Resonance Portal Wars trilogy is a high-concept speculative fantasy thriller set during WWII, following a multi-POV narrative where a secret Nazi science program recovers a crashed UFO that escalates the war into a cosmic battle for reality itself.
Think "Saving Private Ryan meets Lord of the Rings".
In 1939, SS Obergruppenführer HANS KAMMLER, a ruthless SS engineer, leads a secret expedition to Antarctica and discovers a crashed, UFO. From it, he extracts "Element 115," a material with exotic cosmic properties.
Kammler uses Element 115 to power "Die Glocke," a machine that tears a hole in reality, opening a portal to Ilyndor—a dying, parallel dimension.
The Allies, desperate to fight this new threat manage their own Portal and discover Elves on the other side and discover Earth is somehow linked to Ilandor..
Thus begins an epic Journey where a meticulously accurate WW2 timeline provides the baseline for a epic high fantasy.
In the climax, both sides discover they are part of a cosmic proxy war between the Watchers and the Hive as the DDay invasion takes place and the ultimate battle occurs in Berlin.
See more about the book here: https://resonanceportal.net/
Meet the characters Durgar and Lithariel!
cheers Mike
Resonance Portal Wars trilogy is a high-concept speculative fantasy thriller set during WWII, following a multi-POV narrative where a secret Nazi science program recovers a crashed UFO that escalates the war into a cosmic battle for reality itself.
Think "Saving Private Ryan meets Lord of the Rings".
In 1939, SS Obergruppenführer HANS KAMMLER, a ruthless SS engineer, leads a secret expedition to Antarctica and discovers a crashed, UFO. From it, he extracts "Element 115," a material with exotic cosmic properties.
Kammler uses Element 115 to power "Die Glocke," a machine that tears a hole in reality, opening a portal to Ilyndor—a dying, parallel dimension.
The Allies, desperate to fight this new threat manage their own Portal and discover Elves on the other side and discover Earth is somehow linked to Ilandor..
Thus begins an epic Journey where a meticulously accurate WW2 timeline provides the baseline for a epic high fantasy.
In the climax, both sides discover they are part of a cosmic proxy war between the Watchers and the Hive as the DDay invasion takes place and the ultimate battle occurs in Berlin.
See more about the book here: https://resonanceportal.net/
Meet the characters Durgar and Lithariel!
cheers Mike
1943 — Owl Mountains, Poland Hans Kammler, SS Obergruppenführer, stood at the edge of the vast subterranean chamber, his cold eyes surveying the empire of steel and stone he had built with ten thousand corpses beneath the Owl Mountains. Power demanded sacrifice. And for Kammler, there was no price too high. The bones of countless laborers lay entombed within these walls, their bodies the foundation of the Reich’s future. Their deaths were purpose fulfilled. Around Die Glocke—the towering, ceramic-encased bell that dominated the chamber—scientists worked feverishly. Armed SS guards stood watch, expressions unreadable, fingers always near their triggers. The machine pulsed faintly, its violet-blue glow casting eerie shadows across the cavernous space. The air reeked of ozone and machine oil, punctuated by murmured calculations and the occasional barked command. Kammler’s boots clicked against the stone floor as he approached the machine.
“Report. Is it ready?” Dr. Walter Gerlach, the lead scientist, hesitated a heartbeat too long. “The final calibrations are complete, Herr Obergruppenführer. We are prepared to proceed, but there are still—” “Proceed.” Kammler’s voice cut through the chamber like a blade. His gaze pinned Gerlach, daring him to speak further. Gerlach swallowed hard and nodded, signaling to his team. The machine roared to life. Its spinning core emitted a grinding metallic wail that reverberated through the chamber. The vibrations intensified, shaking the very foundations of the underground fortress. The violet-blue glow flared, illuminating the scientists’ faces in an unnatural light. Kammler stood unmoving, expression cold and calculating, even as the air around Die Glocke began to ripple. A distortion appeared above the machine—an iridescent tear, shimmering like oil on water. The chamber grew heavier. The energy pressed down on them like an invisible weight.
“It’s working,” Gerlach whispered, his voice trembling between awe and terror. “The addition of Element 115 is opening an interdimensional portal.” Kammler allowed himself the faintest smile. “Of course it is,” he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. His hands tightened behind his back as he stepped closer to the machine, the shimmering portal reflected in his cold eyes. “This is only the beginning.”
