Gothic, Science-Fantasy, Time-Travel, Narcissism, Purity Culture–Doctor von Bismarck: A Tale of Obsession
Madge the beautiful geek is in love with the handsome, noble, narcissistic time traveler who may or may not be a Nazi. Doctor Heinrich von Bismarck is driven to invent time travel and avenge his wife and children, who were killed in an Allied bombing raid. He has grown used to controlling minds through hypnotism. He pulls Madge into his Svengali trap, until she is addicted and starts turning a blind eye to red flags. But she also pulls him into a trap which could be his downfall–or his salvation.
Doctor von Bismarck: A Tale of Obsession is a Gothic Science Fantasy with twisted and obsessive romance, social commentary, and deconstruction from fundamentalist religion.
My book is now available for sale as paperback and e-book.
Typing An Unwilling Time-Traveler, a novella I wrote in high school, onto my main website, revived my old passion for that story. Ever since October 2015, I have worked on a full revision, finally publishing it on August 26, 2023. The original was about a teenage girl abducted to Nazi Germany by a time-traveler; the new version has become far more complex. Now woven in are various themes such as narcissism, authoritarian religion, deconstructing from Fundamentalism/Evangelicalism, purity culture, and falling for a Svengali figure. The themes of a Christian society falling for the lies of an authoritarian state, and how warfare is conducted, are also increasingly relevant to our times. There are Gothic tropes as well as science fantasy. Doctor von Bismarck is also loosely inspired by an ex-friend (Richard) and an ex-husband (Phil), both narcissists. You can read about my revisions in my writing blog.
For now, the book is only available on Amazon, but I hope to make it more widely available in December.
I have put together a playlist of songs that appear in, or helped to inspire, Doctor von Bismarck: