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Settling Accounts #2
Drive to the East
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
640 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2005
About the author
Harry Turtledove
513 books1,833 followersDr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.
Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.
Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.
Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.
Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 21, 2020
It's nice to see General Dowling finally get a command worthy of his position that he can actually do something with...
...also, Jefferson Pinkard is, in my humble opinion, the most vile villain in this novel.
***************************************
The above were just some quick notes I scribbled as I didn't have the time to compose a more in-depth review.
Interestingly, whilst this novel finally puts a damper on the Confederate drive into the Union, the complete pocketing and destruction of it's main army (spoilers) only ends in the death of one main character that I can recall (i.e. Tom Colleton). Seemingly unusual for this somewhat "Game of Thrones-esque" series.
I'm incredibly delighted to see now Lieutenant Sam Carsten in command of his own vessel, albeit a Destroyer Escort / Frigate / Corvette - whatever the naval parlance in your country of origin happens to be - it's generally a ship design we employed during World War II to escort Convoys, which are far too slow to for a full-on Destroyer for an escort, but could still benefit from the firepower and capabilities of a destroyer - it's barely seaworthy. :) The disparity in this alternate reality where the United States is, in fact, Carrier-less in the Pacific Ocean due to only possessing three total aircraft carriers at the outbreak of the war is also an interesting diversion point and fundamentally changes the war against the Japanese - case in point, the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) remain the only American-held territory in the entire Ocean at this point (both Midway and Wake being firmly Japanese).
The flaws in Jake Featherston's character are finally starting to be revealed to some of his upper echelon supporters, what with Pittsburgh becoming something akin to what Stalingrad was in our timeline, perhaps. I'd be curious to see if General Nathan Forrest III becomes something like Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg was in our timeline.
Also, I'm sure from a European perspective this may not seem quite that unusual, but I just can't even begin to imagine what vast tracts of the United States would look like after suffering under both World Wars - a completely demolished Pittsburgh, Ohio a back-and-forth battleground, numerous cities subjected to constant aerial bombardment - that's just not something we've ever seen here in the United States. And now, with competing atomic bomb programs in both the USA and the CSA, the foreshadowing of destruction yet to come lays thick.
I said what I said earlier about Jefferson Pinkard for, as the man who runs the largest of the African-American concentration camps, who has become more and more "efficient" in murdering them off, in new ways, he is the most nefarious. Yes, Featherston has the ideas, the drive, and the means to provide for it to happen, but Pinkard is the one with his finger on the trigger.
...also, Jefferson Pinkard is, in my humble opinion, the most vile villain in this novel.
***************************************
The above were just some quick notes I scribbled as I didn't have the time to compose a more in-depth review.
Interestingly, whilst this novel finally puts a damper on the Confederate drive into the Union, the complete pocketing and destruction of it's main army (spoilers) only ends in the death of one main character that I can recall (i.e. Tom Colleton). Seemingly unusual for this somewhat "Game of Thrones-esque" series.
I'm incredibly delighted to see now Lieutenant Sam Carsten in command of his own vessel, albeit a Destroyer Escort / Frigate / Corvette - whatever the naval parlance in your country of origin happens to be - it's generally a ship design we employed during World War II to escort Convoys, which are far too slow to for a full-on Destroyer for an escort, but could still benefit from the firepower and capabilities of a destroyer - it's barely seaworthy. :) The disparity in this alternate reality where the United States is, in fact, Carrier-less in the Pacific Ocean due to only possessing three total aircraft carriers at the outbreak of the war is also an interesting diversion point and fundamentally changes the war against the Japanese - case in point, the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) remain the only American-held territory in the entire Ocean at this point (both Midway and Wake being firmly Japanese).
The flaws in Jake Featherston's character are finally starting to be revealed to some of his upper echelon supporters, what with Pittsburgh becoming something akin to what Stalingrad was in our timeline, perhaps. I'd be curious to see if General Nathan Forrest III becomes something like Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg was in our timeline.
Also, I'm sure from a European perspective this may not seem quite that unusual, but I just can't even begin to imagine what vast tracts of the United States would look like after suffering under both World Wars - a completely demolished Pittsburgh, Ohio a back-and-forth battleground, numerous cities subjected to constant aerial bombardment - that's just not something we've ever seen here in the United States. And now, with competing atomic bomb programs in both the USA and the CSA, the foreshadowing of destruction yet to come lays thick.
I said what I said earlier about Jefferson Pinkard for, as the man who runs the largest of the African-American concentration camps, who has become more and more "efficient" in murdering them off, in new ways, he is the most nefarious. Yes, Featherston has the ideas, the drive, and the means to provide for it to happen, but Pinkard is the one with his finger on the trigger.
