History YMMV / TheIronDream

** There's a good case to be made that Ferric Jaggar may actually be a [[YouAreWhatYouHate human-Dom hybrid]] [[TomatoInTheMirror who thinks he's a human.]] Ferric Jaggar displays [[NotSoDifferent abilities similar to]] the PsychicPowers of the Dominators. He is able to [[TheEmpath sense the psychic energy and auras of people]], and his speech [[CharmPerson tends to pacify people into agreeing with him, or inflame people into fanatical self-sacrifice]]. When he is speaking or using body language to influence someone, he feels a psychic connection between them, similar to when a Dominator is trying to psychically influence him. In terms of personality, [[TheSociopath he often reacts coldly to things that other people react emotionally to,]] [[LackOfEmpathy and thinks of people as puppets]], which are said to be Dominator traits. He also never takes a proper DNA test to establish his humanity. He takes a mutant/Dom controlled DNA test before arriving in Heldon, then takes a very simple test that doesn't weed out Doms when he's in Heldon. Finally, he takes a test to determine if he's capable of siring true humans, and it turns out he isn't, but by that point no one is. This, of course, also ties into long-held conspiracy theories about Hitler possibly having Jewish ancestry.

* FridgeBrilliance: Even though Hitler wasn't exactly an awesome writer, ''The Lord of the Swastika'' is a great deal cheesier and bestowed with a considerably less extensive vocabulary than the works he wrote in reality... until one remembers the fact that he was already in a late stage of syphillis and on top of that never fully mastered the English language.

* OnceAcceptableTargets: Subverted. Hitler never comes straight out and makes his prejudices known.

* HilariousInHindsight
** In a hilarious piece of cosmic irony that Norman Spinrad couldn't have possibly foreseen, [[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100506-science-neanderthals-humans-mated-interbred-dna-gene/ humans and neanderthals interbred]] long, long ago. This means that the only "truemen" of pure human blood reside ''in Africa.'' Hitler would have been horrified.
** Or not -- some modern neo-Nazis apparently seem to think [[MovingTheGoalposts it's precisely the greater bit of neanderthal blood that makes Nordics a superior race]].

** There's a good case to be made that Ferric Jaggar may actually be a [[YouAreWhatYouHate human-Dom hybrid]] [[TomatoInTheMirror who thinks he's a human.]] Ferric Jaggar displays [[NotSoDifferent abilities similar to]] the PsychicPowers of the Dominators. He is able to [[TheEmpath sense the psychic energy and auras of people]], and his speech [[CharmPerson tends to pacify people into agreeing with him, or inflame people into fanatical self-sacrifice]]. When he is speaking or using body language to influence someone, he feels a psychic connection between them, similar to when a Dominator is trying to psychically influence him. In terms of personality, [[TheSociopath he often reacts coldly to things that other people react emotionally to,]] [[LackOfEmpathy and thinks of people as puppets]], which are said to be Dominator traits. He also never takes a proper DNA test to establish his humanity. He takes a mutant/Dom controlled DNA test before arriving in Heldon, then takes a very simple test that doesn't weed out Doms when he's in Heldon. Finally, he takes a test to determine if he's capable of siring true humans, and it turns out he isn't, but by that point no one is.

* FunnyMoments: [[AllohistoricalAllusion "Feric told him of his pedigree and the story of his life to date, which hardly made a tale of complex nature or inordinate length."]] [[RealitySubtext Given how wordy and disorganized Mein Kamf actually is...]]

** In a hilarious piece of cosmic irony that Norman Spinrad couldn't have possibly foreseen, [[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100506-science-neanderthals-humans-mated-interbred-dna-gene/ humans and neanderthals interbred]] long, long ago. This means that he only "truemen" of pure human blood reside ''in Africa.'' Hitler would have been horrified.

* {{Anvilicious}}: A rare double-example. Not only is Hitler's book obviously anvilicious in its content and phrasing, but the book as a whole is anvilicious due to Spinrad's constant efforts to infuse every possible sentence that he could with Nazi ideology. Although considering the reaction that it did get, it could be that this was necessary in order to get through the thick skulls of some of the readers. Also, Hitler's own writing was notoriously wordy and repetitive, with many finding MeinKampf an unreadable rant.

* {{Anvilicious}}: A rare double-example. Not only is Hitler's book obviously anvilicious in its content and phrasing, but the book as a whole is anvilicious due to Spinrad's constant efforts to infuse every possible sentence that he could with Nazi ideology. Although considering the reaction that it did get, it could be that this was necessary in order to get through the thick skulls of some of the readers.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Shocking as it may sound, there are readers who dare think that noble Feric Jaggar is not a fine example of the human race!

* FreudWasRight: Spinrad makes a great deal of the connection between phallic symbolism and fascism. The Great Truncheon of Held, also known as the Steel Commander, is described in unambiguously... ''phallic''... terms. And then Feric Jaggar forces his new underling to ''kiss'' it.

