Harry Turtledove the Author
Del Ray books has a great corner on Alternative History. (Click on the Alternative History link) With both Harry Harrison and Harry Turtledove in their fold.
I wish to wax eloquently about Harry Turtledove. Here is an unofficial "official" website. (I use those alternating terms because frankly if it isn't www.someonesname.com I don't think it's official).
I started by reading his World War series which is pretty "hard" SF. The setup here is that in the early part of WWII a race of fairly aggressive reptile aliens arrives at good old Sol to take the place over. Apparently however, they underestimate the creative abilities of the Human Race. Seven books later its well into the mid to late 20th Century.
What I discovered was that this Author has the ability to tell a very large epic story by simply creating a large handful of separate and distinct characters and telling their stories. These Characters may spend half to all of the first book of a trilogy or quadrilogy never interacting. His ability to characterize is simply amazing. The depth and breadth of these actors is stunning. Getting into his books can be a challenge because depending on the series, you may not see a character for 50 pages until he has introduced all the actors.
So having finished up all those books a while ago I decided to try out his Alternative History of the Civil War series. First up is "The Guns of the South" a one off book that stands alone where in a bunch of Afrikaners from the early 21st Century go back in time with AK47's and help the South win the Civil War. Thus hoping to retain the place of the "White Man" in history. Although it is a revolting concept, the book itself is well written and a good read.
However he decided to move on with a more conventional twist of History for his Great War Series. Apparently early on in the Civil War a courier from the South dropped a war plan that the North found and was able to use to defeat Lee. Turtledove posits that this never happened and due to the lightening strike and early victories of the South; France and England sit on the US diplomatically to recognize the CSA. He starts with How Few Remain: the story of the 2nd Civil War and takes it all the way through to the early 20th Century with his American Empire trilogy which follows the story of WWI with the USA and the CSA taking opposite sides in the Great War.
So basicly the USA gets its hiney spanked in the Civil War and the 2nd Civil War and then turns the tables on the CSA, France and England in WWI. What is fascinating is the amazing consequences of one act as referred to above. America is never one whole country from the 1860's on throwing history as we know it fully off kilter by the presence of another strong country to be in world alliances.
So if you have the stomach for very thick books, which are written in trilogies or more, and don't mind a bit of war story, then I cannot recommend enough Harry Turtledove's books.
OBCD: Various Vinyl from the "Vinyl Project" (Re-Mastering my vinyl collection to CDR)
Quote of the day: I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.
-- Gerry Spence
Del Ray books has a great corner on Alternative History. (Click on the Alternative History link) With both Harry Harrison and Harry Turtledove in their fold.
I wish to wax eloquently about Harry Turtledove. Here is an unofficial "official" website. (I use those alternating terms because frankly if it isn't www.someonesname.com I don't think it's official).
I started by reading his World War series which is pretty "hard" SF. The setup here is that in the early part of WWII a race of fairly aggressive reptile aliens arrives at good old Sol to take the place over. Apparently however, they underestimate the creative abilities of the Human Race. Seven books later its well into the mid to late 20th Century.
What I discovered was that this Author has the ability to tell a very large epic story by simply creating a large handful of separate and distinct characters and telling their stories. These Characters may spend half to all of the first book of a trilogy or quadrilogy never interacting. His ability to characterize is simply amazing. The depth and breadth of these actors is stunning. Getting into his books can be a challenge because depending on the series, you may not see a character for 50 pages until he has introduced all the actors.
So having finished up all those books a while ago I decided to try out his Alternative History of the Civil War series. First up is "The Guns of the South" a one off book that stands alone where in a bunch of Afrikaners from the early 21st Century go back in time with AK47's and help the South win the Civil War. Thus hoping to retain the place of the "White Man" in history. Although it is a revolting concept, the book itself is well written and a good read.
However he decided to move on with a more conventional twist of History for his Great War Series. Apparently early on in the Civil War a courier from the South dropped a war plan that the North found and was able to use to defeat Lee. Turtledove posits that this never happened and due to the lightening strike and early victories of the South; France and England sit on the US diplomatically to recognize the CSA. He starts with How Few Remain: the story of the 2nd Civil War and takes it all the way through to the early 20th Century with his American Empire trilogy which follows the story of WWI with the USA and the CSA taking opposite sides in the Great War.
So basicly the USA gets its hiney spanked in the Civil War and the 2nd Civil War and then turns the tables on the CSA, France and England in WWI. What is fascinating is the amazing consequences of one act as referred to above. America is never one whole country from the 1860's on throwing history as we know it fully off kilter by the presence of another strong country to be in world alliances.
So if you have the stomach for very thick books, which are written in trilogies or more, and don't mind a bit of war story, then I cannot recommend enough Harry Turtledove's books.
OBCD: Various Vinyl from the "Vinyl Project" (Re-Mastering my vinyl collection to CDR)
Quote of the day: I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.
-- Gerry Spence
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