Product Description
A collection of twenty alternate-history stories features the tale of Persia's conquering of Greece, a werewolf boy tearing through the streets of medieval Cologne, and a retired Confederate captain back on a Civil War battlefield. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Giving the benefit of the doubt, 4 stars
In any collection of short stories there will be some tales that are stronger than others._Departures_ is no exception to this rule.Harry Turtledove's alternative histories make for a fun read, the fact that most are under 20 pages contributes to this: its a book you can pick up, read a bit, put down and return to later without having to review characters or plot.

The stories are arranged chronologically, some with characters that will be familiar to regular readers of his work.(Each story has a brief introduction by the author.)There is an element of science fiction to the collection, but the majority are certainly historically plausable.While I am not a fan of alternative history or of science fiction, I was pleasantly surprised: the stories themselves were entertaining, and for the most part they weren't too far-fetched.My favorites?"Not All Wolves", "Batboy" and "The R Strain."

Certainly sci-fi and Turtledove fans will think the collection is great.For the uninitiated and skeptical, there is still much to like here.

If you like SF its well worth your time!
Mr. T. is always a good read when one finds some down time. His characters are believeable folks one can identify. Who behave in ways that make sense when thrown into unusual sitituations. His plots while at first seen unlikey to the critical eye. They quickly grown and develope into a good story.

fun stories, faulty binding
A new paperback shouldn't shed pages on the first reading. My copy did that. But I'll re-read several of these tales and mend the book as I go.
A fun assortment of yarns. Turtledove crafts Short Stories well. These stories give more insights into the Author himself than his novels do.

These stories are Great
If you have to make these stories you're introduction to Alternate History please do so.

Splendid
An immensely enjoyable collection of alternate history tales. This genre is growing more popular all the time and that is good, because we can learn alot from well written AH. It teaches us to appreciate the people who made things happen throughout the threads of time instead of taking them for granted. Departures accomplishes this. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
A stroke of the pen and history is changed. In 1938, British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, determined to avoid war, signed the Munich Accord, ceding part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. But the following spring, Hitler snatched the rest of that country, and England, after a fatal act of appeasement, was fighting a war for which it was not prepared. Now, in this thrilling alternate history, another scenario is played out: What if Chamberlain had not signed the accord?

In this action-packed chronicle of the war that might have been, Harry Turtledove uses dozens of points of view to tell the story: from American marines serving in Japanese-occupied China and ragtag volunteers fighting in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion in Spain to an American woman desperately trying to escape Nazi-occupied territory—and witnessing the war from within the belly of the beast. A tale of powerful leaders and ordinary people, at once brilliantly imaginative and hugely entertaining, Hitler’s War captures the beginning of a very different World War II—with a very different fate for our world today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Good Premise -- Good Story
Mr. Turtledove launched a new series with this book.As usual, he did an excellent job of research and created some interesting characters.His technical descriptions are correct, when it comes to armor, weapons, aircraft, and tactics.His descriptions of the combat itself are not too realistic, which is a good thing as it would be too difficult to read without a bout of depression setting in.The style of this, as in his other series, is more about the what if than the detail and horror and that makes them more readable.
This is not a great work of fiction, but it is a very competent bit of writing by a true professional.He captures the spirit of the common soldier and keeps the action moving except for interludes of humanizing his characters.The editing in this work is better, but there is still too much repetition of phrases.All in all, I highly recommend this book.

A Rivetting Read!
Harry Turtledove, the unchallenged master of alternative history scores a bullseye with his latest epic saga! Starting in a Spain just as their Civil War germinates, Turtledove's latest book quickly picks up speed and plunges you into the world of a war that could potentially have happened.

From the battlefields of Spain, to the marshes of northern Poland, and the frozen far far east, the reader is plunged head first in the War That Came Early. The scope of this first book, in which the British and French stood their ground against Nazi aggression at Munich (where, historically, they caved to Hitler's demands to carve up Czechoslovakia) is dazzeling. The detail, though, is pure Turtledove, and quite realistic; by the time you're done reading it, you almost have to check yourself to remember that it did not actually happen this way.

As almost always, the author quickly dispenses with the political reasons for the conflict and goes straight for the action. And like always, he focusses on the common soldier on both sides, and the innocent civilians who are caught up in the malestrom.

That's what gives this story such depth. It's not simply a story of war, it's the story of people, whether its the perspective a brave and patriotic (but politically naive) German dive bomber pilot and his cynical tail gunner, a French polis, a British Tommy, a dedicated Japanese soldier, a Jewish German, or a trapped American woman, you see the war unfold before your eyes and theirs. It's this realism that makes the narrative so compelling and moves the story along, never quite sure of the outcome, which always remains in doubt until the final pages.

This dramatic tension is what makes Hitler's War so compelling; you literally don't want to put it down as each page tantalizes you with more details, like a classy burlesque dancer slowly shedding her garmets. By the time you reach the final page, though, you're ready to cheer along with the hard-pressed French soldier who lets out a whoop as a British Hurricaine fighter swoops in low to strafe the German lines.

It's only when you're done that you realize this is, as Churchill once famously said, not the end, nor the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning. Where Turtledove takes this, only he knows but with this first novel of an alternate World War II, he has clearly set the bar very high for what will follow.

If Hitler's War: The War That Came Early is not real history, it is because it is better than real history. It is a snapshot, indeed, of a world gone mad, and of the madman that brought it about.

Fraught with tension, and filled with great detail, Turtledove has weaved a very compelling and realistic story as only he can. From the battlefields of Spain and Siberia, from the perspective of a German panzer commander to that of a Jewish family trying to live in the Nazi Reich, the pace never lets up for a moment. It is, quite simply, a terrific and facinating read!

Thank you Harry!

A fun read
I enjoyed this book. it was a fun and entertaining read. The premise of WW2 starting early allows for some interesting story lines. This is a book that makes you think while you are having fun. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

Alternate history is Turtledove spike it up a bit, heh?
A well written book..but not up to Turtledove's earlier standards.

Not much action... but it does carry itself on....
I've not read the next book in this line... hope it gets better...

Entertaining Alternative History
What if British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had refused to sign the Munich Accord? Turtledove, the master of alternate history, brilliantly explores the changes that would have made in WWII in this fictional account. ... Read more

Product Description
Military history--with a new cast of characters! Authors include multiple-Nebula-Award-winning Esther Friesner, Hugo-winner Harry Turtledove, Elizabeth Moon, David Weber, S.M. Stirling, and many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

great alternate history
I've read a lot of books by Harry Turtledove. I enjoyed all his alternate history books. They are a must read for any history fan.

Alternate Obscurities
I am afraid that this review must merely echo most of the others who have eloquently raised the major problems with this work. That being the obscure incidents chosen and mediocre writing make this an average collection at best. It is merely the handful of 3 or 4 strong stories that moves this up to 3 stars.

