Customer Reviews

American Empire: Blood & Iron

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Harry Turtledove continues his sprawling saga of the Confederate Nation in the aftermath of defeat. Prices are rising as the currency devalues, the old way of life is fading fast as the CSA must pay reparations to the USA. All of our characters return, as they try and rebuild their lives following the war; Jake Featherston builds his Freedom Party to restore the CSA, along with the help of Anne Colleton and Roger Kimball in an eerie parrallel of Nazism. While the Confederates try to rebuild, Flora Hamburger and the Socialists try and wrest power away from Teddy Roosevelt and the Democrats to salvage a USA wracked with labor strife, while the soldiers of the war desperately try and hang on to the strength that helped them win. There is little war in this novel, but Turtledove sets the stage for a WWII pitting CSA vs USA in a most interesting way. As we end the book, Featherston is considering ways to spread his message of hatred via radio broadcast, and there are tantalizing hints of former Confederates fighting in various wars in South America (think Spain in the early 30's) who are bringing information about barrels (tanks) and other techniques of war home for future use. That Turtledove will make Featherston his Confederate Hitler is a foregone conclusion, but it remains to be seen how the next war will play out as there is little info in this book as the state of the Confederacie's allies, England, France and Japan, and there are hints that the USA doesn't exactly trust the German allies that helped them win. I said it after Breakthroughs, and I'll say it again, DAMN! I wish he would write faster!!!!! One year plus is a looooong time to wait between books when they are this well written!

I have to qualify my non-recommendation here. If you are a fan of alternate history, you may like this book. Turtledove is the master of alternate history, and this entire series is a very interesting one. If you don't mind Turtledove's writing, then you may enjoy it as well. It can take great effort to get past his writing sometimes, but usually the plot makes up for it. This time, it doesn't, not unless you've already invested some time in the series. If this is your first Turtledove, stay away. It's not hard to understand what's going on without reading the previous books, but this book could very well turn you away from his books if you begin with it.

American Empire: Blood & Iron, is yet another chapter in the ongoing alternate history saga by Harry Turtledove. In this series, the Confederates won the Civil War, they faced off again with the United States in the 1880s, and they fought again during World War I. The United States was allied with Germany, while the Confederates were allied with Britain, France, and Canada.

Blood & Iron is the first book after the war, detailing what's happening in both countries in the post-war era. The Confederacy is going through a situation similar to what Germany went through in the real world: massive inflation, unemployment, great poverty, reparations payments. A Hitler-like figure, Jake Featherston, is gaining popularity with his anti-black and anti-government party. He speaks out about how the Confederacy was stabbed in the back by its politicians and that's how they lost the war. Meanwhile, in the North, the Socialist party has come to power, very much like post-war Britain. The North has suffered a bit of war-weariness, and that enabled the Socialists to take over.

This brings to mind the first of this books many missteps. Unlike the previous books in the series, this one is a little too much like what really happened. It's alternate history by numbers, and Turtledove is better than that. Replace black people with Jews and you all of a sudden have the real-world Germany. Replace United States with Britain and you've got what really happened as well. The subject matter of Jake's speeches is slightly different, but the parallel to the rise of Hitler is just too on the nose. There's too few differences. During the previous books, when he was detailing the war itself, this wasn't so much of a problem. The idea of a war on North American soil was so different, that Turtledove couldn't help but be unique. Unfortunately, he's falling away from that with this book. Perhaps where all of this leads will ultimately be different, but not when you take this book on its own.

The second problem is the characters. During the war, everybody was involved with the war effort in one way or another, so they were able to do interesting things, even if the character itself wasn't that interesting. Unfortunately, Turtledove doesn't have that luxury this time, and the characters suffer for it. Some of them are just completely useless, and their story isn't interesting enough to compensate. Nellie Semproch, to name one example, is just plain dull. During the war, she spied on the Confederates at her café in an occupied Washington DC. Now, she's newly married, still dealing with a headstrong daughter and her issues with men in general, but she's dull. Again, plot wins over character, and when the plot is unimportant, the character becomes lifeless. There are many other examples of this, too many to mention here.

There are also too many main characters. The book is written so that each character gets a chapter, so we end up seeing vignettes in their lives. There's no real flow, as the narrative jumps from one character to another. I've never seen a book where you can skip so much of it if you want to and not lose any of the main story. Occasionally, the main characters interact with each other, but not often. This vignette method of telling the story also makes the book very disjointed. The previous three books carried the story of the war from 1914 to 1917. This book alone goes from 1917 to 1924. It's almost like you're reading a bunch of short stories collected in a book, with some of the stories having the same characters.

