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Book Review: Harry Turtledove - The Timeline-191 novels

By Stefan Sasse

Harry Turtledove 2005

Counterfactual history - including called virtual history - had always held a great fascination from. The question of "what if" captures one. For Germany, it may actually be only one big question: what if Hitler had not lived? If he had not had any success? His elimination from history would be the first scenario, one would imagine. For Americans, the original theme is different: here the counterfactual question of what would have happened if the American trauma of the civil war had found a different ending. What would have happened if the Confederate States of America would have ended the war victorious?

this question Prolific writer Harry Turtledove in his novel series "Great War", "American Empire" and "Settling Accounts" to which each comprise three or four (Settling Accounts) novels. Along with the prequel novel, How Few Remain ", which plays in 1880, these novels the" Timeline-191 "series. They are only available in English, which, given the concentration of the author to the North American continent is surprising. Although it is mentioned now and then, like the rest of the world changes, but the state needs to open up the reader rather than from marginal notes that he would get him presents.

The "Timeline 191" breaks with reality before the Battle of Antietam September 1862nd The order 191 of General Lee, who fell into the hands of the North and made it possible for this, the army to intercept the South is not lost, the south remains successful and is recognized by Britain and France to close then an alliance. Abraham Lincoln must then recognize the independence of the South, which also includes Kentucky. After the war, now the CSA, Cuba and resettle the Indians in the State of Sequoya, now Oklahoma, where they enjoy great autonomy and their own loyal supporters to be a result of the Confederacy.

1881 came the purchase of Sonora by the CSA from Mexico to a second war between the two U.S. states, win the CSA playing despite the superior U.S. military power since the U.S. military leadership is disorganized disaster. Re-engage the United Kingdom and France, in return, however, the CSA must free the slaves. Despite their nominal exemption, they remain second-class citizens with few rights and continue to work on plantations in slave-like conditions. Abraham Lincoln was never assassinated, is leaving the Republican Party with much of its members and is followed by the Socialists, the second large . Are party to the United States, while the Republicans will disappear into insignificance

The events in Europe, however, the United States have brought their own allies: the German Empire and Austria Hungary conclude an alliance with the U.S., and include the United States is closely aligned with the kingdom. The "Kaiser Bill" Schnauzer is the dominant mode, and a refined and strong regulatory bureaucracy on the German model will be installed to copy the successful model and to fight against the causes of the two-time defeat. In July 1914 the Austrian heir to the throne is murdered and attack the alliance systems exist, from the beginning to an American front between the U.S. and the Confederate States of America

The alternative World 1914;. Central Powers yellow, green Entente

The First World War drags on for three years to carry out against the plans of the parties, quick and decisive campaigns. Without American support in Europe, the local front breaks in 1917, the same year in which the United States by the massive use of tanks (the break are "Barrels" instead called "tanks") the stalled front lines. The Entente Powers suffered heavy losses of territory. These events are described in the three "Great War" novels.

The "American Empire" trilogy deals with the inter-war period. While the CSA experience hyperinflation, the U.S. must bear the high costs of the occupation of Canada to do an economic crisis, the first time brings the Socialists to power. The 20s are at an economically booming decade for the U.S., while in the CSA, the "Freedom Party" is growing stronger, the radical from the war veteran Jake Featherston front against the blacks makes (in the war to attempt a socialist uprising, but was defeated). The final breakthrough came after the Freedom Party in 1929, when the global economic crisis is again great misery to the people. In the presidential elections in 1933 Featherston triumphs over the candidate of the Whigs and builds the CSA following a dictatorship in order, including prisoners of concentration camps for blacks and political.

On 22 June 1941 attacks Featherson then declare war without the United States. In Europe, where Britain and France have also fallen to right-wing governments, the war begins against the Central Powers again. After three years of loss-rich and volatile conflicts and the use of multiple atomic bombs and the genocide of blacks in the CSA, the war ends with the total defeat of the CSA and its European allies. The CSA will be dissolved and the territory of the U.S., "indefinitely" occupied. These events end the tetralogy "Settling Accounts".

The alternative World 1941

Now this is

Version of historical events certainly an interesting one. is the big problem that people have with counterfactual history forever, that you can find but very easy to a break point to the real story, and change the immediate events, but after that has a problem: either an unbroken continuity increases from this point out to - although still fairly historically justified, but very unlikely, or to invent events. The currently available historic place so definitely not. In the invention of events is, however, led to strong temptation to "mirror".

This is exactly what Turtledove in his Novels do, as any reasonably historically educated readers may have noticed: the development of the CSA is a slightly adapted to American conditions rise of the Nazi party in Germany. Even the date 22 June 1941 as the war began - the date of the German attack on the Soviet Union - clearly points to this parallel. Of course, this is mainly the German reader; Turtledove writes for an American audience that is connected to German history not as familiar and therefore the analogies may be less obvious.

One can certainly argue about the probability of events presented by Turtledove. His version of the First World War is quite credible, but the problem of continuity and reflection is established in the interwar period and the "war" more and more. The events can not really surprise and interest the reader and not as much as the immediate World War II development.

That is, we are sorry to say, even to themselves Turtledove It is with him and his "Timeline-191" as a cook, but has all the ingredients and a good recipe, but can not cook. Turtledove is a whole bunch of major characters, from whose perspective he told alternately, and so the events over the years pursue, from a housewife in Boston with General Custer (who never fought against Indians) in the north and a house slave on a plantation in the South to the artillery soldiers Jake Featherston. The sheer amount of staff can take on George RR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire", and the story from the perspective of each character is reminiscent of the grand saga. Unfortunately, Turtledove is able to make something of the ingredients that he has before him.

For one the individual chapters are too short. Usually one stays only three to four pages in a person before the action switches back to another. The cliffhanger at the end of each chapter people act so often something tries. Secondly, the people remain, though Turtledove has ten books to develop them yet strangely flat. Is it credible or interesting developments make the least. The soldiers philosophize while now and then dutifully in a kind of vulgar Remarque version of the horrors of war remain, but ultimately militarists with pride on army and country. Here, the plants of the characters are good, you could tell profound stories with them. Turtledove remains just stuck on the top level, pretending to ignore this.

This illusion does not work. The latest in the "American Empire" trilogy, starting all annoyed Paragraphs to read, because Turtledove repeated almost word for word. Instead of allowing the reader to draw conclusions about the mental disposition of the characters, as is the case with Martin, he beats the moral of the story of the wooden hammers on the reader. If an unemployed character complains about the lazy Negroes who all have a job, he can the obvious conclusion that this character is somewhat hypocritical, not left to the reader - he must give an explicit again. This moralizing but destroyed just create the feeling that Turtledove will.

course, not everything is bad in the books otherwise I would hardly read so many novels in question (even if the quality decreases rapidly). The counterfactual events are especially interesting in spite of the clear reflection of the later novels. Where Turtledove but really can prove is in the details with which he brings the time to live. Daily life in the 1920s and during the war, the slow introduction of technical innovations such as cars, refrigerators and telephones, the morale and attitude of the people of that time - all this is Turtledove well dar. he falls here also the temptation of many authors, the main characters for simple sympathetic to equip the reader with today's values, that is about strong, to create a feminist woman embossed characters or to swing across the democratic club, where she does not belong. . The mood this time Turtledove brings to life

For the historically interested reader who masters the English language well enough, at least the first books - that is, the Great War trilogy - worth a look . Due to the low price of English books to purchase is not so much weight.