2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II, that notoriously bloody and multifaceted conflict spanning 1939–45, encompassing infamous battles, political machinations and, of course, the Holocaust. So, how do we tackle this period from a writing and storytelling perspective?

Author and lecturer Matt Hardman uses World War II as the backdrop for his recent novel Other Than Honourable. We discuss what informed his storytelling decisions, his research process, and we also find out how significant The Count of Monte Cristo is to him.