Rating: 
Summary: Remarkably bad
Review: Harry Turtledove has carved out a niche writing alternative history novels, most of which suffer from serious sprawl but still retain interest from his attention to likely timelines. This novel, which is apparently intended as a Young Adult SF, is not only poorly thought-out, but stupifyingly dull. The central characters are irritating and the "alternate" world that Turtledove has sketched out is far less interesting than a straightforward historical novel would have been, much less as the logical extension of an alternative history. I can't imagine it holding the attention of any young reader, even one ravenous for science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Say it isn't so.
Review: I am a huge Turtledove fan. I think he is a brilliant writer (esp. his alternate history), but this book was a huge disappointment. It was like being beaten with a "moral-stick" for 288 pages. I mean I was really excited for the first 30 pages or so (a great concept!), but then it goes to Hell. Not since Teckla by Brust have I had so much moral remarks shoved down my throat. I don't mind an author writing and putting in social commentary...if it is a little more subtle. As is it is just insulting. I know slavery is bad, I don't give a damn about fur, and I understand that in modern culture we have different views and diff. tech....wow...he spent almost 300 pages just on that. Congrats! This book should be a pamphlet entitled "Morals that I thrust upon you until you want to throw up." Turtledove, for the love of god, don't let your 8 year old write another story of yours! The story itself is unimpressive after the concept of alternate travel (which isn't horridly original (read Timeline)) is introduced. The two main characters (Jeremy and Amanda) spend their entire existence whining and crying like children. I swear if our society gets to this point...I say we destroy ourselves now if our children are going to be so pathetic. They are called, several times, "intelligent." If they were so bloody intelligent, why did they not ever instigate any of the many advances in tactics they mention (dirt walls to stop cannonballs, etc.)? I know that they aren't supposed to "change things," but when your life is on the line things change. I mean the plot was stagnant. Even when the "bad guys" get inside the city, it is anticlimactic. I have had more entertainment watching grass grow in a desert. Words can not describe how annoyed I am at Turtledove for writing this atrocious putrid piece of garbage. For the love of all that is holy, do not buy this book. Let it die like the injured animal that it is and make a fur out of it.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment to Say the Least
Review: I ordered this book because I am a big fan of Turtledove's alternate history books. The story description was enough to get me interested and the story concept seemed pretty good. I can't believe that it was written by Turtledove. There was never any suspense on where the story was going or where it would end up, the characters were a little superficial. Though the story is not similar, for some reason I was reminded of "Farmer in the Sky" by Heinlein which I read a long time ago. The story was simple and pretty boring. It seems like this was written to become a series, and I am not sure I will buy any more if this series continues.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry, ya let me down a bit!
Review: I wasn't really expecting a "juvenile," but I grew up with Heinlein "juveniles," so I looked at this novel thru that particular lens (plus 45+ years additional experience). This neat little book is not really original (thematically), but builds on several alternative history paths (already explored by a good number of other authors) and tosses in a future American possibility, basically from a "green" perspective. Fishing for food and minerals for a wasted 21st century earth is a good addition to this genre. Jeremy and Amanda may become "Heinlein" kids" in later volumes. Now, however, they are too whiny, too 20th century US west coast (even if the setting is late 21st century). They find moral and ethical problems hard to deal with... mostly outside their experience other than thru history class. OTOH, Heinlien kids were direct action types in hard settings (appropriate for their time and for setting youth models early in the Cold War). Jeremy and Amanda are not models for our time (could be argued that they are), but certainly learned a lot about family business' and surviving in a strange culture - and a war to boot - when cut off from everything familiar. They ended up doing fine. Learning and thinking for survival are Harry's key points, I think. These are good lessons for both life and any novel. So, on that level the story suceeds, even if its practice might be considered a bit "limp."
Rating:
Summary: Isn't There a Zero Star Rating?