April 25, 2021
1 May 2009 - These comments are for Drive to the East, Settling Accounts #2, Southern Victory #9.
But first, here is a taxonomy of Harry Turtledove’s 11-volume alternate history sequence, known as Southern Victory or Timeline-191. Book #1 is a singleton, titled How Few Remain. Books #2-4 are The Great War trilogy (American Front, Walk in Hell, Breakthroughs). Books #5-7 are The American Empire trilogy (Blood and Iron, The Center Cannot Hold, The Victorious Opposition). Books #8-11 are The Settling Accounts tetralogy (Return Engagement, Drive to the East, The Grapple, In at the Death. All 11 should be read in strict order; there is historical and character continuity across the entire sequence. I read them in clusters by trilogy/tetralogy.
I will say this for Harry Turtledove's writing - he is not afraid to kill off a major character that has been around for 2 or 3 thousand pages. And it happens in a fairly accurate way; that particular storyline simply stops with the sentence in which the character dies. Things still happen of course, but now the reader only sees them from the great distance of one of the other characters. I enjoyed when two storylines quietly crossed - Chester Martin is wounded and goes to a mobile army hospital in one storyline. Dr. O'Doull treats a wounded soldier with the same sort of injury in the next storyline. But they never speak or otherwise recognize that the reader is following both of them.
I live in Wisconsin, and for the first time in the entire sequence, Milwaukee and Wisconsin were finally mentioned, if only briefly.
So, on to the next book.
But first, here is a taxonomy of Harry Turtledove’s 11-volume alternate history sequence, known as Southern Victory or Timeline-191. Book #1 is a singleton, titled How Few Remain. Books #2-4 are The Great War trilogy (American Front, Walk in Hell, Breakthroughs). Books #5-7 are The American Empire trilogy (Blood and Iron, The Center Cannot Hold, The Victorious Opposition). Books #8-11 are The Settling Accounts tetralogy (Return Engagement, Drive to the East, The Grapple, In at the Death. All 11 should be read in strict order; there is historical and character continuity across the entire sequence. I read them in clusters by trilogy/tetralogy.
I will say this for Harry Turtledove's writing - he is not afraid to kill off a major character that has been around for 2 or 3 thousand pages. And it happens in a fairly accurate way; that particular storyline simply stops with the sentence in which the character dies. Things still happen of course, but now the reader only sees them from the great distance of one of the other characters. I enjoyed when two storylines quietly crossed - Chester Martin is wounded and goes to a mobile army hospital in one storyline. Dr. O'Doull treats a wounded soldier with the same sort of injury in the next storyline. But they never speak or otherwise recognize that the reader is following both of them.
I live in Wisconsin, and for the first time in the entire sequence, Milwaukee and Wisconsin were finally mentioned, if only briefly.
So, on to the next book.
April 5, 2018
There is a good deal to like in Turtledove’s latest installment of his ongoing alternative history saga of a divided America. The second volume of the “Settling Accounts” series picks up right where the last one left off, with the United States and the Confederate States at war once again. The American president is dead and the Confederate drive through Ohio has split the U.S. in two. Yet with a new president the war continues, and Turtledove entertains with his own version of the Second World War, following a number of characters from the previous volumes as they fight and live through the conflict.
There is an interesting new note to this volume. The Mormon revolt in Utah – an ongoing subplot that dates back to the initial volume in the series – produces a new weapon that is more familiar to readers from today’s headlines than from histories of World War II. It seems that Turtledove has decided to introduce an element of 21st century warfare to his 1940s battlefield as a way of commenting on current events, suggesting his own attitudes to today’s violence. It will be interesting as well to see if he develops this idea further in the next volume.
Yet as enjoyable as the novel is, it suffers from a degree of sloppiness. Some of the sloppiness is error borne of too little research – I doubt that the U.S. would name a destroyer escort after a Southerner, for example – while some seems to be of exhaustion. Compared to the initial volumes of the series there seems to be a growing degree of repetitiveness in this book, not just of the last installment (a little understandable due to the need to refresh readers from what happened previously) but within the book itself. Observations and even plot developments are recycled and rehashed almost as if Turtledove is simply trying to fill space. While I am as eager for the next volume as any other fan of the series, I would be willing to wait a little longer if it led to a novel of the caliber of “How Few Remain.” Though this work may develop the tale he started with that book, it seems to be a little hollow by comparison.
