What Turtledove book should I get?
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 02:49:20 PM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  General Politics
  Political Debate
  Book Reviews and Discussion (Moderator: Torie)
  What Turtledove book should I get?
« previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: What Turtledove book should I get?  (Read 4338 times)
FEMA Camp Administrator
Cathcon
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 27,284
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« on: August 09, 2011, 06:37:57 PM »

Right now I'm at the library and got only twenty minutes. There are a couple here including:
- the 2nd war between the USA and CSA
-What if Chamberlain stood up to Hitler
-the one with Woodrow Wilson as President of the CSA while TR heads the US
-THe one with assistant secretary of defense FDR andn a Dewey/Truman ticket (I think it's here)
-The one with that one dude who's name I can't remember as President of the CSA under the Freedom Party
-the one that has Coolidge and Smith as candidates for the Presidency.

Hopefully some of you can help me out here.
Logged
bullmoose88
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 14,515


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2011, 07:10:44 PM »

Guns of the South.  But I assume you already read that.
Logged
Yelnoc
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 7,148
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2011, 07:37:29 PM »

Guns of the South is the best TL-191 book by far.  The rest feel like they were ripped off a template.  In the Presence of Mine Enemies is, by far, my favorite Turtledove book.  Most of his early stuff, such as Ruled Britannia, is also fairly good.
Logged
FEMA Camp Administrator
Cathcon
Atlas Star
*****
Posts: 27,284
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2011, 09:13:50 PM »

I ended up with "The Great War: American Front". No, I have not read Guns of the South, but I have a little bit of familiarity with the series. I chose this book out of the selection due to how awesome I thought it'd be having Woodrow Wilson as CSA President facing the USA's Teddy Roosevelt.
Logged
Frink
Lafayette53
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 703
United States


Political Matrix
E: -2.39, S: -6.17

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2011, 01:19:07 AM »

The Guns of the South is a quite enjoyable book if your into the genre. The others I've read were filled with randomly placed sex scenes (poorly written ones at that) and some truly rubbish parallels to OTL.
Logged
True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
Ernest
Moderators
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 42,157
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2011, 12:09:19 AM »
« Edited: August 11, 2011, 12:24:01 AM by True Federalist »

Guns of the South is the best TL-191 book by far.  The rest feel like they were ripped off a template.  In the Presence of Mine Enemies is, by far, my favorite Turtledove book.  Most of his early stuff, such as Ruled Britannia, is also fairly good.

Guns of the South in not a TL-191 book.  It has a different POD entirely.  I like the premise, but it buys into the Marble Man mythology of Robert E. Lee way too much for my taste.

However, both Guns of the South and the TL-191 series are more believable that Harry Harrison's Stars and Stripes trilogy.
Logged
Yelnoc
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 7,148
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2011, 06:39:14 PM »

Guns of the South is the best TL-191 book by far.  The rest feel like they were ripped off a template.  In the Presence of Mine Enemies is, by far, my favorite Turtledove book.  Most of his early stuff, such as Ruled Britannia, is also fairly good.

Guns of the South in not a TL-191 book.  It has a different POD entirely.  I like the premise, but it buys into the Marble Man mythology of Robert E. Lee way too much for my taste.

However, both Guns of the South and the TL-191 series are more believable that Harry Harrison's Stars and Stripes trilogy.
Really?  I could never really get into TL-191 (they all feel like he was payed per word) but Guns of the South seemed like a natural predecessor.  I've never heard of Harry Harrison, but I guess he's not worth searching.

As to Lee, yeah, his reputation is completely inflated.  He made a bungle of an offensive campaign, even at engagements when the victory should have been handed to him on a silver platter, and then utterly failed in the defensive war.  Though maybe that's just happens when you compare a first class general like Grant to him.  Honestly, the only reason it took five years to beat the south was the initial Northern incompetence. 
Logged
True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
Ernest
Moderators
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 42,157
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2011, 07:40:06 PM »

Guns of the South in not a TL-191 book.  It has a different POD entirely.  I like the premise, but it buys into the Marble Man mythology of Robert E. Lee way too much for my taste.

However, both Guns of the South and the TL-191 series are more believable that Harry Harrison's Stars and Stripes trilogy.
Really?  I could never really get into TL-191 (they all feel like he was payed per word) but Guns of the South seemed like a natural predecessor.  I've never heard of Harry Harrison, but I guess he's not worth searching.