For many of the stories even a well educated reader will not be able to distinguish what is different about the "alternate history" and the stories will read as straight military history. As others mentioned the lack of an author or editor foreword explaining the real history cripples many of these stories.

As a double check, I ran some of the names by my wife the history major. Boudica was remembered after some prompting, but she admitted Boudica is very obscure. Rear Admiral Cradock unheard of, Jan Smuts unheard of. Minor generals and colonels of the civil war unheard of.

This could of course be overcome by intriguing writing but the stories involving those are very dull as well as obscure. Even some of the stories with figures known to everyone, Caeser, Eisenhower, Napoleon are less than enthralling.

A strong John Paul Jones and a strong Admiral Nelson story are really what save this book from being a complete waste of time.

However if you have a Ph.D. in history and know obscure figures from many different periods and places you might get more from this book than I did.

A book for the serious mil-his buff.
Most of the short stories contained within this book are very specific, and you'll only appreciate them if you've studied the particular battle being looked at.

If you don't know the battle in great detail, then you won't appreciate the story very well. For the serious military history buff, or for the casual reader who is willing to read about what actually happened in the battle, then go back to the book and read the short story again.

Big-time hit and miss book
I really expected better from this. Unfortunately, very little of this is actually worth reading, and it inspired me to do my own alternative general stories after seeing how badly some of these authors had tried with theirs.

For example, one story involves Caesar having a nightmare where some one tells him he'll get assassinated. Well whoop-de-doo, what does that have to do with alternative history? One story about Boadica didn't seem to offer any thing alternative: she fights the Romans and gets defeated - wait that happened in real life!

Some are actually pretty decent. The story on a historical figure much like Sun Tzu conquering Greece I thought was interesting. The story about Lee preventing the Charge of the Light Brigade was clever, particularly the ending ("Aye, it would have been the valley of death!"). The story "Tradition" was interesting just in the fact it took a real event (the German navy headed for the Ottoman Empire that the British didn't stop) and took it another route (the British do try to stop it).

I would not suggest buying this book though. Overall I was seriously disappointed by this. Like I said before, write your own "alternative general" story. It will probably be a lot better - and make a lot more sense.

Not for dropouts!
It seems that most of the reviewers did not read thier H.S. school history text books. Know a little about history before you read alternate history books. There was no story in this book that I did not know the real history, as it happen. I am no history buff, but I did finish school. ... Read more

Product Description
David Fisher, an ordinary EPA (Environmental Perfection Agency) bureaucrat, is suddenly forced into the unfamiliar role of hero when he investigates a Toxic Spell Dump and finds an ancient deity determined to topple civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

well written, funny and fun
I don't think that I can add much except to say that this is a comfort book of mine when I'm in the mood for light humor.Very well done for what it is.

A Creative Look at an Alternate Reality
Harry Turtledove does a good job of looking at things in a new way. He has certainly done that in this book which features the bureaucracy of the EPA fighting those who would poison the world for profit and, possibly, start World War III.

There are differences, however, between this and your run of the mill thriller. In this case EPA stands for Environmental Perfection Agengy and they are not the result of some green fantasy. They look out for the environment by tracking hazardous pollution coming from magic. In fact, the entire society replaces mechanistic techology for magical technology. From this interesting premise an interesting and fun story come forth.

Just because a society works on magic does not mean that bureacracies and red tape are any more palatable. Thy are just more fun. This is a fun book, well worth the time to read it.

Ten stars: you can't handle the pun.
I loved this stupid book. PLEASE write a sequel Harry T!

Light & Entertaining
Thisis not a deep intelectual story.This is a great light read.A pretty straightforward plot mixed with some radical ideas kept me entertained throughout the story.At no point did the story bog down.The only problem I see with this book is horrid proof-reading before it went to print.Some of the typos are bad enough to be a distraction from the story.I still suggest that anybody interested in fantasy should pick it up and read it.

A Lost Friend Found
"The Case of The Toxic Spell Dump" has been in my list of "re-readers" since it was first published.When I went to find it, I discovered that the ogres that live in my library must have eaten it, or it was seriously misplaced.Even though it was first published a few years ago, I was lucky that Amazon still carried it.As with the first time I bought it, it is a most satisfying read.The subject matter is just as applicable today as it first was.Harry Turtledove is a marvelous story teller and his twists on language and the puns in the book bring smiles and lighten up what could be a very dark, somewhat exotic story.If you have never read this gem, I highly recommend you do. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (19)

Walk and Talk
To summarize the book you really need few sentences . They walk , they talk , it is cold and yes they fornicate whenever they get the chance. I'm not sure why people rated this book as high as it is (perhaps carryover from other Turtledove books), nevertheless my humble opinion is skip it . It is boring uninspiring blather, you read it just to see if something will eventually happen ..it wont .

Should be an interesting series
Although Harry Turtledove is best known for his stories of alternate history, this one is closer to traditional fantasy, which he has also written.That said, I liked the book as an interesting adventure story.The characters are pretty common fantasy fare- the carefree adventurer, the brash, proud barbarian, the brooding nobleman, his spiteful ex-wife, the clueless and egocentric emperor, etc.There is magic, and the discovery of new lands and peoples.

For the most part I liked the story.It held my attention, and didn't have any of the problems that I associate with fantasy literature, such as obvious political motivations and shallow, stereotypical, unrealistic characters.I hope that Hamnet, the main character will be worked on a bit, because he is a bit stereotypical and predictable, but the others seem to be round enough to stand out in the genre.If the author devotes time to developing these characters, the series will turn out well.

For those who like fun, sword swinging, fast paced adventure stories, this is for you.For those who are looking for a deep intellectual experience, look elsewhere.

A Lot of Walking
This book was right up my prehistoric interest alley and I've thoroughly enjoyed Turtledove's Bronze age short stories and editing, so it's no wonder I picked it up. It was a good enough read, and I got to the last page, but it took me longer than usual because the interest level just wasn't where I expected it to be.

The premise seems to be of taking a Medieval European city and placing it in North America at the end of the last Ice Age and flanking it with Cro-Magnon-like Bizogots to the north, just as the massive glacier the blocks the Berring land bridge begins to melt through. However, Turtledove and his editors and marketers never state this on the cover, flap, Preface or Introduction. To add to the confusion, Turtledove adds fantasy magic (not "Eastern" or "shamanistic" or "illusion" but downright unexplainable Dungeons and Dragons type magic) to the mix about two-thirds of the way through the book.

There's alot of walking. And alot of dialogue. And alot of pitiful mooning by an otherwise stalwart warrior about the depravity of an ex-wife he should have forgotten long ago. The idea of an enterprising nobleman who is also a formidable warrior also having the emotional fortitude of a female teenager is off-putting, and would almost make one think that Turtledove himself must not have much experience in romance. Furthermore, often the dialogue is disjointed or sophomoric, containing jokes that are either not funny or of a strange humor that's lost on this reader. Often subjects or statements presented by characters just don't ring with the truth of living dialogue.