There is an interesting new note to this volume. The Mormon revolt in Utah – an ongoing subplot that dates back to the initial volume in the series – produces a new weapon that is more familiar to readers from today’s headlines than from histories of World War II. It seems that Turtledove has decided to introduce an element of 21st century warfare to his 1940s battlefield as a way of commenting on current events, suggesting his own attitudes to today’s violence. It will be interesting as well to see if he develops this idea further in the next volume.
Yet as enjoyable as the novel is, it suffers from a degree of sloppiness. Some of the sloppiness is error borne of too little research – I doubt that the U.S. would name a destroyer escort after a Southerner, for example – while some seems to be of exhaustion. Compared to the initial volumes of the series there seems to be a growing degree of repetitiveness in this book, not just of the last installment (a little understandable due to the need to refresh readers from what happened previously) but within the book itself. Observations and even plot developments are recycled and rehashed almost as if Turtledove is simply trying to fill space. While I am as eager for the next volume as any other fan of the series, I would be willing to wait a little longer if it led to a novel of the caliber of “How Few Remain.” Though this work may develop the tale he started with that book, it seems to be a little hollow by comparison.
January 21, 2020
This book is the second of four in the final chapter of Turtledove's sweeping epic alternate history of a world in which the Confederate States of America win their independence during the War of Succession in the 1860s. In the previous book, the CSA launched a surprise attack on the USA, quickly driving north through Ohio to Lake Erie, cutting the USA in half. But instead of giving up, as the CSA expected, the USA fights on, counterattacking in Virginia, hoping to capture the Confederate Capital in Richmond.
In this book, that counter offensive has stalled, and the CSA goes on the offensive again, this time targeting the steel production in Pittsburgh. But the war is bigger than just these battles in the East. Turtledove's vast cast of characters take us to a variety of places across both countries as he explores the possibilities of yet another war between the North and South.
Not only is the USA fighting the CSA, but it is also engaged in Naval struggles with England and France in the Atlantic, and with the Empire of Japan in the Pacific, and is struggling to put down a Mormon uprising in Utah as well as another in occupied Canada.
In the CSA, the president, Jake Featherston, and his Freedom Party are making good on their promises to deal with the "problem" of the South's black population, implementing a genocide that is accelerating rapidly as the black populations of entire towns disappear.
And behind the scenes, both countries are racing to develop weapons based on Uranium.
As before, Turtledove is a master at extrapolating from the known into the "what-if", with actual historical characters making appearances in very different roles in this alternate context. And all of it feels surprisingly plausible, given the initial premise that the Confederacy could become an independent nation.
In this book, that counter offensive has stalled, and the CSA goes on the offensive again, this time targeting the steel production in Pittsburgh. But the war is bigger than just these battles in the East. Turtledove's vast cast of characters take us to a variety of places across both countries as he explores the possibilities of yet another war between the North and South.
Not only is the USA fighting the CSA, but it is also engaged in Naval struggles with England and France in the Atlantic, and with the Empire of Japan in the Pacific, and is struggling to put down a Mormon uprising in Utah as well as another in occupied Canada.
In the CSA, the president, Jake Featherston, and his Freedom Party are making good on their promises to deal with the "problem" of the South's black population, implementing a genocide that is accelerating rapidly as the black populations of entire towns disappear.
And behind the scenes, both countries are racing to develop weapons based on Uranium.
As before, Turtledove is a master at extrapolating from the known into the "what-if", with actual historical characters making appearances in very different roles in this alternate context. And all of it feels surprisingly plausible, given the initial premise that the Confederacy could become an independent nation.
April 2, 2009
The book that I read was Drive to the East by Harry Turtledove. This is the second book in the series of Settling Accounts. The genre of the book is Alternate History. It is alternate history because it is a “what if the South had won the Civil War.” The book takes place in 1942 the second year of the war between the USA and the CSA. The war started in 1941 when Jake Featherston, the president of the CSA, breaks the armistice between the United States and the Confederate States and decides to bomb the USA using Confederate Bombers. After the bombs hit, Al Smith, who is now dead, decides that the USA and the CSA will once again go into war. General George Patton decides that it's time to cut the USA in half. So, he decides to go to western Ohio. General Irving Morell who is a USA general, posts his units where Patton is at and prevents the USA from being cut in half. In the Grey House, in Richmond, Jake Featherston is NOT happy. He wants to liberate the Blacks from the CSA. He decides on Concentration Camps. All over the CSA, Blacks are now being sent to Concentration Camps where they will be murdered. Camp Determination's idea to get rid of the Blacks is to use trucks that have vents in them that will fill the truck with a poisonous gas. The other use is bath houses. The bath houses are similar to the trucks. The bath house fills the place with poisonous gas. When Lt. Sam Carsten ship the USS Remembrance, is sunk by a Japanese ship, Sam joins George Enos' destroyer. And together, the two of them, with the crew, travel to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and fend off the incoming Japanese ships
I thought that this book was very well written. The dialogue was very easy to understand. The plot was somewhat hard to understand because of the large amount of main characters. There was nothing to dislike. What I did like was the fact that it went to different sides of the war. It went from USA generals to CSA generals. I enjoyed this book.
