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Fallout: The Hot War

by Harry Turtledove

Series: The Hot War (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
962282,230 (3.75)None
Fiction. Literature. Science Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML:“Turtledove is the standard-bearer for alternate history.”—USA Today
The novels of Harry Turtledove show history balancing on single moments: One act of folly. One poor decision. One moment of rage. In this astounding new series, the unthinkable has come to pass. The Cold War turns hot—and the United States and the Soviet Union unleash their nuclear arsenals upon each other. Millions die. Millions more are displaced. Germans battle side by side with Americans, Polish freedom fighters next to Russian fascists. The genie is out of the bottle. And there’s no telling what fresh hell will come next.
 
At the heart of Fallout are Harry Truman and Josef Stalin. Even as Joe McCarthy rises in power, the U.S. president is focused elsewhere, planning to cut off the head of the Soviet threat by taking out Stalin. It’s a daring gambit, but the Soviets have one of their own. Meanwhile, Europe’s weak sisters, France and Italy, seem poised to choose the winning side, while China threatens to overrun Korea. With Great Britain ravaged and swaths of America in ruins, leaders are running out of options. When the United States drops another series of bombs to slow the Russian advance in Europe, Stalin strikes back—with horrifying results.
 
These staggering events unfold through the eyes of a sprawling cast of characters: a Holocaust survivor in a displaced persons camp in Washington; the wife of a bomber pilot and her five-year-old daughter starting a new existence; a savage Soviet fighter waging war by his own rules; a British pub owner falling in love with an American pilot. In the masterly hands of Harry Turtledove, this epic chronicle of war becomes a story of human struggle. As the armies of the world implode, the next chapter will be written by the survivors—those willing to rise up for an uncertain future.
Praise for Fallout
“Turtledove proves, yet again, that he is the best when it comes to rewriting history!”Suspense Magazine
 
“Turtledove, the master of alternate history, has done well again.”Shelf Awareness
“No one writes alternate-history novels quite like Turtledove. . . . Expect epic political stakes as well as personal and heartfelt stories of war.”—BookTrib.
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All 3 volumes of this are getting reviewed together as it would have been better to be one book. I would give the whole series a 3.5 if I could. Pretty entertaining but not some problems. Recommended with reservations. More behind a spoiler wall.

If this had been one book I would compare it to a low tech version of [b:Red Storm Rising|318525|Red Storm Rising|Tom Clancy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1173729031s/318525.jpg|5054712]. The big difference is [a:Tom Clancy|3892|Tom Clancy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407672935p2/3892.jpg] has a problem with realistic dialog while [a:Turtledove Harry|7944234|Turtledove Harry|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has richer characters and dialog but his equipment and battle descriptions are worse. After reading Clancy, one feels like they could work the equipment, after reading Turtledove I felt like I got re-treads (like on tanks!) of the same descriptions over and over. Yes the Russian T-4 was a copy of the B-29. Maybe don't tell me that every single time we deal with the T-4.

The other big weakness was Stalin not being used as a main character. Truman is there, but not Stalin. If one is going to speculate on Truman's actions and motives, one should also get Stalin's.

( )
  Skybalon | Mar 19, 2020 |
Well, it is a year later and I've read this second in the series of alternative histories for which the author is famous, and this is little different than the first. It also ends abruptly but I do like the author's technique of relating the story from various character's points of view. Again, I will have to wait the next installment. ( )
  dmclane | Apr 16, 2016 |
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Fiction. Literature. Science Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML:“Turtledove is the standard-bearer for alternate history.”—USA Today
The novels of Harry Turtledove show history balancing on single moments: One act of folly. One poor decision. One moment of rage. In this astounding new series, the unthinkable has come to pass. The Cold War turns hot—and the United States and the Soviet Union unleash their nuclear arsenals upon each other. Millions die. Millions more are displaced. Germans battle side by side with Americans, Polish freedom fighters next to Russian fascists. The genie is out of the bottle. And there’s no telling what fresh hell will come next.
 
At the heart of Fallout are Harry Truman and Josef Stalin. Even as Joe McCarthy rises in power, the U.S. president is focused elsewhere, planning to cut off the head of the Soviet threat by taking out Stalin. It’s a daring gambit, but the Soviets have one of their own. Meanwhile, Europe’s weak sisters, France and Italy, seem poised to choose the winning side, while China threatens to overrun Korea. With Great Britain ravaged and swaths of America in ruins, leaders are running out of options. When the United States drops another series of bombs to slow the Russian advance in Europe, Stalin strikes back—with horrifying results.
 
These staggering events unfold through the eyes of a sprawling cast of characters: a Holocaust survivor in a displaced persons camp in Washington; the wife of a bomber pilot and her five-year-old daughter starting a new existence; a savage Soviet fighter waging war by his own rules; a British pub owner falling in love with an American pilot. In the masterly hands of Harry Turtledove, this epic chronicle of war becomes a story of human struggle. As the armies of the world implode, the next chapter will be written by the survivors—those willing to rise up for an uncertain future.
Praise for Fallout
“Turtledove proves, yet again, that he is the best when it comes to rewriting history!”Suspense Magazine
 
“Turtledove, the master of alternate history, has done well again.”Shelf Awareness
“No one writes alternate-history novels quite like Turtledove. . . . Expect epic political stakes as well as personal and heartfelt stories of war.”—BookTrib.

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