This novel is fiction and is built around a modified historical timeline. It takes place during 1940 and follows the same events that were taking place in the world during World War II. Many factual historical events are used in the development of this timeline, but the characters and their conflicts are almost all fictional.
After analyzing the book, it can be seen that there are many historic parallels in the book and that Alan Judd doesn't an excellent job following the realities of what actually took place. An example of this is Hitler's rise to power as well as the German invasion of the Netherlands. These were both real events and not only add to the setting and background of the novel, but they add to the ethos of the author. Another historically accurate event is the fact that Prime Minister Winston Churchill tried to get the Kaiser to offer him military secrets. These accuracies set up the skeleton of the book well and make the author seem well-informed, exude the research involved in this novel, and put it up for discussion whether this could be placed under the genre of historical fiction.
The book does a good job of creating relationships between people and showing the bonds between those individuals as the novel progresses. Analyzing the chapters show an example of this between the Kaiser and Krebbs. The Kaiser is mostly hostile towards the Nazis and is resentful of the powerful current commanding officers hold. Krebbs on the other hand is a newly commissioned SS Officer and extremely loyal to Nazism. However, after spending time together and describing their similar distaste for the methods which the German army uses, they bond and grow close. Alan Judd's novel does an excellent novel of displaying the intricate details between the two men. Another relationship is that between Krebbs and Akki. They should be mortal enemies; Akki is a British spy and she is Jewish. However, they fall in love before finding out too much about each other, forcing both of them to adapt so that their relationship can continue. Once again, the author does a great job of thoroughly covering this entire process.
Overall, The Kaiser's Last Kiss does an excellent job of creating a plot that is original and doesn't follow the basic outline of good pitted against evil. It reveals the delicate humanities of both sides and the cruelties as well, proving that the conflict cannot be seen in black and white terms. This creates depth and complexity in the plot and allows the characters to fully immerse in these same conflicts and develop who they are as individuals. The book also provides a rather satisfying ending, in that the protagonists are not able to overcome impossible odds to predictably defeat the antagonists. Rather, Alan Judd creates an ending that provides success for both sides while also containing failures. This book is a great read for anyone to fall into a seamless timeline of the second World War.