I thought that this book was very well written. The dialogue was very easy to understand. The plot was somewhat hard to understand because of the large amount of main characters. There was nothing to dislike. What I did like was the fact that it went to different sides of the war. It went from USA generals to CSA generals. I enjoyed this book.
July 15, 2009
In Drive to the East, Harry Turtledove has written one of the better Southern Victory novels since he crafted the spectacular opening salvo, How Few Remain. Alas, given the nature of modern warfare and barbarism, this novel is far grimmer than most of its predecessors. The black holocaust is in full swing in the Confederate States; Turtledove's accounts of the emptying of entire cities and the coldblooded extermination of men, women, and "pickanninies" is chilling. As other reviewers have noted, Turtledove also addresses more modern concerns in this novel, suicide bombings on the part of the outclassed Mormons and Confederate blacks being the most obvious example.
While I hestitate to speculate on Turtledove's personal feelings about warfare, it seems apparent to me in reading this series thus far that he is not taken in by facile romanticizing of conflict and bloodshed. His use of perspectives from varying races, classes, nationalities, etc., provide a rich, multifaceted narrative and his style is compelling, as is expected.
I look forward to reading the next two volumes in the series, to see how this increasingly different 20th century will unfold. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be pretty.
While I hestitate to speculate on Turtledove's personal feelings about warfare, it seems apparent to me in reading this series thus far that he is not taken in by facile romanticizing of conflict and bloodshed. His use of perspectives from varying races, classes, nationalities, etc., provide a rich, multifaceted narrative and his style is compelling, as is expected.
I look forward to reading the next two volumes in the series, to see how this increasingly different 20th century will unfold. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be pretty.
March 31, 2009
Good stuff - like the whole line of books that led up to this one, an intricate exploration of how history might be different if the chain of events had zigged instead of zagging back in the middle of the Civil War. Well thought out, believable, and thought-provoking.
June 12, 2022
Settling Accounts: Drive to the East picks up pretty much where the last novel, Settling Accounts: Return Engagement left off. The Confederacy has managed to cut the United States in half with a drive up to the Great Lakes. President Al Smith of the U.S. was expected by Confederate “President” Jake Featherston to just roll over and give up. However, Smith did not cave. Dead beneath the rubble of the bombed-out White House in Pennsylvania, this only serves to strengthen the resolve of the U.S. Which has the advantage of more men. However, it’s also fighting a multi-fronted war with an uprising by the Mormons in Utah, another one in Occupied Canada, as well as dealing with the Japanese attempts to drive them from the Sandwich Islands. Great Britain, France and others are aligned with the Confederacy and although they are fighting their own wars in Europe, they are around enough to be nuisances to the U.S.
On the other hand, the Confederacy – while better prepared initially for this most recent conflict – is sorely lacking in men to serve. Even with the multi-front war the U.S. is fighting, they seem to be able to find men to throw at the Confederacy with ease.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
On the other hand, the Confederacy – while better prepared initially for this most recent conflict – is sorely lacking in men to serve. Even with the multi-front war the U.S. is fighting, they seem to be able to find men to throw at the Confederacy with ease.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
September 23, 2019
Pittsburgh ain't Moscow. Though I don't want to invade either.
As the Americanized version of WWII enters 1942, the CSA drives east into Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in a retelling of the German's drive east into Russia. Mexico takes on the role of Italy to the CSA's Germany while analogues to the Manhattan Project, the Holocaust, the plot to kill Hitler (Featherstone), and the Pacific Theater also occupy much of the book.
Given that this is a WWII taking place *in* America, with the CSA obviously taking the role of the Germans while the USA has elements of the Russians, British, and even French (as well as the original USA), the Pacific Theater (or its analogue) feels a bit forced and doesn't quite work in context. The introduction of more modern elements in the form of suicide bombers from the separatist Mormon State of Deseret is also interesting as a foil to the USA.
Given that the USA in this series isn't the USA from history, it will be interesting to see how HT handles things where the real USA played a far more prominent role. Still entertaining so I'm still reading.
As the Americanized version of WWII enters 1942, the CSA drives east into Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in a retelling of the German's drive east into Russia. Mexico takes on the role of Italy to the CSA's Germany while analogues to the Manhattan Project, the Holocaust, the plot to kill Hitler (Featherstone), and the Pacific Theater also occupy much of the book.