From his coat pocket, Kammler withdrew a folded, worn pencil sketch—creased from a thousand unfoldings. Drawn in haste by a terrified scientist during the Antarctic excavation, it captured the moment the UFO first emerged from the ice. Four years later, they were ready to rewrite reality. Kammler gazed at the sketch with reverence. This was the genesis. The core of the craft—the glowing crystal unearthed from the Antarctic ice—became known as Element 115. Even under controlled conditions, its properties defied physics. It emitted a faint gravitational field that warped the space around it, bending light into impossible angles, generating energy that dwarfed human understanding. SS scientists theorized it was the craft’s power source, a relic of a civilization far beyond Earth. In Berlin, Kammler personally oversaw its study, concealing its existence even from many within the SS. From there, the craft and its cargo were transported to the Owl Mountains of Poland, into the labyrinthine halls of Project Riese. Here, beneath the rock, Element 115 became the cornerstone of Kammler’s grandest vision. Die Glocke. To Kammler, it was no mere machine. It was a throne wired with circuits. A cathedral without worshipers. A key—waiting for Element 115 to unlock the future. A key to open doors to other dimensions, to harness power that would secure the Reich’s dominion not only over Earth, but over all realms of existence.
Encased in three inches of ceramic plating and fueled by a swirling metallic substance known only as red mercury, Die Glocke radiated an unearthly crimson plasma glow when activated. Kammler’s team, led by Gerlach, theorized that when combined with Element 115, Die Glocke could manipulate the very fabric of reality. But the device required immense power. Entire generators were consumed in a single test. And then there were the effects on the men. Gerlach had begun to notice the patterns. Workers who handled Element 115 often reported strange symptoms: Vivid nightmares. Paranoia. Hallucinations. One of the guards had broken down before him, weeping, begging to be reassigned. Kammler almost paused. Almost. But then he remembered his father’s voice—cold, scornful: Compassion is weakness wearing the mask of duty. And the moment passed. Others whispered of worse things. That their reflections no longer matched their movements. That déjà vu seemed to run in reverse. That their shadows stretched and shifted even in still light. And some swore that, for a fleeting instant, they saw themselves standing in another position—watching. Kammler dismissed their complaints as weakness. He had no patience for the failures of lesser men. Power was never given—it was taken. And with Die Glocke and Element 115, he would take it from the fabric of the universe itself. Just before he turned away, he caught his reflection in the machine’s casing. But this time, it wasn’t delayed. It was faster. Watching him first.
Chapter 10 – Opening the Gate
Wenceslaus Mine, Poland. On a bitter December night, the reinforced chambers beneath the Wenceslaus Mine pulsed with unnatural energy. The air was thick, suffocating—as though reality itself strained under an unseen weight. Hans Kammler stood at the center of the chaos, his cold gaze fixed on Die Glocke. Around him, Dr. Gerlach’s team worked with frantic precision, their faces drawn and pale with tension. Something was different tonight. The machine’s hum was deeper. The walls seemed closer. A faint whispering, persistent and unplaceable, slithered through the chamber like wind through dead leaves. Kammler noticed, but said nothing. “Power levels at maximum—but fluctuating!” a technician shouted, his voice nearly drowned by the machine’s throbbing resonance. Kammler’s hands clasped tightly behind his back. “Stabilize it,” he ordered, his tone unyielding.
The machine roared to life. Its spinning core shrieked, a high-pitched whine that burrowed into the skull. The walls shook. Dust rained from the ceiling. The air rippled, so cold it burned. A technician gasped at his console. “Sir—the plasma readings… this doesn’t make sense!” The monitors glitched, static crawling across the screens. Symbols flickered, alien and scrambled. The temperature gauge spun madly. The Geiger counter chattered in erratic bursts. One of the scientists staggered, gripping the edge of a console. His breath came in ragged gasps. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered. His pupils were dilated, his skin clammy. Gerlach turned sharply. “What do you mean?” The man swallowed, sweat beading on his forehead. “I… I feel like I’m falling, but I’m standing still. Like the ground is moving under me.” Kammler exhaled sharply, unimpressed. “Control yourselves. This experiment will proceed.”
A blinding flash. A taste of ozone. A vortex stabilized above Die Glocke – a swirling, pulsating mass of light and shadow, a unique plasma bending reality itself. A Portal. It didn’t just exist. It watched. The chamber fell silent. Even the machine’s hum faded, as if holding its breath. The whispering intensified, more distinct now – words on the edge of comprehension, ancient and unknowable. Dr. Gerlach clutched his head, eyes wide. “Herr Kammler, do you hear voices?” Kammler did. The voices weren’t speaking German. They weren’t human.
Then— Something stepped through. The first figure emerged slowly, deliberately. It did not attack. It surveyed. The creature was monstrous. Seven feet tall. Green skin stretched taut over rippling muscles. It sniffed the air. Its red eyes scanned the chamber, sharp, intelligent – not a beast, but a warrior. Its clawed fingers flexed, feeling the new world it had entered. It turned its gaze directly to Kammler and he held it. For the first time in his life, he felt something close to awe. This was no animal. This was a soldier. A product of another world. Another order. Another empire. He exhaled slowly. “Magnificent.” The moment broke.
