Rating: 
Summary: One of the best SF novels of the hundreds I've read !!
Review: I've read this book at least 3 times in the last 10 years. If I wrote a book, this is one I would use as a guideline for great science fiction.One of the best SF/political novels of the hundreds of SF novels I have read. The interactions between the characters are on par with the best writing of Heinlein. I particularly loved the brief history of his "slightly altered universe" in the back of the book. A must read for any Libertarian.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful alternate historical base
Review: In Denver homicide detective Win Bear begins to feel his age after years on the force dealing with all kinds of vermin. His latest case is the usual chasing a murderer in a country that is totally controlled by the government with killers seemingly the only individualists left. The economy is in the tank and the only thing rising is pollution. Individual freedoms are nearing "zero".
Win stumbles on the PROBABILITY BROACH. He enters a different United States where individual freedom means everything and with limited government, technology has thrived within the blue skies. A different history has occurred with the major divergence beginning in 1794 with Gallatin joining the revolting Pennsylvania farmers, which results in the execution of Washington. The rest is history.
This is a reprint of a 1980s tale comparing two worlds, ours and an idyll realm based on L Neil Smith's contention that we lost freedoms during the Federalist period that also cost progress. Readers do not have to be libertarians to enjoy a well-written science fiction that dramatically portrays government excess using an alternate historical base for comparison. The story line engages the audience while making the readers think especially with today's debate over military tribunals for alleged terrorists or even the Steele case under Starr. Though avoiding the issue of the private sector stealing our civil liberties that also permeates American history, Mr. Smith's novel remains fresh today as the air in his alternate history is so that the reader gains a fabulous thought provoking novel that also entertains its audience. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Made Me Think
Review: It has been a long time since I read a book that was both fun to read as well as made me think. I haven't figured out all of Mr. Smith's underlying philosophy since I have only read one book by him (The Probability Broach). His idea of stopping air piracy (everyone carries a gun on the aircraft: the airline just checks to make sure that the bullet will not disable the plane) is great. The notion of personal responsibility is great in these days when most people think that the government is supposed to take care of them (womb to the tomb). I liked his book enough that I am going to buy some more novels by him.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing but pipe dreams and propaganda
Review: It was so bad I couldn't finish it. It falls more in the category of fantasy rather than sci-fi in that you're asked to accept the situation at face value without any explaination of its mechanics; I couldn't figure out why the NAC was able to thrive with its philosophy of minimal-to-nonexistent official intervention, and the book doesn't seem to want to reveal the reasons. Why no price gouging if Adam Smith's economic theory reigns supreme instead of John Maynard Keynes'? Why no murder sprees killers could claim were justifiable homicides if everyone's required to pack heat? Why no airplanes in a tech base that produced flatscreen TV two decades before ours? Why won't a policy of requiring unanimous decisions on major issues result in a pattern of implicit dictatorship by one joker consistently voting against the grain and preventing the passage or revocation of a bill? Did Shay's Rebellion, which showed the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation, even occur in this universe? Why aren't drugs addictive? And if drugs are still addictive, why hasn't some Omar Santiago wannabe used that scientific quirk to create a personal army and carve off a swatch of the NAC for himself?
The heavy politicization was also a turn-off--what's the point of making 1776 Anno Domini/Common Era into 1 Anno Liberatis ("year of freedom")?--as was the idea that the rule of law is what creates heinous acts, like airport metal detectors convincing terrorists to blow up airliners rather than hijack them. The Copyright Office in Win's universe has an armed tactical unit? I'd love to see what kind of heavily-armed death squads Smith gave the Departments of Agriculture and Education.
Having a Lexington minuteman ancestor and middle school classmates who were descended from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin also made this book rather heretical in my opinion. I do not consider the Founding Fathers to have been evil masterminds bent on unfairly forcing Josiah Saltpork to [loud shocked gasp] kick back some of his livelihood to help pay for road repairs, as much as the Newington, New Hampshire secessionists would beg to differ.
Basically, I think this book is merely an example of how the Libertarian Party is little more than a bunch of petulant whiners with an overinflated sense of entitlement. If you want better political analysis in sci-fi, try Frank Herbert's "Dune" saga; for a better alternate history detective mystery, try Harry Turtledove's "The Two Georges," as it also features right-wing loonies who think George Washington was scum and use unexplained, badly-written alternate history to promote their views. And yes, I have picked up and used a firearm before.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing but pipe dreams and propaganda
Review: It was so bad I couldn't finish it. It falls more in the category of fantasy rather than sci-fi in that you're asked to accept the situation at face value without any explaination of its mechanics; I couldn't figure out why the NAC was able to thrive with its philosophy of minimal-to-nonexistent official intervention, and the book doesn't seem to want to reveal the reasons. Why no price gouging if Adam Smith's economic theory reigns supreme instead of John Maynard Keynes'? Why no murder sprees killers could claim were justifiable homicides if everyone's required to pack heat? Why no airplanes in a tech base that produced flatscreen TV two decades before ours? Why won't a policy of requiring unanimous decisions on major issues result in a pattern of implicit dictatorship by one joker consistently voting against the grain and preventing the passage or revocation of a bill? Did Shay's Rebellion, which showed the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation, even occur in this universe? Why aren't drugs addictive? And if drugs are still addictive, why hasn't some Omar Santiago wannabe used that scientific quirk to create a personal army and carve off a swatch of the NAC for himself?
