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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
latest in a series of science fiction novels by harry turtledove that involve an organisation whose people can travel between parallel universes. called crosstime traffic, they have operatives who set themselves up as traders in other universes and try to subtly influence things to change them for the better.
all the books are self contained and feature different characters each time. written for teenagers, but able to be enjoyed by readers of all ages, the books usually involve teenage characters from the other worlds coming into contact with crosstime traffic people.
in this story, the world in question is one where russia won the cold war and communism dominates the globe. most countries have communist governments. the book is set in italy in the future, and involves two teenagers who live together in a rather dour communist state where thinking for yourself and challenging the status quo isn't entirely encouraged.
a shop that sells board games which teach you how to make decisions enlivens the life of one of the characters, and he becomes better at problem solving as a result of applying the lessons he's learned from the game. but when the state police raid the shop, one employee gets away. an employee of crosstime traffic, he is now stranded in this other world and only the two main characters can help him survive.
this is a good, thought provoking read, and written in very good readable prose. it teaches you a lot about both communism and capitalism, but it never gets preachy. the whole point of the book is how the main characters learn to think for themselves, and the writer succeeds admirably in that aim. so it should hopefully rub off on the reader. nor does he change the status quo of their world in the course of the book, so the realism of that is also to be applauded.
a very good entry in the series
all the books are self contained and feature different characters each time. written for teenagers, but able to be enjoyed by readers of all ages, the books usually involve teenage characters from the other worlds coming into contact with crosstime traffic people.
in this story, the world in question is one where russia won the cold war and communism dominates the globe. most countries have communist governments. the book is set in italy in the future, and involves two teenagers who live together in a rather dour communist state where thinking for yourself and challenging the status quo isn't entirely encouraged.
a shop that sells board games which teach you how to make decisions enlivens the life of one of the characters, and he becomes better at problem solving as a result of applying the lessons he's learned from the game. but when the state police raid the shop, one employee gets away. an employee of crosstime traffic, he is now stranded in this other world and only the two main characters can help him survive.
this is a good, thought provoking read, and written in very good readable prose. it teaches you a lot about both communism and capitalism, but it never gets preachy. the whole point of the book is how the main characters learn to think for themselves, and the writer succeeds admirably in that aim. so it should hopefully rub off on the reader. nor does he change the status quo of their world in the course of the book, so the realism of that is also to be applauded.
a very good entry in the series
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
15 reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Getting Fun out of Communism
3 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I liked this book a lot! When I first started reading it, I for some reason thought that it might not be all that good, but that thought was short-lived.
The _Crosstime Traffic_ series is a juvenile (or "young adult," if you prefer)series involving a corporation of that name, which has a means of travelling between alternate timelines. They basically do clandestine import/export between their timeline ("home timeline") and the others ("alternates"). In this novel, you see mission creep setting in; Crosstime Traffic is engaged in subverting the political system in a timeline in which the communists won the Cold War. The story is set in a communist Italy of the late 21st century; I must say that it has a very realistic feel, in that it feels like it's been the 1940s for 150 years (I remember reading an editorial which stated that it was the 1940s in eastern Europe from the 40s until the fall of the Berlin Wall -- it makes sense to me). One of the Crosstime Traffic employees gets trapped there when the secret police close down their business (it sells subversive board games), and has to hide out with some acquaintances of his. The story is told from the point of view of the local characters, not the Crosstime Traffic point of view; it feels almost like Turtledove himself has spent time in a communist police state prior to 1990 or so.
In a previous review, I wondered what it is about Turtledove's writing that I like so much. I've thought about it, and a couple of things occurred to me. One is that his "local color" is always very good. His stories have little details in them that give them that sense of authenticity. Another is that his characters tend to be sympathetic, and seem real as well. His pacing is pretty good, too, so that it's easy to keep turning the pages in one of his stories.
I'd highly recommend this book (as well as the rest of the series) to anyone of any age, even though these books are written as juveniles.
The _Crosstime Traffic_ series is a juvenile (or "young adult," if you prefer)series involving a corporation of that name, which has a means of travelling between alternate timelines. They basically do clandestine import/export between their timeline ("home timeline") and the others ("alternates"). In this novel, you see mission creep setting in; Crosstime Traffic is engaged in subverting the political system in a timeline in which the communists won the Cold War. The story is set in a communist Italy of the late 21st century; I must say that it has a very realistic feel, in that it feels like it's been the 1940s for 150 years (I remember reading an editorial which stated that it was the 1940s in eastern Europe from the 40s until the fall of the Berlin Wall -- it makes sense to me). One of the Crosstime Traffic employees gets trapped there when the secret police close down their business (it sells subversive board games), and has to hide out with some acquaintances of his. The story is told from the point of view of the local characters, not the Crosstime Traffic point of view; it feels almost like Turtledove himself has spent time in a communist police state prior to 1990 or so.
In a previous review, I wondered what it is about Turtledove's writing that I like so much. I've thought about it, and a couple of things occurred to me. One is that his "local color" is always very good. His stories have little details in them that give them that sense of authenticity. Another is that his characters tend to be sympathetic, and seem real as well. His pacing is pretty good, too, so that it's easy to keep turning the pages in one of his stories.
