What is the best novel dealing with the Red Baron?

[Rfox]

There are plenty of non-fiction works available, but has anyone ever made the Red Baron into a novel?

I know there some sort of vampire novel out there, and "To the Last Man" by Shaara. Anything else? Anything in German?

[rainbase]

The Blue Max has a little bit with Von Richthofen in it, but nothing on the order of Jeff Shaara's novel (which virtually stars the baron). There is also a novelization of "Von Richthofen And Brown," from the Roger Corman movie. I'm guessing some of the other forumites will chime in with more suggestions.

[Sagittarius]

Originally Posted by Rfox

I know there some sort of vampire novel out there

If you mean "The Bloody Red Baron" by Kim Newman, I can't recommend that one. Its a messy mishmash of all sorts of real and fictious characters and has as much to do with the real von Richthofen as he had to do with... starlight express ;-)

[Mary]

Years ago I read a novel titled The Rad Baron Lives! It is out of print but you can buy a used copy on Amazon. It was strictly fictional, the premise being that he wasn't killed, but just wounded and that the British Royal family enlisted his help to rescue the Romanovs. It was a really fun story. He keeps referring to his cousin, who married the "the English teacher," and eventually ends up living in the American West under the name Freddy Baron. If you can find it, pick up a copy. Not a lick of real history in it, of course, but a fun-to-read story.

[Gregvan]

There is a book in English which I consider a historical novel:

"Richthofen The Red Baron" by Emile C. Schurmacher. It may be advertised as a non-fiction biography but it's more of a novelization. Copies are easy to find on ebay and elsewhere.

In German, maybe you should get ahold of "...'rangehn ist Alles!" This is a 1938 historical novel by "Thor Goote", a pseudonym of a Nazi propaganda writer. If you can get past the propaganda, it's a very good historically accurate novel - it covers not only MvR but Boelcke, Boehme, Lothar von R and others. "Goote" had contact with the families of many ex-pilots and he really (in my opinion) captured the spirit of his topic.

Greg

[Rfox]

Good to know, thanks all.

[Barrett]

There was also a horror genre (or something) novel including MvR as a shape-shifter vampire. Or something. Probably 1980s; I tried reading it while running the grain elevator during harvest but never finished it. IIRC other historical characters included Ball and Churchill.

[Barry Hickson]

Originally Posted by Barrett

There was also a horror genre (or something) novel including MvR as a shape-shifter vampire. Or something. Probably 1980s; I tried reading it while running the grain elevator during harvest but never finished it. IIRC other historical characters included Ball and Churchill.

Would that have been the Kim Newman one called "The Bloody Red Baron" Barrett?

[Barrett]

Barry, that's the one!

BLOODY RED BARON PB: Newman K.: 9780380727148: Amazon.com: Books

[DerDrache]

I tried to read that book once. It was too much. I gave up after about two chapters.