The Domination

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!

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling ride that will scare the breath out of you!
Review: Of all the books I've read - and this number is nearing 1,000 - Stirling's Domination trilogy is perhaps the best-researched, best-written, in-your-face, no-sugar-pills story of the world dominated by the force compared to which the Nazis are just a bunch of choir boys. Aside from the masterful narrative, the author has produced a keen insight on the nature of the human spirit and personality and on how easily they adjust to the existing social surroundings. The concepts and values of the Draka-dominated world are mind-bogglingly terrifying, and what makes it scary beyond sanity is the fact that this world is so incredibly believable. After a protracted contact with the Draka reality, the mind of what we would consider a 'normal' person reaches the snapping point because it cannot successfully evaluate what it experiences using the set of 'normal' moral and ethical values. In fact, this is exactly what happens to an American spy sent into the Domination on an extended assignment. I highly recommend this book not only because it is a great read, but because of its tremendous shock value. Anyone who reads this book to the end will doubly appreciate the world we live in.

Rating:
Summary: Roots of evil
Review: One of Steve Stirling's continuing points plays off the literary convention that "the good guys always win."

This drifts over into many less-than-rigorous determinist theories of history: the Allies had to win World War II, true democracies would not fight aggressive wars with each other, China must somehow become a pluralistic democracy which respects the rule of law and human rights, the Evil Empire would have fallen without the Carter-Reagan defense build-up, etc.

Evil may not be self-limiting. God might not act to save drunkards, the United States or the Marine Corps. Villains need not be ork-like and the cavalry may not ride over the hill just in time.

A society built upon evil - keeping the slaves down and eating their neighbors alive - might pay infinitely more attention to military innovation.

Slave owning women as well as men might pursue martial arts endlessly, and a teen-aged woman infantryman might carry her teddy bear in her pack.

A gifted impressionistic artist might paint her tank platoon destroying an enemy formation, and she might turn her empathy and intuitive understanding of other people into breaking her slaves without violence or needless expense.

A truly evil society might get faithful Janissaries without promising them citizenship, and it might value regiments of black African slave soldiers higher than newly captured West Europeans.

A slave master in the South of France, like Mary Chestnut's Charleston proto-type, might find almost all of his blood relatives among his slaves, and neither he nor any visible strand in his society would see a conflict.

The Draka are enough like us that we should see ourselves in them, making the nightmare far more believable.

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Summary: Opposed To These Books:
Review: S.M. Sterling is a fine writer, and a very creative thinker. However, I was unable to finish The Domination, and returned it. I am opposed to these books, which are basically a "Master Race" fantasy. (Although, in fairness, Stirling cannot be accused of racism).

The books are an alternative history that chronicles the story of British loyalists who escaped to Southern Africa and formed an empire based on slavery. Eventually, they conquer the whole world. Stirling's novels include lots of sex, violence, and military exploits.

But ultimately it's a Master-slave fantasy, and not a believable one. A dominant upper-class that completely subjugates the majority of its populace is simply not the most successful form of government-- a large amount of human capital is wasted in the worst way.

First off, stupidity is a universal human trait, and political elites have historically often make more stupid decisions than normal because of their insulated position. Stirling's Draka characters never seem to make mistakes, and the Draka always roll over any opposition.

Second, Stirling fails to realize how successful democracy can be in motivating people, and how productive a democracy can be. Stirling's first novel of the three books included in The Domination is "Marching Through Georgia," is set during World War II. The assumption that an economy based on slave-labor could out-produce an industrialized democracy is ludicrous, and has been proven wrong. American industry vastly out-produced Germany in World War II.

Third, countries like Rhodesia and South Africa ultimately did not survive under Apartheid rule, and were not models of economic efficiency. Certainly, they didn't conquer the world.