Otherwise Turtledove's writing is excellent, and the topic interesting. I just don't see why he wanted to put it in the Ice Age if all he wanted from that era was a herd of mammoth and a small cave bear.

As other writers have said, the book finally gets going about the time it ends, and I suspect that the second installment will be better. I rarely read a sequel to a book I've only given 3 stars to, but this one might be the exception. I still believe in Turtledove, and I'm a big fan of prehistoric fiction...even if it is alternative. Besides, he never told us about the Shrine....perhaps a marketing ploy that I'll most likely fall for. But if I give this series a second chance and all that character development is proven to be for not, the second book will be lucky to get 2 stars.

Beyond the Gap
Finally got to read one before Amazon asked for a review. Book was interesting and fun to read. Amazon provided a proper review of the tale before my purchase.

A quest beyond the ice
Turtledove, called by many the master of alternate history, here imagines a world in which either the Ice Age lasted longer than it did in our world or humanity achieved civilization at an earlier point.(Mammoths, woolly rhinosceri, glyptodonts and giant sloths are all mentioned as being in existence.)Nidaris, which began as "a mammoth hunters' camp at the edge of the great Glacier," is now the capitol of the Raumsdalian Empire, which, having itself "[torn] the meat from the bones of the empire that preceded [it]," now lives by trade and agriculture (farming is "possible through most of it, though its northern reaches lay beyond the limits of agriculture"), has literacy, and can even support "barristers, "geomters," and "surveyors" and describe its women as "pampered."Though the Glacier has steadily retreated northward over the life of the Empire, it remains a distant presence from which the bitter north wind known as the Breath of God comes every year.Then Trasamund, a jarl (chieftain) of the Three Tusk Clan of the nomadic blond Bizogots, comes to see the Emperor with word that the unthinkable has occurred: a gap has opened up in the Glacier, and beyond are new lands, new animals, perhaps new peoples, and possibly even the legendary Golden Shrine.The Emperor summons one of his nobles, the melancholy Hamnet Thyssen, from his "castle on the edge of nowhere," and bids him lead (or more accurately co-lead, since of course Trasamund will have to go along to show the way to the Gap, and Bizogots don't take kindly to playing second fiddle) an expedition of discovery.The roguish adventurer Ulric Skakki, the scholarly Earl Eyvind Torfinn, and the far-too-fond-of-drink wizard Audun Gilli are also enlisted, and Hamnet's ex-wife Gudrid, now married to Eyvind (and no more faithful to him than she was to Hamnet), decides for reasons unclear to join them.Later Liv, a female shaman from Trasamund's clan, adds herself to the roster, and the oddly assorted group passes through the Gap, to find no Shrine, but a new society, an arrogant and warlike people calling themselves the Rulers, who are aware of the Gap too and have every intention of coming through it and conquering everything they see.

The book would be greatly improved by a map of Turtledove's world: though the expedition seems to be penetrating into an analogue of Earth's Land of the Midnight Sun, there's nothing to indicate that it is coming anywhere near an Arctic Ocean, nor is it clear why the Glacier is where it is (the Ice Age glaciers on our Earth originated in the polar icecaps or in mountain ranges, while this one seems to squat stolidly on a plain, or perhaps more accurately a tundra or taiga).Hamnet is a gloomy and rather self-pitying soul who has been deeply scarred by Gudrid's unfaithfulness and later desertion, and isn't always as sympathetic as a hero should be.There's also a good deal of sex and violence, which are probably inevitable in a world such as this one (and are handled with considerable diplomacy and skill) but definitely make this a novel for adults and very mature teens.But Ulric's wry humor, Liv's forthrightness, and the magic used by her and by Audun furnish much-needed lift to a long expository story which, as another reviewer has mentioned, does seem to be more of a long Act One than an independent volume.On the other hand, once Turtledove manages to get all his conditions and characters established and moves into the real action, he shows once again that there's a good reason he's gained a name for military alternate history.This isn't the best example of the author's work with which to begin your acquaintance with him, but it leaves you wanting to know more about Hamnet's and Trasamund's world and to see whether they will be able to convince the Emperor of the true threat the Rulers represent, unite the Bizogot clans (and perhaps the Raumsdalians) to meet it, and (maybe even) find the Golden Shrine. ... Read more

Product Description
History shows that leadership is crucial in war, but there are other factors at work. What if history were given a twist or two, and great commanders on land and sea fought their greatest battles under different circumstances? Suppose General Douglas MacArthur had been captured before he could escape from Manila and became a prisoner of war? Suppose Joan of Arc had not been burned for heresy andhad gone on to lead France to very different victories? Suppose Genghis Khan had been a convert to Judaism and his horde fought for a different cause than in our universe? Turtledove and his colleagues turn the past upside down and inside out, and the possibilities are endless. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Another enjoyable collection of alternate history short stories
The dustjacket cover is a piece of irrelevant silliness; there are no stories in this volume involving Lee and Grant as Roman commanders.What it does contain is thirteen original short stories premised in a variety of different histories.The stories are:

"A Key to the Illuminated Heretic" by A. M. Dellamonica - Joan of Arc fails to recant, and instead survives to lead a sect of Christian dissidents fighting for their survival.

"The Road to Endless Sleep" by Jim Fiscus - A Roman centurion loyal to Marc Antony finds himself the commander of Cleopatra's bodyguard after their triumph over Octavian.

"Not Fade Away" by William Sanders - General Douglas MacArthur does not escape from the Philippines in 1942 but instead ends up a prisoner of the Japanese.

"I Shall Return" by John Mina - Having been assigned to the Philippines, Dwight Eisenhower and his subordinates George Patton and Jimmy Doolittle mount a much more successful defense of the islands from Japanese invasion.

"Shock and Awe" by Harry Turtledove - Instead of a religious following, Jesus inspires a military uprising against the Romans.

"A Good Bag" by Brad Linaweaver - During a 1910 seance, General Francis Younghusband receives a message from the distant past that warns of the necessity of war between Britain and Germany.

"The Burning Spear at Twilight" by Mike Resnick - Jomo Kenyatta devises a very modern campaign to drive the British from Kenya.

"'It Isn't Every Day of the Week'" by Roland J. Green - A daring naval decision by Captain Stephen Decatur leads to a very different War of 1812.

"Measureless to Man" by Judith Tarr - Genghis Khan's conversion to Judaism creates a much different Mongol Empire - and spawns a doctrinal conflict with their counterparts in Europe.

"Over the Sea from the Skye" by Lillian Stewart Carl - The Duke of Cumberland's defeat at the hands of Bonnie Prince Charlie creates a difficult situation for a young woman.

