Book Description
Harry Turtledove–the master of alternate history–has recast the tumultuous twentieth century and created an epic that is powerful, bold, and as convincing as it is provocative. In Drive to the East he continues his saga of warfare that has divided a nation and now threatens the entire world.
In 1914, the First World War ignited a brutal conflict in North America, with the United States finally defeating the Confederate States. In 1917, The Great War ended and an era of simmering hatred began, fueled by the despotism of a few and the sacrifice of many. Now it’s 1942. The USA and CSA are locked in a tangle of jagged, blood-soaked battle lines, modern weaponry, desperate strategies, and the kind of violence that only the damned could conjure up–for their enemies and themselves.
In Richmond, Confederate president and 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. Featherston presses ahead with a secret plan carried out on the dusty plains of Texas, where a so-called detention camp hides a far more evil purpose.
As the untested U.S. vice president takes over for Smith, the United States face a furious thrust by the Confederate army, pressing inexorably into Pennsylvania. But with the industrial heartland under siege, Canada in revolt, and U.S. naval ships fighting against the Japanese in the Sandwich Islands, the most dangerous place in the world may be overlooked.
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PRAISE FOR HARRY TURTLEDOVE
“Turtledove [is] the standard-bearer for alternate history.”
–USA Today
Settling Accounts: Return Engagement
“The author handles his huge cast with admirable skill. The insights into racial politics elevate this novel to a status above mere entertainment, although it provides that aplenty.”
–Publishers Weekly
American Empire: The Victorious Opposition
“Powerful . . . demonstrates Turtledove’s continuing mastery of historical fiction . . . almost impossible to praise too highly.”
–Booklist (starred review)
American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold
“Turtledove never tires of exploring the paths not taken, bringing to his storytelling a prodigious knowledge of his subject and a profound understanding of human sensibilities and motivations.”
–Library Journal
American Empire: Blood & Iron
“Nobody plays the what-if game of alternative history better than Turtledove. . . . This book begins a panoramic story, a new trilogy at least, that promises to be immensely fascinating.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Book 2 Drive to the East.......2007-08-23
Another awesome sequel to the first book by Harry Turtledove "settling accounts return engagement. Great story in recreating a different outcome for World War II.
A Great Read !!!.......2007-07-21
I find this book a truly great read. The story line is good, and the outcome is believeable. I just hope Turtledove continues in this trend, and shows the U.S.A. how they get their just deserts from the Confederacy as they continue to beat the hell out of them.
The trouble with a multi-volume saga..........2006-11-11
...is that there's always the risk that your wellspring of ideas is going to dry up and you wind up recycling. The "Settling Accounts" series isn't so much as series in its own right as it is a continuation of Turtledove's "American Empire" saga. And now it looks like he's falling into the trap of a lot of alternate reality storytellers and taking events from this reality and just changing the players around like in volleyball. For the Confederacy to be led by a disgruntled bigoted enlisted veteran of The Great War should have been a tipoff, but there are so many other things. Like Utah's Mormons sending out suicide bombers. Plus an all-American Holocaust using the same sort of death camps, the same sort of industrial approach, even the same type of chemicals. And I've got real problems with the American Confederacy becoming that much like the Third Reich in spirit. Like any other Yankee schoolkid, I was taught about what big meanies the South were, and the news media reinforced that indoctrination during the 1960s Civil Rights struggles; Wallace, Bull Connor, you name it. Then, later in life, I learned about New England's Legion Of White Decency and their similarity to the Klan, including a visual resemblance, white robes and all. Which made my own region's demonization of the "Rebs" all the more hypocritical. So Turtledove has made this series allegorical, but about as biased an allegory as you can get.
