July 19, 2004
In this well-thought-out alternate history, the first in a new trilogy, Turtledove (American Empire
) combines elements of the Civil War and WWII with disturbing results. Confederate President Jake Featherstone has launched an undeclared war of revenge on the U.S.A., with Rebel "barrels" (tanks) cutting the nation in half. U.S. President Al Smith doesn't sue for peace as expected, causing unreconstructed Canadians to sabotage the now-vital Northern rail system holding the nation together. Mormon separatists have once more revolted against the federal government, and Louis Armstrong, who has defected to the North, brings with him chilling evidence of the Confederate "population reductions" (genocide) of African-Americans. Turtledove's depiction of how easily the C.S.A. could carry out genocide—and do so with less cost to the conscience than the Germans experienced in the real Holocaust—coupled with the "so what?" reaction of Northerners when this is publicized makes a disturbing commentary on the state of race relations in both parts of our country. While some of the character descriptions are repetitious, the author handles his huge cast with admirable skill. The insights into racial politics elevate this novel to a status above mere entertainment, although it provides that aplenty. Agent, Russell Galen.
August 1, 2004
Almost 30 years after a brutal world war, the two nations of North America hold to an uneasy peace. When the president of the Confederacy springs an air strike on Philadelphia, and Patton's army divides the United States into two parts, the world once again erupts. Combining historical figures with fictional characters, the author of the "Worldwar Tetralogy" series demonstrates his utter mastery of alternate history and military sf in the first book of a new trilogy. Highly recommended.
Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2004
The latest volume of Turtledove's epic variation on American history, which opens the trilogy Settling Accounts, takes us to the opening battles of World War II. The Confederacy is better prepared for war than the U.S., and the conflict's initial stages develop in favor of the Confederacy; in tandem, Tom Colleton loses his sister but meets a formidable armored commander named Patton. The Quebecois occupy the rest of Canada; in reaction, Mary Pomeroy grimly determines to keep the resistance going, even though the risks of doing so steadily increase. Although Clarence Potter loves Jake Featherston no more than he ever did, he remains just as loyal a head of Confederate intelligence. Meanwhile, this alternate history's variation on the Holocaust marches forward, with Jefferson Pinkard simultaneously inventing new ways of executing African Americans and courting the widow of one of his guards. Scipio is trying to stay alive despite resistance fighters setting off car bombs too close for comfort, and Cincinnatus Driver is, willy-nilly, joining a resistance movement that promises to give this Holocaust a number of twists away from its model. Turtledove produces yet another absorbing installment of his character-centered alternate-history saga. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)