"First, Catch Your Elephant" by Esther M. Friesner - Hannibal's pachyderm-equipped invasion of Italy faces difficulty when his men run out of food in the Alps.

"East of Appomattox" by Lee Allred - Robert E. Lee is sent on a diplomatic mission to London for a victorious Confederacy facing difficulties.

"Murdering Uncle Ho" by Chris Bunch" - In a North Vietnam occupied by invading American forces, a squad of commandos is sent on a mission to eliminate the surviving Communist leadership.

Like any short story collection, individual readers will have their own favorites from among the offerings, but the range of tales offers something for just about any fan of alternate history.Overall, this is a good entry to a solid series, one that offers intriguing tales into worlds that might have been.

Not awful but not fantastic either.
Oh all of the stories the kindest thing you can say about most of them is "uninspired."For the last time people Alternate History means Alternative not one more meaningless series of reversal stories and superman stories.

Reversal stories are what I call those stories where the historical events are the same but the players are on opposite sides.An example of this would be John Paul Jones fighting for the British Navy(Granted this appeared in Alternate Generals #1 but the theory is sound).

Superman stories are where the greatest military minds in history just so happen to be present for a particular battle at a particular time.One example of this story in this volume is "I shall return" where Billy Mitchell, George Patton and Omar Bradly stop the invasion of the Philippines.

The only story worth anything in this hum-drum so-so installment is about the conversion of the Mongols to the Jewish faith.

Overall-Are these stories all that bad or do I just read to many of them?I wish I knew which.

Any fan of alternate history science fiction will find this an excellent collection.
Harry Turtledove edits ALTERNATE GENERALS III, which provides a series of alternate reality stories recreating history as it could have been had decisive battles and encounters been different. Any fan of alternate history science fiction will find this an excellent collection.

Better Than the First, Less Than the Second
I like alternate history stories. That's what this is. Each short story asks "what if" to change an important point in history. They are generally very entertaining to me.

That being said, I did not care all that much for the first volume. The second was a great improvement and I had high hopes for this one. Instead, it fell somewhere between the first two.

The stories are generally creative and are technically well written but are not always that interesting. That does not keep the occasional nugget from being present but they are too far between.

One of the best I've read this year
I didn't even realize this book was out until I happened to pick it up. An excellent collection of stories, from the subtle to the totally weird, this collection is worth looking into. If you like alternative histories you won't be able to help liking this one. ... Read more

Product Description
History shows that leadership is crucial in war, but there are other factors at work. What if history were given a twist or two, and great commanders on land and sea fought their greatest battles under different circumstances? Suppose General Douglas MacArthur had been captured before he could escape from Manila and became a prisoner of war? Suppose Joan of Arc had not been burned for heresy andhad gone on to lead France to very different victories? Suppose Genghis Khan had been a convert to Judaism and his horde fought for a different cause than in our universe? Turtledove and his colleagues turn the past upside down and inside out, and the possibilities are endless. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Another enjoyable collection of alternate history short stories
The dustjacket cover is a piece of irrelevant silliness; there are no stories in this volume involving Lee and Grant as Roman commanders.What it does contain is thirteen original short stories premised in a variety of different histories.The stories are:

"A Key to the Illuminated Heretic" by A. M. Dellamonica - Joan of Arc fails to recant, and instead survives to lead a sect of Christian dissidents fighting for their survival.

"The Road to Endless Sleep" by Jim Fiscus - A Roman centurion loyal to Marc Antony finds himself the commander of Cleopatra's bodyguard after their triumph over Octavian.

"Not Fade Away" by William Sanders - General Douglas MacArthur does not escape from the Philippines in 1942 but instead ends up a prisoner of the Japanese.

"I Shall Return" by John Mina - Having been assigned to the Philippines, Dwight Eisenhower and his subordinates George Patton and Jimmy Doolittle mount a much more successful defense of the islands from Japanese invasion.

"Shock and Awe" by Harry Turtledove - Instead of a religious following, Jesus inspires a military uprising against the Romans.

"A Good Bag" by Brad Linaweaver - During a 1910 seance, General Francis Younghusband receives a message from the distant past that warns of the necessity of war between Britain and Germany.

"The Burning Spear at Twilight" by Mike Resnick - Jomo Kenyatta devises a very modern campaign to drive the British from Kenya.

"'It Isn't Every Day of the Week'" by Roland J. Green - A daring naval decision by Captain Stephen Decatur leads to a very different War of 1812.

"Measureless to Man" by Judith Tarr - Genghis Khan's conversion to Judaism creates a much different Mongol Empire - and spawns a doctrinal conflict with their counterparts in Europe.

"Over the Sea from the Skye" by Lillian Stewart Carl - The Duke of Cumberland's defeat at the hands of Bonnie Prince Charlie creates a difficult situation for a young woman.

"First, Catch Your Elephant" by Esther M. Friesner - Hannibal's pachyderm-equipped invasion of Italy faces difficulty when his men run out of food in the Alps.

"East of Appomattox" by Lee Allred - Robert E. Lee is sent on a diplomatic mission to London for a victorious Confederacy facing difficulties.

"Murdering Uncle Ho" by Chris Bunch" - In a North Vietnam occupied by invading American forces, a squad of commandos is sent on a mission to eliminate the surviving Communist leadership.

Like any short story collection, individual readers will have their own favorites from among the offerings, but the range of tales offers something for just about any fan of alternate history.Overall, this is a good entry to a solid series, one that offers intriguing tales into worlds that might have been.

Not awful but not fantastic either.
Oh all of the stories the kindest thing you can say about most of them is "uninspired."For the last time people Alternate History means Alternative not one more meaningless series of reversal stories and superman stories.

Reversal stories are what I call those stories where the historical events are the same but the players are on opposite sides.An example of this would be John Paul Jones fighting for the British Navy(Granted this appeared in Alternate Generals #1 but the theory is sound).

Superman stories are where the greatest military minds in history just so happen to be present for a particular battle at a particular time.One example of this story in this volume is "I shall return" where Billy Mitchell, George Patton and Omar Bradly stop the invasion of the Philippines.

The only story worth anything in this hum-drum so-so installment is about the conversion of the Mongols to the Jewish faith.

Overall-Are these stories all that bad or do I just read to many of them?I wish I knew which.

Any fan of alternate history science fiction will find this an excellent collection.
Harry Turtledove edits ALTERNATE GENERALS III, which provides a series of alternate reality stories recreating history as it could have been had decisive battles and encounters been different. Any fan of alternate history science fiction will find this an excellent collection.

Better Than the First, Less Than the Second
I like alternate history stories. That's what this is. Each short story asks "what if" to change an important point in history. They are generally very entertaining to me.

That being said, I did not care all that much for the first volume. The second was a great improvement and I had high hopes for this one. Instead, it fell somewhere between the first two.

The stories are generally creative and are technically well written but are not always that interesting. That does not keep the occasional nugget from being present but they are too far between.

