West and East: The War that Came Early by Harry Turtledove

Genre: Alternate History

Setting: Earth, during the late 1930's in an alternate version of World War II

First Sentence: Theo Hosbach lay on a con in a military hospital in Cambrai.

This novel is the second in Harry Turtledove's "The War that Came Early" series.

In this version of World War II, Hitler attacked France in 1938.  Because Germany was not quite ready for war, the Blitzkrieg bogged down.  England, France and England are mired in a trench war reminiscent of World War I.  On the eastern front, Germany and Poland are allies fighting against the Soviet Union.  In Asia, Japan and the Soviet Union are at war.  Japan has conquered China.  The United States is neutral, but American citizens are involved in the war. 

Turtledove uses a wide variety of characters to tell his tale.  Among them are:

• A German sniper, and a Czech sniper out to nail each other,
• An American woman trapped in Germany,
• A French soldier leading a machine gun crew,
• A German pilot with ideas about how to make his dive bomber more lethal to tanks,
• A British infantry sergeant fighting in Norway,
• An American marine stationed in Shanghai,
• A Japanese soldier fighting the Russians in Siberia,
• A Jewish girl and her family trying to survive in Nazi Germany.

As Turtledove moves from character to character, we see the great scope of a world at war.  Each individual has his or her unique perspective of the hardship and horror of war.  Who will survive?  Who will pay the ultimate price?  And how will Turtledove's alternate timeline differ from our history?

I liked this novel.  The fun of reading alternate history novels is to see how history plays out in the author's imagination.  Turtledove's plot is different yet plausible.  In this novel, he has delivered an enjoyable story.

West and East




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Every Inch a King by Harry Turtledove

Genre: Fantasy

Setting: A fantasy world where magic works, and fantastical creatures exist.

First Sentence: I'm Otto of Schlepsig.

Otto and his friend Max are performers in a third rate traveling circus.  Max is a sword swallower with a cough.  Otto is an acrobat and tight rope walker.

Then, one day the newspapers announce that Schlepsig, a small province in a faraway land, has asked Prince Halim Eddin to be their king. The prince looks exactly like Otto.  Otto sees his chance to pull off an amazing con.  On the upside, Otto could become a king with all those kingly perks: power, wealth, and a harem.  On the down side, Otto and Max could lose their heads.

As Otto and Max travel to Schlepsig, Turtledove reveals the fantasy of this strange world.  There are dragons and sea serpents.  There are vampires and werewolves.  And there is magic and witchcraft.

As Turtledove describes the people and cultures we can see parallels to our own world.  There are cultures that remind us of German, French and Spanish cultures.  There is a country far to the West called Vespucciland.  And there is a nod to old Ma Bell - there is an efficient network of crystal ball readers who provide long distance communication.

Can Otto and Max pull off this grand charade, of will they be discovered?

And what about the real Prince Halim?

I liked this book.  I am a fan of Turtledove's alternate history novels.  This novel had a cute premise which attracted my interest.  The novel drags when the author discusses the different countries and cultures, all of whom have invented names with exotic spellings. However, Turtledove liberally sprinkles the novel with esoteric puns and word plays which make the novel fun to read.

Overall, an OK book, but not one of Turtledove's best.

Every Inch a King




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The Devil's Fire by Matt Tomerline

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: 1717, at sea aboard a pirate ship.

First Sentence: Katherine Lindsey pressed her legs against the bulwark and peered into the cold blue waters of the North Atlantic hoping to locate her often heralded beauty within the rippling reflection that gazed back.

This novel is the first of Tomerlin's Devil's Fire series.

Katherine Lindsey is the wife of a wealthy English merchant.  When he decides to take his cargo to America, Katherine begs to go.  She sees the voyage as a grand adventure.  To be sure, it was an adventure, but not what she was expecting.

Their ship is attacked by pirates.  They steal the cargo, murder her husband and take Katherine hostage.  The plot of the novel tells the story of Katherine's time aboard the pirate ship.  The author tells the story through the eyes of several different characters:

Katherine - the hostage
Jonathan Griffith - the dashing pirate captain, brave and mysterious,
Edward Livingstone - the quartermaster of the pirate ship and a violent bully,
Nathan Adams - a young American member of the pirate crew,
Douglas Thatcher - the ship's surgeon, and a hostage of a different sort.

The plot of the story has many of the expected elements of a pirate story: attacks on cargo ships, sword fighting duels, double-dealing pirates, debauchery in port, and of course a buried treasure.  The tale is told well and there are many unexpected plot twists.

Over all, a well crafted story that I enjoyed reading.  Arr!

The Devil's Fire




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Dream War by Stephen Prosapio

Genre: Supernatural Thriller

Setting: Southern California, Italy, and a parallel dimension.