Given that this is a WWII taking place *in* America, with the CSA obviously taking the role of the Germans while the USA has elements of the Russians, British, and even French (as well as the original USA), the Pacific Theater (or its analogue) feels a bit forced and doesn't quite work in context. The introduction of more modern elements in the form of suicide bombers from the separatist Mormon State of Deseret is also interesting as a foil to the USA.
Given that the USA in this series isn't the USA from history, it will be interesting to see how HT handles things where the real USA played a far more prominent role. Still entertaining so I'm still reading.
February 16, 2023
This is the best book of the series since it started with How Few Remain almost a decade ago. Following were three books dealing with WW1 fought in all gruesome details on the soil of North America, three more books dealing with an inter-war period of despair and the rise of a Nazi-like regime in the South and now we are in the middle of a WW2 that started one book ago.
It is a WW2 different from the one known to the average western reader, because here the Wehrmacht campaign in Russia has been the inspiration. With partisans and a Stalingrad included. And an Endloesung.
All this is presented in chilling details. The characters already known to the reader of the series experience a war becoming more and more brutal. Two of them are killed of and not replaced thereby streamlining the tale.
There are very touching scenes: the despair and feeling of inevitable doom experienced by Scipio in Augusta, the killing of a young man who in another universe would become president, ...
It is a WW2 different from the one known to the average western reader, because here the Wehrmacht campaign in Russia has been the inspiration. With partisans and a Stalingrad included. And an Endloesung.
All this is presented in chilling details. The characters already known to the reader of the series experience a war becoming more and more brutal. Two of them are killed of and not replaced thereby streamlining the tale.
There are very touching scenes: the despair and feeling of inevitable doom experienced by Scipio in Augusta, the killing of a young man who in another universe would become president, ...
April 14, 2023
I want to preface this with the fact I did not realize this was part two of a series when I started it. With that addressed...
Imagine whilst reading a book every time the point of view shifts to a new character a worm appears in your hands. A few wriggly worms is fun and controllable.
With this book your hands are so full of worms that it feels overwhelming. Now imagine that the worms are on different teams, but it is only addressed in passing.
They squirm and you misplace a few, they writhe and a couple drop to the ground, they contort and you lose track of who is on what team. Now imagine most of the worms in your hands are making racist comments while all of this is a happening.
It is chaos. That is how this book felt to me, like a heaping handful of earthworms. But at least we got to step on some racist worms.
Imagine whilst reading a book every time the point of view shifts to a new character a worm appears in your hands. A few wriggly worms is fun and controllable.
With this book your hands are so full of worms that it feels overwhelming. Now imagine that the worms are on different teams, but it is only addressed in passing.
They squirm and you misplace a few, they writhe and a couple drop to the ground, they contort and you lose track of who is on what team. Now imagine most of the worms in your hands are making racist comments while all of this is a happening.
It is chaos. That is how this book felt to me, like a heaping handful of earthworms. But at least we got to step on some racist worms.
June 13, 2020
594 + 30 page Chapter 1 of Book 3 + a few additional pages.
Very much the mixture as before - one or two of the POV characters do not survive the entire book but most do, taking their turn in the 5 or so pages allotted to them as the war progresses. One or two themes from the first book recur and are developed but if the book suffers it's because it's not the opening or closing section - the 'middle episode' sag, as it were.
Two more to go before the end, which is probably predictable... not that it will stop me!
Very much the mixture as before - one or two of the POV characters do not survive the entire book but most do, taking their turn in the 5 or so pages allotted to them as the war progresses. One or two themes from the first book recur and are developed but if the book suffers it's because it's not the opening or closing section - the 'middle episode' sag, as it were.
Two more to go before the end, which is probably predictable... not that it will stop me!
January 22, 2018
Despite the its lightning-quick first attacks, CSA failed to bring USA to its knees, and the noose began to tighten around Jake Featherston’s neck. The main highlight of this book would be the siege of Pittsburgh, the equivalent of Siege of Stalingrad in real history. If anything else, the war seemed to be going very well for USA. However, the line of the Colletons ended here, and I STILL CANNOT ACCEPT WHAT HAPPENED TO SCIPIO!!!
August 29, 2020
Solid Turtledove, but wish the alternate history was a little more creative
For fans of the series, this book won't disappoint. However, i wish turtledove got a little more creative beyond WWII, but in America.
For fans of the series, this book won't disappoint. However, i wish turtledove got a little more creative beyond WWII, but in America.
