Napoleon Disentimed [Paperback]

Peirce, Hayford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2003

THE MacNAIR of MacNAIR, CONMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE, PULLED INTO A PARALLEL UNIVERSE BY DESPERATE REVOLUTIONARIES Finds his life endangered by madmen of every stripe The Earl sighed deeply. "What is there to say other than that the sixth Napoleon is now upon the throne in Paris and the entire world must suffer the whims of the French tyranny." "And England herself is ruled by Bonapartes?" "They call themselves Bonaparte-Hanover, but it comes to quite the same thing: the darkest tyranny prevails." "Hard to fully comprehend," muttered the MacNair. "What a remarkable man the first Napoleon must have been. Wicked, to be sure, but still: to have conquered all of Europe -- remarkable!" "Perhaps. To me the fact of his wickedness far exceeds his remarkableness." The Earl of Kensington scowled. "But then again, what should one expect from a man whose sole contribution to Western civilization is the invention of the flush toilet?" "And who is that?" asked the MacNair, bewildered by the strange turn this conversation had suddenly taken. "Why Napoleon Bonaparte, of course. You mean you don't go to the bonny in your own world?" Desperately jumping from universe to universe and century to century, on the run from berserk Emperors, secret policemen, vengeful wives, and maddened doppelgangers, the supremely unruffled MacNair still finds time to save an empire, marry an heiress, and invent the two hallmarks of modern civilization, the indoor flush toilet and French Champagne!

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press; 2nd edition (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587152673
• ISBN-13: 978-1587152672
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,691,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book I thought lost forever.., March 7, 2002

By 

E. Willmore (Austin, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Napoleon Disentimed (Paperback)

An excellent book long overlooked. I read this book back in the late 80's when it was part of Ben Bova's "Discovery Series". Don't let the new cover art throw you (yes, I think the cover art [is not good]) the book itself is a hilarious romp through an alternate universe that has the French Empire leading the world (thank God it's just fiction, eh?). The McNair of McNair is thrust into this universe and proceeds to make a mess of things for the established Napoleonic monarchy. Meanwhile the original Napoleon has been snatched away though the use of time travel by a group of disgruntled English scientists determined to change history and set the world on a more "English" course. Of course things really start to go wrong when, upon being kidnapped to the future, Napoleon suddenly makes a face like that of a gasping fish and drops dead from a heart attack..leaving the history of this alternate world in a tad bit of trouble..

3.0 out of 5 stars Comedic alternate history, April 27, 2010

By 

Amerigo Vespucci (Fairbanks, Alaska) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Napoleon Disentimed (Paperback)

This isn't serious alternate history, but it is a bit of fun to read. It's the story of how a conman, Napoleon Bonaparte, and a third man switch places in time and alternate history, with all sorts of missteps and manipulations as each party tries to use the situation for his own advantage. The main part of the story takes place in an alternate history where France won the Napoleonic Wars, giving rise to a long-lived empire lasting until the early 1990s, when the story takes place.