Product Description

Is it the war to end all wars - or war without end?
It is 1917, and the United States are fighting a war on two fronts. In the north, from the Pacific to Quebec, US forces in the air and on land are locked in battle against Canada and Great Britain. To the south, at the heart of a line that stretches from the Gulf of California to the Atlantic, General Custer intends to do what none of his prececessors have done - to smash through the Confederate lines in Tennessee.
Into this vast, seething cauldron plunges a new generation of weapons - submarines, barrels, attack planes, poison gas and flame throwers - changing the shape of war and the balance of power.

Victory is at hand - but at a price that may be worse than war itself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #268794 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 672 pages

Review
'[A] masterpiece ... This is state-of-the-art alternate history, nothing less ... With shocking vividness, Turtledove demonstrates the extreme fragility of our modern world, and how much of it depends on a United States of America' (Publishers Weekly ( for The Great War: American Fr )

About the Author
Harry Turtledove has lived in Southern California all his life He has a Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Los Angeles and has taught at UCLA, California State Fullerton and California State University, Los Angeles. He has written many works of speculative fiction and fantasy. He is married to the novelist Laura Frankos and they have three daughters.

Customer Reviews

The War ends - but who won?
Finally volume 3 comes out. The problem about reading multi-volume series is that you end up waiting for months to find out what happened. Those people like me who have been waiting for this will understand.

As the title implies, the war ends here. I'll not reveal who won, that might spoil the book. I will say that the victory seems credible. Turtledove has obviously put a lot of thought and research into this. The story pans out logically and inevitably to its conclusion with, as always with Turtledove, a few more favourite characters dying along the way.

So where will things go now? Well it's a historical fact that the First World War caused the Second World War and the entire book seems to be hinting at such a sequel. Like I said, in a review of an earlier volume, it looks like Turtledove is exploring the ideas of Communism and Fascism being American ideas, either in the USA or the CSA (or possibly one in each!). This would seem to be the plan for the next book with the defeated American Country (CSA or USA) looking ripe for a fascist takeover. A candidate for American Hitler seems to have already been introduced.

And this is the main problem with multi-volume stories. No sooner do you finish one volume than you want to read the next!

Turtledove fans will not be disappointed.
Once again Harry Turtledove delivers the goods in this the most plausible of alternate timelines. The most interesting thing I have found about this book,indeed the series so far,is how my allegiance has changed from the U.S. to the C.S.A.(O.K, I am British and they are on our side!) Despite changing between many different characters the narrative is smooth, and tells the story of this war superbly. Definitely " couldn't put it down" reading.

Excellent alternate history
This is the third and final instalment of an alternate World War One based around the supposition that the South was able to win the American Civil War. Fifty years on the Great War gives the two sides the opportunity for a rematch, with the Confederacy allied to the French, British and Russians, whilst the USA backs Germany and Austria-Hungary.

This is not simply an excuse to bring the horrors of trench warfare onto the American continent. Although many of the characters take part in the fighting, details of the various military operations are kept muted. The emphasis is overwhelmingly on the effects the war has on ordinary people. The book jumps between over twenty separate situations, each with their own cast, the unfolding story of the conflict being the unifying factor. Mostly these different sets of characters never meet, and it says a lot for the quality of the writing that your interest is still completely maintained.

It has to be said that some of the threads are more satisfying than others. The poorer ones are rather abruptly resolved in "Breakthroughs". The more interesting ones are left open, obviously paving the way for the next series. The disadvantage of alternate history is that the further one moves from where history branches, the less relevant the examination of social trends becomes. However, this storyline is certainly strong enough for another series, and you can have great fun guessing the parts certain characters will be playing!

All in all, this is an enlightening examination of American social history, expertly written by an author who understands his subject. Highly recommended.