The war gets uglier.......2006-11-02
It is the winter of 1942. Six months have passed since Jake Featherston -- President of the Confederate States of America and "the Sarge" of the ruling Freedom Party -- gave the order for the surprise attack on the United States of America, but the Confederacy has failed in its mission to quickly knock the USA out of the Second World War and restore Confederate hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. The Confederacy's grip on Ohio still has the USA cut in half, while C.S. bombers kill the President of the United States, Al Smith, in his bunker. But his successor vows to continue the war, and for each day that the war drags on, the USA gets stronger, while the CSA's borrowed time slowly runs out. Featherston and his chief of staff, Nathan Bedford Forrest III, devise a new plan that will deliver the coup de grace to the crippled USA -- but will it work? Will Operation Coal-scuttle bring total victory to the Confederate States of America and its madman leader? The blacks in the CSA hope otherwise -- Featherston's henchmen have already cleared several cities of their presence, and the construction of an enormous camp in the empty Texas prairie brings a terrifying new dimension to that mysterious slang-term: "population reduction."
I thought this was a good book. After the bangs and thrills of the first few pages, the book takes a while to get started, but once the operation on which the title of the book is based begins, the action picks up. I also liked the parallels to the Civil War -- General MacArthur's misguided attacks on Fredericksburg, Virginia, mimics Ambrose Burnside's assault oo December 13, 1862, while Jonathan Moss gets used to life in a prison camp in the middle of Georgia called Andersonville.
We also see some new characters -- which means other characters die. One of them was well deserved; the death could not have happened to a nicer person, even if the death comes at an inconvenient time plot-wise.
All in all, a good read for the middle of a series. If you're just getting started with these books, then you'll do better to begin with How Few Remain and work your way from there, but for veterans this book picks up right where Return Engagement ended and doesn't stop.
Gripping..........2006-10-31
Turtledove's magnus alternate history continues to grab one's attention. The story line he has developed has grown well and he meshes actual history to this world he had created. Like others have noted, if you are a student of history, there are few surprises thus far. The South in a surprise attack (note the name of the operation!) starts the WW2 in the US while Europe erupts again too. You see familiar faces trying to deal with a changing world and a brutal war complete with a black holocaust. The US is despertely trying to stem the Confederate advance while an exhuberant South prays for a quick victory.
A few techinal glitches pop up that military historians would arch an eyebrow over (automatic small arms turning the tide of so many battles for instance, the German society Turtledove models the South on, had few autmatic rifles) but over all its a good fast read. I read it in less then 3 days...
He is not developing characters as well as he did in earlier books. As they are killed/die off, few are coming forward to replace them. I do hope he will return to improving the characters the books evolve around.
Looking forward to the next books in the series!
Average customer rating:
- Riddled with errors that will get you lost!
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Country Roads of Minnesota: Drives, Day Trips, and Weekend Excursions
Martin Hintz
Manufacturer: Country Roads Press
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ASIN: 0658001752 |
Customer Reviews:
Riddled with errors that will get you lost! .......2004-09-04
Admittedly, I am basing this review on the section about Northfield, where I have lived for many years. But if this section is any indication, this book was not fact-checked in any way, nor did they use anything so basic as a map to check directions. For instance: "Turning east off the interstate onto State 19, you have only about a 30 minute drive to Northfield." Last time I checked, it was 7 miles, less than 10 minutes. "The city's other highly respected university, Carlton College..." Hello, it's a _College_, not a university, there are _no_ universities in town, and it's spelled Carleton. "A sign greets motorists: Northfield, a special space." Try _Place_. "Head north out of town on Division Street (State 3)" - if you do head out of town on Division, it becomes State 19. "Northfield was founded in 1855...by John North and blacksmith/farmer I. S. Field." There's no mention of this Mr. Field in any of my books about Northfield history - did the author make this up? The author complains that "revisionist history [is] the rage these days," but I'm afraid he's unintentionally contributing to the revision. There are a fair number of other errors and wierd interpretations of reality in this section, but I think I've made my point.
I think the idea of the book is great - traveling through on the smaller roads, getting to know a state in a way other than just hitting the major cities, which are only a small part of what makes up this state. Unfortunately, the casualness with which dubious "facts" and directions are tossed around keep this book from being useful to most people.
Book Description
Ramble through America's rural heartland on winding back roads that lead to an endless variety of out-in-the-country attractions. Country Roads of Wisconsin explores more than 10 meandering weekend tours as the author shares his intimate knowledge of people, places, and country life.