Review: If there were, I would certainly use it in this instance. Thankfully I didn't purchase this book but picked it up at the library, or I'd be angry rather than merely bemoaning the time I spent speed-reading this flat book. Turtledove used the Many Anvils of Fur Revulsion, Slave Hating, and Taste Judging to bludgeon any interest a reader may have had in the story. I kept checking the book jacket to see if I may have inadvertently missed a "Young Adult" icon. (There was none.) I, like another reviewer, simply didn't care whether Jeremy and Amanda made it out and back to their hometimeline or even if their parents were alive. I was half hoping the book would end with them stuck in the Roman Empire - would have served them right! Unsympathetic and arrogant characters, dumbed down language, religious moralizing I could certainly have done without. I will NOT be looking for the next book in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fine New Turtledove Series
Review: In Gunpowder Empire Harry Turtledove begins another series of books, this one with enormous potential to please. He has revived H. Beam Piper's Paratime concept of multiple Earths on different time tracks (which can be visited by those with the right technology). This provides unlimited numbers of possible alternate worlds for Turtledove to explore. Gunpowder Empire takes a late twenty-first century American family to an alternate world where the Roman Empire never fell. They do business there in order to provide scarce resources to their own world, and for a time all seems well. Then the mother gets very ill and she and her husband return to their own world, leaving their two teenage children behind. Then the technology breaks down, and the children are left on their own, possibly for the rest of their lives. Turtledove has not only revived Piper's idea of Crosstime traffic, he has also hearkened back to Robert Heinlein's juvenile science fiction works of the 1950s and 1960s. At the same time he has provided some thought provoking commentary on war and on gender roles and relationships which give the book more depth. This is the beginning of a fine new series which I hope will see many additions.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept, boring story
Review: In this short novel (novella?) Turtledove uses the ideal of parallel worlds and thus alternative histories. In this case, a world where the Roman Empire never fell and primitive muskets and cannons are state of the art. The twist is that living in this world are people from our own future, where they have found a way to travel to these parallel worlds and exploit their resources. As resources run low on our world, "traders" go to parallel worlds and get the stuff we need. Conceptually this is very interesting stuff, and Turtledove does a reasonable job explaining how and why history would be different, as well as how these people would have developed socially etc. He is a little sketchy on how exactly this kind of parallel world travel works (he is no Michael Crichton). The main problem with this book is that once this is all established, and the characters (Traders from our world) are set up, not much happens. The Characters seem to get into some sticky situations, but then sort of just get out of trouble, setting a pattern of non-events for the whole book. Not to give things away, but the characters are never in any "real" danger, there is no compelling narrative drive. Perhaps a worthwhile paperback or library book but save your money otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: a ind bender, a page turner
Review: In this start to the "Cross-Time Traffic" projected three book series by Harry Turtledove, Jeremy And Amanda Solters travel from bustling late 21st century Los Angeles to "Present-day Rome". In Jeremy and Amanda's time, it is as routine as ever to travel to "alternates" in parallel universes in different timelines. They are the crosstime traders, and they are bring in the wealth and livelihood of resource starved 21st century Earth. Because resources are scarce and space even more so, family's like Amanda and Jeremy's travel to timelines much different then their own to bring back things like grain or produce to their time. In return, they sell wonderous things such as pocketwatches or Swiss army knives to the locals. In this novel, Jeremy and Amanda don't spend their suers on a beach in Florida, but trade in a Rome where the Roman empire has never fallen and life is primative. When Jeremy and Amanda's mom comes down with a sickness that can't be fixed with simple antibiotics, their parents go back to the home timeline where the children are left to fend for theirselves among falling cannonballs and snoopy prefects, with no hope whatsoever of going home. This book was a great read, even for a college age person like myself. I'm not a history buff, and I thought that this book was easily readable for someone like me. A teenager or even someone younger would I am sure find it intriguing and imaginative. In this book, I did not get tangled up on huge words and intricate plots that might be found in other 200000 word Turtledove novels. I just found a fast moving tale that's sure to engage any eager reader to jump into a transposition chamber and travel with the Soltairs family to a Rome that never was.
Rating:
Summary: a ind bender, a page turner
Review: In this start to the "Cross-Time Traffic" projected three book series by Harry Turtledove, Jeremy And Amanda Solters travel from bustling late 21st century Los Angeles to "Present-day Rome". In Jeremy and Amanda's time, it is as routine as ever to travel to "alternates" in parallel universes in different timelines. They are the crosstime traders, and they are bring in the wealth and livelihood of resource starved 21st century Earth. Because resources are scarce and space even more so, family's like Amanda and Jeremy's travel to timelines much different then their own to bring back things like grain or produce to their time. In return, they sell wonderous things such as pocketwatches or Swiss army knives to the locals. In this novel, Jeremy and Amanda don't spend their suers on a beach in Florida, but trade in a Rome where the Roman empire has never fallen and life is primative. When Jeremy and Amanda's mom comes down with a sickness that can't be fixed with simple antibiotics, their parents go back to the home timeline where the children are left to fend for theirselves among falling cannonballs and snoopy prefects, with no hope whatsoever of going home. This book was a great read, even for a college age person like myself. I'm not a history buff, and I thought that this book was easily readable for someone like me. A teenager or even someone younger would I am sure find it intriguing and imaginative. In this book, I did not get tangled up on huge words and intricate plots that might be found in other 200000 word Turtledove novels. I just found a fast moving tale that's sure to engage any eager reader to jump into a transposition chamber and travel with the Soltairs family to a Rome that never was.
Rating:
Summary: Starts off pretty good but gets bad quickly.
Review: It is kind of fun to dabble in alternate history. What if... makes for some fun trips into imaginative worlds. Sadly this isn't one of them. The whole concept to me was amazingly bad. This is a society (set in 2100) that has figured out the details of time travel but can't find solutions for food and fuel shortages. In order to supplement the food shortage families are sent to alternative timelines to trade for food. These families are attempting to feed billions by trading for a few bushels of grain at an amazing cost considering the technology involved. The Salters fly across a continent and an ocean, rent a car to drive for 4 hours. And they end up coming back with perhaps $100 worth of grain. Where was that business plan written? Once the family in this particular edition (this book is part one of a series) gets to its timeline it turns into a whine fest. The kids whine about lack of convienence, paying honor to Roman Emperors, Orthodox religion, wearing fur, not once but throughout three quarters of the book. I thought Amanda and Jeromy were children of about 10 years old, not highschool juniors and seniors they were supposed to be. Instead of interacting with the alternative time it is resented. The fish out of water theme that could have been really good is not developed, in fact it is ignored. This is a happily ever after fairytale that lacks in tension and interest.
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