Stars and Stripes Triumphant (Hardcover)

by Harry Harrison (Author) "The floor-to-ceiling windows were open to the warm sunshine, admitting the background hum of the busy Belgian capital..." (more)
Key Phrases: sea batteries, gunnery officer, General Sherman, General Grant, Lord Russell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The third and final book in Nebula Award-winner Harrison's entertaining alternate history of the American Civil War (Stars & Stripes Forever; Stars & Stripes in Peril), in which the two sides reunite against a common enemy after the British Empire attempts to intervene on behalf of the South and sacks Biloxi by mistake, comes as something of a letdown. Making use of new technology, the new American command of Sherman, Lee, Grant and Jackson adapt their real-life strategies and tactics into what would be later known as blitzkrieg and deliver a defeat that the stubborn British aristocracy cannot accept. Much of the fascination of the previous entries was in how the reintegrated Army (and nation) functioned. Here, much of the Southern flavor is absent, replaced by the Northern juggernaut moving as mechanically as its components. The depiction of the British ruling classes as jingoistic bigots, and of Queen Victoria as a worthy grandmother to Kaiser Wilhelm II, was never subtle in the first two books, but here it descends to caricature, although it does remind us that our Special Relationship with the United Kingdom was by no means inevitable. If the conclusion arrives as no surprise, at least its manner will interest fans. Taken as a whole, this insightful series shows how the elements of modern warfare could have combined much earlier, and just how little the U.S. and the U.K. had in common in the 1860s.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The Civil War ended with a victory for the Union, and a newly reunited country successfully fended off a British attempt to reconquer her "colonies." The American victory against Britain led to the liberation of both Ireland and Canada. As President Lincoln visits Europe, he learns of another attempt by the British to recoup their losses by seizing American ships. The third installment of Harrison's "Stars and Stripes" trilogy (Stars and Stripes Forever; Stars and Stripes in Peril) brings this tale of war and diplomacy in the aftermath of the American Civil War to a startling conclusion. Fans of alternate history will appreciate this new look at a favorite historic period. A good choice for most libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034540937X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345409379
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,379,798 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fizzles out, March 12, 2003

By	Jack Lifton (Birmingham, Mi USA) - See all my reviews

If you can imagine a Great Britain in 1865 where the Queen's petulant childlike behavior dominates day-to-day politics, where the British Navy and Army are totally unaware of massive troop and ship movements from North America east accross the Atlantic, where the Imperial administration and Military in London are taken completely unaware by gasoline powered (Carnot) engines moving very very heavy armored guns and vehicles and these machines are coming off of immensely heavy iron warships then you are probably ready for John Ericsson and William Parrott to invent all of the parts of the gasoline engine powered tank (engine, transmission, axles, wheels, and FUEL! while they are at the same time building staem powered warships carrying massive mortars protected by solid iron armor. I'll bet the USA ran quite a budget deficit building this invasion fleet and supplying the troops. Did I mention that there are green ELECTRIC lights on the American warships?

Add to this wooden characterizations of Sherman, Grant, Lincoln, Fox, Palmerston, Russell, and Disraeli and you have a novel that just fizzles out with America bringing "Democracy" to Great Britain.

The Irish in the story are brutally mistreated and the non-titled English are either crude or cowardly. All Americans of course are just great guys who only want to right the wrongs of the world.

I suppose that editors don't question the story telling ability of long established authors, but why was this one published?

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An Anglophobe's wet-dream: a polemical review, April 20, 2003

By	Dr Garry (Annandale, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

I have read and enjoyed Mr Harrison's SF for nigh on thirty years. "Deathworld" took me through adolescence. The "Stainless Steel Rat" through youth, and the increasingly Carry-On style of the "Bill, the Galactic Hero" series even further.

But I just cannot stomach this triumvirate. The writing is wooden, but what irks me is the scenario and the politics. Please feel free to stop reading now if you are simply looking for a read.

As an Aussie, I consider myself neither Anglo-, not Amero, -phobic or -philliac.

Previous reviewers have mentioned the technological problems, and Mr Harrison's general presumption that all Americans are combinations of Rambo and Thomas Edison, whereas all Brits are like the guys from "Dumb and Dumber".

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Mr Harrison's presumptions that:

* Forty years (I'm no American scholar.. correct me if I'm wrong) of the deepest tensions and social schisms in the USA concerning slavery suddenly vaporise instantly when a few Brits get off course;

* An American invasion of Ireland suddenly reconciles 800 years of Protestant-Catholic discord and hatred;

* Americans bring democracy to the UK. In the late 1860s, American senators were no more elected than the House of Lords and the aristocracy Mr Harrison professes to despise: senators where chosen by state legislatures.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stars and Gripes Triumphant, January 15, 2003

By	P. M Simon "El Simon Asombroso" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Stars and Stripes Triumphant was a weak, brief, and very predictable conclusion to an otherwise great series. Harry Harrison may have bitten off more than he could chew, technologically, for the military innovations were fairly limited. I know I was waiting for the submarine that never surfaced. While it was satisfying to see the histrionic and arrogant British aristocracy get their decidedly un-Ambersonlike comeuppance, it was oh-so-expected.
The book suffered from failure to further develop (or even use) most of the main characters from the previous two books. New characters also could have used a quick personality and body-building session, especially Gladstone and Disraeli.
The book was disappointingly short; there was plenty of room for all that was lacking.
Fans of the series will need to read the book, just for closure's sake. But wait for the paperback.