Coup d'Etat (The War That Came Early, #4)

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Coup d'Etat (The War That Came Early #4)

3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 · rating details · 143 ratings · 30 reviews

In 1941, a treaty between England and Germany unravels—and so does a different World War II.

In Harry Turtledove’s mesmerizing alternate history of World War II, the choices of men and fate have changed history. Now it is the winter of 1941. As the Germans, with England and France on their side, slam deep into Russia, Stalin’s terrible machine fights for its life. But the...more In 1941, a treaty between England and Germany unravels—and so does a different World War II.

In Harry Turtledove’s mesmerizing alternate history of World War II, the choices of men and fate have changed history. Now it is the winter of 1941. As the Germans, with England and France on their side, slam deep into Russia, Stalin’s terrible machine fights for its life. But the agreements of world leaders do not touch the hearts of soldiers. The war between Germany and Russia is rocked by men with the courage to aim their guns in a new direction.

England is the first to be shaken. Following the suspicious death of Winston Churchill, with his staunch anti-Nazi views, a small cabal begins to imagine the unthinkable in a nation long famous for respecting the rule of law. With civil liberties hanging by a thread, a conspiracy forms against the powers that be. What will this daring plan mean for the European war as a whole?

Meanwhile, in America, a woman who has met Hitler face-to-face urges her countrymen to wake up to his evil. For the time being, the United States is fighting only Japan—and the war is not going as well as Washington would like. Can Roosevelt keep his grip on the country’s imagination?

Coup d’Etat captures how war makes for the strangest of bedfellows. A freethinking Frenchman fights side by side with racist Nazis. A Czech finds himself on the dusty front lines of the Spanish Civil War, gunning for Germany’s Nationalist allies. A German bomber pilot courts a half-Polish, half-Jewish beauty in Bialystock. And the Jews in Germany, though trapped under Hitler’s fist, are as yet protected by his fear of looking bad before the world—and by an outspoken Catholic bishop.

With his spectacular command of character, coincidence, and military and political strategies, Harry Turtledove continues a passionate, unmatched saga of a World War II composed of different enemies, different allies—and hurtling toward a horrific moment. For a diabolical new weapon is about to be unleashed, not by the United States, but by Japan, in a tactic that will shock the world.

Praise for Coup d’Etat

“Turtledove’s masterful presentation of an alternate WWII reaches its fourth volume with its quality undiminished. . . . A tribute to [his] commanding skills.”—Booklist (starred review)

“For lovers of alternative history, and particularly the very popular Turtledove with his appealing weaponry, battle tactics, and setting details, this story will satisfy. It sets out to entertain . . . and that it does.”—Historical Novels Review

“The book’s grand scope and Turtledove’s impressive historical knowledge are admirable.”—Kirkus Reviews(less)

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published July 31st 2012 by Del Rey

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Apr 08, 2013 Stephen rated it 1 of 5 stars

In one line: not as bad as "Give Me Back my Legions!".

Coup d'Etat is the fourth book in Turtledove's War that Came Early series, in which World War 2 begins at the 1938 Munich Conference when the Allies call Hitler's bluff. Soon joined in his invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Polish, Germany found itself engrossed in a two-front war after Russia rushed to the tiny republic's defense. But in 1940, Hitler pulled off a diplomatic coup, convincing Britain and France to join him in a war against Stal...more In one line: not as bad as "Give Me Back my Legions!".

Coup d'Etat is the fourth book in Turtledove's War that Came Early series, in which World War 2 begins at the 1938 Munich Conference when the Allies call Hitler's bluff. Soon joined in his invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Polish, Germany found itself engrossed in a two-front war after Russia rushed to the tiny republic's defense. But in 1940, Hitler pulled off a diplomatic coup, convincing Britain and France to join him in a war against Stalinism by offering to withdraw the Wehrmacht from the low countries. Considering that the Soviets were also under attack by the Japanese empire, the Big Switch was making World War 2 out to be a general dogpile against the the Russians -- but in Coup de'Etat, the alliance between Hitler and the west breaks down after an "extralegal" change of government in Britain, and what was shaping up to be a vastly different war is now simmering down to an only marginally interesting conflict.

