Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Hm, the reviewers below seem kind of nitpicky. They may not realize this, but in history, even a small twist of fate can have huge impact on the timeline.Sure, the Draka have more advanced technology, but why is this so improbable? If you had gone back 5-600 years and told someone that western Europe would significantly outstrip China in technology and power in couple of hundred years, you would have been laughed at. Or if you had told someone a hundred years ago that China will vastly outsrip the U.S. in technology and power in couple of hundred years, you would have been laughed at again. Yet this is what happened, and almost certainly will happen. Technical progress is a direct function of social environment and chance. Nothing Stirling writes is implausible as our own timeline. By the way, let's not be so chauvanistic about the Revolution and the Civil War. Loyalists lost because there weren't as many of them, and the South lost because they had less industry. It had nothing to do with the people's character. Finally, that Janissaries fought well is not farfetched. Didn't Indians and African Americans show great courage in WWII, even though they were so severely oppressed? Didn't Rome have many former enemies and second class citizens not fight well for them? This is a great book, written by a man who is incredibly perceptive and well informed. This is not a book for an intellectual lightweight or a those with a closed mind. It is a very intellectually honest book, and I would say, perhap the greatest science fiction I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cream of the Crop in Alternate History
Review: I agree with the last two reviewers that "The Domination" is among the best alternate histories written to date. It takes a while to get used to Stirling's vision, because of his jarring insertion of the completely unfamiliar Draka people into a recognizable variant of World War II. Nevertheless, the story slowly grows on you, and is impressive in its originality: Stirling creates a whole Draka culture right before your eyes, complete with its own dialect of English. And, after a while, it's not too hard to believe that the Draka really could have spent the whole 19th Century slowly growing in the splendid isolation of their African fatherland, without changing the rest of history beyond recognition. Some previous critics have complained about the plausibility of the Draka scenario, saying, for example, that the speed of the Draka conquest and the growth of the Domination are unbelievable. Perhaps it is unlikely, but no more unlikely than 13 sparsely populated colonies growing into the world's greatest superpower in less than 200 years. Which brings me to a point that even some of those who like the series seem to have missed: Stirling's Draka are in many ways an evil twin of the U.S.A. itself, and seem to share some cultural characteristics with America's upper classes (i.e., snobbery, an obesession with youth and physical fitness, casual attitudes towards sex, absence of religion, etc.). Like Orwell and Huxley, Stirling warns us to watch out, or we may still fall into the trap he describes here. Finally, the only thing that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars is the fact that it is a truncated abridgement of Stirling's Draka Trilogy ("Marching Through Georgia", "Under The Yoke" and "The Stone Dogs"), and lacks the historical "framing material" and excellent appendices of the original three books (also, some minor scenes have been edited out). This weakens the story considerably, robbing it of much its context, and is a disservice to first time readers. I hope other Draka fans will join me in calling upon Mr. Stirling to seek the publication of a new hardcover edition of "The Domination", complete and unabridged, with some better cover art. The current version, while better than nothing, simply does not do the story justice.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking...
Review: I bought this after my copy of Marching through Georgia disappeared on a PCS back here to the World. I missed the timeframe/explainations in the back of the previous editions quite a few times.... Many of the previous reviewers thought it all plausable but like several others I must disagree on some points. Why would the Icelanders vacate all the way to Southern Africa when Canada and the US were closer?(minor point admittedly) Over 10% of Southern bitterenders willingly leave the land they know for an unsure future in Africa?(with their slaves?) That would sure be alot of shipping for a nonmaritime nation to muster. The early adaptation of breechloaders makes sense but not in the absense of all other nations not doing so within a roughly similiar time frame. Look at how fast most warlike inventions were almost univerisally adapted once their value was shown(Maxims/Gatlings) Confederate armor? Where was it made? Shipped in? Have you ever checked out those shallow draft blockade runners, they carried high value small items for the most part. Heavy equipment would have been beyond almost all of their capabilities unless the Union fleet just didn't exist. Janissaries being so constantly effective is wishful thinking also, in the Ottoman Empire these troops got rewarded VERY highly for their service. Becoming the Grand Vizier himself was a possibility. The Draka offer NOTHING but more of the same nonpaid service for their troops. Roman auxilaries got citizenship after service and land grants--becoming the equal of their citizen fellow legionaries. Greek slaves could and often