Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful series, mediocre book.
Review: Turtledove's grasp of historical force is marvelous, and it's a joy to see his world unfolding completely logically. This is one of the most addictive series I've ever read...but, unfortunately, this is only a by-the-script, phoned-in book completely devoid of imagination. Of course, this book is supposed to be a link between the two wars, but it's obvious that not much effort went into the production of this book. It's formulaic, repetetive, and the characters are as deep as a rain puddle--it's obvious that all but the Hitler-alike Jake Featherston were concieved as single adjectives. His prose is clumsy, often bordering on juvenile. He repeats cliched phrases ad nauseum. He is entrenched in an annoying, improbable habit of insisting that political figures born after the Civil War would indeed be born, named, and reared the exact same way they already were. In this series we have seen Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Teddy Roosevelt, and Joe Kennedy appear with the exact same personalities they had in real life. Turtledove has created a wonderful world of historical cause and effect with a painted wooden backdrop serving as his population. Unfortunately he concentrates on the backdrop. The book itself deserves only 1.5 stars, but, taken in the context of a highly entertaining series, is boosted to three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful series, mediocre book.
Review: Turtledove's grasp of historical force is marvelous, and it's a joy to see his world unfolding completely logically. This is one of the most addictive series I've ever read...but, unfortunately, this is only a by-the-script, phoned-in book completely devoid of imagination. Of course, this book is supposed to be a link between the two wars, but it's obvious that not much effort went into the production of this book. It's formulaic, repetetive, and the characters are as deep as a rain puddle--it's obvious that all but the Hitler-alike Jake Featherston were concieved as single adjectives. His prose is clumsy, often bordering on juvenile. He repeats cliched phrases ad nauseum. He is entrenched in an annoying, improbable habit of insisting that political figures born after the Civil War would indeed be born, named, and reared the exact same way they already were. In this series we have seen Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Teddy Roosevelt, and Joe Kennedy appear with the exact same personalities they had in real life. Turtledove has created a wonderful world of historical cause and effect with a painted wooden backdrop serving as his population. Unfortunately he concentrates on the backdrop. The book itself deserves only 1.5 stars, but, taken in the context of a highly entertaining series, is boosted to three stars.
Rating: 
Summary: John Deakins for ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE MAGAZINE
Review: We return to Turtledove's alternate America. The
Confederacy won the Civil War, won the inevitable follow-up
war in 1870, but lost to the industrial North in World War I.
By the 1930's, a victorious Germany, once a Union ally, now
makes an uneasy competitor. A hot mini-war has broken out
with an undefeated Japan, which holds all of east Asia.
There is anti-German trouble brewing in defeated France.
On our continent, a bitter Confederacy has chosen to
follow a Hitler-clone, after the economies of both North and
South collapse into another Great Depression. The Canadians
still chafe under American occupation. President Hoover
still refuses any compromise with the rebellious Mormons in
Utah. The gutted American armed forces may not be able to
stand against aggressive Japanese, untrustworthy Germans, and
(secretly re-arming) resurgent Southerners.
So, what else is new?
The same plethora of characters who began "The Great
War" series are mostly still with us. Turtledove kills off
about one a book now. All the women seem to be experiencing
motherhood, from pregnancy through young adulthood. Compared
to earlier books, Turtledove seems to be racing through the
Roaring Twenties and the Depression, rearing a generation to
fight his alternate World War II. Other than that, it is
eerie to watch his characters hurrying toward their own Stock
Market crash. For their overconfident stock kiting "on
margin," read "Internet day-trading," and watch the 2002 Dow
on our own Wall Street slide lower and lower. The hair on
your neck will begin to creep on its own.
If you started this series, with _How Few Remain_, you
are (of course) hooked. You'll stick it out, review or no
review. Turtledove is such a consistently terrific writer
that you won't be disappointed. You knew that it would be
bad news ("To Be Continued") when you picked it up. This is
not the book, however, to launch a reader as a Turtledove
fan. Go back to _The Great War: American Front_ and catch
up. By the time the next installment is out, you'll be ready
to march into the darkness of the '30's with the rest of us.
Rating:
Summary: Turtledove's Alternative American History Continues
Review: With "American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold" Harry Turtledove provides yet another installment in his ongoing alternative history look at the 20th Century history of North America. Here he shows us an alternative version of the Great Depression, triggered by defaulting loans made by Austria-Hungary to Russia. Meanwhile the Confederate States of America's fascist Freedom Party quickly rises to power, under the charismatic leadership of Jake Featherston, Turtledove's American version of Adolf Hitler. This installment covers the period from 1924-1933, chronicling increasing tensions between the United States of America and its former ally, the German Empire, and the new threat posed by the Empire of Japan. I have found this series quite engrossing, even if it is plagued with one-dimensional characters and banal prose (For a more lyrical, thoughtful, and better written alternate history novel, I would recommend instead Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Years of Rice and Salt".). Still, inspite of its major flaws, I can recommend "American History: The Center Cannot Hold" to fans of Harry Turtledove and others interested in alternative history science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Turtledove's Alternative American History Continues
Review: With "American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold" Harry Turtledove provides yet another installment in his ongoing alternative history look at the 20th Century history of North America. Here he shows us an alternative version of the Great Depression, triggered by defaulting loans made by Austria-Hungary to Russia. Meanwhile the Confederate States of America's fascist Freedom Party quickly rises to power, under the charismatic leadership of Jake Featherston, Turtledove's American version of Adolf Hitler. This installment covers the period from 1924-1933, chronicling increasing tensions between the United States of America and its former ally, the German Empire, and the new threat posed by the Empire of Japan. I have found this series quite engrossing, even if it is plagued with one-dimensional characters and banal prose (For a more lyrical, thoughtful, and better written alternate history novel, I would recommend instead Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Years of Rice and Salt".). Still, inspite of its major flaws, I can recommend "American History: The Center Cannot Hold" to fans of Harry Turtledove and others interested in alternative history science fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Without war, things just don't gel so well...
Review: With all the previous works of Dr. Turtledove, be it the Worldwar series, the Great War series, or single titles like "A Different Flesh" and "The World of Difference," I gobbled up each book in about a day and a half. With The Center Cannot Hold, my regular pattern broke. It took me almost two weeks to plod through it. Here are a few reasons why. While the style of writing remains the same that numerous Turtledove fans came to love, it simply doesn't fit well into a storyline covering almost two decades. With "How Few Remain" and all the Great War installments, the storyline covered just a few years, which allowed for a better chronological flow. Here, however, the pace is so frantic that the reader often must go through a few pages of the new chapter or even subchapter before realizing that substantial time has elapsed inside the storyline. Finally, whether the peaceniks agree with me or not, the Great War series had a trump card in its plot - war. Turtledove's masterful description of battle scenes from the extremely personal, trenches-level of individual participants gave war - already the most exciting and fascinating subject in literature - even more spice. Alas, the American Empire series lacks this marketing weapon, and the difference this absence creates is very telling. Overall, this book is a tolerable bridge between "Blood and Iron" and the upcoming "Settling Accounts," but for those who are unfamiliar with Turtledove's writing, a word of advice: Start with some earlier works of this great author, perhaps "Guns of the South" or "How Few Remain."
Rating: 
Summary: American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold
Review: WOW! I love this whole series (Great War and American Empire) and I feel that the way that Turtledove matures the characters is great. This book is not so good by itself, but when read in order it is the right mix of action, suspense and well its just awesome. Anyway, the very end is excellent and I cannot wait to read the final book.
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