December, 1905. Latvia.
A revolution sparks. The people are rising.
And the wealthy Rooks family find that all they have worked for is under threat.
The political and social landscape changes drastically in only a few short years.
By 1915, Latvia is engulfed in a war, conflicted and split between two opposing forces of Russia and Germany.
Wiktor Rooks, an officer in the Tsar’s army, is under pressure as the German army advances - pressure that only worsens as Wiktor is near fatally wounded by his own rebellious soldiers.
In hospital he recovers, but not for long. Captain Vereshchagin asks for his help as a liaison between Latvian and Russian troops. A native of Courland, Wiktor has the unique ability to unite these dissonant forces.
But war is brutal. War does not forgive. And war does not provide easy compromises.
Wiktor and the Rooks family discover that life in wartime Latvia is a struggle, even for the wealthy.
And with the rise of the Soviet-inspired Communism, the Rooks estate is in even greater jeopardy than before.
Wiktor must decide where his loyalties lie: with Kaiva, the woman he loves and the Communist government she supports, or his family and the landed gentry, from whom everything has been taken in the name of social equality.
Loyalties and sympathies are split constantly. And as the Second World War approaches, and the Soviet’s strength grows, the Rooks must struggle if they are to survive at all.
But one thing is certain without doubt: this life of theirs will never be the same again.
Will Wiktor and his family make it out alive, striving against Nazi Germany on side and the Communism of Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin on the other?
Or will they fall and crumble to dust, another anonymous victim to the turbulent troubles of Lenin’s Harem?
Lenin’s Harem is a twentieth century saga of epic proportions, detailing the struggle of the Rooks family and landed gentry of Latvia during both World Wars.
'The attention to historical detail and depth of introspection are worthy of Pasternak or Solzhenitsyn. Enthralling, reads as true as my grandfather's letters.' - Daniel Wagner, former Dean of the CIA's Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis.
'McCormick takes us inside lives that would otherwise be unimaginable.' - Suzannah Dunn, author of The Confession of Catherine Howard.
'Broad, ambitious, and plenty good.' - Jon Land for The Providence Sunday Journal.
'A compelling story set among the peoples, languages, histories of the Baltics. Latvia rings true in Lenin’s Harem.' - Brian Carlson, United States Ambassador to Latvia 2001 to 2005.
'This novel needs to be read. Not only is it thrilling, it’s deeply moving, passionately felt, beautifully told, and a splendid lesson on an overlooked history. McCormick has delivered a classic.' - Ken Pelham, author of Brigands Key
William Burton McCormick specializes in historical and thriller fiction set in Eastern Europe. He has an M.A. in Novel Writing from the University of Manchester and studied Russian history and language at Lomonosov Moscow State University. William's fiction has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and others. He is a three time Derringer Award finalist and was elected a Hawthornden Writing Fellow in Scotland in 2013.
A revolution sparks. The people are rising.
And the wealthy Rooks family find that all they have worked for is under threat.
The political and social landscape changes drastically in only a few short years.
By 1915, Latvia is engulfed in a war, conflicted and split between two opposing forces of Russia and Germany.
Wiktor Rooks, an officer in the Tsar’s army, is under pressure as the German army advances - pressure that only worsens as Wiktor is near fatally wounded by his own rebellious soldiers.
In hospital he recovers, but not for long. Captain Vereshchagin asks for his help as a liaison between Latvian and Russian troops. A native of Courland, Wiktor has the unique ability to unite these dissonant forces.
But war is brutal. War does not forgive. And war does not provide easy compromises.
Wiktor and the Rooks family discover that life in wartime Latvia is a struggle, even for the wealthy.
And with the rise of the Soviet-inspired Communism, the Rooks estate is in even greater jeopardy than before.
Wiktor must decide where his loyalties lie: with Kaiva, the woman he loves and the Communist government she supports, or his family and the landed gentry, from whom everything has been taken in the name of social equality.
Loyalties and sympathies are split constantly. And as the Second World War approaches, and the Soviet’s strength grows, the Rooks must struggle if they are to survive at all.
But one thing is certain without doubt: this life of theirs will never be the same again.
Will Wiktor and his family make it out alive, striving against Nazi Germany on side and the Communism of Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin on the other?
Or will they fall and crumble to dust, another anonymous victim to the turbulent troubles of Lenin’s Harem?
Lenin’s Harem is a twentieth century saga of epic proportions, detailing the struggle of the Rooks family and landed gentry of Latvia during both World Wars.
Praise for William Burton McCormick
'The attention to historical detail and depth of introspection are worthy of Pasternak or Solzhenitsyn. Enthralling, reads as true as my grandfather's letters.' - Daniel Wagner, former Dean of the CIA's Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis.
'McCormick takes us inside lives that would otherwise be unimaginable.' - Suzannah Dunn, author of The Confession of Catherine Howard.
'Broad, ambitious, and plenty good.' - Jon Land for The Providence Sunday Journal.
'A compelling story set among the peoples, languages, histories of the Baltics. Latvia rings true in Lenin’s Harem.' - Brian Carlson, United States Ambassador to Latvia 2001 to 2005.
'This novel needs to be read. Not only is it thrilling, it’s deeply moving, passionately felt, beautifully told, and a splendid lesson on an overlooked history. McCormick has delivered a classic.' - Ken Pelham, author of Brigands Key
William Burton McCormick specializes in historical and thriller fiction set in Eastern Europe. He has an M.A. in Novel Writing from the University of Manchester and studied Russian history and language at Lomonosov Moscow State University. William's fiction has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and others. He is a three time Derringer Award finalist and was elected a Hawthornden Writing Fellow in Scotland in 2013.