Like Supervolcano: Explosion, Coup d'Etat succeeds initially purely on premise alone. The Big Switch completely recovered this slow-to-start series for me, and the new set course of events it initiated carry the novel: with the Allies and Germany both pouring resources into Russia, it's as if we're seeing the Cold War served hot and early. Will Russia collapse? What will Europe look like with Stalin gone, but with Hitler still reigning? Unfortunately, that question becomes moot by novel's end. Not only are we back to the same basic World War 2 we know -- complete with Italy invading British Africa, being turned back, and then aided by the Germans -- but the dramatic event that restores the status quo isn't even dramatic. One minute a character is being interrogated by British intelligence for planning to take over the government, the next minute he's free because his cohorts have done it. Whoopee. How did they do it? The reader isn't shown. The ramifications of a military coup of Britain aren't explored, either: the new powers-that-be simply inform us that they have to be very discrete to avoid popular sentiment turning against them. The war in the Pacific isn't any more interesting, perhaps because the American war engine is only starting to rev up. With Hitler at war with Britain, France, and Russia, and about to waste his resources in Africa, and the Japanese already weak after also taking on Russia, the end-game seems as though it will be inevitably similar to our own. And if that's the case, what's the point of a writing an alternate history novel?
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Feb 24, 2013 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Tom

Recommended to Jeff by: Found it on the Library Shelves

Shelves: alternate-history

Fourth in the War That Came Early Series, Turtledove sticks to his tried and true formula of short vignettes of common people (military and civilian alike) dealing with the unfolding history all around them. Through these numerous vignettes, the reader slowly gets the bigger picture of what is going on...almost at the same pace as the characters themselves. Turtledove's vast - and at the same time intimate - knowledge of the technology, the societies, the cultures, and the politics of this time...more Fourth in the War That Came Early Series, Turtledove sticks to his tried and true formula of short vignettes of common people (military and civilian alike) dealing with the unfolding history all around them. Through these numerous vignettes, the reader slowly gets the bigger picture of what is going on...almost at the same pace as the characters themselves. Turtledove's vast - and at the same time intimate - knowledge of the technology, the societies, the cultures, and the politics of this time period is breath-taking. Whether he shows you the cockpit of a JU-87 (Stuka) aircraft on a mission; a young Jewish woman working in a local, Jews-Only bakery in Munster; a New York Jew, serving in the Abe Lincoln brigade, falling in love with a Spanish rebel commander outside Madrid; or a Japanese sargeant guarding captured Russian prisoners at a bio-weapons research facility in Manchuria, then being transferred to Burma, you always feel like you are right there and as involved as the actual characters themselves.

Many times this trademark Turtledovian trope of developing the plot through short vignettes is engaging and quite enjoyable. Sometimes it becomes predictable and annoying, especially when reading his novels one after the other: too much of a good thing and all, I guess.

Unfortunately, because Turtledove has visited World War II more than once (see WorldWar, for one instance, and to the more indirectly appropriate World at War series), there is a sense that the author has done this before. His classic format lends to that sense.

Oddly intriguing, Turtledove hints at two crucial turning points in the Pacific Theatre of the World War that turn out differently than history tells us. It seems the implications of this will develop in the fifth volume. This has the added effect of causing the reader to wonder when will this hellish war and what will the world look like when it does.

Which, of course, is exactly what the novel's characters are wondering, too. Verisimilitude achieved; what every historian (alternative or not) strives for.

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Aug 13, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, war

Ah, fun alternate universe fluff to be quickly devoured. I can't complain. I am probably something like a moth to the flame for this sort of thing - in small doses, anyway.

This far along into the series, you start to realize there is a formula being followed. For instance, nobody dies until right at the end of a book, and they will probably be replaced as a POV character by someone in their close proximity. Some characters may end in mortal peril but probably didn't die.

