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Review
'With shocking vividness, Turtledove demonstrates the extreme fragility of our modern world ... This is state-of-the-art alternate history, nothing less' Publishers Weekly (starred review for 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 'The latest volume in Turtledove's colossal and brialliant saga of an alternate (and disunited) United States may be the strongest and most compelling since the opener, HOW FEW REMAIN.' Publishers Weekly on AMERICAN EMPIRE series

Product Description
It is 1942, and the Confederate States of America are locked in a tangle of jagged, blood-soaked battle lines with the United States of America. In Richmond, dictator Jake Featherston is shocked by what his own aircraft have done in Philadelphia - killing U. S. president Al Smith in a barrage of bombs. But he presses ahead with a secret plan on the dusty plains of Texas, where a so-called detention camp hides a far more evil purpose. The United States face a furious thrust by Confederate army into Pennsylvania. But with the industrial heartland under siege, Canada in revolt and US ships fighting against the Japanese in the Sandwich Islands, the most dangerous place in the world may be overlooked.

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Flora Blackford woke from nightmare to nightmare. Read the first page

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15 Reviews

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3.3 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put this one down, 8 Jan 2007

By	Marshall Lord (Whitehaven, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Settling Accounts: The Grapple (Paperback)

"The Grapple" is the penultimate volume in Turtledove's Alternative History series, which began with the rebels winning the American civil war in the prelude to "How Few Remain" and has continued through an alternative World War One and now an alternative World War Two.

One or two of the books in this series were below Turtledove's usual high standard, but the "Settling Accounts" part of the series has been excellent, and as soon as I started reading this book I had great difficulty putting it down to go to work, eat, put children to bed etc.

It's a moot point whether this story, like many of Turtledove's recent works, should be described as alternative history, or as real history with different countries and people doing pretty much the same things. In this case, the narrative has been extremely similar to that of the real World War II, with the role of Nazi Germany played by a fascist-led, Confederate States of America and the "Final Solution" directed against African Americans rather than Jews.

After the CSA lost the battle for Pittsburg (e.g. Stalingrad) at the end of the previous book (Drive to the East) the war appeared to be taking much the same course as in real history, but Turtledove keeps you guessing about whether the final outcome will be the same, particularly because both the USA and CSA are desperately trying to develop the atomic bomb as soon as possible. (On the other side of the Atlantic he hints that Britain and Germany are in a similar race.)

It's extraordinary how many times Turtledove has managed to tell essentially the same stories from history with slight variations and still make them interesting. Part of the reason for this is that he is really good at making real and believable characters, and I often find myself caring about what happens to the individual viewpoint characters in the books in this series even when I despise the causes which they are fighting for and some of their actions.

Which happens quite a lot of the time, because one of the minor problems with the series is there isn't really a cause that the reader can fully identify with. None of the nations in the book can really claim to be the good guys, there are only bad causes and worse ones.

One interesting difference between this series and a previous, brilliant book by Harry Turtledove in which the CSA successfully seceded - "The Guns of the South" - is that in that book both the USA and CSA appeared likely to develop into civilised, decent societies. In this series the hatred between the United States and the Confederate States has poisoned everything in both countries and their relationships with the rest of the world.

For example, while there isn't much about the occupation of Canada in "The Grapple" (the main characters from the Canadian story are dead or serving elsewhere) the USA is still trying to hold Canada under a deeply resented military occupation which has gone on for 20 years. In this series both USA and CSA are guilty of terrible atrocities against each other, their own citizens, and others. There are also decent people of all races and nations in the book, and it is them, rather than the dreadful nations they are fighting for or living under, who the reader can identify with.

Overall this was a really fascinating book. The following book "In at the death" finishes the story of the alternative World War 2 and is probably the last in the series - though with Harry Turtledove you never quite know and he might decide to set another book a generation or so later. If so it will probably read like a greatly extended version of his short story "Must and Shall."

For reference the full series is

1) HOW FEW REMAIN (the story of the second war between the USA and CSA)

2) GREAT WAR trilogy (World War 1 with the USA allied to Germany)
American Front
Walk in Hell
Breakthroughs

3) AMERICAN EMPIRE trilogy (between the wars after the US/German victory)
Blood and Iron
The Centre Cannot Hold
The Victorious Opposition

4) SETTLING ACCOUNTS: World War 2, but even worse
Return Engagement
Drive to the East
The Grapple
In at the Death

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than the previous novels in this series, 1 Jan 2007

By	SJ SMART "Smartie" (London) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Settling Accounts: The Grapple (Paperback)

I have read nearly every book by Turtledove because I love this time of science fiction - the alternative history genre. This latest offering by HT is a great improvement on the previous ones in the series. Perhaps he is reading some of his reviews? I have to admit I have been disappointed with a lot of the previous ones and find myself reading them partly in the hope they will improve and to see what happens to the characters.

