An epic tale woven through unspeakably horrible historical events
Rasputin's Legacy was born of the desire to write the kind of book that I love to read. The story is my own creation, but the history through which it is woven is more bizarre and ghastly than even the most creative of writers could possibly conjure. The acts of inhumanity perpetrated by both sides before, during and after Germany's invasion of the USSR in 1940 are well-documented. I have gone to great lengths to remain true to actual events and historical figures. I have stretched the bounds of literary license to be sure, but my intent has been to create a work of fiction that both entertains and informs. Although I have been an avid student of WWII history my entire life, much of what I learned while researching this book shocked me to my core.
The most appalling incident I encountered was the two-day slaughter of 36,000 Ukrainians by the Heinrich Himmler's Einsatzgruppen at a gaping ravine on the outskirts of Kiev called Babi Yar, a place and an act of which I was woefully ignorant. I have attempted to capture this horrific event in the novel. I chose the cover photograph, shown here, because I found it to be such a haunting image. At first glance, it appears to be just a cliff of stone across a wide canyon, but a closer look reveals the disturbing face of a skull with deep sunken eye and nose sockets, and a mouth agape in anguish. Once I saw the death's head image, I could never see anything else in the picture. It seems to me a perfect tribute to the atrocity committed at Babi Yar.
Whatever you think of my story, my most sincere hope is that you become aware of what happened all across the Soviet Union at places like Babi Yar, where pure evil reigned, and millions of innocent human beings suffered and died. To anyone who might be offended by my story, I offer my humble apology. To anyone who is shocked, as I was, by what they learn, I encourage you to look deeper. Contact me at tmattcarnes@gmail.com and I will be happy to share a few enlightening book titles with you. The truths of history are available to those who seek them, but there is a price to pay, and you are not likely to view humanity in the same light ever again.
-Troy Matthew Carnes
The most appalling incident I encountered was the two-day slaughter of 36,000 Ukrainians by the Heinrich Himmler's Einsatzgruppen at a gaping ravine on the outskirts of Kiev called Babi Yar, a place and an act of which I was woefully ignorant. I have attempted to capture this horrific event in the novel. I chose the cover photograph, shown here, because I found it to be such a haunting image. At first glance, it appears to be just a cliff of stone across a wide canyon, but a closer look reveals the disturbing face of a skull with deep sunken eye and nose sockets, and a mouth agape in anguish. Once I saw the death's head image, I could never see anything else in the picture. It seems to me a perfect tribute to the atrocity committed at Babi Yar.
Whatever you think of my story, my most sincere hope is that you become aware of what happened all across the Soviet Union at places like Babi Yar, where pure evil reigned, and millions of innocent human beings suffered and died. To anyone who might be offended by my story, I offer my humble apology. To anyone who is shocked, as I was, by what they learn, I encourage you to look deeper. Contact me at tmattcarnes@gmail.com and I will be happy to share a few enlightening book titles with you. The truths of history are available to those who seek them, but there is a price to pay, and you are not likely to view humanity in the same light ever again.
-Troy Matthew Carnes
