Customer Reviews

Alternate Generals II (v. 2)

5 star:		(0)
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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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I would say that only 2 or 3 of the stories were for the alternate history fan, where the difference in the story would be a large visible difference in the world today. Maybe the other stories needed a blurb on what actually happened for a better appreciation by readers with a lack of knowledge of that person or event.

Though Harry Turtledove's name is listed on the cover, he authors just one of the thirteen short stories in this collection of alternate history tales. Though the settings range from ancient Egypt (in Noreen Doyle's "Horizon") to twentieth-century Istanbul (the setting of James Fiscus's "American Mandate"), the theme uniting them all is the different paths events might have taken should the people, choices, and settings have been any different. Like most collections, the stories are a mixed bag in terms of quality, with some working better than others. Readers will undoubtedly differ as to which stories these are, but just about any fan of the alternate history genre will find something to enjoy within the pages of this book.

are doomed to repeat it.

2.5 stars

Here Turtledove does not learn from the mistakes of the first volume and repeats them. I could, changing story details, almost cut and paste my review of Alternate Generals I.

Again, without an author or editor's foreword to these stories explaining the actual historical background in most cases the casual but well educated reader will be lost at sea reading some of these stories.

Obscurity aside, most of the stories are languid, slow-paced with really no interest to catch the reader's attention. Including a ridiculous story about a 3 year pregnant Japanese empress. Turtledove may enjoy quiet interlude pieces about the crusades as he has included them in both volumes but I miss the appeal of them.

There are again a handful of good stories saving this from being abysmal. Teddy Roosevelt and Pancho Villa together, Napoleon the Emperor of New Orleans both succeed not on the strength of their premise but by the talent of the storyteller who makes the charatcters likeable and engaging. Too many though are long, dry and feel like they were written to fill a word count with no emotional involvement from the author.

I am generally a fan, and advocate, of the shorter form of storytelling but this volume just doesn't work for me.