It's a fun read, though....more

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Aug 05, 2012 Elliott rated it 2 of 5 stars

I’m going to be honest in that I’ve never been a huge fan of Harry Turtledove, granted I’ve read most of his alternate history books, but I read them more for the ideas and broad narratives that he presents rather than any discernible writing ability, and that writing ability is my biggest complaint with his newest novel Coup D’état fourth of the War that Came Early Series. The plot carries off where the previous book ended obviously: the Soviets under siege by not only the Germans, but the Bri...more I’m going to be honest in that I’ve never been a huge fan of Harry Turtledove, granted I’ve read most of his alternate history books, but I read them more for the ideas and broad narratives that he presents rather than any discernible writing ability, and that writing ability is my biggest complaint with his newest novel Coup D’état fourth of the War that Came Early Series. The plot carries off where the previous book ended obviously: the Soviets under siege by not only the Germans, but the British and the French as well. The Japanese have attacked the Soviets, the British, the Dutch, the French, and the Americans in the Pacific. The British switch sides again, winding up fighting the Nazis by the end.
Now I have my problems with Turtledove’s plotline here as I find historical Franco-German resentment to trump any sort of mutual anti-communism at this point in history (keep in mind following France’s surrender in OTL the train carriage that Germany signed the armistice ending the First World War was used in a reverse of roles, then blown up). I also find the likelihood that a British populace so clearly anti-fascist as in OTL-see the Battle of Cable Street in 1936-unlikely to have permitted any sort of rapprochement with Hitler, much less an alliance. Stranger things have happened to be sure, but Turtledove plays his game normally very logically and this is certainly not that. But that’s not my biggest beef; you see, Harry Turtledove has been called the “Master of Alternate History,” though I’m casting my vote for the more accurate “Master of the unnecessary sentence.” Take this gem as an example:
“He couldn’t faze the Jew. ‘With all the singe we’ve both eaten, it wouldn’t surprise me one damn bit,’ Halevy said. Singe was what the French called the tinned beef they got from Argentina. It meant monkey meat. Vaclav had never eaten real monkey, so he couldn’t say how much singe tasted like it. He was sure nobody in his right mind would eat the stuff if he didn’t have to.”
Did Harry Turtledove have to mention that a Czech soldier fighting the fascists in Spain had himself never eaten monkey meat before, and thus could not determine whether what they were eating was actually monkey meat or not? No. I just automatically assume that no character I’m reading about has ever eaten monkey meat before, unless proven otherwise. Perhaps it’s a bit close minded, but it has served me well. Furthermore was it necessary to include that no one would actually eat this if they didn’t have to? Also no. I got that one figured out too. I imagine that not being shot at fascists in an army setting would widen ones meal options a little to me that’s a bit obvious. Carrying off of that Turtledove has made it a habit where the perspective character goes through his/her thought process wherein a question is asked, the main character notes their uncertainty, and accepts the initial decision: “Did Dieselhorst think they’d done their duty for the day by shooting down the fighter? Hans-Ulrich didn’t ask him. He was the pilot; responsibility for what they did lay with him. Besides he might have been wrong.” The irony of course is that this is alternate history. Their decisions can change from timeline to timeline. Hans-Ulrich being a good example as he was a real individual. However, my opinion: this is cute the first time, maybe the second time later on in the book, but Turtledove uses it over and over again making a good chunk of the book just this circular thought process. As with the monkey meat this is entirely unnecessary, all it accomplishes are two things: all the characters now sound nearly exactly alike, and it subtracts space that could have been used more meaningfully.
Now, I will admit that all of this has certainly improved since his last books, he has thankfully omitted much of the usual tobacco/coffee/alcohol bitching that was present in prior books, though he seems to have subbed in bitching about hookers, and sex instead-which increasingly became annoying, although not as annoying as the tobacco/coffee/alcohol became. So while I can’t say that this is Turtledove’s finest work of all (Ruled Britannia, and Agent of Byzantium in my opinion earned Turtledove his Master of Alternate History label), it is a step towards a better direction than he has strayed in recently.
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Oct 10, 2012 Leons1701 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Two stars feels both generous and too low at the same time. Once again, Bad Harry is back, every scene with a character must contain some reference to the same basic fact that the character exists to serve as a carrier for. We get it Harry, you believe your readers are complete morons, incapable of remembering something you told them 50 pages ago. Worse, the plot, such as it is, glosses over the only important thing to happen in the entire book in the first quarter of the book only to return to...more