Finally, Turtledove's writing is horrible in this book. I think that, in the past, it's been covered by the interesting ideas and plot. This time, though, it's very noticeable. He's constantly repeating himself, emphasizing things. Yes, Harry, we get that inflation is going up and up, so that $1 billion dollars will now buy you lunch, we get the fact that Nellie Semproch really dislikes men, etc. You don't need to introduce the characters every time we see them. Introducing them the first time we see them is good enough. Also, Turtledove can not write a sex scene to save his life. Please, Harry, please do the "fade to black" method.

Ultimately, this book is only for people who want to continue the series. Even then, I'd suggest you check it out from the library instead of buying it, unless you're a die-hard completist.

I've enjoyed Dr. Trutledove's Worldwar series thus far, and really enjoyed this installment. Here we see the political and economic consequences of the war, which I find more interesting than the actual battle scenes. But I must echo some of the complaints other reviewers have made. First, Turtledove once again largely ignores Europe, leaving us little idea as to what is going on there. How large is the German Empire now? What happened to Belgium, and, more importantly, to Russia. (You would think that American Socialists like Flora Hamburger would be more interested in the Bolshevik Revolution, if indeed that is what has occurred). What about the French and British empires overseas? A world map would be useful, and some election figures (so the Socialists have a majority- of how much?) Second, a few of the characters were rather boring. Lucien Galtier and Morrell had very little to do (and Galtier never speaks of his new country; is Quebec really that unintersting?). The book needed more politics. Third, I am concerned that Turtledove may simply be repeating our own history in an alternate setting, a fear raised by other critics which I find most distressing. If this is true, than the rise of Featherston and the Freedom Party is inevitable; a new War, almost exactly like our WWII, will occur. Turtledove should take more liberties with his timeline. For example, he could have Featherston assume power in a coup, a la Mussolini, rather than a long series of accumulated electoral victories. He could have a new European crisis (the Austro-Hungarian Empire could collapse, for example; even victory wouldn't help it much- and the same could easily go for the Ottomans). He could even pit the U.S. and Germany against each other, a concept he himself suggested in the last chapter of Blood and Iron- a shift in alliances like the 18th-century Diplomatic Revolution. OF course, whatever he does, I'll be sure to buy his next book.

This book was originally advertised to be the final volume of a tetralogy alternate history of World War I. While it certainly does serve as a fine coda to this Great War, it also is an intriguing beginning to waht promises to be an even more exciting alternate history of the between war period and World War II. Turtledove has tied up some lose ends and brought a few of his far flung characters together in some surprising ways. He has also given us hints about what is happening in the world outside of North America. Britain has been humbled but not crushed, France and Russia are in chaos (but Russia is apparently not Bolshevik, at least not entirely), and Germany rides supreme. In the Western Hemisphere the United States has defeated the Confederacy and holds northern Virginia, Kentucky, Sequoyah (our Oklahoma) and part of Texas. The US also has occupied all of Canada except for a semi-independent Quebec. Triumphant in war, the US has turned to democratic socialism by electing Upton Sinclair President in 1920. The CSA is in economic collapse, struggling with hyperinflation and huge reparation payments. Thus far the Confederates have preserved their governmental system, but an ominous political movement has begun, centered around a charismatic leader who claims to speak for the defeated and to be the enemy of those who stabbed the South in the back.

Anyone familiar with twentieth century history can tell where things are likely to go in future volumes of Turtledove's alternate history, but that should not stop them from waiting with keen anticipation for the next installments. It certainly won't stop me!

The other reader-reviewers have adequately summarized the plot of this book, so I needn't. What I did find interesting was that out of the four reviews excerpted on the back cover of this book, only one (and that only in part) was of the book itself; the others were of the "isn't the author wonderful" school. i have been thinking for several days just why I disliked this book, especially since I had thought I would like it. It's not that I disagree or wish to argue, for example, that the Confederacy would or would not have a Weimar-like collapse or that Oliver Wendell Holmes would or would not be Chief Justice of the United States in 1921 (the one in the "real" world would certainly not have been available because he was a native Louisianan). Nor is it because I feel some of the military details are somewhat dubious. There are really three reasons that this book did not strike a greater chord with me. The first related to the fact that part of the fun of alternate history is speculating along with the author about what certain changes might have wrought. However, the impact of any change expands over time. In plot time, we are now over 50 years beyond the event that triggered this particular alternate world and it's gettng harder and harder to care what happens in a world that by now is so radically different or argue intelligently about what would happen. Second, there is very little in the plot of this book that is really original. While not the direct retelling of events that characterizes the author's"Sentry Peak" or his "Darkness" series, the plot is a close enough allegory of the events in Europe of 1919-1924 so that there were no surprises for me. Like J.R.R. Tolkien, I detest allegory in all its forms. Finally--perhaps due to the fact that a good deal of the story is about unpleasant people exercising their unpleasantness--there seemed to be a lot less of the author's usual puckish humor and inventive use of puns and near-puns. I miss them.

