Only two books to go!I've been reading this alternate history series—which began with How Few Remain (a tale of the Second Mexican War, a conflict begun between the USA and CSA in the 1880s over the CSA's annexing two Mexican provinces)—since I was a sophomore in high school. (How Few Remain begins during the Civil War, envisioning a Lee victory at Gettysburg, followed by the UK and France recognizing the CSA. The series then explores the twentieth century that follows, with the agricultural CSA naturally allied to the UK, and the more industrialized USA finding a European friend in the Kaiser.)One of the things I have really enjoyed about the series is that Turtledove has followed generations of families through his point-of-view narration for over sixty book years now. That's pretty neat. Scores settled in this book first begged for revenge three books or more ago. It requires a long memory, but then, perhaps as witness to Turtledove's own need to keep up with his characters, the author constantly reminds the readers of the most important aspects of a POV character (how many times, for example, were we reminded of Flora's past relationship, or, from her nephew's POV, that he could have pulled strings with her to be comfy during the war but chose to fight in the infantry instead?). It's helpful, but sometimes a little annoying. Turtledove also has a habit of using long-winded phrases to express an obscenity without saying it: "he looked at the soldier and suggested that he do something anatomically impossible while simultaneously embracing his mother as Oedipus would." These are hallmarks of Turtledove's writing, and while I find them sometimes tedious, they remain as comfortable as an old shirt that's really outlived its usefulness. You groan when you read them, but you smile all the same. "Yep, that's Harry!"I look forward to discovering how Turtledove brings this very long—and worthwhile!—alternate history to its conclusion. As I've lived two-thirds of my life revisiting these characters, I'll be a bit sad to say goodbye.
I have enjoyed every book in this series (well... accept maybe the first) and perhaps this one most of all. Turtledove's writing has gotten better with each book he publishes and the story it's self is just at a really exciting point. I was left both wanting to jump into and through the next two volumes yet maybe wanting to take them slow being I know the series is over then.The tipping point of the war comes pretty suddenly in this, and you do start to get this clear picture of a smaller country taking on too much against a bigger one. And although it is horrifying and awful to contemplate as a real event the black holocaust section of the book was something that always kept my attention. Towards the end of the book I found myself on the edge wondering how much longer this can last, wondering it the U.S. will find it and what will happen. Above all it has me interested in reading up on the real Holocaust, especially what happened at the end of the war as the Allies were discovering it. I feel like that's when alternative history is at it's best, when you put it down and want to know more about real history.
What do You think about Drive To The East (2006)?
This is part two of the Settling Accounts tetralogy, the story of World War II fought in a world where the South won the Civil War. The Confederate Army have invaded Ohio, hoping to cut the United States in half and force a surrender. However, neither Confederate victories or the death of the American president have caused the USA to cry uncle. So, the Confederate troops turn eastward, hoping to capture the city of Pittsburgh and cripple US manufacturing capabilities. (That brings up one oddity
—The other John
The book that I read was Drive to the East by Harry Turtledove. This is the second book in the series of Settling Accounts. The genre of the book is Alternate History. It is alternate history because it is a “what if the South had won the Civil War.” The book takes place in 1942 the second year of the war between the USA and the CSA. The war started in 1941 when Jake Featherston, the president of the CSA, breaks the armistice between the United States and the Confederate States and decides to bomb the USA using Confederate Bombers. After the bombs hit, Al Smith, who is now dead, decides that the USA and the CSA will once again go into war. General George Patton decides that it's time to cut the USA in half. So, he decides to go to western Ohio. General Irving Morell who is a USA general, posts his units where Patton is at and prevents the USA from being cut in half. In the Grey House, in Richmond, Jake Featherston is NOT happy. He wants to liberate the Blacks from the CSA. He decides on Concentration Camps. All over the CSA, Blacks are now being sent to Concentration Camps where they will be murdered. Camp Determination's idea to get rid of the Blacks is to use trucks that have vents in them that will fill the truck with a poisonous gas. The other use is bath houses. The bath houses are similar to the trucks. The bath house fills the place with poisonous gas. When Lt. Sam Carsten ship the USS Remembrance, is sunk by a Japanese ship, Sam joins George Enos' destroyer. And together, the two of them, with the crew, travel to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and fend off the incoming Japanese shipsI thought that this book was very well written. The dialogue was very easy to understand. The plot was somewhat hard to understand because of the large amount of main characters. There was nothing to dislike. What I did like was the fact that it went to different sides of the war. It went from USA generals to CSA generals. I enjoyed this book.
—Michael
