Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel is out! My book baby has been born!
Ten years is a long time for a book’s gestation but ‘life got in the way’ when researching, writing and then publishing my new release, Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel. I’m sure you’ve all known the feeling of a dream being pushed to the side while dealing with the nitty gritty of work and family.
One obstacle I also faced was the reluctance of publishers and agents to take on WWII historical fiction given the deluge of them in the last decade. I am entirely grateful to The Book Guild and Bolinda Audio for having faith in the novel which is not your usual book about acts of great heroism, battles or resistance fighters from the viewpoint of the Western Allied Forces.
Based on a true story, Fables & Lies explores WWII through the eyes of Freyja, a German museum assistant striving to protect her nation’s treasures while navigating love and loyalty amid the horrors of Nazi Germany. The book blends romance, suspense, and ethical dilemmas as Freyja discovers the moral corruption of the Regime, dark family secrets, and personal transformation in a world built on lies.
Told from the perspective of German civilians, the novel highlights the bravery of museum curators and Gentiles married to Jews, while uncovering untold stories of resistance, and the dangers of twisting history and myth to justify conquest and genocide. In essence, the book show history is never neutral and that courage can be found in the quietest acts of resistance.
Perfect for readers who love thought-provoking WWII historical fiction exploring the complexities of survival, resistance, moral conflict and impossible choices which feature thwarted love and a journey to enlightenment. I think readers of Kelly Rimmer, Laura Morelli and Anthony Doer will enjoy it.
Fables & Lies - here is the story
Under a brutal regime, what price must be paid to preserve truth, treasure and love in a world built on lies?
WWII Berlin. Freyja Bremer, a patriotic museum assistant, marries Kaspar Voigt, an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. Yet she is unaware her husband is instrumental in Himmler’s twisted quest for Aryan supremacy.
As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist who exposes the moral decay beneath the Regime’s myths. Her awakening drives her into perilous resistance — aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien’s sister — while uncovering Kaspar’s role in the SS’s darkest programs, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
As Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, Freyja, caught between duty, deception and desire, must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies.
A heartbreaking yet triumphant love story, Fables & Lies shines light on lesser-known aspects of the Nazi Regime. It gives voice to the complex moral struggles of German women, the forgotten resistance of Gentiles married to Jews, the dangers of contested history, the evils of Himmler’s racial studies program, and the unsung bravery of German museum curators who saved their nation’s treasures.
Guest posts and interviews
Fables & Lies is chock full of untold stories and hidden histories. You can read about my research and writing process in these guest articles and interviews.
- Atlantis and the Aryan Myth in Historia Magazine
- Interview and review with Sarah Johnson on Reading the Past blog
- Interview with with Leslie Lowe from the Historical Novel Society
- Guest post on Alison Morton’s blog – The Everyday German in WWII
- Guest post on Judith Starkston’s blog – The Odyssey of Priam’s Treasure
- Interview with Crystal King
- Guest post on Mary Tod’s Writer of History: The Power of Proganda
- Interview on A Literary World by Kathryn Gauci
- Tell me your story on Donis Casey’s blog
What others say about Fables & Lies
I’ve been thrilled to receive endorsements from wonderful authors who enjoyed the book. Here is what they say:
“A harrowing story of a young woman caught in the machinations of the Third Reich and in the web of a regime-compliant family. Fables & Lies is meticulously researched and emotionally resonant, sure to delight readers who love a hearty feast of history in their fiction.” Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of The Ragged Edge Of Night
“A powerful and heartbreaking story set in war-torn Berlin, Fables & Lies charts the slow dawning horror of a young woman as she realises all she has been taught about Hitler and the Third Reich is a lie.” Kate Forsyth, author of Bitter Greens
“Blending historical rigor with gripping fiction, Fables & Lies reminds us of the devastating consequences when history is twisted to serve power.” Leah Kaminsky, author of The Hollow Bones
“A compelling study of Nazi ideology, seen through the eyes of one German family who becomes hopelessly divided by politics, ambition and fear.” Suzanne Leal, author of The Deceptions
“Fables & Lies is a gripping account of the quest to save the world’s great antiquities during WW2 and an ode to those women and men who risked all for freedom. A beautifully written novel. I’ve never read anything like it.” Nicole Alexander, author of The Limestone Road
“Fables & Lies is a powerful reminder that history is never neutral. With her trademark insight, Elisabeth Storrs explores how myth can be twisted into the ultimate weapon — and how courage can be found in the quietest acts of defiance.” Lauren Chater, author of The Lace Weaver
“Storrs has written an engaging and monumentally important novel for our time with the pairing of the mysterious fate of Priam’s Treasure with one woman’s journey as she overcomes the political manipulations of fascism and takes action.” Judith Starkston, author of Achilles’s Wife
“Elisabeth Storrs has indeed broken the mould by writing ‘from the other side’. Evocative, detailed and heart-rending as the heroine journeys through disillusion and danger in the Third Reich.” Alison Morton, author of the Roma Nova series:
“Fables & Lies is a brilliant work of historical fiction with … a narrative that charts the way dangerous ideological obsessions become enmeshed … within the blunt forces of government policy – a novel very much for our times.” David Whish-Wilson, author of The Coves
“I had the privilege of reading Fables & Lies and can report that it is both an excellent story as well as a unique and compelling perspective on World War Two, including the power of propaganda.”
MK Tod, author of The Admiral’s Wife and A Writer of History blog