Customer Reviews:
Good book but less complete than title suggests.......2002-09-22
The title might make this seem like a fairly comprehensive waterfall guide for three states. It does cover waterfalls of Georgia better than any other book I know of. It's section for Alabama is relatively short. I'm less familiar with Alabama and don't know whether that means the book's coverage is sparser there, or whether there are far fewer waterfalls (or at least far fewer public-viewable ones) in Alabama. But as for Tennessee, the book's title is a bit mislesding to the extent that it would seem to claim general coverage for waterfalls in that state. There are whole good-sized waterfall-rich portions of Tennessee that are completely left out. The north part of the Cumberland Plateau is one part left out and the other is the northern district of Cherokee National Forest. Those areas are more or less as waterfall-rich as their more southerly counterparts that are covered in the book. Also omitted from this book is the Tennessee portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but another book by the same author does cover waterfalls of that park. Another drawback of this book is that it has no index. But the upside is that, in the areas it does cover this book provides good directions to the waterfalls in question and maps in most cases. The maps show contour lines, which makes the trails easier to follow for those who know something about reading topographig maps. For the falls it does cover, it is therefore a good guide. It also has in the middle a section of beautiful photographs, most of them in color. Possibly it is the most comprehensive waterfall guide for Georgia, and I wouldn't konw about Alabama. But as for Tennnessee, there is a much more complete waterfall guide that covers all parts of that state that have waterfalls, and that is WATERFALLS OF TENNESSEE by Gregory Plumb.
Waterfall Walks and Drives in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.......2002-08-24
The book's table of contents serves as the index: all 125 waterfalls are listed. At $9.95 this book is an exceptional value (8 cents per waterfall).
Good book but less complete than title suggests.......2002-08-10
The title might make this seem like a fairly comprehensive waterfall guide for three states. It does cover waterfalls of Georgia better than any other book I know of. It's section for Alabama is relatively short. I'm less familiar with Alabama and don't know whether that means the book's coverage is sparser there, or whether there are far fewer waterfalls (or at least far fewer public-viewable ones) in Alabama. But as for Tennessee, the book's title is a bit mislesding to the extent that it would seem to claim general coverage for waterfalls in that state. There are whole good-sized waterfall-rich portions of Tennessee that are completely left out. The north part of the Cumberland Plateau is one part left out and the other is the northern district of Cherokee National Forest. Those areas are more or less as waterfall-rich as their more southerly counterparts that are covered in the book. Also omitted from this book is the Tennessee portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but another book by the same author does cover waterfalls of that park. Another drawback of this book is that it has no index. But the upside is that, in the areas it does cover this book provides good directions to the waterfalls in question and maps in most cases. The maps show contour lines, which makes the trails easier to follow for those who know something about reading topographig maps. For the falls it does cover, it is therefore a good guide. It also has in the middle a section of beautiful photographs, most of them in color. Possibly it is the most comprehensive waterfall guide for Georgia, and I wouldn't konw about Alabama. But as for Tennnessee, there is a much more complete waterfall guide that covers all parts of that state that have waterfalls, and that is WATERFALLS OF TENNESSEE by Gregory Plumb.
My favorite book and way to spend a weekend........2001-02-15
My family has been drug up to North Georgia to hike on every Waterfall in this book. We love Blood Mountain falls and Wildcat Creek falls, because you can slide down them. Barnes Creek in the Cohutta Wilderness is another great place to play, right when the trail starts at the bottom, and all the way up to all the multiple falls. There is a big grass camping field on top of the mountain for a wonderful all downhill hike on Barnes Creek too. The falls in the Tallulah Basin and over by the Chattooga River are so exciting to find and explore. The scary cliff clinging hike in the Three Forks is as good as it gets. Mark even mentions Rock Town, an area of house size boulders you have to climb on , around, and under. You could spend all day there and still not see everything. It's amazing how many waterfalls the great state of Georgia has. Get this book and start enjoying some of the best weekends in some of the best wilderness area's in all of the Eastern U.S. There are so many more waterfalls past Anna Ruby and Amicalola. Please pack out though, and be safe. Another great waterfall book is Waterfalls of the Southern Appalachians, which covers waterfalls in North and South Carolina. Go Mark Go.
