Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

(See all of my Book Reviews) - “A Gift From the Gods” eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Marin Gunn. Mr. Gunn had published two books.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violnce, Mature Language, and Mature Situations. The story is set in an alternative universe. In this aberration of the timeline a ‘god’ nudges the spacecraft of an alien race out of control so that it will crash where Nazi Germany can find it.

That begins a technological growth by the Germans. While the Third Reich still fails in this timeline, the technology gleaned from the crashed spacecraft in 1935 allows the Nazis to rise again 50 years later in an attempt to establish the Fourth Reich.

The exploitation of the alien technology is being overseen by Waffen-SS officer, Hauptsturmführer Gustav von Brandt. He will let nothing stand in the way of the Reich. The story takes the reader from Germany, to South America, and to the United States. While the Nazis go dormant after WWII they are far from dead. Now with alien tech they again begin their effort to dominate the world. Only one CIA officer is standing in their way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 5.5 hours I spent reading this 338-page science fiction thriller. This was a little different for a science fiction story with the alternative history slant to it. Overall I thought the story was pretty good. I am not fond of the selected cover art. It reminds me more of a horror novel than a science fiction thriller. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

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This book has all the ingredients of a terrific Sci-fi thriller. In fact, it might have too many ingredients because it is overly long and my interest level waned from time to time, hence four not five stars. The characters were well drawn, interesting The plot was intricate with plenty of twists, double crosses and surprises to keep the reader guessing, but was not difficult to follow. This book contains murder, violence, humor, history, mystery , sci-fi , major criminal activity and, as mentioned, a great cast of characters all of which are blended together for an enjoyable reading experience.

The cover is eye catching and the synopsis intriguing but the execution of the story was sadly (to my taste) lacking and the story a mess and farcical at times, I appreciate that science fiction is just that, fiction but this book plays on every meme out there without introducing anything original or worthy of investing time in, I’m sure many will like this book, unfortunately I am not one of those