What if Imperial Germany invaded America at the dawn of the 20th century--and famous figures from Teddy Roosevelt to young Douglas MacArthur joined forces in battle?
1901: A Novel
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Review
"FASCINATING . . . A page-turner. The plot is skillfully crafted. Its style is clear, crisp, and bold."
"-Oakland Press""
"
"IMAGINATIVE AND ENTERTAINING."
"-Detroit Free Press
"
"PACKED WITH ACTION."
"-Detroit News""
"
"The yarn is likely to please both military history and alternate history buffs. . . . The writing . . . keeps us turning the pages."
-"Booklist"
"An intriguing blend of historical fact and fiction."
"-Detroit Free Press
"
"A solid what-if historical . . . Cleverly conceived."
"-Publishers Weekly
"
"-Oakland Press""
"
"IMAGINATIVE AND ENTERTAINING."
"-Detroit Free Press
"
"PACKED WITH ACTION."
"-Detroit News""
"
"The yarn is likely to please both military history and alternate history buffs. . . . The writing . . . keeps us turning the pages."
-"Booklist"
"An intriguing blend of historical fact and fiction."
"-Detroit Free Press
"
"A solid what-if historical . . . Cleverly conceived."
"-Publishers Weekly
"
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By a reader
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As alternate history novels go, 1901 has a good starting point, since the historical event that marks the point of departure of its timeline from ours is not usual or commonplace.
In other words, whilst there are plenty of novels featuring alternate endings for the American War of Independence, the American Civil War, WW1, WW2, the possibility of a war between the United States of America and the German Empire at the beginning of 20th century has not - to the best of my knowledge - been explored by other writers.
My problem with this novel stems from the practical implementation of the concept: 1901 has, IMHO, a couple of serious defects, that is, cardboard characters and unbelievable social interaction and dialogues.
For the latter, compare 1901 with the undoubted benchmark (albeit a bit long winded) of AH for late 19th century - WW1 period, i.e. H. Turledove "Great War" series.
In other words, you have Gilded Age characters behaving (and speaking) like current Americans.
Compared to the magnitude of the events described, the (short) length of the novel precludes also a successful exploration of the many points of interest that emerge from the plot.
In other words, whilst there are plenty of novels featuring alternate endings for the American War of Independence, the American Civil War, WW1, WW2, the possibility of a war between the United States of America and the German Empire at the beginning of 20th century has not - to the best of my knowledge - been explored by other writers.
My problem with this novel stems from the practical implementation of the concept: 1901 has, IMHO, a couple of serious defects, that is, cardboard characters and unbelievable social interaction and dialogues.
For the latter, compare 1901 with the undoubted benchmark (albeit a bit long winded) of AH for late 19th century - WW1 period, i.e. H. Turledove "Great War" series.
In other words, you have Gilded Age characters behaving (and speaking) like current Americans.
Compared to the magnitude of the events described, the (short) length of the novel precludes also a successful exploration of the many points of interest that emerge from the plot.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Klobas
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
One of the great problems with alternative history is the lack of imagination. All too often, the novels of the genre begin with a divergence, usually involving the Civil War or World War II, and lead to a result that is not unfamiliar to a student of our history. In this respect, Robert Conroy's book is a refreshing change of pace with its intriguing premise: what if the German kaiser had decided to attack the United States in an effort to take over its recently acquired colonies? As ideas go, it is imaginative enough to be refreshing, yet plausible enough to work. Conroy follows this up with a believable plot that details the consequences of this decision on the world and on the cast of characters he assembles.
Nevertheless, this is the limit of Conroy's achievement, as having avoided one pitfall he ends up stumbling into others. Though the plot is engaging the writing is not, as Conroy's insertion of details often gives passages the feel of a textbook. A similar problem exists with the characters; while his main hero and heroine are well fleshed out, the rest often come across as underdeveloped and stereotypical.
The greatest problem with Conroy's novel, though, is its lack of respect for the historical background. Though this might seem counter-intuitive in a novel of alternative history, it is one of the keys to a successful alternative history novel. Yet Conroy seems uninterested in this. As other reviewers have noted, he infuses his characters with more modern sensibilities (such as attitudes towards blacks and immigrant Germans) which no event could have created back then. Doing so robs them of their distinctive voice, and strong historical personalities such as Theodore Roosevelt seem to be little more than two-dimensional mouthpieces used to offer expositions on the plot. He also falls victim to name-dropping, introducing famous figures like Winston Churchill no matter how implausible their participation in events might have been, apparently for no reason other than to give him an excuse to crowd his narrative with a 'who's-who' of historical characters.
As a consequence, the novel fails to live up to the promise of the plot. Readers drawn to the genre by the works of authors like Harry Turtledove will find Conroy's novel a pale imitation of their best efforts. Though entertaining in some respects, it lacks the vivid evocation of an alternate past that makes such books compelling reading. I only hope that other, better writers of the field will be inspired to make similar bold leaps of the imagination when defining 'what might have been.'
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
When I heard about this book I was fascinated, I'd never really known about any (potential) conflict between the USA and Germany of this period so I was very curious as to what could be made of it.
What a shame then that the author spoilt it. Terrible writing, terrible character construction and an awful juddering nature to the plot.
While grateful the author largely avoided the “evil British” lunacy that Harry Harrison seems to have been infected with, this time it’s the Germans who are, largely, painted as rapists and monsters. As to the depiction of the Kaiser - oh dear, oh dear!
I wonder whether the author got confused and painted Hitler’s demonic nature into the wrong era. Historical evidence from all reasonable sources show that the man was incredibly ambitious but not stark staring mad.
However, I accept this is an alternative history, so maybe in this world he was!
Altogether a very dissappointing book leaving too many open questions and light weight plot lines to be satisfying.
What a shame then that the author spoilt it. Terrible writing, terrible character construction and an awful juddering nature to the plot.
While grateful the author largely avoided the “evil British” lunacy that Harry Harrison seems to have been infected with, this time it’s the Germans who are, largely, painted as rapists and monsters. As to the depiction of the Kaiser - oh dear, oh dear!
I wonder whether the author got confused and painted Hitler’s demonic nature into the wrong era. Historical evidence from all reasonable sources show that the man was incredibly ambitious but not stark staring mad.
However, I accept this is an alternative history, so maybe in this world he was!
Altogether a very dissappointing book leaving too many open questions and light weight plot lines to be satisfying.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
1901
I like what ifs. This was one of the best so far. It's strange how little known facts could change history. I am now reading Conroys 1942. Again well written.
Published 2 months ago by Greywolf
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent alternative history.
The first book by the author and very readable.The invasion of the U.S by Imperial Germany is believable. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Stephen Parkin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but flawed
The author has taken a good basic plot idea and written an entertaining story. The main weakness is that the book as a whole is completely implausible. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Leo
2.0 out of 5 stars
Spoilers
Robert Conroy's '1901' is built around the apparently true fact that the Imperial German General Staff made plans to go to war with the USA. Read more
Published on 26 April 2010 by D. Byrne
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read for a relatively unknown period
I read the reviews here, mostly negative before I purchased the book, but decided to give it a try anyway, as the premise is so intriguing. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2007 by samfromscottsdale
3.0 out of 5 stars
deutschland uber alles
An intriguing idea for a novel of alternate history, with some factual background. What if germany had invaded america in 1901? Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2007 by Paul Tapner
3.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining read
First off, the bad- The Kaiser is portrayed as a complete nut through a large part of this book. Although Im no expert I have never come across any history book that has indicated... Read more
Published on 9 April 2004
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