Book makes locating hard-to-find waterfalls easy.......1999-02-16
This book does a great job of giving detailed maps and directions to some waterfalls that are very remote and obscure (as well as some that aren't). The author, a former surveyor, is very precise with his descriptions with milages accurate to .05 miles. The chief drawbacks are a lack of commentary and information on the fauna and flora of the region and a complex identification system that becomes rather cumbersome. Overall, an excellent catelog of some of the prettiest waterfalls in the region.
Average customer rating:
- Road Trip, Egyptian-style
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A Drive to Israel: An Egyptian Meets His Neighbors (Dayan Center Papers, 128)
Ali Salim
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
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Palace Walk (Cairo Trilogy)
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Islamic Imperialism: A History
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The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage)
ASIN: 9652240508 |
Book Description
Ali Salem's A Drive to Israel is an engaging account of Israel through Egyptian eyes, and a deliberate challenge to Egypt's intellectual establishment.
In 1994, the popular playwright and humorist Ali Salem filled up his old soviet built car, loaded the trunk with copies of his books, and drove from Cairo to Israel. In three intense weeks, he traveled the length and breadth of the country. On the return, he wrote a provocative book, full of wry humor and keen insight, which became a best seller in Egypt. Ali Salem's A Drive to Israel is an engaging account of Israel through Egyptian eyes, and a deliberate challenge to Egypt's intellectual establishment.
Customer Reviews:
Road Trip, Egyptian-style.......2005-12-03
A rebellious playwright with a sense of the outrageous plans and executes a road trip to Israel soon after Israel and Egypt make peace. He shocks his family, outrages his peers, and thrills his curious countrymen with a narrative of the journey. There is something almost Mark Twainish in his observations along the way.
The anecdotes, histories, personalities, locations, and laments Salem chose to include provide interesting insights into the Egyptian psyche. Though I found the translation a bit awkward in places, what I read rang true with my own experiences traveling by bicycle in these lands. Ali Salem helped fill in many random details I could never have gathered myself.
Like Steinbeck's "Travels with Charlie," "A Drive to Israel" provides a view into the Egyptian national psyche more than it provides a history, travel log, or travel guide to Israel. It's an interesting yet funny read about a deadly serious region.
Book Description
A chronological account of the campaigns on the Eastern Front, following the German advance from the Soviet frontier to the Red Army's bitter defense of Stalingrad
- The massive concentration of German forces in Eastern Europe during the spring of 1941 precipitated the onset of the largest land conflict the world had ever seen and detailed German and Soviet orders of battle and comparative strengths in both troops and equipment sets the scene.
- The German advance from the frontier heralded their long drive east, and left in its wake a shattered and demoralized Red Army and the spectacular German battles of encirclement and the dogged resistance of the Soviet armies as they retreated are fully recounted.
- From the depths of despair, a determined Soviet leadership began the long process of rebuilding its armed forces.
- At the very edge of defeat before their capital and into the bloodbath along the banks of the Volga, the Soviet commanders carefully assembled their operational reserves in order to inflict a crippling counter-strike.
- This day-by-day account allows the reader to obtain an understanding of the scale of the conflict and assess the impact of distance and time upon operations or alternatively, to concentrate upon a specific battle as it unfolded.
- By detailed each combat sector, be it the encirclement battles in the north or sweeping advances in the south, the reader is able to study a chosen area of operations in isolation while also assessing its impact upon the wider campaign.
Customer Reviews:
A good general source for the War on the Eastern Front.......2004-09-12
Many books have been written and are yet to be written on the Eastern Front battles between Germany and the Soviet Union. This book and its companian are a good starting point for a novice study of these battles.
The books are a quick read but with only a half page or less per day it leaves a lot left out and only covers the major actions of the combatants.
A recommended addition to a Eastern Front libary as a good starting point for future research.