I'd highly recommend this book (as well as the rest of the series) to anyone of any age, even though these books are written as juveniles.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
juvenile or adult??
5 Oct 2007
Format:Hardcover
I found this action-packed alternate world one of Harry's better juveniles... a good Heinlein replica 50 +/- years later. It moves swiftly, with well-drawn high school characters and their "supporting" adults -- and is an almost believable yarn. If you ever visited the old USSR and also understand some of our "real" historical turning points this story makes sense. It didn't happen in our world, but this apparently "re-made" socialist "paradise" a very believable Italy. It is a very "1980's Hungarian or Leningradian almost-replica. I'd debate whether or not such an empire would last 150 years, but that is author's perogative.
Bottom-line -- I enjoyed it thoroughly - and that is after 50 years of deeply reading science fiction, with a personal knowledge base going back to the 1930's pulps. Harry, while I thought some of your other recent books had "slipped," this is one of the better alternative adult world(s) you have invented. In some ways I enjoyed this as well as "Guns of the South." Quick, straight, relatively uncomplicated and easy to sort thru and out. As the saying goes, "you got your groove back."
Bottom-line -- I enjoyed it thoroughly - and that is after 50 years of deeply reading science fiction, with a personal knowledge base going back to the 1930's pulps. Harry, while I thought some of your other recent books had "slipped," this is one of the better alternative adult world(s) you have invented. In some ways I enjoyed this as well as "Guns of the South." Quick, straight, relatively uncomplicated and easy to sort thru and out. As the saying goes, "you got your groove back."
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
simple repetitive structure in the narrative
28 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover
Already the 5th book in this Crosstime series! Turtledove has impressive if not prodigious productivity. Commendable how this book continues the trend of describing a timeline quite different from those in the earlier books. Reading across the series, there is an unpredictability in settings that can be an attraction to some readers.
By the way, here there seems to be a slight reference to Turtledove's first big hit, The Guns of the South. The latter was also about alternate universes. In which the logo of Apple Computer was described. Also done in Gladiator. Turtledove probably put the remarks here, simply because a reader could recognise it, without him having to explicitly name the manufacturer. But maybe he's also reaching out to his earliest fans.
Another person who reviewed this book was spot on, hilariously but accurately, in labelling it "mission creep". An interesting development harking back at policy changes in the parent world.
Unfortunately, the narrative, in the combination of both the spoken dialog and the thoughts attributed to various characters, is often weak. There is a structure often present, usually involving a statement immediately followed by a counterpoint or negation of that statement. If you haven't noticed this, try rereading and parsing carefully. Once you see it, then you see it everywhere. Also true of the author's other works, like his 10 or 12 volume Civil War series. But in this book, the repetitive structure seems especially pronounced. As though he is dumbing down the narrative, for a young audience. Or that he is not putting enough effort into writing interesting prose. It can get stale to read, after you notice.
By contrast, look at Rowling's Harry Potter books. Also ostensibly for a similar audience. However the narrative flow is far more varied and interesting to read. You cannot easily deconstruct her works to detect a simple narrative pattern. Also reflected in the marketplace. Her books outsold any in the earlier Crosstime series books, probably by over an order of magnitude.
Granted, the typical reader of Gladiator probably will not consciously notice the repetitive structures. But unconsciously, this may be subsumed and expressed simply that the book is "ok but not great". And ultimately in sales. A pity, because Turtledove's series is a great idea, that deserves stronger expression. We need a successor to Piper's Paratime, and this series is the closest active approximation.
By the way, here there seems to be a slight reference to Turtledove's first big hit, The Guns of the South. The latter was also about alternate universes. In which the logo of Apple Computer was described. Also done in Gladiator. Turtledove probably put the remarks here, simply because a reader could recognise it, without him having to explicitly name the manufacturer. But maybe he's also reaching out to his earliest fans.
Another person who reviewed this book was spot on, hilariously but accurately, in labelling it "mission creep". An interesting development harking back at policy changes in the parent world.
Unfortunately, the narrative, in the combination of both the spoken dialog and the thoughts attributed to various characters, is often weak. There is a structure often present, usually involving a statement immediately followed by a counterpoint or negation of that statement. If you haven't noticed this, try rereading and parsing carefully. Once you see it, then you see it everywhere. Also true of the author's other works, like his 10 or 12 volume Civil War series. But in this book, the repetitive structure seems especially pronounced. As though he is dumbing down the narrative, for a young audience. Or that he is not putting enough effort into writing interesting prose. It can get stale to read, after you notice.
By contrast, look at Rowling's Harry Potter books. Also ostensibly for a similar audience. However the narrative flow is far more varied and interesting to read. You cannot easily deconstruct her works to detect a simple narrative pattern. Also reflected in the marketplace. Her books outsold any in the earlier Crosstime series books, probably by over an order of magnitude.
Granted, the typical reader of Gladiator probably will not consciously notice the repetitive structures. But unconsciously, this may be subsumed and expressed simply that the book is "ok but not great". And ultimately in sales. A pity, because Turtledove's series is a great idea, that deserves stronger expression. We need a successor to Piper's Paratime, and this series is the closest active approximation.
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