I thought of giving "Blood and Iron" 2 stars, but if you're into the series it's a must-read... even though you'll grumble your way through it. For one thing, the alternate history content and action are much less than in any of the books in the Great War series. For the most part, we're just marking time until the next war breaks out.

Complaint number one: Some of the characters are SO boring! And Turtledove is even more into the rut of constantly re-explaining their motivations. Nellie and Edna are even more tedious than ever. And nothing happens of interest to Lucien Galtier exept some tiny bits of exposition about the Republic of Quebec. Nothing's happening with Erasmus either.

Complaint number two: The sex scenes! It seemed as if the author was writing for his 13-year-old male readers... who no doubt find the near-constant descriptions of couplings to be effectively pornographic. Sorry, but Turtledove is not good at this. I found the descriptions to be silly and felt embarrassed for the author.

Complaint number three: Repetition! Why does he always have to tell us that Dowling is fat? We know it already! The hyper-inflation descriptions were way overdone too. I felt dazed from having it pounded into me time after time.

Here's hoping more actual events take place in the next book. Best advice: hold off until this is in paperback.

Like 'Walk in Hell' this volume both intrigues and frustrates. Turtledove is clearly setting up a type of WWII event in future volumes. It is necessary and I do like the way he moves the story from 1917 to 1923 without seeming too forced. All in all a good read with plausible character development. Too much sex for my taste, but I guess he's trying to keep it real. So, if you like Harry's work and have read the earlier volumes, buy it now. If you haven't, start with 'How Few Remain' and work your way forward.

I have some questions that I hope will be resolved in the future volumes. 1: What is the Socialist position on Germany? Do the Social Democrats in Germany take power? Or are they crushed by the victorious forces of Prussian militarism? This question might loom large in the creation of enmity between the US and German Empire.

2: Why did the US abandon its stated position of annexing parts of Canada? Will it annex all of it? Certainly the settlement of empty farms in Manitoba and Ontario by Americans points that way.

3: What about Alaska? It would seem reasonable to assume the US would have taken it from a defeated Russia. What about Newfoundland, which was a British colony in 1914?

4: How long will Mexico remain an empire? It seems to me the US would put a lot of effort into creating a friendly regime in Mexico after the war. Certainly the Socialists would try as well.

5: Will TR run in 1924? Maybe on a 3rd party ticket? (Personally, I would like a see an election go to the House with the Republicans holding he balance.)

6: Why would Japan and the US fight? They have no competing interests in the Pacific.

7: How can the Confederacy possibly fight the US and win now? It seems most unlikely given they have much less oil, huge population losses (and no real hope of immigration), and a continuing black revolt. And finally, no reasonable hope of allies with enough power to balance the US's now overwhelming predominance.

It seems to me that those who want a preview of how this will all end should read Harry's classic short story 'Must and Shall.' Sorry all you neo-Rebs out there, but the CSA is doomed.

Added 3/5/02: A number of people have suggested that socialism would not have succeeded in the USA after such a stunning victory in the war. I would like to point out that socialism (ie: The Labor Party) did come to power at the end of WWII in the UK. Also, German Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg was convinced that win or lose the Social Democrats would come to power in Germany after WW I. So, don't be too hard on Harry here.

American Empire: Blood and Iron is the follow up to the Great War series and this book is supposed to put to rest World War One and transition towards an alternate World War II.

To do this, Turtledove follows the day-to-day exploits of the large cast of characters we've come to know and either love, tolerate, or skip past. Sylvia Enos struggles as a single mom, Cincinnatus Driver adjusts to life in the USA, Reggie Bartlett sells cough syrup, Arthur McGregor continues to plot revenge, et cetera.

The main plotline in the CSA surrounds Jake Featherston and his "Freedom Party" (an obvious parallel to the Nazi's), which sucks in a couple more regular characters, Jefferson Pinkard and Roger Kimball, while in the USA the Government is going Socialist, which means Flora Hamburger is moving up in the world and there are drastic cuts to the military.

As someone who enjoyed How Few Remain, American Front and Walk in Hell (and wasn't overly thrilled with Breakthroughs), I found myself quite disappointed in Blood and Iron for a couple reasons:

Firstly, there seemed to be little closure to the Great War, especially in the USA. Once the war is over, people just start going about their lives again like nothing ever happened. Rather then try and explain the impact that the war has had on society we get pages of Lucien Galtier talking to his horse and Sam Carsten burning.