One of the best I've read this year
I didn't even realize this book was out until I happened to pick it up. An excellent collection of stories, from the subtle to the totally weird, this collection is worth looking into. If you like alternative histories you won't be able to help liking this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Harry Turtledove, Capclave 2009's Guest of Honor, is the master of alternate history, and now with Reincarnations, a limited edition celebrating his achievements, he explores worlds that might have been.Featuring six previously-uncollected stories, an original story, story notes, and an introduction by Sheila Williams, the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. ... Read more

Product Description
Since the Scepter of Mercy was lost from Avornis, the kingdom has been at risk from its magic-using neighbors. King Lanius and King Grus retrieved the Scepter in a tale of great triumph and adventure. But the true story of their dual reign has never been told. Until now... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Ugh
This novel has Harry's characteristic wooden prose, and plot and setting lifted from Byzantine history.Unfortunately, major characters periodically disappear and are replaced by completely different characters with the same name. This is very disconcerting and makes it difficult to stay with the story.

For example, the young prince is able, at age 9, to identify a plot against him and take quick and decisive action to foil it. A few chapters later that character has been replaced by a 14 year old with the same name who is ignorant, docile, and helpless.

Perhaps Harry simply can't stop writing alternate history, and every few chapters the story shifts to a slightly different alternate. That or the plot and characters just make less and less sense as the story goes on.

First in Turtledove's "Sceptre of Mercy" trilogy

This is the first of the three "Scepter of Mercy" books, which are

1) The Bastard King
2) The Chernagor Pirates
3) The Scepter's Return (The Scepter of Mercy, Book 3)

These books were written by bestselling SF, alternative history and fantasy author Harry Turtledove under the pen-name Dan Chernenko. Apparently he felt the books were different from his usual subject matter and wanted to see the reaction they would get without his name. The most recent printings do have his real name on the cover, followed by "writing as Dan Chernenko".

The prologue which begins the book reads as follows:

"Once apon a time, a long time ago, the Kingdom of Avotnis had two kings at the same time. King Lanius was the son of a king, the grandson of a king, the great-grandson of a king, and so on for a dozen generations. King Grus was the son of Crex the Unbearable. Between them, they brought the Scepter of Mercy back to the city of Avornis in truimph, and did many other deeds of which the bards will sing for ages yet to come. One of them, pretty plainly, was a great king. The other, just as plainly, was not. The only trouble is, it's not always obvious which was which ... "


Lanius is born at the beginning of the book as the only son of King Mergus of Avornis, a country beset by enemies on all sides. In particular, Avornis is beset by barbarians to the south, in territory ruled by the immortal "Banished one" who used to be a God before the other Gods expelled him from heaven.

Even before he is born, there are signs that the "Banished one" has some reason to hate and fear the young prince - and that this evil former God has a similar obsessive hatred for Captain Grus, the able but low-born commander of a river galley in the navy of Avornis.

Under the local religion, in which Olar, the current principal god, has six wives, nobody is allowed to marry more than six times. King Mergus has already got through his alloted six wives, but in his desperation to leave an heir for the kingdom, Mergus gets a dubious dispensation to marry Lanius's mother.

As the son of the King's seventh wife, Lanius is perceived by many as a bastard. However, the realm still needs a King - at least one King ...

I'm astonished that this book and series got such a kicking from other reviewers: obviously it didn't appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it.

This series does have both the strengths and weaknesses of many of Harry Turtledove's books. For example, there is a strong storyline, well crafted and believable characters - but he does tend to repeat things an awful lot.

My suggestion for the best way to decide whether you would like this book is as follows. It's unusual in two respects, two heroes who are rivals forced to co-operate, and a bad guy who is a defrocked God. Apart from that I don't think it's enormously different from Turtledove's other novels set in fantasy worlds, for example the twelve Videssos novels such as The Misplaced Legion, or Between the Rivers. If you have read and enjoyed other Turtledove fantasies, I think it's probable that you will enjoy the "Sceptre of Mercy" trilogy. If you didn't like other Turtledove books of that type, you may not like this one either.

good book/series
The only complaint about the book and series is the end. It left me wanting more resolution to the story/something more form their lives. It is worth the time to read all three, it just maybe needed a little more (Maybe book 4).

I want my money back!
Before I read all the reviews here on Amazon, I would have given this book three stars. The world has the potential to be interesting, the plot intriguing, and sometimes I even like the characters (only sometimes, and mostly at the beginning). For an author's first book, it's ok, and the potential that the rest of the series will improve seems quite high.

But! I have now discovered that this is not a debut, but a pseudonymous work by Harry Turtledove, who has been writing for at least 20 years. You would think he would know who to write a book that isn't flat as a pancake by now. I have never read any of his books before (not being overly fond of the alternative universe genre) and I certainly never will now.

I want my money back! "A brilliant new talent" Judith Tarr says on the back cover. Well "brilliant" may be a subjective category, but twenty years is an awfully long time to be considered "new" in the fantasy genre. Talk about false advertising!

Far from great...
The first one-third of this book is enjoyable, I won't deny that.I first started to dislike this book when I noticed that the author repeats himself.I don't mean in a very minor sort of way, either; the author repeats how everyone _feels_ about every possible thing over and over again, chapter after chapter.Each portion of the book carries on as if you hadn't read the previous chapter.You'd expect a similar style in sequel to reference material in the first book but in this story it grew incredibly obnoxious.It makes you want to scream, "I get the point!"

Aside from that being my biggest complaint, the book was readable.I actually completed it (which says enough) so I can say with confidence that I'm sure others will like it.The author definitely put a lot of work into the characters and world and story, but I did find myself not caring about a lot of it because it had no purpose even later on (other than to be repeated).This book should have been much shorter but all in all I can't say it is a waste of effort. ... Read more

Product Description
Explosive and provocative battles fought across the boundaries of time and space--and on the frontiers of the human mind.

Science fiction's finest have yielded this definitive collection featuring stories of warfare, victory, conquest, heroism, and overwhelming odds. These are scenarios few have ever dared to contemplate, and they include:

 ¸  "Superiority": Arthur C. Clarke presents an intergalactic war in which one side's own advanced weaponry may actually lead to its ultimate defeat.
 ¸  "Dragonrider": A tale of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, in which magic tips the scales of survival.
 ¸  "Second Variety": Philip K. Dick, author of the short story that became the movie Blade Runner, reaches new heights of terror with his post apocalyptic vision of the future.
 ¸  "The Night of the Vampyres": A chilling ultimatum of atomic proportions begins a countdown to disaster in George R. R. Martin's gripping drama.
 ¸  "Hero": Joe Haldeman's short story that led to his classic of interstellar combat, The Forever War.
 ¸  "Ender's Game": The short story that gave birth to Orson Scott Card's masterpiece of military science fiction.
. . . as well as stories from Poul Anderson o Gregory Benford o C. J. Cherryh o David Drake o Cordwainer Smith o Harry Turtledove o and Walter John Williams

Guaranteed to spark the imagination and thrill the soul, these thirteen science fiction gems cast a stark light on our dreams and our darkest fears--truly among the finest tales of the 20th century.
Amazon.com Review
It's not merely a task that's thankless--it's impossible. How can you hope to pick out the best of anything, let alone from such a contentiouscategory as SF (and military SF, at that)? But this 13-story collection really does pull together at least some of the best short stories penned for the genre in the last century. Thanks to editors Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg, you'll find some of science fiction's biggest names--and most influential shorts--in this expertly chosen anthology.

