The War That Came Early: West and East

Another Great Turtledove Alternate History Terry Webb I have just finished Harry Turtledove's six volume set "The War that Came Early". Being a Harry Turtledove fan I of course enjoyed it. Some very thoughtful switches that made for a good and interesting story.However, I do have a few knock-offs on this series.First, I think it went a book too long. Well two books too long actually. I felt there was a lot of. All of Turtledove's strengths, and all of Turtledove's horrible flaws on full display If you have ever read a Harry Turtledove novel, and enjoyed it, then you will probably enjoy this just as much. For those familiar with Turtledove, I am saying that this book's greatest flaws are the same flaws that plague most of his works. There are a lot of characters, most of them are cardboard cutouts of what a history book would say a person from thi. Mike Fisher said OK, But Not Turtledove's Best. It seems Harry Turtledove expects his readers to know a little of the actual history that pertains to the things he writes about. At least it helps to understand what's going on here. Past that, he uses pretty much the same formula in all his alternate histories: spend a few pages of text to tell what happens to one character, then another and then another

From Publishers Weekly Having laid out the course of "the war that came early" in 2009's Hitler's War, Turtledove focuses on turning his characters from stock military figures into specialists. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. The German war machine, apparently fed by infinite soldiers, turns not only to the western and eastern fronts but also north to Denmark. In this version of WWII, the Nazis fail to take Paris. The war is always present, though, and there's plenty to satisfy fans of military strategy, tactics, and armaments. The novel most fully shines when the characters are allowed to strive for their full potential: Czech sniper Vaclav Jezek adopts an antitank rifle as his favorite weapon; German pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel ingeniously modifies his aircraft; Soviet soldier Chaim Weinberg becomes a Party propagandist; and the Goldman family tries to achieve a semblance of

In Japanese-controlled Singapore, an American marine falls in love with a Russian dance hall hostess, while around him are heard the first explosions of Chinese guerilla resistance. Nations are pitted against nations, alliances are forged between old enemies, ordinary men and women are hurled into extraordinary life-and-death situations. One was Adolf Hitler. The other was British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, who, determined to avoid war at any cost, came to be known as "the great appeaser." But