Secondly, I thought this book would give Turtledove a chance to add a new dimension to his characters, a type of in-depth look at personalities that would be lost in a book that focuses on telling a war, but there was none of that. Instead the characters still remain just names on a page floating aimlessly through their lives rather then appearing as "real people".

On the plus side, I found it much easier to skip large portions of this book knowing that I wouldn't be missing out on anything important. The Martin's fighting at dinner again about politics? Who cares, next. Nellie Jacobs arguing with Edna? Who cares, next. Anne Colleton controlling the world somehow? Yawn. Sam Carsten studying and sunburnt? Well, you get the idea.

I give this book two stars, because, frankly, I don't think it is any good. There are some isolated portions of the book that are enjoyable, but once you get 200 pages in and realize that nothing is going to happen you begin to lose interest. The lack of plot, conflict, character development, and the disturbingly frequent graphic and creepy sex scenes all contribute to this being a stinker.

If you haven't read any of the Great War Series, do not start here.

This is the first book in the newest trilogy ("American Empire") in Turtledove's alternate history where the South won the Civil War, which chronologically follows immediately after his World War I series. For me, it will also be the last. The quality of this book is a lot lower than in the earlier series. I have been a Turtledove fan for a long time, but based on this effort, I will not continue this particular series.

Turtledove had a great opportunity to paint a picture of the Nazi-like Featherston's rise and (presumably temporary) fall. He could also discuss what's happening in the UK, Russia and France. (Is Russia even Communist in this alternate world?) He completely passes on this opportunity, to instead give us hundreds of pages filled with silly and boring prose about characters who have outlived their usefulness by a long shot and should not have appeared in this book at all:
* Nellie and Edna with their ridiculous bickering
* Galtier talking to his horse and engaging in "witty" banter with his family
* Jonathan Moss with his silly relationship with the Canadian woman
* Martin arguing politics with his family
* Sam Carsten with his sunburn

...takes place during the immediately previous generation, on the North American continent rather than Europe, but under startlingly identical circumstances to the Third Reich in the real world. The Freedom Party, partially founded by embittered Great War veteran Jake Featherston, draws on racism, demagoguery and runaway economic inflation due to war reparations. They should have beaten the damnyankees in the war, should have kept minorities "in their place" by putting down their Socialist uprising before it had a chance to cripple the war effort--but the mainstream leadership in Richmond sold everyone out. As one of the central characters in this book, Featherston becomes a Dixie would-be Fuehrer running against a moderate mainstream candidate who's the direct descendant of a Civil War general. In the USA, Socialist Party standard bearer Eugene Debs sees the handwriting on the wall and awards his delegate base to labor expert Upton Sinclair, after having the torch passed to him by former President Abe Lincoln, who wasn't assassinated as in the real world. Among his grassroots supporters is Flora Hamburger, a charming and idealistic Congresswoman from New York. Being of Cold War roots, I find it peculiar to be turned on by a "commie"! Enough to forget the fact that Socialists obsesses about class struggle to the point of belief that "defense" and "foreign policy" as such are unneccessary--who gives a hoot about all that nationalist crapola? The answer to that question is that you can repudiate nationalism all you want--until some nation that believes in it attacks you. I admire Turtledove's capacity to recognize that fact despite the fact that he's clearly not a believer in nationalism himself. But after all, he would have that clear a vision on weltpolitik--he was once a history prof. In conquered Canada, three stories unfold. One is of Arthur MacGregor, an embittered Manitoba farmer whose son was executed for sabotage by occupying US forces and plots revenge against the elderly General Custer, who Turtledove also keeps alive for purposes of the story. In the puppet "republic" of Quebec, Lucien Galtier must come to terms with his daughter's marriage to an American doctor who stayed on as a resident alien when the military pulled out. Far from the Ugly American, Galtier's new son-in-law hauls his college French out of mothballs and speaks only that language around his in-laws. Elsewhere, former officer of occupying forces John Moss falls for a local woman and sets up a law practice so as to be near her and possibly win her love. This book was supposed to have been a fourth volume to Turtledove's "Great War" series, but is now the first volume in what might end up another trilogy based on a post-Great War era. I found Turtledove's "Colonization" trilogy a bit tiresome, based as it was on his previous "Worldwar" tetralogy. That saga had been based on a rather weak sci-fi premise "borrowed" from TV's "V" miniseries and had proven that, as an alternative-history author, Turtledove isn't much of a sci-fi writer. This saga puts him back into his element and has him sticking to what he's best at.