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Oct 05, 2012 William Bentrim rated it 1 of 5 stars

Coup D’Etat by Harry Turtledove

This is a compilation of vignettes of soldiers fighting an alternate history World War II.

I am normally a very big Turtledove fan. Not so much on this book. It covered many of the WWII fronts and the lives of the men and women who suffered through war. Turtledove had good character studies, as always.

What was missing from this book was any kind of plot if you ignore the fact that WWII could be identified as the plot. Nothing fit together; you just couldn’t tie al...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012_release_read, read_2012, genre-sf, t2_recommended_2012

A fast read that was an improvement on the tepid book 3 that almost made me gave up on the series; as usual in his more recent works, H. Turtledove is focusing at the grunt level rather than the movers and shakers, so you get a "low level" view of the action, characters sometimes die but new ones replace them, while his alternate timeline chugs on.

You may or may not buy the author's premise, but his world building is logical if you accept them and the books read like historical novels but for th...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Alana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2012

if you enjoy world war II history, this book and series is a must read. historically, turtledove literally puts you in the shoes of a variety of characters, places, and situations. if you've ever wanted to know what it was life was like on a german sub/tank, for a jew in nazi germany, or a japanese soldier it's in this book. the attention to detail is amazing. if that wasn't enough to intrest you, throw in 'what if this happend instead?' historical twists. how would the war been different if ch...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Craig rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

*Goodreads First Reads ARC winner*

Harry Turtledove has been an author I had heard many good things about, yet had yet to read any of his stories. I realize now that is a good thing. A book detailing an alternate history of WWII sounded very interesting to me. Turtledove failed to deliver that interest. It got so bad at times that I nearly stopped reading the story.

I found several problems with the book. The first one being there was no discernible plot to the story. It was just a bunch of loose...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history

You really do have to wonder if governments could really flip-flop like this. I can see after a coup, that makes allot of sense, but without?

Anyway... That aside, I have to wonder at the pacing of this series. 4th book and we're, what 2+ years into WWII? So to finish, we're looking at 3'ish more books? Or maybe some kind of dramatic quick/temp finish? Then a second series set for WW II 1/2 or III?

Again... anyway... I really do dig how this big story is told from the viewpoint of the "little" pe...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Korey Bradley rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoy reading a book once, not several times. I swear in this book he would copy and paste the same bloody one liners over and over again. I got e information the first time, no need to have it bashed into my brain. This book could have even knocked down quite easily to 300 pages with some good editing and most likely combined with the next book. Starting to think is is the money making formula in this series. Give just enough new information to bring the reader back, but fill the rest of the...more

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Aug 31, 2012 David Ketelsen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book for review from Goodreads.com

Coup d'Etat is an alternate history novel, the 4th in a series about WW2.

I found this book very disjointed. There's a lot of characters and it's very difficult to keep them all straight. The characters are from a number of different countries and backgrounds which helps somewhat in keeping track of who's who. Unfortunately Turtledove doesn't stick with any one set of characters for very long which adds to the chaotic feel of the bo...more

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Aug 12, 2012 John Le Sage rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am looking forward to the release of this book on the 31st. There is a touching story about a young man who was a fan of the author and had terminal cancer. He did not expect to live to see the release date of this book. One of his friends was able to get him an advanced copy of the story, his efforts are outlined here:

http://socialtimes.com/how-reddit-hel...

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Nov 05, 2012 Lou Fabrizio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hary Turtledove is one of the top alternate history writers. If you like this type of fiction you'll like almost anything he writes in this genre. This book, the foruth in this series is typical. I usually read these 300+ page books in a day.

