- Hardcover: 503 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey (Jun 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 034540615X
- ISBN-13: 978-0345406156
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,451,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Great War: the American Front
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Product Description
Product Description
In How Few Remain, Harry Turtledove set the stage for his stunning
alternate history of World War I. Now, with The Great War: American
Front,
he carries this towering epic into the early twentieth century in a bold
re-imagining of the fateful war that hurtled humanity into the modern
age.
Envision a divided America--one camp led by Theodore Roosevelt, the other
by Woodrow Wilson--in the most explosive conflict humankind has seen,
where
global war is waged with sophisticated weaponry on American soil for the
first time in history.
When the Great War engulfed Europe in 1914, the United States and the
Confederate States of America, bitter enemies for five decades, entered
the
fray on opposite sides: the United States aligned with the newly strong
Germany, while the Confederacy joined forces with their allies, Britain
and
France. But it soon became clear to both sides that this fight would be
different--that war itself would never be the same again. For this was to
be a protracted, global conflict waged with new and chillingly efficient
innovations--the machine gun, the airplane, poison gas, and trench warfare.
In the Americas, the fighting spread like wildfire on multiple and
far-flung fronts. The U.S. Army invaded the South, striking in Virginia,
Kentucky, and the West and assaulted Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. As
President Theodore Roosevelt rallied the diverse ethnic groups of the
northern states--Irish and Italians, Mormons and Jews--Confederate
President Woodrow Wilson struggled to hold together a Confederacy still
beset by ignorance, prejudice, and class divisions. And as the war raged
on, southern blacks, oppressed for generations, are fatefully drawn into a
climactic confrontation.
In The Great War: American Front, Harry Turtledove creates a vast,
vibrant
canvas that blends actual events and players with a history as it might
have been. This unforgettable, deeply moving, and superbly original novel
is a triumph of the creative imagination.
alternate history of World War I. Now, with The Great War: American
Front,
he carries this towering epic into the early twentieth century in a bold
re-imagining of the fateful war that hurtled humanity into the modern
age.
Envision a divided America--one camp led by Theodore Roosevelt, the other
by Woodrow Wilson--in the most explosive conflict humankind has seen,
where
global war is waged with sophisticated weaponry on American soil for the
first time in history.
When the Great War engulfed Europe in 1914, the United States and the
Confederate States of America, bitter enemies for five decades, entered
the
fray on opposite sides: the United States aligned with the newly strong
Germany, while the Confederacy joined forces with their allies, Britain
and
France. But it soon became clear to both sides that this fight would be
different--that war itself would never be the same again. For this was to
be a protracted, global conflict waged with new and chillingly efficient
innovations--the machine gun, the airplane, poison gas, and trench warfare.
In the Americas, the fighting spread like wildfire on multiple and
far-flung fronts. The U.S. Army invaded the South, striking in Virginia,
Kentucky, and the West and assaulted Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. As
President Theodore Roosevelt rallied the diverse ethnic groups of the
northern states--Irish and Italians, Mormons and Jews--Confederate
President Woodrow Wilson struggled to hold together a Confederacy still
beset by ignorance, prejudice, and class divisions. And as the war raged
on, southern blacks, oppressed for generations, are fatefully drawn into a
climactic confrontation.
In The Great War: American Front, Harry Turtledove creates a vast,
vibrant
canvas that blends actual events and players with a history as it might
have been. This unforgettable, deeply moving, and superbly original novel
is a triumph of the creative imagination.
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.
--This text refers to the
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First Sentence
George Enos was gutting haddock on the noisome deck of the steam trawler Ripple when Fred Butcher, the first mate, sang out, "Smoke off the starboard bow!" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
George Enos was gutting haddock on the noisome deck of the steam trawler Ripple when Fred Butcher, the first mate, sang out, "Smoke off the starboard bow!" Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
1914. The USA and Confederate States of America (see "How Few Remain" for the CSA's genesis) pick opposite sides and enter WW1 with gusto: the Confederates convinced they'll beat the USA for the third time running, the US forces nursing 50 years of resentment against their smaller neighbour. Here Harry Turtledove takes the events established in "How Few Remain" and expands on them as he details a very different world and world war. It's got a more soapy feel than the earlier book, focussing as it does more on ordinary folks than the historical figures of "How Few Remain" (Having said that, the image of a septuagenerian General Custer is an image I'll always treasure...), but it has the Turtledove hallmarks of historical sweep and thorough detail. It's the first in a tetralogy, so it's difficult to review alone, but his fully realised Confederacy and Europeanized - complete with Socialist Party! - USA commands the attention. Good, but the diffuse narrative and "first in a series" feel mean that it's not as good it could be. If you're going to buy this, get the full "Great War" set and read them back-to-back.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Great War: The American Front is the first in a series of four books examining an alternative history wherein the Confederacy won the Civil War and ends up allied to Britain and France whereas the USA allies itself to Germany. This means they're on opposite sides during World War One and that's basically the subject of this book. This book is also a sequel to How Few Remain which deals with events in 1881, the Confederate acquisition of provinces in Mexico which gives it a Pacific coastline. It's probably best to read that one first, though it's not necessary.