First Sentence: Given the mysteries of the human mind, it was perhaps inevitable that the CIA would one day invade our dreams.

In Prosapio's novel during the 1980's a secret CIA operation learned how to infiltrate people's dreams.  The dream operatives collected secret information.  They foiled hostage plots.  And they planted suggestions which encouraged terrorists to commit suicide.  It seems, however, that the process of entering people's dreams causes a portal to open into a parallel dimension.  Unfortunately the beings in the other dimension are not very friendly.  When the main character, Hector Lopez, refuses to work with them, they kill all of the members of the dream squad, except Lopez.

Fast forward to the present day.  Lopez now works to rescue people who have been abducted by the creatures of the parallel dimension.  It turns out that the leader of these creatures is the very embodiment of evil.  It has been recruiting evil minions, and consolidating its power for years.  Soon the time will come when it can cross over into our dimension and seize control.

Can Lopez and his companions, through their dreams, defeat the evil creatures and save Earth?

This novel was an interesting reading experience.   The first thirty percent of the novel was very heavy with exposition.  There was a distinct division in style and quality between the beginning and the second part of the book.  In  my opinion, the first part rewritten with more action and plot might have made a good first novel of a series.  The second part of the novel had lots of action and suspense.  It kept my interest and was very entertaining.  If you can get through the beginning, the rest of the book is pretty good.

Dream Wars




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Viking Warrior by Judson Roberts

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Denmark in the time of the Vikings, 845 AD

First Sentence:  In one moment the Norms changed the pattern they were weaving in the fabric of my fate.

This is the first novel in Judson Roberts Strong Bow Saga.

Halfdan, the main character of this novel, was born a slave.  His mother was a kidnapped Irish princess.  His father was the chieftain of their settlement who never recognized Halfdan as his son.  When the chieftain returns from a raid mortally wounded, Halfdan's mother makes a terrible bargain which elevates Halfdan to the status of a free man.  He is accepted as an equal by the chieftain's son and daughter.

Halfdan then learns the ways of a Viking warrior.  Due to his upbringing as a slave, Halfdan knows the ways of the forest, and is an expert hunter.  Soon, he is adept with the use of a sword and spear.

When he and his brother go to visit the lands that Halfdan has inherited, Halfdan's fate changes.  By treachery Halfdan loses his birthright and gains a terrible enemy.  He vows to avenge the deaths of his brother and their kinsmen.

This novel is a good first novel of a series.  We learn about the main character, his quest, and his enemy.  I enjoyed reading about Halfdan and his experiences.  I think the author presented an accurate depiction of Viking life and customs.  I liked his use of some Viking vocabulary.  Fortunately, Roberts included a glossary of these terms.

Roberts writing style is easy to read, and the plot moves along.  Overall, I found it to be an entertaining story.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Viking Warrior




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Admiral by Dudley Pope

Genre: Nautical Fiction

Setting: In the West Indies, during the 17th century.

First Sentence:  Although Major General Heffer unrolled the map with as much ceremony as he dared, the effect was spoiled when he realized thet the parchment would curl up again the moment he let go of the ends.

This novel is the fifth in Dudley Pope's Ned Yorke series.

Ned Yorke is a plantation owner and royalist.  He was force to become a buccaneer during the time of Oliver Cromwell.  Cromwell and his followers deposed the king of England.  The Puritans then gained control of the government and persecuted royalists.  Yorke was force to off his plantation.  In order to survive, he and his friends took to the sea.

In this chapter of the saga, Cromwell has died and the King of England has been restored to the throne.  Yorke and his friends are unsure of the welcome they will receive from officials who once supported Cromwell should they return home.  And they also enjoy the freedom of sailing the open sea.  So they decide to continue privateering against the Spanish who ship tons of gold and silver to Europe.

Due to his fame and recent successes, Ned is asked to be the admiral of the "Brethren of the Coast".  The Brethren are a group of buccaneers who work together to plan their forays against the Spanish. They want Ned to lead them in a grand attack for the Spanish treasure.  It seems that Spain has not sent a treasure fleet back to Spain in years.  The Brethren know where the hoard is hidden.  They need a crafty admiral to lead them.  They have made a wise choice in Ned Yorke.  Ned is a wily leader who prefers to use guile to outwit the enemy, rather than force.

Ned accepts.  And the adventure is on.

I enjoyed this novel.  Dudley Pope is one of my favorite nautical authors.  I liked his Ramage series and looked forward to reading this novel.  Pope's writing style is easy to read, and the pages fly by.  Normally, I prefer novels that move the plot along.  This novel is long on description.  These details may not seem relevant to a casual reader, but they display Pope's knowledge of sailing and navigation.  Someone who sails the West Indies would probably recognize his descriptions of the islands and landmarks of the area.

Maybe not the greatest novel ever written, but a nice adventure story.

Admiral



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