Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book. Lots of interesting information to digest. This is a great read for anyone who loves to read about history. Very well written. So many books about Auschwitz and those who ran it or were in it. This one’s really good.

NetGalley, Lisa Houston

Rudolf Höss was a distinguished soldier of the First World War who became a member of the fledgling Nazi Party in 1922, and by fully embracing their excesses spent six years in jail for grievous bodily harm and manslaughter. In 1934, he joined the SS and was involved in the running of Dachau concentration camp, and was subsequently the adjutant at Sachsenhausen before becoming commandant of Auschwitz in 1941. Tasked with carrying out the Final Solution, he imagined, shortly before he was hanged in 1947, that he was merely following orders to the best of his ability, yet he clearly went about his utterly horrific work with the utmost enthusiasm and brutality, devising a ruthlessly efficient means of exterminating people in their millions. This book examines a little of his early life but is chiefly concerned with his involvement in the Holocaust, and makes extensive use of the many orders, notes and letters which he wrote. In so doing it also provides a valuable insight into the wider workings of Auschwitz, including Höss' opinions on his numerous subordinates who plied their dreadful trade there.

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Pegasus Archive

I must admit that I am a big fan of the author Volker Koop, I have read a number of his books previously especially Martin Bormann. He writes so well, clear and comprehensively, he really seems to get to know the person or event with in-depth knowledge. So you can imagine I was more than happy to review this book which follows in the same traditions, despite this particular subject matter and what he did, or allowed to happen as the Commandant of the hell hole that is Auschwitz. Koop uses research and reports from contemporaries both for and against to form a very dark picture of a man who instructed mass murder on a huge scale. While this isn’t a pleasant read, it’s a well written and researched book that doesn’t shy away from the truth. A huge book that certainly warrants high praise and I would highly recommend it to those interested in this particular subject.

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UK Historian

Painful as they are to read, I think it's important that our military historians write about them so that we can honestly say "we will never forget".

Books Monthly

These types of books are so hard to read. And not because of this author or writing, which was really really good! But because you know the subject of this book was one of the most evil men of the Holocaust and war. Congrats to the author for tackling such a difficult subject.

NetGalley, Jennifer DiCenzo

These types of books are so hard to read. And not because of this author or writing, which was really really good! But because you know the subject of this book was one of the most evil men of the Holocaust and war. Congrats to the author for tackling such a difficult subject.

NetGalley, Jennifer DiCenzo

I was always curious about the man who was in charge of Auschwitz. This book was well done, giving the reader the full story of Rudolph Hoss, and the role that he played within the Reich.
It was heartbreaking in areas, but overall, a very good comprehensive view.

For those interested in WWII history, and the Holocaust, this is a really good read.

NetGalley, Rebecca Hill

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The author performed a great deal of research before writing this book. He not only included facts from several archives a d resources, be also used Hoss's writings, which enhanced the readability of the narrative because we watch and learn about the inner workings and mindset of a horribly evil person who, to the last minute, swore he was not guilty because he was simply following orders. This is a solid contribution to the historical records about WWII.

NetGalley, Brenda Yeager

Koop does a solid job of not just regurgitating things from the memoirs of Rudolf Höss, and quickly points out that Höss appears to be a habitual liar in pretty much everything he does. Much of the information comes from things such as this material, but using historical records, and conflicting accounts by contemporaries, the portrait of a truly terrible man is painted. Even when everything was lost, and the man faced trial, he claimed to be a normal guy that just did his job and had no idea bad things were happening under his command. Reading some of the atrocities he signed off on, such as throwing children directly into a fire pit while still alive, was infuriating to say the least.

This was a tough read, for obvious reasons, but I enjoyed it and learned a lot about, perhaps, one of the biggest monsters in modern history. One would have hoped that he would have stayed in prison much longer than he did when he literally committed a political murder, but alas Hitler needed the most despicable to do his evil deeds. Very good book, if you are curious, or a WWII history buff, I’d check it out.

NetGalley, Stephen Kelley

What an evil creature Höss was. He really has no limits. Koop revealed his entire persona in this novel, and if you were familiar with Rudolf Höss and his propensity for evil before hand, you will be in absolutely no doubt after reading this.

NetGalley, Clara Carter

Whilst saying that you enjoyed a book with this kind of subject matter might sound odd, I actually did. I thought the author did a good job of highlighting the important points about Höss and not getting too carried away with unimportant factoids.

Much of this book is based on the memoirs of Höss himself, and yet it does not read as just another boring example of an author rewriting the words of someone else. Actually, reading this book is far more pleasant (due to the organisation) than reading the original memoirs. The Insight of the author after much time spent researching helps to clarify things for the reader.

I thought this was a fascinating, well-written work with a lot to offer anyone interested in the history of the Nazi movement and the KL System. Recommended to anyone who wants to know more about this subject and to all who are interested in the history of the Twentieth Century's major events and personalities.

NetGalley, Ionia Froment

Rudolf Hoess, one of the central figures of the Nazi mass murder of Jews, Poles, Russians, Catholics, and other enemies of the Third Reich, wrote his memoirs shortly before he was hanged by the Nuremberg Trials. This book has at no point been sold as a light read, it is heavy, stays in your mind, and discusses an important part of history.

I visited Auschwitz a couple of years ago. I read this in an attempt to get some sought insight into Nazi psychology. The book is fascinating but harrowing and it is easy to pretend or not acknowledge the part in history it plays and the fact this is very real. The book contains a lot of detail and it is clear that a lot of research has been done. The book explains how Hoess attempted to downplay his involvement in what happened as well as the power struggles between some of the other SS members. The book discusses poignant parts of Auschwitz such as the deaths, building of the gas chambers, orders carried out, etc. Difficult to read but interesting at the same time.

NetGalley, Chloe Bateman

There is an incredible amount of detail here and a good job is done of showing how someone could become one of the most reviled people in history. The book has documents from Hoss where he tries to downplay his involvement in what happened at the same time as admitting that some atrocities happened describing power struggles between him and fellow SS members. It is chilling that he mentions the building of the gas chambers matter of factly and seems to view what he has done as just following orders. This is fascinating and harrowing.

NetGalley, Karl Wardlaw