September 11, 2020
I really like how turtledove takes real events and turns them into how they would look elsewhere , this one is basically operation Barborossa , all the way through to the surrender of Pittsburgh( Stalingrad )
March 27, 2022
High caliber historical fiction teaches you as much about what really DID happen, as about what could have happened, instead. In the Settling Accounts series, the actual history could have been close to what Harry Turtledove wrote. It is scary to think about.
April 9, 2022
One of Turtledove’s Best
Besides being a cracking good story of WWII era combat, the author pulls in a few modern day tactics that make the novel even more fascinating. The alternate history of world politics adds a unique twist.
Besides being a cracking good story of WWII era combat, the author pulls in a few modern day tactics that make the novel even more fascinating. The alternate history of world politics adds a unique twist.
February 17, 2018
Industry beats tactics every time
Even with the USA cut in half, their greater industry side proved it could still fight. Can’t wait for the next book
Even with the USA cut in half, their greater industry side proved it could still fight. Can’t wait for the next book
October 2, 2018
Another installment in a great series!
July 2, 2019
Read because my son was reading the series. Not really my preferred genre, but overall an interesting work of fiction.
May 13, 2020
And the war goes on in the second book of the four book series.
March 16, 2021
great book. Alternative history. Reading in 2020 helped me keep my sanity.
February 13, 2024
Reading Turtledove is like running a marathon
October 19, 2023
This is the 9th book of an 11-book series. Very entertaining and packed with interesting twists on history from after the American Civil War until the end of World War II. I'm saving the four- and five-star rating for weightier material.
June 16, 2015
Only two books to go!
I've been reading this alternate history series—which began with How Few Remain (a tale of the Second Mexican War, a conflict begun between the USA and CSA in the 1880s over the CSA's annexing two Mexican provinces)—since I was a sophomore in high school.
(How Few Remain begins during the Civil War, envisioning a Lee victory at Gettysburg, followed by the UK and France recognizing the CSA. The series then explores the twentieth century that follows, with the agricultural CSA naturally allied to the UK, and the more industrialized USA finding a European friend in the Kaiser.)
One of the things I have really enjoyed about the series is that Turtledove has followed generations of families through his point-of-view narration for over sixty book years now. That's pretty neat. Scores settled in this book first begged for revenge three books or more ago. It requires a long memory, but then, perhaps as witness to Turtledove's own need to keep up with his characters, the author constantly reminds the readers of the most important aspects of a POV character (how many times, for example, were we reminded of Flora's past relationship, or, from her nephew's POV, that he could have pulled strings with her to be comfy during the war but chose to fight in the infantry instead?). It's helpful, but sometimes a little annoying.
Turtledove also has a habit of using long-winded phrases to express an obscenity without saying it: "he looked at the soldier and suggested that he do something anatomically impossible while simultaneously embracing his mother as Oedipus would." These are hallmarks of Turtledove's writing, and while I find them sometimes tedious, they remain as comfortable as an old shirt that's really outlived its usefulness. You groan when you read them, but you smile all the same. "Yep, that's Harry!"
I look forward to discovering how Turtledove brings this very long—and worthwhile!—alternate history to its conclusion. As I've lived two-thirds of my life revisiting these characters, I'll be a bit sad to say goodbye.
I've been reading this alternate history series—which began with How Few Remain (a tale of the Second Mexican War, a conflict begun between the USA and CSA in the 1880s over the CSA's annexing two Mexican provinces)—since I was a sophomore in high school.
(How Few Remain begins during the Civil War, envisioning a Lee victory at Gettysburg, followed by the UK and France recognizing the CSA. The series then explores the twentieth century that follows, with the agricultural CSA naturally allied to the UK, and the more industrialized USA finding a European friend in the Kaiser.)
One of the things I have really enjoyed about the series is that Turtledove has followed generations of families through his point-of-view narration for over sixty book years now. That's pretty neat. Scores settled in this book first begged for revenge three books or more ago. It requires a long memory, but then, perhaps as witness to Turtledove's own need to keep up with his characters, the author constantly reminds the readers of the most important aspects of a POV character (how many times, for example, were we reminded of Flora's past relationship, or, from her nephew's POV, that he could have pulled strings with her to be comfy during the war but chose to fight in the infantry instead?). It's helpful, but sometimes a little annoying.
Turtledove also has a habit of using long-winded phrases to express an obscenity without saying it: "he looked at the soldier and suggested that he do something anatomically impossible while simultaneously embracing his mother as Oedipus would." These are hallmarks of Turtledove's writing, and while I find them sometimes tedious, they remain as comfortable as an old shirt that's really outlived its usefulness. You groan when you read them, but you smile all the same. "Yep, that's Harry!"
