and jingoism typical of the period. (Summary by Andy Minter) (5 hr 21 min)

Chapters

The Singing-Bird and the Barometer 20:06 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Homecoming 8:33 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Metski Tsar 25:39 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
‘Es Ist Verboten’ 16:47 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
‘L’Art D’etre Cousine’ 12:33 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
Herr Von Kwaal 19:46 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Lure 14:20 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The First Night 19:22 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
An Evening ‘To Be Remembered’ 17:46 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
Some Reflections and a ‘Te Deum’ 14:24 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Teashop 22:42 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Travelling Companions 15:49 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
Torywood 17:58 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
‘A Perfectly Glorious Afternoon’ 22:01 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Intelligent Anticipator of Wants 14:53 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
Sunrise 9:40 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Event of the Season 10:34 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
The Dead Who Do Not Understand 19:07 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)
When William Came 19:38 Read by Andy Minter (1934-2017)

Reviews

A lovely recording


(5 stars)

What we find frightening about this novel is the very premise: England has been subjugated and annexed! by Germany ...When William Came, written before World War I, is a grim tale of a then-fictional war between Britain and Germany. Saki's biting wit is aimed squarely at British politics in this thinly veiled story -- he, like many others, could see war approaching, and who would want to see a conflict of such proportion? Unnerving stuff, we say... Many thanks to Andy Minter for his enjoyable recording. A real pleasure to listen to!


(2 stars)

Sorry Saki - the premise was interesting and there were a few good sections, but with entire chapters of frustratingly inane dialogue, (considering how short the book is,) I just couldn't go the distance. A rarity for me to not finish a LibriVox. I'll give it an extra star purely for Andy Minter's usual, excellent reading.

Fascinating story pre WW1


(5 stars)

Wonderfully read by our dearly missed Mr Mintner. What a fine voice actor he was. The story is my kind of ' what if' scenario. And the writing is pitch perfect from the inimitable Saki. Highly recommended.

Interesting view


(4 stars)

So, should 2019 readers take note not to forget the past? This is something to be pondered!