Nina Galen Books

I really enjoyed this book - an "eye-witness account" of life in the Roman Empire. What a great idea and what a great story! There's something here for everyone--Jews, Christians, pagans and atheists.
Galen makes her historical and biblical figures into regular people who speak contemporary dialogue. This is funny and really brings home that people have been pretty much the same through the ages. I loved Pontius Pilate (and i'm Catholic!) I even loved Caligula and the crocodile.
The book is just so entertaining. Galen has done a terrific job.

I was a little apprehensive at first, afraid that there might be a religious or moralistic agenda behind it, but there's none of that. Instead, we're treated to a fast-moving romp through one of the most utterly significant periods of man's history. Our "hero" seems to find himself cast by fate into virtually every important event of the time, hobnobbing with movers and shakers both historic and religious. One could even study history here! And what a fun way to do so, since the tale is told with a twinkle in the eye. A great read!

Nina Galen is the mother goose for our generation!

Galen has a way of turning a cruel reality into humor and forces you think twice.

Here we have something unusual -- two works in prose no less -- and under one cover. The diverse set of characters in each work display what is both good and bad within ourselves. In "Croc" we find a couple of crocodiles battling for their political lives -- with a love interest spicing things up even more. The other half of the book deals with a group of what might be called "self-centered, self-serving, sanctimonious hypocrites" who for mostly nefarious reasons, embark upon a space voyage to the alien world of Kroh. And in the end...... Well, that would spoil it! The satire is biting and multi-layered. And a few spots might even require a hanky. The author has packed a lot into her brief lines and a second and third reading brings even more to the stories. Highly recommended!

Here's another out-of-print gem that isn't always easy to find--but the author tells me it may be reprinted in the near future. The title is a German word for ski-racer and the story takes place at a remote ski resort in the Austrian Alps. The racing champion is a young man named Dieter Schnell ("fast" in German)and his parents own a ski-pension outside a small village. In the middle of winter, while Dieter practices for the world championship in downhill skiing, his parents have four guests. Baldur is a young north German architecture and design student. His wife, Freia (real name Ada Levin) is a Jewish-American girl from the edge of Beverly Hills. Stanley M is an old college friend of Freia's, who shows up in the same place entirely by accident. Herr von S is a former Nazi officer, also from northern Germany. Everyone has an attraction to Dieter. It should be noted that the book takes place in the period 1963-1965, so that prominent Nazis are still alive and young people such as Baldur would have spent their early years in the Hitler Youth. The war is much closer than it would seem to people today. The interaction of the characters is laced with delicious irony, and no one is who he or she seems to be. Freia is trying so hard to be more German than the Germans, except when it gets difficult. Baldur at first seems kind, loving and a bit dense, until his past is reawakened by some childhood friends. Stanley M doesn't speak German and is truely clueless as to the game he plays along with, to his peril. Herr von S is so diabolically clever, he outsmarts himself. The story builds against an impressive backdrop. A tragedy occurs, and people start to reveal themselves, building up to an ending of truly horrifying possibilities. Nina Galen is a brilliant writer, and I highly recommend this book. Although she uses German words at various places, I can tell you that she translates for English readers, and the usage is correct. Hopefully the book will be reprinted.