What If? : Alternative Historical Time Lines

Rating:
Summary: Sadly, this is unreadable junk
Review: Blumetti presents interesting four what if... scenarios. The problem is that he does it so badly that you want to throw the book the away. I'm not a grammar Nazi, but the awkward sentence structure, spelling mistakes, and brain dead language makes this unreadable. I defy anyone to enjoy the Napoleon born in United States scenario. It starts off bad, gets worse and sinks under its own mediocrity. It's hard to explain this, but I'll try: imagine the worst creative exercise story you ever heard badly recited by the dumb kid in your junior high English class... Got it? Good, 'cause that's what you get here.
It's amazing that this thing got published.
Alternative History can be fun, but this was just awful.

Rating:
Summary: Good history, poor execution
Review: Blumetti seems to have a solid grasp of 19th century European history, and his scenario of a Napolean raised in America is imaginative. However, it appears that his manuscript WAS NOT PROOFREAD by ANYONE before being sent to the printers, with the result that the huge number of grammar mistakes, misspellings, and sentence fragments makes his book almost unreadable.

Rating:
Summary: Go for a walk instead
Review: The basic idea of the book, some alt history scenarios as mind candy for people interested in it, is laudable. However its execution and therefore the book is ridiculous at best, if not outright damnable.

Two of the scenarios, 1866 and 1916, are actually quite interesting and would have deserved better, grammatically correct English would have been a first step. Some are downright silly like Napoleon Bonaparte as third president of the US; others are absolute crap and read like the wet dream of an old Nazi.

What hurts is the total disregard for facts. To give one example: Napoleon Bonaparte, born in 1769, could not have been a candidate for president in 1804. For that you have to be 40. And so on, and so on ...

So my advice for prospective readers: go for a walk instead.

Rating:
Summary: EXCITING AND SCHAOLARLY
Review: The scenarios in Blumetti's What If? are well thought out, interesting to read and exhibit a thorough understanding of 19th and 20th century history. Blumetti relies on his in depth knowledge of military history to weave credible alternatives out come for World War Two, in 1942 (Germans attack Moscow instead of Stalingard) and 1944 (What if the Allies are defeated at D-Day?), and what might have happened afterward to transform the course of the war. In any alternative scenario, the farther one moves from the point of divergence, the greater is the speculation of how history will play itself out. At times, an author might let his imagination soar into the realm of the unbelievable, but Blumetti's tales remain rooted in the possible, if not the probable.
The scenario about Bismark creating Greater Germany shows that Blumetti has a scholar's understanding of 19th century European geo-politics and power diplomacy among the great powers of Europe. But I found his tale about Napoleon born in America clearly rooted in Thomas Caryle's theory that "History is the biography of great men." Napoleon, being one of those "supermen" who appear from time to time on the stage of history, would, according to Caryle, transform the age he was born into, no matter where he was born, or the history of whatever country he was a citizen. The fact is--Corscian rebellions, of which his father was one, did flee Corscia and many did settle in New York City, and under the leadership of Alexander Hamilton (who organized the birgade)did fight in the American Revolution. Carlos Bonaparte did want to join his fellow freedom fighters, but was convinced by his wife, who was carrying Napoleon, changed his mine and so he accepted the French offer and thus, Napoleon was born a French citizen, instead of a citizen of the New York colony.
Since Carlos Bonaparte was one of the leaders of the Corscian freedom fighters, he probably would have played a major role and become friends, or at the least, knew Hamilton. If Napoleon had been born American, he probably would have entertained a career in either the military or American politics--or both. If this did happen, then anything was possible--but Blumetti does constrain his imagination, and constructs both a well-thoughtout and entertaining scenario that is well worth reading. IT IS A MUST! for anyone who enjoys alternative histories.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Sensational
Review: This phenomenal tale should have been picked up by a traditional publisher, because its impeccable writing is unrivaled by anyone else's work. The grasp of history and excellent storytelling combine to make an impeccable tale that anyone will enjoy!