Making History, by Stephen Fry

It's unfair that Stephen Fry should be so talented: a comedian, an actor, and a writer? Why must some people be so blessed?

What's more, he's not just a mediocre writer, but a fairly good one. Unlike some comedian who turn to writing and think it's all and only comedy, Fry has a good handle on balance: Making History was funny, but not only funny. It was also good fiction, an interesting exploration of what would have happened had Hitler never been born. (Note: it's not as good as you think.) I liked the idea, explored by the novel, that, in a sense, there was some destiny, some inevitability to what happened. I won't divulge all the details of the alternate universe, but suffice it to say, there was still war, and Jews still suffered, in what is perhaps an even more hideous way. What's more, one of the characters who was seeking to obliterate Hitler in order to obliterate his guilt was still left with equal, or perhaps greater, amounts of guilt.

This isn't a brilliant novel, by any means, and Fry isn't particularly literary in his style, but he's smart, and obviously a reader, and that translates into what was, for the most part, a very enjoyable book. Kudos to you, Mr. Fry, and may you continue to be so talented.