Finally, Stirling interposes his alternative-history fiction with lots of sexual exploits, both straight and gay. I was uncomfortable with much of it, since it often was Sadean in nature. ...P>In all fairness, however, the fact that Stirling evoked such a repulsion in me is a tribute to his ability as a writer. Certainly, his Domination Books give you something to think about. I'm just vehemently opposed to many of the underlying assumptions of the Domination.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Cure For the Chronically Optimistic and Cheerful
Review: The Domination is a relentlessly logical, pitiless exploration of an exceedingly dismal alternative history. The Draka are a bizarre combination of what present society would view as both radical and conservative. They are cruel, live only for power, its exercise, and breaking the will of all others, lack any discernible sense of honor, compassion, justice, or fairness (except as to one another), and appear in all aspects worth mentioning inhuman, arrogant, and generally loathsome. Stirling's battle descriptions are superior; some of his social observations about the Draka are repetitive, a bit pat and National Inquirer-like; and he is very good at what I think of as traditional sci-fi techno-babble. He is at his best in drawing evil female characters (he finds good people, and good, or more properly partially-redeeming qualities in bad people uninteresting, or writes as though he does.) In a peculiar way, what makes the book good is what makes it difficult to read: it offers a cynical, downbeat, well-nigh hopeless alternative history, that will make you wince when you hear a Southern accent, see a couple of lesbians walking hand-in-hand down the street, or pass by a beauty salon, for that matter. Deeply disturbing, but horribly fascinating, and compellingly difficult to put down because of it.

Rating:
Summary: Overlooked Masterpiece
Review: The Draka series is, without qualificaton, the best alternative/speculative/science fiction ever written.

I have been a reader of the genre for many years but cannot recall a work of this magnitude receiving so little attention.

Unfortunately, I am also of the opinion that Stirling may have peaked with this work as I have yet to find anything near this quality is his subsequent work.

Rating:
Summary: Domination of the Editor
Review: The first three Draka books, sadly out of print, are combined in this volume. However, the editor played havoc with the content of the original works. Noticably absent are the appendices. Fortunately they are on the Internet at various sites. I also found gaping holes where the editor cut out entire scenes from the books. While The Domination is a wonderful chance for the new reader to enjoy the Draka setting, for those of us who read the originals, it is truly a disappointment. The editors took three great works and, if not ruined them, then certainly maimed them.

Rating:
Summary: Master Racing
Review: There have been quite a few good Alternative history novels but few have projected all the way from the distant past to the extreme future. S M Sterling's Domination novels are based on a significant divergence during the American Civil war. South Africa chose to take a more active role supporting the south and although the North still won, many of the strongest slave owning families, fled to South Africa.

The combined peoples recreate themselves into the Draka, a military race who believe in a destiny which makes them the rulers of the planet. They start by conquering the whole of Africa and at the same time implementing radical social reforms aimed at creating a true super-race. It goes beyond the Nazi ambitions that we are familiar with, into the realms of indoctrination, extreme physical training and even genetic engineering.

Against this growing power, is pitted the consolidated democracies of the west. They outstrip the Draka in technological terms and significantly outnumber them. At no time however, does this match-up seem one sided. At first glance you might think your sympathies would be with the west. The surprising thing is, that despite the brutal, violent and arrogant nature of the Draka, we can't help but empathise with them. Stirling makes it impossible for us to hate them because we understand them so well.

Even in the forth book, Drakon, where one of the superhuman Draka is transported back in time into a parallel universe, our own, where she intends to subvert the entire planet to her will, I could not but admire her confidence, determination and strength. Stirling almost makes me wish the law of the jungle still held true. Only after putting the book down do you remember that superior force does not equate with superior morals.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent alternative-history (previously-published books)
Review: This book combines the first three books in Stirling's "Draka" series - an alternative-history universe where Confederate-style slavery is alive and well and thriving in South Africa and beyond. Stirling creates a very disturbing and gripping story which only gets better as you read it. When I first read these books, I liked the first one enough to buy the second one, and after that I was thoroughly hooked. The last book in the series links Stirling's universe with our own (not included in this book, but alluded to in the added first & last page and interspersed paragraphs between the books' sections), and I was hoping for more of the same in this book. UNFORTUNATELY, as I've stated earlier (but was not apparent from the scant Amazon-supplied verbiage), this book is a re-hash of existing books with virtually no new material. It makes a nice single copy of the books that I can now lend-out to friends, but if you are already familiar with this series, save your $$ and avoid this book. If you've never read the Draka series and you like alternative-history SF, this is an excellent read (and you'll be compelled to buy the continuation book, "Drakon").

