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1901 (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert Conroy (Author)
2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Price: £4.99 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Presidio Press; 1st Mass Market Ed edition (15 Feb 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0891418431
  • ISBN-13: 978-0891418436
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.6 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 229,076 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
"FASCINATING . . . A page-turner. The plot is skillfully crafted. Its style is clear, crisp, and bold."
"-Oakland Press""
"
"IMAGINATIVE AND ENTERTAINING."
"-Detroit Free Press
"
"PACKED WITH ACTION."
"-Detroit News""
"
"The yarn is likely to please both military history and alternate history buffs. . . . The writing . . . keeps us turning the pages."
-"Booklist"
"An intriguing blend of historical fact and fiction."
"-Detroit Free Press
"
"A solid what-if historical . . . Cleverly conceived."
"-Publishers Weekly
"

Synopsis
In 1901, as the imperial German navy invades the United States, President McKinley suffers a fatal heart attack and Theodore Roosevelt, the new commander in chief, rallies the disorganized American forces to defend their homeland, in a novel of alternatehistory.
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1901
45% buy the item featured on this page:
1901 2.7 out of 5 stars (6)
£4.99
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1945
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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 (1)
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 (2)
2 star:
 (3)
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Average Customer Review
2.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Good plot, poor execution, 15 Jan 2006
By Mark Klobas (Tempe, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
One of the great problems with alternative history is the lack of imagination. All too often, the novels of the genre begin with a divergence, usually involving the Civil War or World War II, and lead to a result that is not unfamiliar to a student of our history. In this respect, Robert Conroy's book is a refreshing change of pace with its intriguing premise: what if the German kaiser had decided to attack the United States in an effort to take over its recently acquired colonies? As ideas go, it is imaginative enough to be refreshing, yet plausible enough to work. Conroy follows this up with a believable plot that details the consequences of this decision on the world and on the cast of characters he assembles.

Nevertheless, this is the limit of Conroy's achievement, as having avoided one pitfall he ends up stumbling into others. Though the plot is engaging the writing is not, as Conroy's insertion of details often gives passages the feel of a textbook. A similar problem exists with the characters; while his main hero and heroine are well fleshed out, the rest often come across as underdeveloped and stereotypical.

The greatest problem with Conroy's novel, though, is its lack of respect for the historical background. Though this might seem counter-intuitive in a novel of alternative history, it is one of the keys to a successful alternative history novel. Yet Conroy seems uninterested in this. As other reviewers have noted, he infuses his characters with more modern sensibilities (such as attitudes towards blacks and immigrant Germans) which no event could have created back then. Doing so robs them of their distinctive voice, and strong historical personalities such as Theodore Roosevelt seem to be little more than two-dimensional mouthpieces used to offer expositions on the plot. He also falls victim to name-dropping, introducing famous figures like Winston Churchill no matter how implausible their participation in events might have been, apparently for no reason other than to give him an excuse to crowd his narrative with a 'who's-who' of historical characters.

As a consequence, the novel fails to live up to the promise of the plot. Readers drawn to the genre by the works of authors like Harry Turtledove will find Conroy's novel a pale imitation of their best efforts. Though entertaining in some respects, it lacks the vivid evocation of an alternate past that makes such books compelling reading. I only hope that other, better writers of the field will be inspired to make similar bold leaps of the imagination when defining 'what might have been.'

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Nice concept, shame about the writing, 6 May 2004
By A Customer
When I heard about this book I was fascinated, I'd never really known about any (potential) conflict between the USA and Germany of this period so I was very curious as to what could be made of it.
What a shame then that the author spoilt it. Terrible writing, terrible character construction and an awful juddering nature to the plot.
While grateful the author largely avoided the “evil British” lunacy that Harry Harrison seems to have been infected with, this time it’s the Germans who are, largely, painted as rapists and monsters. As to the depiction of the Kaiser - oh dear, oh dear!
I wonder whether the author got confused and painted Hitler’s demonic nature into the wrong era. Historical evidence from all reasonable sources show that the man was incredibly ambitious but not stark staring mad.
However, I accept this is an alternative history, so maybe in this world he was!
Altogether a very dissappointing book leaving too many open questions and light weight plot lines to be satisfying.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Good idea, but...., 20 Mar 2004
As alternate history novels go, 1901 has a good starting point, since the historical event that marks the point of departure of its timeline from ours is not usual or commonplace.
In other words, whilst there are plenty of novels featuring alternate endings for the American War of Independence, the American Civil War, WW1, WW2, the possibility of a war between the United States of America and the German Empire at the beginning of 20th century has not - to the best of my knowledge - been explored by other writers.
My problem with this novel stems from the practical implementation of the concept: 1901 has, IMHO, a couple of serious defects, that is, cardboard characters and unbelievable social interaction and dialogues.
For the latter, compare 1901 with the undoubted benchmark (albeit a bit long winded) of AH for late 19th century - WW1 period, i.e. H. Turledove "Great War" series.
In other words, you have Gilded Age characters behaving (and speaking) like current Americans.
Compared to the magnitude of the events described, the (short) length of the novel precludes also a successful exploration of the many points of interest that emerge from the plot.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for a relatively unknown period
I read the reviews here, mostly negative before I purchased the book, but decided to give it a try anyway, as the premise is so intriguing. Read more
Published 18 months ago by samfromscottsdale

3.0 out of 5 stars deutschland uber alles
An intriguing idea for a novel of alternate history, with some factual background. What if germany had invaded america in 1901? Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2007 by Paul Tapner

3.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining read
First off, the bad- The Kaiser is portrayed as a complete nut through a large part of this book. Although Im no expert I have never come across any history book that has indicated... Read more
Published on 10 April 2004

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