A Man Under Authority

The fantasy of movie-making collides with the bloody reality of war in this debut novel by military historian Mitchell (The Vacant Chair). The Colonel leads a quiet life in a modest country cottage, existing on the small advances he earns for translating texts. When a production company hires him as a consultant for a film based on his wartime exploits in the Nazi army, he grabs the chance and the paycheck. Mitchell's narrative changes gears with an admirable smoothness as the Colonel contrasts his life during wartime with the melodramatic fantasy that he is helping to commit to celluloid. The Colonel's distrust of the dramatic helped him maintain his balance during the war, but now, under the influence of a very Hollywood cast and crew, he feels compelled to reexamine his life, his lust for power--or was it celebrity?--and the consequences of his actions. The novel's conclusion, while presented with commendable irony, is forced and inorganic, an unnecessary addition to an otherwise restrained and admirable performance. (June)