Harry Harrison has written some stuff worth reading, but Stars and Stripes ain't it.   The Guns of the South opens with a man in mottled clothing and with a strange accent coming into Lee's camp early in 1864 to show him a new rifle he says he can offer in quantity to the Confederacy.  He calls it the AK-47.
Logged
bullmoose88
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 14,515


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2011, 10:43:28 PM »

How Few Remain is the more traditional alt-hist civil war book which provides the "historical" foundation to the other series. Guns of the South is a standalone book.
Logged
Elyski
elyski729
Rookie
**
Posts: 148
United States


Political Matrix
E: 9.70, S: -8.00

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2011, 07:38:02 PM »

I suggest you get How Few Remain. Or else you'll be running into the rest of the TL-191 sereis blind.
Logged
Mr. Taft Republican
Taft4Prez
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 1,230
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2011, 03:52:33 PM »

Right now I'm at the library and got only twenty minutes. There are a couple here including:
- the 2nd war between the USA and CSA
-What if Chamberlain stood up to Hitler
-the one with Woodrow Wilson as President of the CSA while TR heads the US
-THe one with assistant secretary of defense FDR andn a Dewey/Truman ticket (I think it's here)
-The one with that one dude who's name I can't remember as President of the CSA under the Freedom Party
-the one that has Coolidge and Smith as candidates for the Presidency.

Hopefully some of you can help me out here.

At least 3 of those are in the same series, start it with Wilson and TR as Presidents, it's when the series gets good.
Logged
True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
Ernest
Moderators
Atlas Legend
*****
Posts: 42,157
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2012, 11:05:24 PM »

He's started another book series, Supervolcano.  This one isn't alt-hist, but is set in modern times, but with the Yellowstone supervolcano going kablooey, leading to the United States needing one less star in its flag as no one lives in Wyoming anymore.  It's a typical Turtledove mish-mash and not one of his better efforts in my opinion.
Logged
Yelnoc
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 7,148
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2012, 07:08:20 PM »

Ah yes, I was thinking of How Few Remain.  I haven't actually read Guns of the South, but seeing as I have no interest in a Confederacy-wank, I have no intention of doing so any time soon.

He's started another book series, Supervolcano.  This one isn't alt-hist, but is set in modern times, but with the Yellowstone supervolcano going kablooey, leading to the United States needing one less star in its flag as no one lives in Wyoming anymore.  It's a typical Turtledove mish-mash and not one of his better efforts in my opinion.
Yeah, Turtledove seems to have permanently declined as a writer.  Honestly, the best alternate history can be found online.  Alternatehistory.com has some wonderful gems, though you have to sift through a lot of trash to find them.
Logged
ViaActiva
Jr. Member
***
Posts: 253


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2012, 05:04:20 AM »

How Few Remain is good, the quality of books seems to decline as the series goes on.
Logged
Enduro
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,073


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2022, 06:28:21 PM »

I plan on reading his alternate civil war series eventually, but I liked Three Miles Down (his newest) immensely. Even though the typos were annoying for a veteran writer. Read through the first of his Hawaii Invasion duology, and getting through the second one.
Logged
Mr. Reactionary
blackraisin
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 17,784
United States


Political Matrix
E: 5.45, S: -3.35

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2022, 07:31:48 PM »

I love Guns of the South!
Logged
Enduro
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,073


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2022, 07:59:09 AM »


Which one is that?
Logged
Mr. Reactionary
blackraisin
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 17,784
United States


Political Matrix
E: 5.45, S: -3.35

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2022, 09:39:04 AM »


South Africans go back in time and give Robert E Lee AK47s.
Logged
Enduro
Junior Chimp
*****
Posts: 5,073


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #18 on: December 03, 2022, 11:56:46 AM »


I thought so; he wrote a number of books about alternate civil wars, so I was wondering if it was the one that isn't in his main timeline.
South Africans go back in time and give Robert E Lee AK47s.
Logged
beaver2.0
YaBB God
*****
Posts: 4,769


Political Matrix
E: -2.45, S: -0.52

P P

Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #19 on: December 06, 2022, 10:08:59 AM »


I thought so; he wrote a number of books about alternate civil wars, so I was wondering if it was the one that isn't in his main timeline.
South Africans go back in time and give Robert E Lee AK47s.
No his main timeline (TL-191) involves a southern victory but it is achieved through conventional means.  Guns of the South has the same premise of a Confederate victory but it only happens because of the time traveling Afrikaners.
Logged
Pages: [1]  
« previous next »
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.044 seconds with 12 queries.