Chronologically, the entries range from '50s pieces like Philip K. Dick's"Second Variety" and Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" to more modernruminations on war like "The Scapegoat" by C.J. Cherryh and "To theStorming Gulf" by Gregory Benford. But rather than quality (all thesestories are of inarguable pedigree) or even breadth, what might recommendthese most to readers new to them are the ideas and other works they laterinspired: Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender'sGame" both gave rise to phenomenally successful series, Joe W. Haldeman's"Hero" preceded The ForeverWar, and Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" became the SF thriller Screamers. The collection also gives you a glimpse of what dark thoughts were rattling around the heads of prolific writers like David Drake and George R.R. Martin in the '70s. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

the beginning of a lifetime love...
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this book. This was the book that got me hooked on a subject that I'd previously despised. I'd hated Science Fiction until I got bored and read Joe Haldeman and OS Card's short fiction presented in this compilation.Now I am hooked.The rest of the stories are enjoyable also, just nowhere near the two mentioned.If your a newbie this is the place to start, if your a veteran SF reader you might pick up a new author you didn't know anything about, and if your a full fledged SF geek this might not be for you.

Not military, sometimes not even scifi.
Don't judge a book by it's cover is an aphorism that cuts both ways. I was fooled by the graphics on this one, but I hope you won't be. The book is edited and introduced by Harry Turtledove, an excellent author is his own field. Unfortunately, that field has more to do with alternate history and far less to do with military combat: gripping or otherwise.

The introduction itself is an excellent survey of the genre: highlighting the notable contributions to this corpus by such authors as Heinlen, Pournelle, Drake, Card and Webber. I have the feeling, however, that to make the list you largely had to have several credits to your name. One hit wonders such as John Steakley's "Armor" don't make the cut, although neither is David Feintuch's "Seafort Saga" to be found.

The stories themselves are varied, but rely mostly upon a military backdrop for a more pedestrian space-opera tale. There are a few exceptions. David Drakes's "Hangman" is a treatment of tank combat and "Ender's Game" presents Card's classic story in its short form. Halderman's "Hero" is also presented as the short-story that gave birth to "The Forever War." However, if you buy this book you've probably read "The Forever War," in which case you've wasted some cash as "Hero" is merely the opening chapters of the larger tome.

Turtledove's own contribution,"The Last Article" is an excellent example of the nature of this anthology. It is an alternate history story wherein the Germans are winning World War II. Somehow we must assume that this makes the story "scifi." The only combat that occurs is between German soldiers and unarmed civilians engaged in passive resistance. But, since there are guns involved, I must suppose that this is why it is considered "military."

The strangest inclusion is actually the one given the most space: a hundred+ page novella by Anne McCaffrey set in her Pern universe. Although the story is about dragon riders who write in ink on hide dried hide skins and who never engage in a single military act, this has been included apparently because a long, long time ago these people were 'space colonists' and because the story's 'bad-guy' is a meteor shower. Perhaps an excellent addition to her canon, but here it seems to have little purpose but to sell copies with a powerful name.

In conclusion, none of these stories were bad. In fact, they were all quite good judged in their own right. But judged by the standard of military science fiction they almost universally fall short of the mark. This is a dud that appeals to you with powerful industry names and a nice cover. Don't be fooled.

Those looking for superior offerings would be wise to cull the science fiction works from the Marine Corps (or Navy) recommended reading lists.

Fair Collection of Early Military SciFi Short Stories
BEST MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION OF THE 20TH CENTURY (2001), contains 13 short stories, mainly of a military SciFi theme, and mainly written in the 50's, 70's, and 80's.

HERO (1972, Joe W. Haldeman), ENDER'S GAME (1977, Orson Scott Card), and HANGMAN (1979, David Drake) are all excellent examples of the ground-breaking work done by these leading authors in the Military SciFi field.HERO and ENDER'S GAME were eventually expanded to full-length novels by their authors.

In SECOND VARIETY (1953, Philip K. D.), the Robot Warrior technology was way ahead of its time (too far ahead in the context of the story, however), but the spaceship technology was anachronistic.SUPERIORITY (1951, Arthur C. Clarke) is a very short story that presents an interesting example of a culture trying to press new leading edge military technology into service too fast.In NIGHT OF THE VAMPYRES (1975, George R. R. Martin), the American political environment that is described in this story is really quite fascinating, although the technology is anachronistic, given the story's target year of 1987.

The rest of the stories are either out-of-date, not specifically Military SciFi, or are simply mediocre; and are not worth mentioning in this review... and bring the overall quality of the book down to average.

Some great stories, but not really military
This was my first jump into Science Fiction in about 10 years and I was hoping to get a taste of a genre I havn't really explored before.While many of the stories were great, to say this is a collection of pure military stories is a stretch.

"Hero", a story of a unit preparing for absolute zero battle, was an interesting story that left me wanting more, and it's ending left if wide open.

"Ender's Game" ends up being a something of a philisophical excercise in responsibility in wartime.

One has to question why "The Last Article" and "Dragonrider" where in the book.They were good stories but TLA belongs to alternate history and Dragons fighting Threads, while a good story, it isn't what you would expect from a collection of stories about the military.

Ultimately, many of the stories fall short because they seemed like they belonged in a SF magazine and I would almost suggest searching out the full length versions these stories if they exist because I left feeling a bit unfulfilled.

More of an Intro than a "Best of"
While the thirteen stories in this volume are, for the most part, well done, a couple aren't really military SF at all and others are glimpses into still better works by the same authors. A couple aren't even strong enough to be considered in a "best of" collection.

There are some gems here. Orson Scott Card's classic "Ender's Game" definitely deserves to be a volume with this title. I highly recommend the novel-length expansion of the story and it's sequels (most notably the companion novel, "Ender's Shadow" and "Shadow of the Hegemon"). David Drake's "Hangman" is an excellent introduction to his Hammer's Slammers series which also requires inclusion in a volume such as this. Walter Jon Williams's "Wolf Time" is one of the best stories in the volume, taking place in the same universe as "Voice of the Whirlwind". And Joe Haldeman expanded "Hero" to become "Forever War" (and its sequels).

Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" was, likewise, the beginning of a large franchise, but it's inclusion as an example of military SF is quite a stretch. Similarly, Harry Turtledove's "The Last Article" is an excellent story, but it would have fit much better in his "best alternate history" collection than in this volume.

Other classics include Poul Anderson's "Among Thieves" (an intro to his Polesotechnic League universe), Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" (recently made, like so many of his stories, into a movie), and C. J. Cherryh's "The Scapegoat". I also enjoyed George R. R. Martin's "Night of the Vampyres".

Gregory Benford's "To the Storming Gulf" is not military at all; it would, instead, fit quite nicely in a collection of post-apocalyptic fiction.

While touted by some as a classic, I have never been impressed with Cordwainer Smith's "The Game of Rat and Dragon". And Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" is merely clever. Any number of other stories could have replaced either of these tales in a "best of" volume. ... Read more

Product Description
THE RED BOOTS
Videssos was beset by enemies. A pretender held the throne--a despot who cared little that barbarian hordes and rival realms carved away at his empire, so long as the wealth and booty of the land satisfied his unbridled appetites.
Few stood against him. And those few soon found their heads on pikes.
Only one name held hope for freedom: Maniakes. And from his exile on the very edge of the civilized world, young Maniakes took up the challenge, rallied his forces, and sailed off to topple the tyrant.
But the tyrant would use every means at his disposal--fair or most hideously foul--to destroy the crusading upstart. And even if Maniakes could stay alive, he would still have to pull together a battered, divided land as well as fend off a host of enemies--and thwart the former friend who had become his empire's most deadly
foe!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Videssos Down, but Not Out
Hammer and Anvil (1996) is the second fantasy novel in the Time of Troubles series, following The Stolen Throne.In the previous volume, Avtokrator Likinios of Videssos is overthrown by one of his generals and his family is wiped out.Sharbaraz King of Kings decides to take back the lands relinquished to Likinios while punishing the usurper Genesios.

In this novel, the Maniakai had been banished to Kalavria by Likinios after Sharbaraz was restored to his throne and then they had been left in exile by Genesios.The elder Maniakes is Governor of the island and the younger Maniakes is his deputy.Their residence is within the fortress above Kastavala, the main city on the island.

After half a dozen years on the island, the Maniakai spot a ship heading toward the harbor and the younger Maniakes goes down to the quay to learn the news.The ship is carrying passengers, grandees from Videssos the City.They all want to talk to Maniakes the Elder.

Kourikos is the spokesman for the group and also the father of the younger Maniakes's betrothed Niphone.When the elder Maniakes comes into their presence, the grandees all fall into a full proskenesis before him.They have come to ask him to overthrow Genesios and take the throne of the empire.

Genesios has been a very bad Avtokrator, killing his supposed enemies right and left and ignoring the depredations of the Kubratoi and the Makuraners.He is widely hated and feared, but admired by none.The basic question is whether anyone will defend his right to the throne.

Maniakes the Elder refuses to try for the throne, but he offers his son as an alternative.The grandees agree to back Maniakes the Younger for Avtokrator, but not without inner doubts.The younger Maniakes and his cousin Rhegorios sail with most of the ships and troops of Kalavria to overcome the current Avtokrator.

In this story, the small fleet sails across the Sailors' Sea to Opsikion, another provincial city larger than Kastavala.There the governor, the military and naval leaders, and most of the citizenry join his cause.After integrating the army with his troops, Rhegorios heads overland toward Videssos the City.

Maniakes the Younger adds the naval forces of Opsikion to his own and sails toward the Key, a major naval base protecting Videssos the City.About a third of the fleet join him before he gets to the Key and most of the rest declare for him near the island.While he is integrating his forces and planning the battle ahead, a sorcerer attacks him and the naval commander Erinakios.Bagdasares the wizard saves him, but Erinakios is murdered.

When they reach Videssos the City, the sailors have to protect him from the adoring mob.Genesios flees the palace, but is found by the sailors.Maniakes the Younger executes him on the spot.

This story puts the younger Maniakes on the throne, but he is faced by all the problems created by Genesios.The Makuraners are still in the westlands and the Kubratoi are still raiding in the north.The treasury in very low and the army troopers are scarce.He institutes a recruiting and training program, but no revenues are coming in from much of the empire.

Avtokrator Maniakes sends for his father, uncle and cousin in Kastavala to come to Videssos the City and sends messages out to commanders in the westlands asking about his brothers.He receives word that Tatoules is missing in action and may be a prisoner of the Makuraners.He hears nothing at all about Parsmanios.

Avtokrator Maniakes tries several times to turn things around, but has little success.He keeps trying to do more than Videssos is capable of doing at the time.Things are looking very gloomy for his reign.

This tale is loosely based on the history of the Byzantine Empire, starting with the overthrow of Phokas in 610 AD and the ascension of Heraclius as emperor.The story presents a modified -- and enhanced -- version of these historical events.The reversed and distorted geography and renamed sites are only the start of these modifications.The character names are also changed.However, little is actually known of this period in Byzantine history, so there is plenty of room for creative expression in the dialogues.

This work ends with an upturn in the fortunes of Avtokrator Maniakes and his empire.Hopefully, the next volume will continue this trend.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Turtledove fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of foreign cultures, military combat, and marital relations.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"Time of Troubles" part two of four
In which Maniakes seeks the throne of Videssos ...

This is the second of the original four books of the "Time of Troubles" quartet. It is set in the same world as the "Misplaced Legion" books, but several hundred years earlier. Anyone buying the books of this sequence has to be careful because of a change in the way the volumes are organised in more recent printings.

As originally published, the four books of this story were:

"The Stolen Throne"
"Hammer and Anvil"
"The Thousand Cities"
"Videssos Besieged"

"The Stolen Throne" and "Hammer and Anvil" have also been published together as "The Time of Troubles Part I"; similarly "The Thousand Cities" and "Videssos Besieged" are published together as "The Time of Troubles Part II".

The "Time of Troubles" series works best if you read the components in chronological order, but it does not particularly matter whether you read them before or after the "Misplaced Legion" or "Krispos" books.

"The Stolen Throne" is told from the viewpoint of Maniakes, son of Maniakes, who helped Abivard put the rightful King of Kings back on the throne of Makuran in the first book.

At the start of the book a vile usurper and tyrant, Genesios, is on the throne of Videssos. Fearing a potential rival, the previous legitimate Emperor had sent the Maniakes clan to a distant island where the father was made governor. Consequently they were not at hand to be executed when Genesios launched a reign of terror in which he killed almost every prominent man in Videssos the City. But to save the city, Maniakes is asked to proclaim himself emperor...

The central figure of "Bridge of the Separator" and principal bad guy from the "Misplaced Legion" quartet, Rhavas or Avshar, has an offstage part in this book. Genesios has a very powerful court wizard, who is noy named but who is very obviously Rhavas: the cover art shows a monster which Rhavas sends to attack Maniakes in his bed. Very fortunately for Maniakes, at some stage since "Bridge of the Separator" Rhavas appears to have lost the power to make anyone literally drop dead just by cursing them.