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Aug 10, 2012 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, military-fiction

Good addition to the series. Provides some background to why the English switch sides again, but not much in regard to the French. Turtledove manages to kill off several continuing characters. Better than The Big Switch.

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Aug 14, 2012 Rob Roy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history

This book is mid series, and drags. The characters are those that you've bought into, but there is a disjointedness about this volume. I've enjoyed the series so far, so will suspend disappointment until next summer when the next volume is published.+

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Dec 29, 2012 Bjoern added it

Shelves: 2012-reads, alternate-history, hardcover, military

As sympathetic as the various protagonists and story threads still come around this book has for my tastes reached a point where the "What if" idea is already too watered down and the "real" world war two is shining through the action far too much. I can't really say where Turtledove is aiming with this series, but with the exception of a still stormy spain and some slight differences in the pacific and at the eastern front the theaters and conditions seem to melt together slowly with the real l...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Samuel B. Shaw rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not bad, but Turtledove's British characters referred to 'ballacks' on two occasions. Every self respecting Englishman knows it's 'bollocks!'

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Dec 10, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

While this isn't one of Harry's best it is still quite readable. Would love to know how many more books he plans for this series.

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Aug 11, 2012 Michael Burhans rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history

Terrific book in the series. Cannot wait for the net one. Harry Turtledove is a force unto himself. I love his work.

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Aug 16, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: alt-history

Another good one from Turtledove. I like alternate history a lot and Turtledove is probably my favorite there. Some people may not like his style but I enjoy it and this is more of the same which I am more than happy to read. Enjoying this particular series a great deal, probably even more than his "Southern Victory" series which, except for the time during the Great Depression which dragged for me, I enjoyed as well. As always, recommended for anyone who enjoys alternate history, particularly c...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Patricrk patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history

good continuation of the series.

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Nov 20, 2012 David R. rated it 3 of 5 stars

The fourth in this series is vintage Turtledove-at-war: lots of dialogue (mostly salty), hints of large scale action and historic characters (e.g. Gen. Franco, Adm. Kimmel), and slow movement of multiple(!) plotlines. But it is tight work, reads well, and maintains decent character interest. The big weakness is that the most interesting development in the book is telegraphed by the title, and nothing is left over to aim for except the 5th and presumably final installment in the series.

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Feb 13, 2013 Ian Hakes rated it 2 of 5 stars

The alternative WWII keeps chugging along...

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Jun 01, 2013 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've seen Harry Turtledove's books for years. At first the never interested me. Then there were so many that I was not sure where to start.
I started this series a few months ago & just finished the 4th book tonight. I have become a big fan. I like the style of writing & I like the characters in the books.
I'm a history buff, so Mr. Turtledove's version of WW2 has me fascinated. I have become a big fan.

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Feb 08, 2013 John Long rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I did not finish it because it was not focused. There were too many caracters being introduced in very short amounts of time. I read well into it and was getting confused as to if I had read about that person before. Some of the into stories were simular and it made it hard to keep track or invest in those characters. I had to give up because it was driving me crazy.

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Dec 09, 2012 Teufel Wolf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vaclav the Sniper is my favorite character.

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Jan 28, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-copies, first-reads

I do like wonky-time and alt!history reads, as well as world war two - things could have gone so badly in so many ways, of course - but jumping into a fourth book of a series is not really the way to go. It was still enjoyable, and not too much, 'oh, remember how that happened in book two' back story. I also appreciate free copies!! Thanks!

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Feb 03, 2013 Reuben Herfindahl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Standard Turtledove. Entertaining read.

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Jan 21, 2013 Thom Haneline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable alternate history. As always, I wish Turtledove would include more about the historical figures in his novels. We get plenty about the ''common man/woman". The historical figures are people too.

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About Harry Turtledove

Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.

Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.

Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original sce...more

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Worldwar: In the Balance (Worldwar, Book 1)

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Coup d'Etat (The War That Came Early #4)

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