did win their freedom. There were relatively passive slave cultures but that generally depended on how they were treated, the Draka appartently did not treat their serfs very kindly as a rule... The Draka not having to deal with an interferring Empire also reflects wishful thinking, the Brits were fighting slavery long before we got around to it remember? The Boers started trekking very early because of that. My biggest complaint is that we only see the elite of the Draka, not the average types. Slaves were seen being generally treated quite well, of course we only ever really see the estate slaves of the rich "nice" Draka(kind of like "Gone With The Wind). Other reviewers say we can be empathic towards them quite easily, after all we don't see much of the evil side do we? The terror used is seldom touched on often and then generally quite fleetingly. Overall it is inself a fair read but the opponents seem so much out of balance. The Draka seem to so all powerful that I wondered why it took 3 books for the Alliance to finally lose...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent military sf for people who don`t like military s
Review: I don`t normally read military sf,but I REALLY enjoyed this book,regardless of if the alternate history was plausible or not.The characters were real and the setting was vivid.I did dot like the DRAKA by the end ,but I DID UNDERSTAND THEM.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new; but a good collection
Review: I eagerly pre-ordered this book as soon as it was possible, because I am a great admirer of Stirling's Draka series -- a better study in fictitious evil has yet to be written. I ordered it expecting a sequel to DRAKON or to THE STONE DOGS (the former is the latest book in the series, but takes place during a different "timeline" from the other three). But this book is NOT a sequel. It is a collection of the first three books of the Draka series, in hardback form and with spiffy cover art. Nothing in the ads suggests that there are about five pages' worth of original writing in this volume, and I was quite disappointed when, upon receiving the book in the mail, I realized that this was just a re-release of previously published material. This is one of the drawbacks to buying at Amazon (though, in fairness, the cover GIF, if clicked, does tell the story). Altogether, it is nice to have the three novels collected together like this. But I really wish the maps and appendices from the other books had been included, especially the technological timelines and descriptions of the Drakan and American systems. Those were among the most enjoyable and well-written appendices to any fiction I've seen, and they are sorely missed here.
Rating:
Summary: engulfing and disturbing
Review: I haven't read the original series that some of the previous writers say was even better, but even so this combined volume is a truly great work.
I can't take the Draka of my mind, even though I finished the book quite a while ago. The tiny bits of historical discrepancies mentioned elsewhere are nothing in my eyes, as this is a work of AH (fiction...), not a history lesson.
One point I'd like to make is many writers refer to the Draka as the ultimate evil, even compared to the Nazies. I disagree completely - the Draka did not decide to eliminate one kind of people of the face of the Earth - they enslaved everybody without any discrimination. They did not have death-camps, no gas chambres. So, in my eyes, the ultimate evil still belongs in our time-line.
Rating:
Summary: The classic Draka stories, with a link to the next ones.
Review: I just bought The Domination and haven't read all of it yet (after all it is a huge hardcover) but so far I am very pleased. I mostly bought this to replace my yellowing vintage used bookstore copies of Marching through Georiga, Under the Yoke and The Stone Dogs. And that is what I have, but there is also something new. At the beginning of each book, and after the last one, there is a small story from the characters of Drakkon, which explains the history of the Draka timeline, from the viewpoint of Earth/2. This was a nice surprise, and nicely puts each book into context. So don't just buy the book to replace your old paperbacks, but also get something that provides a bit more backstory for the Sequel of Drakkon (which is hopefully comming soon). The only problem I had with the book is it didn't seem to have the glossary and history section that the paperbacks had at the end of each book. If there ever is a re-print I hope they put it back. (I'll even buy another copy, and give my old one to a friend) If you are new to the Draka books, this is a great value for you, three excellent books for the price of one hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Standard Texts of modern AH