This series alternates between books told from the viewpoint of Abivard the general of Makuran, and books told from the viewpoint of the Videssian, Maniakes.

I enjoyed "The Time of Troubles" sequence and recommend it.

There are currently 12 novels set in the "Videssos" universe of which "Hammer and Anvil" is chronologically the third. The full list is as follows (dates assume that years in Videssos correspond to those in our world.)

c. 850 BC - "Bridge of the Separator"

c. 700 BC - The Time of Troubles series

"The Stolen Throne"
"Hammer and Anvil"
"The Thousand Cities"
"Videssos Besieged"


c. 550 BC - "The Tale of Krispos" trilogy

"Krispos Rising"
"Krispos of Videssos"
"Krispos the Emperor"

56 BC - "The Misplaced Legion" quartet

"The Misplaced Legion"
"An Emperor for the Legion"
"The Legion of Videssos"
"Swords of the Legion"
... Read more

Product Description
Jennifer Logan was young, gorgeous, and utterly devoted to teaching Middle English.But to qualify for any decent teaching position, she'd have to make her resume stand out.Since her specialty was science fiction, she wrangled a berth on a trading ship bound for the stars.Just one trip, she figured, then back to a nice, safe classroom. . .

But Jennifer hadn't fully appreciated her own talent.She had a keen eye, a fresh perspective -- and all of science fiction to fall back on when the going got tough! ... Read more

Product Description
Alien beings invade the Earth in the middle of World War II, forcing Allied and Axis powers to cease their own fight and unite against this new enemy. As the aliens unleash nuclear weapons, humans resort to guerilla warfare, but is it necessary to destroy the Earth in order to save it? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Memorable Swansong...
Funny thing with Harry Turtledove is that you think him dull at first, but he grows on you. Maybe this is because he isn't glib or necessarily eloquent, but he has a memory the size of L.A. - the sheer volume of information & research he crams in, as well as the evolutionary characterizations make for an addictive combination.

This ending volume has lost the interesting characters in the form of Jens Larssen & Teerts, but still the others bring home the bacon. There are several new threads which lead the story in new ways. As an example, there is the Lodz storyline, which culminates in an action which could only have come about in this timeline - a German, a Jew & a Russian united against a common enemy.

There is also the story of Ussmak - the rebellious Lizard, who ends up facing the dilemmas of Soviet Justice, and there is also Atvar, who becomes astute at Realpolitik, in a way that seemed impossible before.

I would tell you more yarns from the book - e.g. those of Molotov, Liu Han & the British - but I don't want you knowing all his secrets! All that needs saying is that Turtledove is the master of alternate history, and takes the plot in realistic yet surprising directions.
And the best thing? This series can be started from any stage, which may make the beginning slow, but means this book can be approached by anyone (as long as you are OK with sexual content...) ... Read more

Product Description

THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T BE KING

Ever since the catastrophic Werenight isolated the Northlands from the Elabonian Empire, Gerin the Fox has hoped to settle down as the peaceful ruler of Fox Keep...but destiny seems to have other ideas. The Voice of the god Biton prophesies danger to the Northlands.

Gerin has already beaten off invaders, both human and inhuman. But this time he faces an invasion by the Gradi, led by their cold, fierce gods. Gerin has to fight fire with fire by invoking all the supernatural help he can get from the capricious god Mavrix, the aloof but powerful Biton, and the more elemental gods of those who live beneath the ground.

And just when things can't get worse -- they get worse. Gerin's neighbor, Aragis the Archer, has made one provocative move after another, and Gerin reluctantly decides that war is inevitable. But suddenly, the Elabonian Empire again turns its unwelcome attention to the Northlands, which it regards as a subject territory. Gerin and Aragis are now allies against a common enemy...and a very formidable one, with forces that outnumber both their armies put together!

Publisher's Note: Tale of the Fox was previously published in parts as King of the North and Fox and Empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A different Turtledove
The fox was a welcome break from recent books by Mr. Turtledove. Do not get me wrong -- I enjoy his recent alternate reality series, especially Darkness and Worldwar/Colonization. Nevertheless i was pleasantly surprisedwith the Fox. When I opened the Fox's pages i was soon immersed in a almostfamiliar mediaeval world - Suserens and vassals, serfs and nobles... and noOne Church, as happened in our world :) Also unlike many other books theFox is not bound to A Quest (like, say Dragonlance - go get the Lance), theFox is about life of a feudal lord with it's everyday worries and joys. Andwhen the quest comes along, it feels natural, not full of it :-) But nospoilers for you, my friend. If you like Turtledove, and if you like a goodreading, hit the "add to shopping cart" button and you won'tregret it -- I don't.

Reprinted MAterial
Harry turtledove's book about the Fox are excellent. However, don't buy this thinking you are getting the lastest episode of this story. This is a compliation of two previously published works. If you haven't read all theFox books, get this one. If you have, don't duplicate your library unlessyou really want to.

Fantastic! Just like "King of the North" & "Fox and Empire".
Yes, this and its predecessor, "Wisdom of the Fox" are consolidations of past "Gerin the Fox" novels. But I think that's been covered already.

This review will be about the book. The decision to reprint these books in two volumes rather than four (and if Wereblood and Werenight weren't already previously combined, it would have been five parts) was great. It would not be a big re-print, pushing out four novels at once, but it also gave the readers a chance to re-obtain their now worn-out and tattered copies of the older Gerin books. It's also very nice for people who have little enough space on their bookshelves as it is (incl. yours truly).

Gerin is, as usual, a fascinating monarch in his lands north of the High Kirs and the Empire of Elabon. He and his troupe (which includes a demi-god who has the body and maturity of a four year old but the voice of a 40-year-old baritone and enjoys piddling on people from upon high, a barbarian giant of a man whose origins are respectfully hidden, Gerin's own sons, his wife -- a former Oracle and quite the insatiable) are tumbled into war not once, but TWICE (okay, so it's two books. So what! It reads like one great big saga) in order to protect their homes. They call on magic and brawn to defeat their enemies. Whether savages to the North or Imperialists to the South, Gerin has to yet again fight for what he holds dear: the independence of his people and the right of sovereignty over his own land.

Set in a bronze-age environment instead of a medieval one, the Gerin novels are a different sort of fantasy, which deal in magic, yes, and warriors, yes. Good and evil, yes. Monsters, yes. Telepathy and the supernatural, y--. Whah? Hold on...those are sci-fi traits! Maybe that's why fantasy and sci-fi are always grouped together. Oh, well. It's all great fun.

Three moons there may be, but there is only ONE Gerin the Fox!

fox rules
A must read of Turtledove fans, great story and both books story linesflow into each other very well. ... Read more