One major difference between the two is that where How Few Remain had the story told entirely from the point of view of historical characters such as Jeb Stuart, Fredrick Douglass, Colonel Custer, Abe Lincoln, etc, this one does not. This is perhaps appropiate as the Great War was such a "people's war" and beyond the influence of individuals so it is best seen from its effects. As for the story, I found it fascinating. The USA is hurled into a two front war against both the CSA and Canada but outnumbers them both put together. It faces all the hardships of World War One which it escaped historically and there's a certain schadenfreude you get from seeing this. Lets face it, the USA got off lightly in both World Wars historically. Not here though, there's gas, blockade, endless lists of casualties and the beginning of the social turmoil that wracked all european countries after WW1. It's going to be fun to see where this goes. Maybe Fascism will be an American idea here. Or Communism.
One criticism is that it would be nice to know what's going on in Europe. The Battle of the Marne seems to have gone as history did, but what next? If the Allies have no Canadian troops and Britain has to send men and planes to Canada, how will that affect the Western Front? This question is not answered. That aside, I reccomend this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For fans of alternative history, the stories of Harry Turtledove have always promised enjoyable presentations of intriguing possibilities. This book is the second in his 'tetralogy' examining a world in which the South won the Civil War. American Front picks up the story in 1914 with the start of a world war between the U.S. and its ally Germany on the one hand, and the Confederate states, Britain, and France on the other. Turtledove knows his history and it shows, as the novel's events ring true enough to their real-life counterparts while developing in new and intriguing ways.
Yet this is a different novel from its predecessor. Though a sequel to How Few Remain, Turtledove examines the war from a different perspective here, following events through original characters rather than historical ones. This gives him greater flexibility in his depiction of them, yet it is the characters that are the weakest part of the book. While the plotting in most of the story arcs is quite good at sustaining interest, the characters have a sameness about them, using many of the same phrases and slang when expressing themselves. This stands in stark contrast to his previous novel, in which each of the main characters he uses is vividly and distinctly realized, and makes for a weaker work than the excellent inaugural work. Nonetheless, readers interested in an engrossing work of alternative history will find much to enjoy in this story about a divided America plunging into the hell of a 'Great War.'
Yet this is a different novel from its predecessor. Though a sequel to How Few Remain, Turtledove examines the war from a different perspective here, following events through original characters rather than historical ones. This gives him greater flexibility in his depiction of them, yet it is the characters that are the weakest part of the book. While the plotting in most of the story arcs is quite good at sustaining interest, the characters have a sameness about them, using many of the same phrases and slang when expressing themselves. This stands in stark contrast to his previous novel, in which each of the main characters he uses is vividly and distinctly realized, and makes for a weaker work than the excellent inaugural work. Nonetheless, readers interested in an engrossing work of alternative history will find much to enjoy in this story about a divided America plunging into the hell of a 'Great War.'
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Eventually quite engrossing
This is the second volume in the epic alternative history saga about a world in which the South has won the American Civil War. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr Gordon Davidson
tour de force
one needs to start with"how few remain"before starting on "the great war",then "american empire"and finally"settling accounts" to really enjoy this tour de force. Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2009 by Terence Maltby
Empires of unending tedium.
Decline of the alternative history novel, part 17: Gone are the days when aspiring alternative-history writers wanted to be like Ward Moore or Philip K. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2001
Great story, shame about a few innacuracies.
While I geatly enjoyed this book, and the other two in the series in terms of plot and character development I'm afraid that I have to nit pick on a few technical matters. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2001
Good, but it was spoilt by USA being superior to her enemies
This was the first Turtledove book I read and by the time I finished it, I was already looking for his World War series. Read more
Published on 1 July 2000
A good read but there was little to choose 'tween CSA & USA
I enjoyed this book a lot but I did find it difficult to find any sympathy for either of the American protagonists. Read more
Published on 27 April 2000
A great concept, but Guns of the South revisited
I came to Harry Turtledove through Guns of the South, a very fine alternate history novel which taught us about our own world by showing the differences in another. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2000
Excellent alternate WWI drama..Turtledove knows his history
I'm a relative newcomer to the works of Harry Turtledove, the most recent master of Alternate Fiction. I have read a fair amount of his work as of late. Read more
Published on 11 July 1998
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