* OnceAcceptableTargets: Subverted. Hitler never comes straight out and makes his prejudices known.

** The two interpretations are not mutually exclusive, and indeed might well go hand-in-hand. The point Spinrad was ''trying'' to make is about ''fiction'', and writing fiction can prove things about fiction. By writing a convincing "pulp" [[HeroicFantasy Heroic]] ScienceFantasy work that is ''clearly'' based on Hitler's Germany, he makes it easier to find similarities with other works; he's critiquing what he sees as the rightist wish-fulfillment of many of his contemporary speculative fiction writers, and the FanDumb who gobbled it up. It's the ''real world'' that you can't prove points about by writing a work of fiction--and no doubt Spinrad would agree.

* GodModeSue: Jaggar.

* {{Anvilicious}}: A rare double-example. Not only is Hitler's book obviously anvilicious in its content and phrasing, but the book as a whole is anvilicious due to Spinrad's constant efforts to infuse every possible sentence that he could with Nazi ideology. Although considering the reaction that it did get, it could be that this was necessary in order to get through the [[ViewersAreMorons thick skulls of some of the readers.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation -- Shocking as it may sound, there are readers who dare think that noble Feric Jaggar is not a fine example of the human race!
* {{Anvilicious}} -- A rare double-example. Not only is Hitler's book obviously anvilicious in its content and phrasing, but the book as a whole is anvilicious due to Spinrad's constant efforts to infuse every possible sentence that he could with Nazi ideology. Although considering the reaction that it did get, it could be that this was necessary in order to get through the [[ViewersAreMorons thick skulls of some of the readers.]]

* FreudWasRight -- Spinrad makes a great deal of the connection between phallic symbolism and fascism. The Great Truncheon of Held, also known as the Steel Commander, is described in unambiguously... ''phallic''... terms. And then Feric Jaggar forces his new underling to ''kiss'' it.

* HoYay -- To the point that the scholar analyzing the book at the end wonders if Hitler was a closet homosexual. Jaggar's relationship with battle-buddy Best in particular is full of good-natured backslaps and adoring stares.
* MisaimedFandom -- Both in the AlternateHistory FramingDevice and in the real world. The American Nazi Party put it on their recommended reading list. "Apparently they liked the up ending", according to the author.

* OnceAcceptableTargets -- Subverted. Hitler never comes straight out and makes his prejudices known.

** Or not -- some modern neo-Nazis apparently seem to think [[MovingTheGoalpostsit's precisely the greater bit of neanderthal blood that makes Nordics a superior race]].

** Or not -- some modern neo-Nazis apparently seem to think [[ValuesDissonance it's precisely the greater bit of neanderthal blood that makes Nordics a superior race]].

* UnfortunateImplications -- [[IntendedAudienceReaction The whole point of the book.]] By the time you get most of the way through the book cheering as the heroes mow down endless waves of grotesque mutants, they're building concentration camps and sterilizing contaminated citizens.

** SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: It's really amazing how many people will deny there are problems with the political tone of fantasy novels.

** The two interpretations are not mutually exclusive, and indeed might well go hand-in-hand. The point Spinrad was ''trying'' to make is about ''fiction'', and writing fiction can prove things about fiction. By writing a convincing "pulp" HeroicFantasy[=/=]ScienceFiction work that is ''clearly'' based on Hitler's Germany, he makes it easier to find similarities with other works; he's critiquing what he sees as the rightist wish-fulfillment of many of his contemporary speculative fiction writers, and the FanDumb who gobbled it up. It's the ''real world'' that you can't prove points about by writing a work of fiction--and no doubt Spinrad would agree.

* HilariousInHindsight -- In a hilarious piece of cosmic irony that Norman Spinrad couldn't have possibly foreseen, [[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100506-science-neanderthals-humans-mated-interbred-dna-gene/ humans and neanderthals interbred]] long, long ago. This means that he only "truemen" of pure human blood reside ''in Africa.'' Hitler would have been horrified.

* HilariousInHindsight -- In a hilarious piece of cosmic irony that Norman Spinrand couldn't have possibly foreseen, [[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100506-science-neanderthals-humans-mated-interbred-dna-gene/ humans and neanderthals interbred]] long, long ago. This means that he only "truemen" of pure human blood reside ''in Africa.'' Hitler would have been horrified.

* UnfortunateImplications -- [[TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste The whole point of the book.]] By the time you get most of the way through the book cheering as the heroes mow down endless waves of grotesque mutants, they're building concentration camps and sterilizing contaminated citizens.

* {{Anvilicious}} -- A rare double-example. Not only is Hitler's book obviously anvilicious in its content and phrasing, but the book as a whole is anvilicious due to Spinrad's constant efforts to infuse every possible sentence that he could with Nazi ideology. Although considering the reaction that it did get (see "Completely Missing the Point" on the [[TheIronDream main page]].) it could be that this was necessary in order to get through the [[ViewersAreMorons thick skulls of some of the readers.]]