Elementary.......2004-07-01
A fine starting book on das Ostfront for neophytes and college students (did I repeat myself?). If you are anyone well read in this area, skip, nay--run from this book. It will insult your intelligence and you will find yourself mentally adding in the many points the author missed. Some sort of sub-title, like 'elementary guide to ' or 'first book of' definitely applies here. Many mistakes, that even non-experts can catch, abound.
Good general source.......2004-03-19
Although exploring nothing new about the Eastern Front and even making some mistakes in the introduction (for example about the Red Army Purges) this book is a very good source to have for the general account and movement of the German Army throughout 1941 on the Eastern Front as well as the respective response from the Soviet side. Although more sources could and should have been used, I can understand why they were not, as the book would be too cumbersome and hard to follow. Detailed studies can be found in various other books of individual unit actions, but that is not what this book is for. If one has an interest in a certain action and/or day that an event occurred on, they can do their own research with this book being their beginning general account/source.
Does what it sets out to doý outstandingly........2004-03-14
If you are a fan of the Eastern Front then this book would fit into the "must have" category.
You get an average of around half a page on each day's events, but it varies a widely. Well written, and within the limits of space, setting matters in context. Twenty five clearly illustrated maps are dispersed among the text. They are correctly placed and fit conveniently with the narrative.
The two main sources used, Glantz and Erickson, are indeed the best sources available by a wide margin, in my view. (One day the Germany and the Second World War series will be the best source available... but at ten volumes, and $300a time, they should be;)
Highly recommended.
Orgainizes a very broad topic.......2003-11-01
In short, this book is a day by day diary of major developments on the Eastern Front in WW2. Don't expect to find anything new here, but the past secondary works (mainly Erickson & Glantz) have been well covered and used as source material for this work. It is a good book to have as a quick handbook to what was going on, and where. My chief criticism is that the author overlooked important works from Ziemke & Bauer, and Fugate, regarding the first phase of the Russian War. For that reason, use this book only as a guidline to the key events. I would hope that a 2nd edition would incorporate those missing references. I recommend this work for the east front fanatic, and I would support a 2nd edition drawing from Ziemke & Bauer, and Fugate. If the author were to try this approach with different theatres, please do a better job selecting your reference materials.
Average customer rating:
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The Political Road to War with Iraq: Bush, 9/11 and the Drive to Overthrow Saddam (Contemporary Security Studies)
Nick Ritchie
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415397324 |
Book Description
As insurgency continues to plague Iraq and coalition forces struggle to maintain control, leaders in both Washington and London continue to assert that their course of action was the right one, a crucial question is: how did this situation arise?
This book argues that the Bush Administration was intent on regime change in Iraq on entering office in 2000 for a number of reasons, including:
* the enduring strategic importance of the Persian Gulf;
* growing disdain for the containment policy constructed after the 1991 Gulf War;
* the neo-conservatives desire for a robust foreign policy grounded in use of military and political power to secure US national interests.
This books central argument is that military conflict between the United States and Iraq was highly likely, if not inevitable, after September 11. This argument is based on a detailed examination of statements made by senior members of the Bush administration, senior members of Congress and influential neo-conservative commentators, together with empirical analysis of what actually took place in the build up to the war.
This is essential reading for all students of security studies, peace studies, US politics and the Middle East.
Average customer rating:
- Perfect for our trip to the U.P. !
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Country Roads of Michigan: Drives, Day Trips, and Weekend Excursions
D. Scharfenberg
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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ASIN: 1566261198 |
Customer Reviews:
Perfect for our trip to the U.P. !.......2006-07-25
I was so grateful to have stumbled on this book the night before we left on our trip to the Upper Pennensula of Michigan. We saw things and went to quaint little out-of-the-way places we never would have found without the book. If you like to get off the main roads and have an adventure, this book is for you. Made me fall in love with my state of Michigan all over again!
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Books Index
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The Grapple (Settling Accounts, Book 3)
Return Engagement (Settling Accounts, Book 1)
End of the Beginning: A Novel of Alternate History
In at the Death (Settling Accounts, Book 4)
American Empire: The Victorious Opposition (American Empire)