Rating:
Summary: Poorly Done
Review: This book however well concieved lacks good reasoning as it goes on. I will allow Transvaal to become a British colony but,there is no reason that the Dutch would declare war two years early that is clearly given here. And the way that the Dominion of Draka spirals out of British Colonial control is ill concieved, why would Britan need money to fight Nepolean,(Quote "the British ambassador hated the ride[from Archona to Oakenwald], but the Draka had the purse, that Britian didn't have but needed to fight Neopleon") they are the greatest power on the planet if History doesn't bend which Stirling suggests is what happens WWI neopleon, French Revolution, Decline and Fall of Ottoman Empire.Does't work. Why would the Dominion of Draka become powerful and independent. Any and all colonies that were brought under crown Control post American Revolution didn't break from British control until Britan chose to give them freedom with some pressure leveled by the colonists.(Australia,India,Canada,Hong Kong,The Union of South Africa, Anglo Egypt-Sudan) and on the part of military capability it's tolatlly off, Confedrate Armor like the Montgomery tanks of WWI in 1860's no, Hond III that's fifty years of development from WWII so not acceptable, why didn't the rest of the world catch on to this massive military Development and why would the CSA get Armor, in our world(one of the primary things that led to their downfall is lack of industry)there is no way that Darka blockade runners got those in. If they did the CSA wouldn't lose, so that is an badly done creation because if that happened by the turn of the century we would see T-34, Panzers, and Tigers in Draka and global control that might posit Hond III's During WWII but why do the Germans have the same things that they had in our world. Also, the fact the Stirling suggests that with such a giant force in play(The Draka and The Alliance for Democracy) that history doesn't change is wrong, for one, France post Revolution would be Part of the AD so no Nepolonic wars. The Anglo-Russian in the late 19th century seems concievable but,if Stirling holds enterly true to his belief that History stays the same even with the Draka would mean that Russian and France would already be in an entente and Britain and France would be in an Entente so that Britain Declaring war on Russia would break the Entente, which couldn't happen under the Edwardian Apeasment policy that Britian held in the late 19th century. And why aren't the Draka destoryed in the 19th century, they conquer Africa, which would touch off wars with all powers in Europe. The fact that they take Africa is nuts because of all the diseases in their way. Or why don't the Draka die in the 18th Century with the Portaguse in South Africa wouldn't the Draka be out classed and killed in a second. Another problem, if you allow Nepolen to exist then the Unification movement in Germany and the Vienna Congress would still occur, but wouldn't the Vienna Congress be Null because most of Europe would posit Democratic Values. And with the Unifaction movement the Democractic Revolution of 1848 would succeed, leading Germany to join the Alliance for Democracy, thus Austria Hugary would be the only absolute monarchy in Europe. Because of all this there would be no communism because the workers rights are fostered by democracy so no USSR, so Russia would become a Democracy very quickly. And the thought that WWI could occur in this world is nutty and if it did attacking the Ottomans would be suicide beacause it would be part of the Alliance For Democracy, and the Draka could touch China because if again history is the same despite the Draka China would be a colony of the Alliance so that that Draka could bother with it. And because Europe would be thoughly unified under the Alliance there could be no WWII. So even if History stays the Same with the Draka would break before they're Dominion ever got off the ground. Though it isn't clear in this collection when the Alliance for Democracy starts I am just thinking 1800. And the fate of the Spanish colonies could change in the manor suggested(States in the USA carved out of Mexico). All in all Stirling batched a book that had potenial.And why do these people speak like southerners whatever happened to Afrikanner