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The Christmas Mutiny: A story of war and peace, of what happened and what could have happened Paperback – January 12, 2014
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length226 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 12, 2014
- Dimensions8.5 x 0.48 x 11.02 inches
- ISBN-101490903747
- ISBN-13978-1490903743
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Product details
- Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 12, 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 226 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1490903747
- ISBN-13 : 978-1490903743
- Item Weight : 1.18 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.5 x 0.48 x 11.02 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,323,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21,365 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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On the minus side,explaining the character names & using different typefaces for the different languages probably didn't need to be done.These are minor items though & don't really detract from the story.
In the "real world" revolutionary war-fighting technology resulted in stalemate along the heavly-populated Western Front. By mid-October 1914 a thin line of field fortifications, anchored here and there by fixed fortifications, stretched from the English Channel to the Alps. Both the "Allies" and the "Central Powers" (modern terms) had exhausted their standing armies and were building new armies. For example, the small British Expeditionary Force began with 100,000 soldiers and suffered 90% casualties by December.
John Burt's story is told from the viewpoints of six characters: a British private soldier, a British woman driving an ambulance for the Red Cross, an American serving in the French Air Service, a French farm girl, a diplomat's aid from the Ottoman Empire and a private German soldier. I found the description of trench warfare anachronistic--the equipment and techniques ascribed to 1914 were more like 1916. On the other hand, this is an ALTERNATE history and certain liberties are necessary. For example, most Americans are unaware that the Turkish nation didn't exist until 1922--and would be at a loss to place the Ottoman Empire. Calling that empire "Turkey" works.
Atypical for historical fiction is a reference section with links to samples of period music and to real-world histories. I am an amateur SECOND World War historian, and few Americans realize that in 1920 the Great War was less popular than America's Vietnam participation was in 1968--the latter tore this country apart. The Christmas Mutiny's events take place during the period when the United States was disinterested in that "European family squabble." Henry Ford's famous Peace Ship didn't launch for nearly a year after the Christmas Mutiny.
The main "left turn" from "real world" history is that the Christmas Truce didn't expire on the Western Front, but lead to a soldier's revolt against war. The ending of "the Christmas Mutiny" demonstrates the truth that politics is like making sausages: they ain't pretty! It is a well-told "what if" alternate history and I enjoyed reading it--nits and all.
The Christmas Truce really happened. Author John Burt has carefully and painstakingly researched the true events of 1914, both on the battlefield and behind the scenes. Tens of thousands of young men voluntarily climbed out of their trenches, shook hands, and celebrated a higher truth.
What if... and it's not as far-fetched as you might think... the troops had simply turned around and acted on that truth? The "truce" would have been called a "mutiny" but if all the troops simply turn around and go home, is "mutiny" the right word?
In 1914, many thought the war would be over in months at most. Many of the young men from France, Germany, Britain, and the lands within their respective colonial reach who faced each other across no-man's-lands knew something of each others' traditions and languages. The horrible technology of killing an enemy at a distance had only begun to be experienced, and for those who fought, the truth of battle had just become stranger than the most bitter science fiction.
Leaving aside the question of what awaited the troops after their about-face and a long walk back to Paris, or Berlin, London, or Istanbul, John Burt's fundamental premise is that we are all capable of putting first things first. Refusing to obey when our sense of right tells us we should not obey. Shaking hands instead of punching faces.
What if the boys on the battlefield had led with their boots and turned around, instead of sacrificing their principles and their lives for a bit of ribbon? What if a precedent had been set in 1914 that would affect history thereafter? What if we knew what moral power we have when we act together? What if?

