The Two Georges: The Novel of an Alternate America

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Summary: An Interesting look at an America that could have been
Review: I thought this was a very interesting book that looked at an America without a revolution. I found the places and People very interesting. I thought that the mix of action and history made it almost impossible to put down. The thing that kept me on the edge the most was waiting for the point in the story when we would find out that the Sons of Liberty were the good guys. I won't spoil it for those who have not read it, but I was on the edge until the end of the book. I can't wait til Vol 2 comes out and when it does I hope they go into the alternative history in more detail.

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Summary: Fairly standard alternate history
Review: The Two Georges starts out with a typical development of the political and technical state of affairs in a North America where the American Revolution didn't happen. The plot centers around a murder mystery and art theft. But when the investigation is run by the head of the Los Angeles office of the national police, who then starts chasing around the country after feeble clues, the book goes downhill. The insipid love match between the hero and one of the prime suspects adds nothing. I don't know who contributed what to this collaboration, but it was not up to Turtledoves Guns of The South or Different Flesh alternate lines.

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Summary: While Harry wasn't looking, Richard sank the boat.
Review: A slow slog through literary jello. Turtledove has done this, alternate history, for so long and so well that it had to be Dreyfuss! This book had nothing to recommend it. The plot is obvious, the pacing slow, no action and the only reason I kept reading was that I hoped it would get better

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Summary: An interesting AH premise wasted.
Review: Turtledove and Dreyfus have combined to take a potentially fascinating alternate history situation, the American Revolution that never happened, and bury it under a slow moving and unsuspenseful story and pedestrian writing. The characters have little depth or believability, and not surprisingly, the dialogue is cornball. The biggest disappointment is that more details aren't presented on the alternate history, the why's, how's, and effects. The inclusion of the "Tricky Dick" character was a cheap shot that's hard to believe anyone would consider humorous or clever. Advice: pass on this one, and pick up a copy of Turteldove's The Guns of the South instead

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Summary: Nice tour of an alternate world, but plot-lite
Review: And, yes, it is that Richard Dreyfuss Well, it was fun, but a serious AH it isn't. I've often ranted about the sheer improbablity of people from this world showing up on others barely changed in spite of the date of that world's splitting from ours dating back centuries? Well this book has characters named Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon (used car dealer), Sir Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, etc... And it's more of a tour of an Altered America than anything else - the mystery isn't a biggy and the suspense level is minimal. It's worth a read, but don't expect High Art.

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Summary: Excellent adventure with a sprinkle of sci-fi fun!
Review: Turtledove and Dreyfus take a tired science-fiction premise and make it intelligent and exciting. In a world where the original 13 colonies never broke away from England, a famous artifact (which may be sacreligious here!) is stolen and we chase it across the North American Union (the U.S. and Canada combined). Reading this book, you will find yourself taking a good look at everyday things, like dollar bills and automobiles, and see the history in them. A fun read!

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Summary: Fascinating look at what might have been
Review: Alternative histories like this one make you realize how many events and developments are contingent on others, even if this book is a work of fiction. Dreyfuss and Turtledove do a great job of depicting the U.S. under a continued British rule that was never overthrown by revolution. One of the major themes of the book is that technical innovation, such as the internal combustion engine and computers, would have lagged 100 years or more under a British crown. The U.S. economy is so driven to produce new products that we benefit in untold ways. Yet, we also contribute more polution and resource waste. However, in this book, the horrid lives of coal miners in the 19th century still continue in the same labor abusive way they started. The book provides good mystery within a fairly wholesome moral structure (no gratuituous sex or profanity). I highly recommend it

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Summary: Interesting alternate history America
Review: So, what do you get when Oscar Award Winner and a Hugo Award Winner get together? A pretty good book, actually.

The premise is that the United States was never formed. The British government dealt fairly with the colonies in the 1760s and the independence movement was stillborn. Instead, what are now the USA & Canada is called the North American Union and are an integral part of the United Kingdom. The UK is a vast world-wide empire led by the King-Emperor. This union is symbolized by the painting "The Two Georges" which depicts colonial representative George Washington bowing before King George III before an assembly of British and American dignataries. This moment encapsulates the agreements that kept the American colonies a part of the British Empire. At the beginning of the book the painting is stolen in 1996 by The Sons of Liberty, a North American pro-independence movement. The story follows two detectives and an art curator who are searching for the painting before the ransom deadline.

There were a lot of fascinating things about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical premise and the maps of the world and North America that are at the front of the book. The authors conclude that if there were no USA, there would be few independent countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas, since there was no American example to inspire the dismantling of the vast world-wide European empires. Germany never coalesces since France never spawns a Napoleonic Empire (Napoleon was the first to unite most of Germany - before that it never really ocurred to the Germans that they could create a powerful country if they untied themselves) since there was no French Revolution since there was no American Revolution to inspire it.

American history is different since the UK outlaws slavery in the 1830s - there was no Civil War. The American map has 2 mostly American Indian states - Iroquois and Cherokee, thanks to British restrictions on white incursions over the Appalachians (one of the reasons for rebellion mentioned in the Declaration of Independence).

Technology is far behind that of our world - American creativity is not challenged due to World Wars, Japan is practically a non-entity and Germany is a bunch of warring principalities.

Enjoyable book, decent mystery, good adventure.

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Summary: One fun read!
Review: Turtledove gets Richard Dryfus, not a small-time actor, to join in this romp. Set in LA, Dryfus, a native, and Turtledove who got a Ph.D. in history from U.C.L.A. and then taught there and two other state schools in the LA basin, show an America in the stoggy arms of mother England. We never left the Empire!
You will learn why our Scottish friends are striving to become independent. If you know L.A. of the fifties on, your will love the L.A. in-jokes. Just plain fun!.

Rating:
Summary: Boy oh Boy. This book is long dull, and tedious.
Review: The basic premise(Washington took the colonists grievances before the king) is alright but the whole time you are expecting action, which you don't get.
I am a big Turtledove fan but this one is just totally implausible. Just as example there is the whole premise that Washington actually made George the 3rd understand the colonists problems. Then he has a change of heart and offers them dominion status. How is this possible? George III was a self indulgent arrogant guy why would he suddenly have a change of heart?
In some parts the book is solid but it always drops back into somebody complaining about how wild the town has recently gotten. It goes solidly for the first 200 pages and then falls apart.
The little bit about Napoleon was pretty inventive I thought but they didn't carry that too far.

Overall-Buy if you are a SERIOUS fan, this should not be your introductory Turtledove book.