Hitler's War [Paperback]

This is a very ingenious conceit -start the war in 1938 and speculate on what might happen...this is handled well,and with a convincing eye. The role of the French Army and the implciations for Spain are particulalry well done.

However, it is let down by Turtledove overdosing on his standard style of concentrating on the experiences of a host of characters from across the globe. This approach worked in the "Colonization" and the "American Empire/Settling Accounts" series because it was tempered with the view of real figures and some of the policy makers. In this volume the balance is very much on the fictitious participants and, goodness me, there are a lot. The consequence is you end up not caring because we get so little background. The other issue is one of language; he repeats the weaknesses of the "Colonisation" series of making non-Americans seem stereotyped and, well, silly in their speech. Brits say bloody a lot, French say "mon dieu!" etc, etc. Lazy writing.

For the past sixty years, the name "Munich" has been synonymous in the historical imagination with the craven surrender of Czechoslovakian territory in return for a peace settlement that proved illusory. But what if it had turned out differently? What if, instead of postponing the Second World War for a year, the conference in Munich between the European leaders had failed? What if war broke out over Czechoslovakia instead of Poland? This is the premise of Harry Turtledove's latest alternate history series.

In it, Turtledove tries something new; instead of positing a single point of divergence, he imagines two: the avoidance of the plane crash in 1936 that killed the Spanish general Jose Sanjurjo and allowed Francisco Franco to take over Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War, and the assassination of Sudeten German leader Konrad Heinlein in the midst of the Munich Conference. Turtledove uses these to create a different Second World War, one in which Germany begins the conflict without some of the advantages they would enjoy a year later, and with the Soviets fighting against the Nazis from the outset.

In narrating this conflict the author uses his usual technique of using the experiences of a series of fictional soldiers and civilians to depict events. While some fans will find this familiarity comforting, it gives the distinct sense of the novel as nothing more than another by-the-numbers alternate history work in the Turtledove mold, with little outside of the premise that is original. This would matter less if the book were up to his earlier standards, yet it is not. Character development is particularly lacking. Unlike his earlier novels, there is little description of their backgrounds; instead they are simply dumped into the narrative, with their experiences and views leaving them often indistinguishable from one another.

The result is a subpar start to what is otherwise an enjoyably different take on the sub-genre of alternate-Second World War scenarios. Ending as it does in the middle of the conflict, a sequel will probably come out next year while will move events forward, perhaps even wrap them up. Hopefully the follow-up will be embody more of the enthusiasm and energy that has been a hallmark of Turtledove's best work, lest his new series be written off as a failed opportunity with a new premise.

In which World War II starts in 1938 after the Munich peace talks fail ...

This book kicks off yet another alternative version of World War II from Harry Turtledove, and I was quite astonished that he can still find new things to write about it, but he does and I found it an excellent read.

In the opening paragraphs of the book Turtledove makes two changes in real history, and works from there. First, in 1936 General Jose Sanjuro listens to the pilot who warns him not to overload their light plane with heavy trunks full of his uniforms. Consequently the plane does not crash, (as in real history it did) and Sanjuro rather than Franco becomes leader of the Nationalist side in the Spanish civil war.

Then during the Munich negotiations, news comes that the leader of the Sudeten Germans, Konrad Henlein, has been assassinated by a Czech. Hitler, wanting war, uses this as an excuse to press for even more punitive terms against Czechoslovakia in the hope that they will be rejected. Chamberlain and Daladier, finally recognising that Hitler is determined on war and suspecting that he had actually ordered Henlein's murder himself, tell the Germans that if they attack Czechoslovakia Britain and France will honour their obligations to the Czechs. Hitler orders the invasion of Czechoslovakia on the spot and the war starts a year early.

As usual for a Harry Turtledove book, the war is seen through the eyes of a large number of fictional viewpoint characters, one or more from each of the countries involved: these include an American woman caught in Prague by the outbreak of war, a Jewish family in Munich, a German panzer commander, stuka pilot, and U-Boat skipper, British and Japanese sergeants, a Czech corporal, etc. Major historical figures like Hitler and De Gaulle get mentions as they impact on the lives of the main characters.

Turtledove has clearly done a fair amount of homework on the tactical capabilities of equipment available to the armed forces of all sides in 1938 based on how they actually performed a year later. People who know more about the issue than I have found a few mistakes which I missed, but the book expresses the capabilities of 1938 equipment very effectively in terms of how the strengths and weaknesses of the planes, tanks and guns concerned could affect the human beings whose lives depended on that kit. In many ways this is the best aspect of the novel and it is fairly well done.

Unfortunately he does give in to his worst fault, that of repeating the same information far too many times - for example there must be at least three almost identical scenes in the book in which different characters witness machine gunners attempt to surrender, only to be shot down in cold blood, and the witnesses think almost identical thoughts about how hard it is for machine gun crews to surrender.

This is the fifth alternative version of World War II which Turtledove has written. He has previously done stories with aliens from Tau Ceti invading in 1942 (the Worldwar series which begins with "Worldwar: In the Balance (New English library)"), and a parallel history following pretty much the real track, in a world where technology uses magic rather than engineering (known variously as the Darkness, Derlavi, or 'World at War' series, and beginning with "Into the Darkness).

There is also an alternative World War II in his massive ten volume epic in which the Confederate States of America survives for nearly a century following a Rebel victory in the US Civil War, which has the same roles as in the historical WWII carried out by different people: the alternative WWII parts of this are the "Settling Accounts" quartet. And there is a pair of novels, "Days of Infamy" and "End of the Beginning" which explore the possibility that Japan might have backed up the air strikes on Pearl Harbour with a land invasion of Hawaii.

Having done so many alternative versions of World War II, you would think he would find it impossible to say anything new about them or maintain the reader's interest. I predicted when I first drafted this review that not everyone would enjoy this book as much as I did and that there would be reviews on here describing the series that starts with "Hitler's War" along the lines of "more of the same." I see there are indeed a number of negative reviews, mostly making the case "good concept, poor execution."

I can only say that this does not describe my experience: the book had me completely hooked and left me looking forward to the sequel, "The War That Came Early: West and East." I have now read that sequel and enjoyed it even more than "Hitler's War" because the writing was a bit more disciplined - less repetition, for instance. If you liked most of Turtledove's other books, there is a good chance that you will enjoy this series.