The heavy politicization was also a turn-off--what's the point of making 1776 Anno Domini/Common Era into 1 Anno Liberatis ("year of freedom")?--as was the idea that the rule of law is what creates heinous acts, like airport metal detectors convincing terrorists to blow up airliners rather than hijack them. The Copyright Office in Win's universe has an armed tactical unit? I'd love to see what kind of heavily-armed death squads Smith gave the Departments of Agriculture and Education.
Having a Lexington minuteman ancestor and middle school classmates who were descended from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin also made this book rather heretical in my opinion. I do not consider the Founding Fathers to have been evil masterminds bent on unfairly forcing Josiah Saltpork to [loud shocked gasp] kick back some of his livelihood to help pay for road repairs, as much as the Newington, New Hampshire secessionists would beg to differ.
Basically, I think this book is merely an example of how the Libertarian Party is little more than a bunch of petulant whiners with an overinflated sense of entitlement. If you want better political analysis in sci-fi, try Frank Herbert's "Dune" saga; for a better alternate history detective mystery, try Harry Turtledove's "The Two Georges," as it also features right-wing loonies who think George Washington was scum and use unexplained, badly-written alternate history to promote their views. And yes, I have picked up and used a firearm before.
Rating:
Summary: SUPERB!
Review: Kudos to L. Neil Smith for his wild and wooly ride through time! When you open this book, sit down, relax and enjoy the ride! This novel was my first introduction to libertarian Sci-Fi and after reading "The Probability Broach" my library hasnt been the same. This novel is a laissez-faire capitalist vision of the future that makes the US' look tame and is something we should ALL strive for. This is a great book, I heartily recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading for every American
Review: L. Neil Smith introduces the average man-on-the-street to true American liberty, care of that trustiest of science-fiction plot devices: a parallel universe. Some of the elements of this utopian realm are a little far-fetched, but it does not stand in the way of a book that is not only a thought-provoking look at American history, but is also a cracking good read. In the aftermath of 9/11, this book is even more relevant --crucially so, in fact-- than it was when it first hit the bookstores. I do not exaggerate when I tell you that this is a vitally important book, whether you are a fan of science fiction or not. The Probability Broach belongs on the same shelf as the brilliant Peter McWilliams's "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do," and the immortal "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi excitement with a "radical" twist
Review: L. Neil Smith portrays an America that never was, but should have been. A "sideways" time machine blasts the hero, Denver police detective Bear, a Ute Indian, into the alternate reality of the North American Confederacy, an America where gorillas and dolphins are politicians and scientists. Sound politically correct? Not in the least. Smith's first-rate writing skills weave historical fact, libertarian ideas and fiction into a tapestry of action, intrigue and, well, let's just say more than one sacred cow is lead to the slaughterhouse. The story moves right along, without becoming bogged down by politics. All in all, an excellent read
Rating:
Summary: Good Propaganda - Bad Prose
Review: Let's get one thing out of the way: I agree with every idea that L. Neil Smith espouses in this book. I think that the ability of individuals to govern themselves is infinitely more trustworthy than the ability of strangers to govern us. I think that widespread gun ownership (and training) could make crime negligible...I even think massive insurance companies could replace the cops. I am, in other words, the target audience for this book. That having been said, this book is irredeemably awful. Smith's imitation of Chandler's dry, hard-boiled analogies is poor and forced. His attempt to make every John Q. Public into an enlightened intellectual, capable of defending the social order on a moment's notice (a la characters in a Robert Heinlein novel) is naked propaganda. His villains are unrealistic. His heroes are cardboard. The scenes are weighted down in tortuous labyrinths of prose that make them incomprehensible (it took me until the chapter after our hero, "Win" Bear, got shot to realize that he *had* been shot). Sure, you can try and suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy the libertarian fantasy world, but Smith's awkward narrative stops you from even getting close. How much sense does it make for an average citizen to be able to deliver a well-organized speech touting the virtues of their culture on a moment's notice? I'm sure our United States would seem like Smith's libertarian paradise to your average Sudanese - yet you wouldn't expect your next-door neighbor to reel off a list of our nation's merit (except in the wake of September 11th - and, since Smith's Libertopia never goes to war, it's a moot point...
Rating:
Summary: Good Propaganda - Bad Prose
Review: Let's get one thing out of the way: I agree with every idea that L. Neil Smith espouses in this book. I think that the ability of individuals to govern themselves is infinitely more trustworthy than the ability of strangers to govern us. I think that widespread gun ownership (and training) could make crime negligible...I even think massive insurance companies could replace the cops. I am, in other words, the target audience for this book. That having been said, this book is irredeemably awful. Smith's imitation of Chandler's dry, hard-boiled analogies is poor and forced. His attempt to make every John Q. Public into an enlightened intellectual, capable of defending the social order on a moment's notice (a la characters in a Robert Heinlein novel) is naked propaganda. His villains are unrealistic. His heroes are cardboard. The scenes are weighted down in tortuous labyrinths of prose that make them incomprehensible (it took me until the chapter after our hero, "Win" Bear, got shot to realize that he *had* been shot). Sure, you can try and suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy the libertarian fantasy world, but Smith's awkward narrative stops you from even getting close. How much sense does it make for an average citizen to be able to deliver a well-organized speech touting the virtues of their culture on a moment's notice? I'm sure our United States would seem like Smith's libertarian paradise to your average Sudanese - yet you wouldn't expect your next-door neighbor to reel off a list of our nation's merit (except in the wake of September 11th - and, since Smith's Libertopia never goes to war, it's a moot point...
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