The orc snarled, baring its fangs. Then it charged and its axe fell. A soldier barely had time to scream before the jagged blade cleaved him in two. Blood sprayed across the stone floor. A second orc emerged, roaring as it raised a brutal war hammer, swinging it with bone-crushing force. MP40s machine guns roared to life. Bullets tore into the creatures’ flesh, but they barely slowed. The first orc took six direct shots to the chest. It didn’t fall. It lunged, grabbing a soldier by the throat, snapping his neck with one twist. A third orc hurled its huge axe. It impaled a guard against the wall. The man twitched violently, blood pooling beneath his boots. A technician vomited, collapsing to the floor. “Focus fire!” Kammler barked, stepping forward. The remaining guards regrouped with trained precision.
Their concentrated volleys tore into the creatures. The bursts of fire deafening in the confined space. The first orc staggered, falling to its knees. The second collapsed, blood pooling from a dozen wounds. The final orc, riddled with bullets, let out one last guttural cry before collapsing. Dragging itself across the floor – not to escape, trying to get to Kammler. Kammler smoothly drew and fired his Luger point blank into its skull. Silence returned. Only the whispers remained. Kammler stood in the center of it all. And he smiled.
Dr. Gerlach stared at the bodies, his face drained of color. “Mein Gott… What have we done?” Kammler turned to him. “We have found power. This is only the beginning.” The corpses were incinerated that night. Their ashes scattered far from the facility. But the whispers remained. Sometimes, when Kammler blinked, he saw the chamber as it had been—then as something else. A forest of spires. A city without sky. Shapes moving between the moments. Watching. Waiting.
In the weeks that followed, he assembled his most loyal operatives. The portal would be reopened. This time, they would be ready. That night, alone in his quarters, Kammler lit a cigarette and reviewed the experiment’s notes. The portal’s energy was stabilizing. It wasn’t simply opening a path—it was revealing something that had always been there. The whispers were stronger now. They didn’t come from the portal. They came from the element itself. The portal only amplified them. In the dead silence of his room, he realized the pulse was not a sound. It was a question. His fingers trembled—not enough to see, but enough for him to feel. As though something else were moving beneath his skin.
That night, Kammler didn’t sleep. Or rather, his body did—drugged into stillness beneath the thrum of generators. But his mind was pulled elsewhere. He floated above a vast, glimmering lattice—a web of light stretching across a dark void. It wasn’t space. It was design. Cold. Perfect. Mathematical. Each thread pulsed like an artery, converging toward a single burning point far below. Earth. The lattice watched. It did not see with eyes. It did not judge. It measured. Then—fracture. The pattern twisted. Beneath its geometry, something stirred. Fleshy. Writhing. Starved. A presence without symmetry or mercy. Its hunger surged upward through the cracks, devouring light, unmaking form. Kammler fell into its gravity. Saw red veins clawing toward Earth. Heard a wet, thunderous heartbeat rising from the deep. Two forces. One precise. Silent. Distant. The other seething. Feral. Descending. Both fixated on the same prize. Earth. Then he woke—breathless, the sheets beneath him soaked, his skin ice-cold. He told no one. Not of the lattice. Not of the hunger. But for the first time, doubt coiled inside him like smoke. What if they were not the conquerors?
What if they were the invaded?
Resonance Portal Wars by Mike Rawson starts at the beginning of WWII in 1939 with Kammler, a Nazi who is researching the possibilities of Element 115 to create portals. In doing so he opens a portal to Ilyndor, an alternate dimension, where he makes contact with Durgar and Balfur, leaders of a group of Orcs, and decides to ally with them in order to learn more about how to control the portals. Continued use of the portals leads to ripples through Ilyndor and, scared of the potential consequences, the Orcs' enemy, the elves, decide to open their own portal and ally with England and the Allies. Now both sides are fighting for control of the portals and Element 115.
This was a good book and I did enjoy reading it as it painted an incredible picture of how an alternate WWII might have played out if something like this had occurred. It did a great job of interweaving the actual historical events of the war and the actions and motivations of the two sides with the new elements created by the portals and the introduction of Ilyndor. The two sides were pretty well blended and it created a pretty good, if intense, story. I also really liked how fleshed out the characters were as I really felt like I got to know most of them pretty well by the end of the story, at least the main ones anyway. At the same time I feel like the history and culture of the elves and orcs were not nearly as well fleshed out and was rather lacking in comparison. There were bits and pieces but not nearly enough to get a coherent picture of either group which considering the story might have been slightly important. The story also did a decent job of covering most of the war but I also struggled to get an idea of the overall timeline of events taking place. There seemed to be very little indication of how far apart events were from each other. This may not have been hugely important but I still would have liked to see it just a bit more. There were a few spots where it kept repeating as well so it probably needed to be proofread again. It does have great potential though and could easily be an awesome story though. Overall, I enjoyed it and am giving it three out of five stars.
This book is a fantasy novel with some alternate history thrown in as well so if either of those appeal to you then you might consider trying it. I would recommend only adult readers though as the violence can get pretty graphic at times. There weren't really any other issues readers should be aware of though so if it sounds interesting then I hope you will try it.