Review: If you've ever looked at an alternate history wep site or discussion group, you've no doubt noticed numerous references to the Draka books. Some say they're great works of alternate history, some say they're unrealistic garbage. Either way, these books seem to inspire a great deal of emotion. So what's the buzz about? Find out in this volume, which contains all of the original Draka trilogy (Marching through Georgia, Under the Yoke, and the Stone Dogs). This series has a somewhat unusual point of divergence. It came in the 1770s, when Britain conquered South Africa. After the American Revolution, many of the defeated British loyalists moved to this fledgling colony, where they went about building a new nation, which eventually came to be called the Draka Domination. This energetic, militaristic slave-holding society rapidly spread across the continent of Africa, becoming a power in its own right. At this point, the timeline gets somewhat improbable. Despite the presence of this large, powerful, economically influential political entity, the rest of the world develops much as it did in real life (although the USA successfully conquers Canada, Mexico, and central America during the course of the 19th century). It seems that the Draka should have a much bigger impact on history. Dispite the problem of plausibility, however, this volume makes for a very compelling read. The Draka are in the unique position of being both fascinating protagonists and terrifying villains. Throughout the course of the (one-volume) trilogy, most of the viewpoint characters are Draka. We are given an in-depth look at their society, which places great emphasis on both military prowess and artistic talent. However, we also see the dark side of this society. The Draka oversee huge masses of slaves, who are brutally exploited and violently (often fatally) punished for the smallest offense. They have no respect for the laws of war, for all captured enemies join the ranks of these slaves. The Draka, who take this nightmarish system for granted, are a truly chilling creation. The stories themselves are exciting and well-written. Each book in the trilogy is very different from the others in tone and setting, but all are very effective. Marching through Georgia is a straight war novel, set in the early 1940s. The Draka Domination has gone to war against Hitler's Third Reich, and the two nations are heading towards a showdown in the Caucasus. The protagonist leads a small but highly trained and well equipped force of Draka paratroopers against the Waffen SS in a series of violent, graphic, blood-drenced battles. There is a stronger emphasis on bullets than on brains, but it's a very enjoyable military adventure. Under the Yoke is set several years later, during this world's Cold War. The Draka have overrun all of continental Europe and most of Asia. They are opposed by a US-led coalition of free nations (the Alliance for Democracy) containing all of the Americas plus Britain, Japan, India, and Indochina, and Australia. Part of the plot follows a US secret agent who is slipped into Northern Europe, while the other part deals with recently-enslaved Europeans, who must learn to live in a world without freedom, hope, or diginity. The two plotlines converge as the Alliance for Democracy struggles, with the help of European resistance fighters, to maintain its lead in nuclear technology. A satisying, if unusually gory, espionage thriller. The Stone Dogs continues this alternate Cold War as both the Alliance and the Domination continue to build their strength. The Draka perfect genetic engineering, while the free nations make great leaps in the physical and computer sciences, and both blocs establish their presence throughout the solar system. This book is bigger in scope and therefore a little less focused than the other two, ranging from espionage in France to military action in India to various intrigues throughout the Solar System. Still, it provides an enthralling picture of a far more intense Cold War against an utterly implacable foe. Good reads throughout, but not for people with weak stomaches. There is a huge amount of unusually graphic violence, unusually nasty executions, and unusually sadistic torture. There is also a great deal of sex, much of it lesbian (the Draka seem to be universally bisexual). For those who can handle this sort of thing, however, this is a very worthwhile AH/SF tale.
Rating:
Summary: Remember it's fiction!
Review: Like one of the preceding reviews, I think some others are nitpicking. The Draka are a great evil (to our mind set) adversary and are consistantly kept that way. This book and series is a very well written and thought out alternate history of our world. As stated before the losses by Loyalists and Confedarates had nothing to do with character or ability and much more to do with numbers of people involved on each side. Remember. we can look back and see where small changes in actions or world view could have changed history drastically and that is what this series does. So just read and enjoy as I did.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Underrated Alternate History Universe
Review: Most Alternate History afficianados (myself included) are minutia fixated wonks. Because of this we sometimes dont see the forest for the trees. I recently read Stirling's explanation about what he was tying to do with the Draka Universe. I became a believer. Stirling is not necessarily trying to make a technically plausible AH here. his main goal was to take the worst of Western Civilization (chattel slavery, single minded quests for power, misuse of technology, etc) and let it condense and fester. He does that by having British Colonial Loyalists evacuate America after the Revolution and set up shop in whats now South Africa. That said, there are technical issues that are troubling. The Draka seem to develop in a vaccuum. While I can understand outside forces not making much of a dent on the Draka slavers, I cant see the rest of the world essentially ignoring the Draka military tech advances. Also, I just cant see other powerful nations sitting back and doing nothing while the Draka gobble up everything in sight. To truly appreciate the Draka series, you must view them much the same way you would a comic book. If you look too deep, youll spoil the fun. So, take it for what it is and enjoy the ride!
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