I look forward to discovering how Turtledove brings this very long—and worthwhile!—alternate history to its conclusion. As I've lived two-thirds of my life revisiting these characters, I'll be a bit sad to say goodbye.
November 17, 2013
Settling Accounts: Drive to the East, by Harry Turtledove is the 2nd book in his WWII alternate history, and a sequel to Return Engagement. This book picks up where the last left off, continuing the saga of the 2nd world war, as the Confederate States of America attempts to follow up their surprise attack on the USA with a knockout blow that will quickly put the US out of the fight before it can start applying it's industrial might and greater population fully towards the war.
Overall, this book has the same strengths as the last (and most of Turtledove's works for that matter) - the multiple points of views by characters of all types, the historical accuracy in terms of the technology and social issues of the time, and the use of unreal situations to examine issues that are relevant today (in this case race issues and how the situation from real world history regarding the Nazi treatment of Jews could just as easily happened on American soil had things worked out differently.) Despite the large canvas of WWII being fought between the North and the South, Turtledove has lots of time dealing with events not on the main battlefields, such as the adventures of a mustang in the Navy (an officer that's been promoted up through the enlisted ranks - and probably my favorite character in the book), the race to harness atomic energy for the war effort, espionage, politics, and how the war affects civilians, to name a few.
Probably the best thing about this book (which also applies to Turtledove's other works), is that, despite being pretty familiar with WWII, and despite having read many other books by Turtledove that follow the same narrative structure, every turn of events and twist of plot is still engaging and keeps the reader on their toes. It's a joy to read, and I can't get enough of Turtledove.
Overall, this book has the same strengths as the last (and most of Turtledove's works for that matter) - the multiple points of views by characters of all types, the historical accuracy in terms of the technology and social issues of the time, and the use of unreal situations to examine issues that are relevant today (in this case race issues and how the situation from real world history regarding the Nazi treatment of Jews could just as easily happened on American soil had things worked out differently.) Despite the large canvas of WWII being fought between the North and the South, Turtledove has lots of time dealing with events not on the main battlefields, such as the adventures of a mustang in the Navy (an officer that's been promoted up through the enlisted ranks - and probably my favorite character in the book), the race to harness atomic energy for the war effort, espionage, politics, and how the war affects civilians, to name a few.
Probably the best thing about this book (which also applies to Turtledove's other works), is that, despite being pretty familiar with WWII, and despite having read many other books by Turtledove that follow the same narrative structure, every turn of events and twist of plot is still engaging and keeps the reader on their toes. It's a joy to read, and I can't get enough of Turtledove.
November 25, 2014
When people say that the Holocaust couldn’t happen in the USA, they conveniently forget their history – one just needs to take a quick look around to see that African Americans hardly have the same chances as others. Oh sure, there have been successes, whether it be in sports, music or politics. But if you were to normalize the percentages of blacks who have no chance against other Americans…
While this book was released in 2003, author Harry Turtledove adequately described the Tea Party ahead of its time. I am of course talking about the “Freedom” Party and their president Jake Featherston, who is portrayed as the Southern version of Adolph Hitler. Like the Nazis, the Freedom Party blames a race for any and all of its troubles. Like the Nazis, the Freedom Party cheats to get votes, and creates incidents to further screw the race in question.
While this storyline has been evolving over several volumes, it is in “Drive To The East” where the Blacks’ unfortunate future is brought to full tilt. Apart from the ever-so-lucky story of Cincinnatus Driver and his father, it’s not a happy one for African Americans in this version of World War II. It’s at the same time the saddest and the most compelling story of a Holocaust since I read James Michener’s “Poland” 20 years ago.
The story also features the usual suspects from earlier novels in this series, and has them interact with real-life characters in interesting ways, and I’m happy to report that the beating-one’s-head-to-a-pulp-to –make-a-point is at a lesser tone than earlier. While I know how it’s going to end, this series has been a page-turner.
While this book was released in 2003, author Harry Turtledove adequately described the Tea Party ahead of its time. I am of course talking about the “Freedom” Party and their president Jake Featherston, who is portrayed as the Southern version of Adolph Hitler. Like the Nazis, the Freedom Party blames a race for any and all of its troubles. Like the Nazis, the Freedom Party cheats to get votes, and creates incidents to further screw the race in question.
While this storyline has been evolving over several volumes, it is in “Drive To The East” where the Blacks’ unfortunate future is brought to full tilt. Apart from the ever-so-lucky story of Cincinnatus Driver and his father, it’s not a happy one for African Americans in this version of World War II. It’s at the same time the saddest and the most compelling story of a Holocaust since I read James Michener’s “Poland” 20 years ago.
