Product Description

In 1881, a generation after the South won the Civil War, the peace is shattered. Furious over the annexation of American territory, the United States declares total war against the Confederacy. In this second American Civil War the times, stake and battle lines have changed - and so has history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #247199 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
Turtledove, having previously won the Civil War for the Confederacy in The Guns of the South (1992), does it all over again in this otherwise unconnected new alternate history yarn. This time, the South won the battle of Camp Hill (Antietam) in 1862 and thereafter, supported by both the French and British, swiftly consolidated victory. When, in 1881, the Confederate States of America moves to purchase Chihuahua and Sonora from Mexico, the USA, feeling beleaguered and insecure, declares war. There follows a prolonged and involved struggle wherein many famous individuals occupy unfamiliar roles. James Longstreet, for instance, is President of a defiantly slaveowning CSA, his opposite number being James G. Blaine of the slave-free but racist USA. Stonewall Jackson runs the CSA's military, while in the North, Ulysses Grant is a drunken, disgraced, and forgotten civilian. George Custer of the USA operates in Kansas, defending the border between the USA and the CSA. Theodore Roosevelt ranches in Montana; a chastened Abraham Lincoln tours the USA, espousing socialism. So, if the CSA is to win again, Longstreet must promise to abolish slavery in exchange for continued French and British assistance. Given the intrinsic appeal and interest of this critical historical nexus, it's a great pity that Turtledove can't improve on his usual ponderous, thudding, long-winded style. Expect sequels featuring Abraham Lincoln as America's Karl Marx. (Kirkus Reviews)

Synopsis
In 1881, a generation after the South won the Civil War, the peace is shattered. Furious over the annexation of American territory, the United States declares total war against the Confederacy. In this second American Civil War the times, stake and battle lines have changed - and so has history.

Customer Reviews

Great Alternate History Novel
How Few Remain is about a fictional second American Civil War (the Confederates having one the first in 1863) set in 1881. The war kicks off, as the Confederacy tries to purchase two large provinces off the Empire of Mexico, in a bid to expand westwards to the Pacific. The U.S. wants to stop this from happening.

There is a wide range of characters in the book, mostly real people, e.g General Custer, Theodore Roosevelt, General 'Stonewall' Jackson etc, and a few fictional ones thrown in as well.

The book is fairly well paced, and there is quite a lot of action going on, in many parts of the continent, to go along with the diplomacy in both Washington and Richmond. I found the book an enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it.

First Class (but history lessons needed first!)
This is the first Harry Turtledove book I've read - and I'm sure it won't be the last!

It's a fascinating read, but would probably have been less confusing if I had known more about the actual outcome of the real Civil War - don't know about you, but I certainly didn't learn much about it at school!

Great mix of historical figures and fictional people, lots of action, and a real desire at the end to know what happens next.

Looking forward to reading the next ones in the series.

Probably Turtledove's Best
I was introduced to Turtledove by a friend who was a colleague of his when he was still teaching history at UCLA. That was with the "World War" series, which is a lot of fun, if a bit silly. "How Few Remain" has the downside of having started the interminable Great War/American Empire/Return Engagement series, with their dismal characterization and mindless parallels of the historical 20th century, but taken on its own, How Few Remain is the best thing of Turtledove's I've ever read. In particular, his treatment of Abraham Lincoln is superb - much of what he has Lincoln say in the 1880s was in fact lifted from speeches and letters from before he became president, so they ring perfectly true to character, and at the same time illuminate how far ahead of his time Lincoln was as a social thinker. If only Turtledove would use this sort of technique more often, instead of just churning out repetitive prose!