A generation after the South won the first American civil War, America writhes once more in the bloody throes of battle. Furious over the annexation of key Mexican territory, the United States declares total war against the Confederate States. And so, in 1881, the frgile peace is shattered.
But this is a new kind of war, fought on a lawless frontier where the Blue and the Grey battle not only each other but the Apache, the outlaw - and evne the British Redcoat. For along with France, britain enters the fray on the Confederate side.
'The wizard of If.' Chicago Sun-Times
'The standard-bearer for alternate history.' USA Today
How Few Remain (Southern Victory Series)
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'With shocking vividness, Turtledove demonstrates the extreme fragility of our modern world . . . This is state-of-the-art alternate history, nothing less' (Publishers Weekly on HOW FEW REMAIN) )
'Turtledove plays heady games with actual history, scattering object lessons and bitter ironies along the way. Strong, complex characters against a sweeping alt-historical background.' (Kirkus Reviews on RETURN ENGAGEMENTS )
'Good fun. It has an authentic speculative quality, energy and dash.' (Time Out on A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE )
'Engrossing ... definitely the work of one of alternate history's authentic modern masters . . . totally fascinating.' (Booklist on THE GREAT WAR series )
'Turtledove plays heady games with actual history, scattering object lessons and bitter ironies along the way. Strong, complex characters against a sweeping alt-historical background.' (Kirkus Reviews on RETURN ENGAGEMENTS )
'Good fun. It has an authentic speculative quality, energy and dash.' (Time Out on A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE )
'Engrossing ... definitely the work of one of alternate history's authentic modern masters . . . totally fascinating.' (Booklist on THE GREAT WAR series )
About the Author
Harry Turtledove has lived in Southern California all his life He has a Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Los Angeles and has taught at UCLA, California State Fullerton and California State University, Los Angeles. He has written many works of speculative fiction and fantasy. He is married to the novelist Laura Frankos and they have three daughters.
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Buffalo bones littered the prairie south of Fort Dodge, Kansas. Read the first page
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Buffalo bones littered the prairie south of Fort Dodge, Kansas. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
How Few Remain is an Alternative History novel, about what would have happened if the South had won the Civil War. The American Civil War is the second most popular alternative History SF setting (the first is WWII) and a particular interest of Harry Turtledove cf the Guns of the South. This one has a far more credible reason for the South winning, the failure of McLellan to intercept Lee's battle plans during the Antietam campaign and Lee's victory there followed by foriegn recognition of the CSA. All of this is dealt with in the first few pages and is credible enough. But it's 1881, 20 years later, that is the focus of the book. At this point the CSA looks likely to acquire two Mexican provinces and thus gain a Pacific coastline. In order to stop this the USA goes to war.
Like most of Turtledove's books, the story unfolds from the viewpoint of a number of characters, in this case they're all historical characters. What's more we have George Armstrong Custer, JEB Stuart, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Abraham Lincoln as viewpoint characters, all of whom died during the war or, in Custer and Lincoln's case, as a result of it. It's sort of fun to see them in 1881 meeting such people as Theodore Roosevelt and Albert Schlieffen (two more of the viewpoint characters.) It's also fun to see how Turtledove deals with how they would have coped in the world of 1881.
This is the major difference between this book and other alternative Southern Victory books. 1881 is the cusp of the modern world, a world with weapons of mass slaughter, industrial unrest, etc. The war the CSA fights in 1881 is very different to the war of 1861, which was bloody enough, because now every soldier on both sides has a repeating rifle. As such it resembles WWI more than the ACW. This is a foretelling of what is to come and indeed Harry Turtledove has written a series of sequels covering WWI wherein both the CSA and USA get involved.
This is more than just a prequel to the Great War series though. The book is well written, grabs your attention from the beginning and unfolds a story that is all too credible. This book is worth reading on its own merits and I reccomend it to anyone interested in the ACW, WWI, Turtledove's writing or just a really good story.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Klobas
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This book is an example of alternative history at its best. To me, there are two elements to great alternative history. The first and most obvious is that the writer gets the history "right" - not accurate, of course, but believable. "Pure" alternative history is about what might have been; as such it should be reasonably plausible, with people and developments that must ring true to their times. Here Turtledove excels, demonstrating both imagination and a familiarity with the period. His sequence of events in developing a "second War Between the States" is logical, and he captures famous personalities - such as Abraham Lincoln, "Stonewall" Jackson, and Samuel Clemens - with considerable accuracy, portraying figures that are recognizably the same people that we know from our past.
Yet the people he depicts are more than just caricatures of historical reputations. This gets to the other component of first-rate works from the genre - strong character development. Within the context of a second conflict between the two halves of the former United States (over the acquisition of Mexican territory by the Confederacy), the reader sees them as they react to the circumstances of the war and how the war, in turn changes them. It is this aspect which makes the book riveting from beginning to end and essential reading for anyone interested in exploring how things might have turned out differently.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was introduced to Turtledove by a friend who was a colleague of his when he was still teaching history at UCLA. That was with the "World War" series, which is a lot of fun, if a bit silly. "How Few Remain" has the downside of having started the interminable Great War/American Empire/Return Engagement series, with their dismal characterization and mindless parallels of the historical 20th century, but taken on its own, How Few Remain is the best thing of Turtledove's I've ever read. In particular, his treatment of Abraham Lincoln is superb - much of what he has Lincoln say in the 1880s was in fact lifted from speeches and letters from before he became president, so they ring perfectly true to character, and at the same time illuminate how far ahead of his time Lincoln was as a social thinker. If only Turtledove would use this sort of technique more often, instead of just churning out repetitive prose!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alternate History
Fascinating alternative history which links a stalemated USA civil war (previous book) with a new version of WW1, involving the CSA. Plausible and entertaining. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Miyamoto
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining
This is the first book in an 11 volume tale of what might have happened had the South won the American Civil War. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr Gordon Davidson
5.0 out of 5 stars
And only a penny!
I enjoyed the book, having read the whole series following. Alternative history is an acquired taste I suppose and a knowledge of McClellan's campaign on the Potomac is helpful in... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. Geoffrey Calvert
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Alternate History Novel
How Few Remain is about a fictional second American Civil War (the Confederates having one the first in 1863) set in 1881. Read more
Published on 4 July 2007 by J.Flood
4.0 out of 5 stars
First Class (but history lessons needed first!)
This is the first Harry Turtledove book I've read - and I'm sure it won't be the last!
It's a fascinating read, but would probably have been less confusing if I had... Read more
It's a fascinating read, but would probably have been less confusing if I had... Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2007 by Kevan James
5.0 out of 5 stars
Contains every element of great alt history
This book is an example of alternative history at its best. To me, there are two elements to great alternative history. Read more
Published on 25 July 2004 by Mark Klobas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Few will remain un-entertained by How Few Remain!
As a fan of historical fiction, I have also become a fan of alternate historical fiction. In How Few Remain, Harry Turtledove weaves a plausible and entertaining yarn in which the... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2003 by Joseph F. Leoce Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars
USA vs Confederacy: Round 2
"How Few Remain" is an alternate-history novel detailing an 1880's war between the USA and Confederate States of America (and their British and French allies), twenty... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
A really good story
How Few Remain is an Alternative History novel, about what would have happened if the South had won the Civil War. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific introduction to a new series
This is an imaginative look at a second war between the States, twenty years after the Confederacy wins the first one. Read more
Published on 20 Jun 1999
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