The story also features the usual suspects from earlier novels in this series, and has them interact with real-life characters in interesting ways, and I’m happy to report that the beating-one’s-head-to-a-pulp-to –make-a-point is at a lesser tone than earlier. While I know how it’s going to end, this series has been a page-turner.
August 6, 2012
This is the second book in the "Settling Accounts" tetrology (I think that's the word), in which he details the Second World War, concentrating on the struggle between the United States and the Confederate States of America.
In the first book, the CSA started the war and immediately headed up into Ohio to the Canadian border, cutting the US in two. The US tried attack after attack into Virginia, and made a little progress, but not near enough.
In this book, we see the war through 1942 and a little way into 1943. The Confederacy, under the "leadership" of Jake Featherston and the Freedom Party have instituted a program to eradicate all of the Negros within their borders through concentration camps. And with continued victories, they begin to look forward to peace on their terms.
The US, meanwhile, is not only fighting the CSA, but is also having to deal with insurrections in Utah and Canada (which became part of the US at the end of the "Great War"). Meanwhile in Washington state, there is a secret project to try to separate uranium-235 for a weapon. As with most of Turtledove's books, there are far too many stories going on to adequately summarize everything that happens.
Turtledove once again weaves a fascinating tale of alternate history, and he achieves a nice balance between battlefield and behind the lines, something I don't think he did with the "Great War" trilogy. It'll be interesting to see how this all turns out.
In the first book, the CSA started the war and immediately headed up into Ohio to the Canadian border, cutting the US in two. The US tried attack after attack into Virginia, and made a little progress, but not near enough.
In this book, we see the war through 1942 and a little way into 1943. The Confederacy, under the "leadership" of Jake Featherston and the Freedom Party have instituted a program to eradicate all of the Negros within their borders through concentration camps. And with continued victories, they begin to look forward to peace on their terms.
The US, meanwhile, is not only fighting the CSA, but is also having to deal with insurrections in Utah and Canada (which became part of the US at the end of the "Great War"). Meanwhile in Washington state, there is a secret project to try to separate uranium-235 for a weapon. As with most of Turtledove's books, there are far too many stories going on to adequately summarize everything that happens.
Turtledove once again weaves a fascinating tale of alternate history, and he achieves a nice balance between battlefield and behind the lines, something I don't think he did with the "Great War" trilogy. It'll be interesting to see how this all turns out.
March 23, 2013
I have enjoyed every book in this series (well... accept maybe the first) and perhaps this one most of all. Turtledove's writing has gotten better with each book he publishes and the story it's self is just at a really exciting point. I was left both wanting to jump into and through the next two volumes yet maybe wanting to take them slow being I know the series is over then.
The tipping point of the war comes pretty suddenly in this, and you do start to get this clear picture of a smaller country taking on too much against a bigger one. And although it is horrifying and awful to contemplate as a real event the black holocaust section of the book was something that always kept my attention. Towards the end of the book I found myself on the edge wondering how much longer this can last, wondering it the U.S. will find it and what will happen. Above all it has me interested in reading up on the real Holocaust, especially what happened at the end of the war as the Allies were discovering it. I feel like that's when alternative history is at it's best, when you put it down and want to know more about real history.
The tipping point of the war comes pretty suddenly in this, and you do start to get this clear picture of a smaller country taking on too much against a bigger one. And although it is horrifying and awful to contemplate as a real event the black holocaust section of the book was something that always kept my attention. Towards the end of the book I found myself on the edge wondering how much longer this can last, wondering it the U.S. will find it and what will happen. Above all it has me interested in reading up on the real Holocaust, especially what happened at the end of the war as the Allies were discovering it. I feel like that's when alternative history is at it's best, when you put it down and want to know more about real history.
December 14, 2017
Turtledove is a master of alternative history. Here we see a time line which the Confederate State won the war of secession in the 1860s. The characterisation is somewhat wooden, 'folksy' and given that the characters drive the story this can be irritating. The novel switches between the vast number of characters, making it a series of novella's connected by the common theme of war (a rematch) between north and south. As a lover of both history and science fiction, I enjoyed reading this but I would not recommend it as exploration of human motivations and psychology (although this is better than some of his other novels such as World War In the Balance). Nor do we get even an understanding of political or ideological motivations that drive much of history. These are largely absent. The racist obsessions of the Confederate President hardly qualify. Some of the economics is also flaky. How for instance does the confederacy obtain the wherewithal to mechanise its agriculture, particularly with a cheap black labour force at hand? Read it for a good yarn but don't expect any depth from this.
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