In the Grapple, the pace has really quicked and there is a lot going on as the war turns against Jake Featherston. Some characters which havent been going anywhere in a long time have finally been killed off.

The dialouge has made some improvements, some still say Turtledoves favourite phrase; "Tell me I'm wrong?" but its very rare now rather than in every chapter. The battle scenes have become more realistic and take up more of the book. Still not quite pinned down really, which is odd in a series of novels about an alternative World War Two action/battles/fights dont seem to have been a priority, instead its been dialouge and or politics. But that has changed now.

I was hoping that the war/series would be concluded with this novel but the war goes on. I always assume the author will try and "fix" things, that his alternative world becomes like ours, a united USA, an independent Canada, etc. but this seems less and less likely.

Read this but also try Birminghams Axis of Time novels and the brilliant S M Stirling's Dies the Fire or the Peshawar Lancers.

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A missed opportunity, 5 Mar 2005

By	"smart30" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Settling Accounts: Return Engagement (Paperback)

I am great fan of alternative history books and read a lot of Turledove and the superior SM Stirling. However i felt a little disappointed with this novel. I have read all the previous books watching Featherston getting higher and higher in the CSA and waiting for the invitable outbreak of war. But when it came it was disappointing. The battle scenes did not really grab me and it seemed too dull. Turtledove is trying to parallel the second world war with Featherston obviously being Hitler, but Hitler defeated France, Belgium, Holland, Norway and Denmark in six weeks, throwing the British out at Dunkirk. I was waiting for something similar to happen but it didnt.
Also, i got so tired of the same conversation that almost every charcter had, in the case of the black charcters almost every time they appeared, e.g. something like "Tell me I'm wrong" said in a vairiety of ways.
Perhaps Turtledove has peaked? SM Stirling's books who I discovered quite recently is a breath of fresh air. Read The Peshawar Lancers!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Samo Samo
Just finished reading this book and I must say it is a lot better than the previous books in this series. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Johnny

4.0 out of 5 stars the yanks are coming
Latest novel in a very long series of books harry turtledove has been producing for years now, that have charted the course of an alternate america, where the south won the civil... Read more

Published on 15 Mar 2007 by Paul Tapner

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, if a bit plodding at times
Harry Turtledove is not a great writer. His style (such as it is) is plodding, his characterisation is generally flat and his prose is banal and repetitive. Read more

Published on 19 Feb 2007 by Teemacs

3.0 out of 5 stars Could do better
I am great fan of alternative history books and read a lot of Turledove and the superior SM Stirling. However i felt a little disappointed with this novel. Read more

Published on 1 Feb 2007 by SJ SMART

4.0 out of 5 stars Do Jesus! (may contain spoilers)
Despite all the usual irritating Turtledove stylistic touches (also mentioned by the reviewer below), this is still a very readable guilty pleasure. Read more

Published on 29 Jan 2007 by Bill Hill

2.0 out of 5 stars Yes I know that already
This was the first Turtledove book I'd read after seeing him recommended in a number of places. I have to say that I was very disappointed. Read more

Published on 18 Aug 2006 by Peter Moore

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition
A wonderful step in the long settling accounts sequence. I accept other reviewer's points about some of the storytelling, but this is dwarved by the sheer vision. Read more

Published on 18 Jul 2006 by Bill Kelly

1.0 out of 5 stars Alternate??? History
Writing an alternate history gives an author the opportunity to use his imagination to see what might have happened. Read more

Published on 19 April 2006 by B. J. C. Hellemons

4.0 out of 5 stars Present in Turtledove's alternative past
There is a good deal to like in Turtledove's latest installment of his ongoing alternative history saga of a divided America. Read more

Published on 17 Mar 2006 by Mark Klobas

3.0 out of 5 stars It's getting a bit predictable!
As a big fan of the genre, I have been following the Turtledove books for a while and there are some gems in there - Guns of the South and Ruled Britannia to name but two. Read more

Published on 8 Mar 2006 by Steven Wood

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My Book Collection pt2: A list by Mr. B. A. Taylor "Taylor"
Harry Turtledove's Alternative History series: A list by Mark Klobas
My Favourite Historical Novels: A list by Mark G Hewitt "BILL THE BLOODY"

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