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How Few Remain (Great War 0)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 2,036 ratings · 90 reviews

From the master of alternate history comes an epic of the second Civil War. It was an epoch of glory and success, of disaster and despair. . . .

1881: A generation after the South won the Civil War, America writhed once more in the bloody throes of battle. Furious over the annexation of key Mexican territory, the United States declared total war against the Confederate Stat...more

Published (first published September 8th 1997)

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Feb 07, 2013 Ali Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fantastic book. Unfortunately, Harry Turtledove's writing style as well as themes do get repetitive. However, this is more than made up for by his spectacular glimpses into what-if. I recommend the entire 11 book saga.

The Great War: American Front The Great War: Walk in Hell The Great War: Breakthroughs Blood & Iron The Center Cannot Hold The Victorious Opposition Return Engagement The Grapple Drive to the East In at the Death

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Aug 10, 2010 Jon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recently started listening to books on CD in my car. The second one I worked through is How Few Remain, which is an alternate history novel based on the assumption that the South won the Civil War. First of all, I have a problem with the plausibility of the premise. I don't think one minor event (as in the book) could have changed the course of the war -- I think the industrial might of the North pre-determined the outcome. I was glad to see an essay in the book Alternate Gettysburgs from a pr...more I recently started listening to books on CD in my car. The second one I worked through is How Few Remain, which is an alternate history novel based on the assumption that the South won the Civil War. First of all, I have a problem with the plausibility of the premise. I don't think one minor event (as in the book) could have changed the course of the war -- I think the industrial might of the North pre-determined the outcome. I was glad to see an essay in the book Alternate Gettysburgs from a professional historian which supported this point of view. Still, it's interesting to think "What If?" (Warning, spoilers follow.)

This book is set in 1881, just after the USA has finally elected another Republican president. The Confederate States of America decide to purchase two Mexican provinces from the "Empire of Mexico." (Lack of a strong USA has let French interference in Mexico persist.) The USA, fearful of a stronger CSA stretching to the Pacific, declares war. The book is the story of the war told by looks at various famous people (Abraham Lincoln, George Custer, Samuel Clemens, Stonewall Jackson, Jeb Stuart, Teddy Roosevelt and a few more).

It was definitely well-researched, and I found it all very plausible, except for the whole idea that the North wouldn't wipe the floor with the South. Then again, with the CSA having English and French allies, the balance is tipped against the USA. One thing I noticed is that the author takes a lot of care only to include things that would follow from the premise --- nothing too unexpected ever happens. This is good for the believability, but takes something away from the excitement in the novel. Also, some of the details can be a little bit mind-numbing. Yes, Germans would be puzzled by American idioms. No, that doesn't need to be mentioned every time it happens. These flaws, however, are less of an issue for a book-on-CD, when I also have my fellow motorists to entertain me.

In my view, the major flaw was the sex scenes. Having a guy affecting a 19th century way of talking read you descriptions of Sam Clemens, George Custer and Teddy Roosevelt doing the wild thing is not an experience I recommend to you. Thankfully, that only occurred three times in the entire 21-CD book.

I did worry a little bit about potential pro-South bias in the book. (They were the ones with slaves, which in my mind makes them the bad guys.) I don't think there was any --- the author (also, I must admit, a professional historian) was following the original idea to its logical conclusion. The book did end with the CSA "winning" --- they got to keep part of Mexico, and the Brits annexed part of Maine. But that just made me want to read the next book so I could hear the USA get revenge (I hope). "Remember...Maine!"(less)

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Jan 06, 2010 gargamelscat rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, novels, ebook

Alternate history has been something I have, with some notable exceptions, shunned since its rise to prominence in the early '90s on the assumption that it lends itself to lazy writing: don't like the circumstances? just change the world to suit!

The exceptions prove the rule: Robert Harris' 'Fatherland' and Philip K. Dick's 'The Man in the High Castle'.

As Turtledove is the name most associated with the form I felt the need to read something by him to validate my assumptions.

The setting of the st...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Herman Gigglethorpe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history

This is a bit of a frustrating book.

*SPOILERS IF ANYONE CARES*

Even if the premise is a cliche, Turtledove handles many things quite well, and the premise isn't terribly implausible. Instead of losing Order 191 to the Union, the Confederacy wins a crucial battle and gains Britain and France's support. Napoleon III liked the Confederacy in real life, so I can see where it could happen. Many of the historical characters are well, in character. Stonewall Jackson eats lemons and holds his arm over hi...more This is a bit of a frustrating book.

*SPOILERS IF ANYONE CARES*

Even if the premise is a cliche, Turtledove handles many things quite well, and the premise isn't terribly implausible. Instead of losing Order 191 to the Union, the Confederacy wins a crucial battle and gains Britain and France's support. Napoleon III liked the Confederacy in real life, so I can see where it could happen. Many of the historical characters are well, in character. Stonewall Jackson eats lemons and holds his arm over his head for bizarre health reasons. Teddy Roosevelt is eager to fight the USA's enemies. Custer is his usual self, though he's a bit smarter in Turtledove's book. Frederick Douglass tries to gain rights for blacks, and is bitter that the Union lost the "War of Secession". Mark Twain is a newspaper columnist who is as sarcastic as ever.

One noticeable change that many readers might find odd is the fact that alternate Lincoln, now a disgraced ex-president, has turned into a socialist speaker. Granted, he's more moderate than some of the Marxist characters, because Lincoln wants to transition to socialism peacefully rather than by force. Turtledove made Lincoln this way because some of the statements in the slavery debate could be translated into statements about worker's rights. Southerners often claimed that Northern workers were treated more harshly than slaves while trying to defend the "peculiar institution", so Turtledove's interpretation is plausible. It is also claimed sometimes in real life that the upper classes encouraged racism to keep poor whites and blacks from allying in class warfare.

I don't know that much about the real James G. Blaine other than the fact that he was Secretary of State under Benjamin Harrison and he lost to Grover Cleveland in a presidential race. Turtledove gives him no mercy in this book. President Blaine declares war on the Confederacy because the South. . .legitimately purchased two states from Mexico? The Union then suffers another humiliating defeat, and Blaine is sent back to HALF of Maine, because the Union has to cede part of the state to Britain! President Longstreet of the Confederacy has much more political cunning and caution by contrast.

An interesting part is the Mormon war occurring at the same time. The Union is trying to get rid of polygamy, and the Mormon leaders destroy the infrastructure in Utah rather than compromising what they believe to be their principles. General Pope is a bit of a cartoon villain though, because he says he wants them to surrender AND die! This plot point is dropped and forgotten late in the book though.

Now for the bad parts. Harry Turtledove is repetitive as usual. After the 50th scene where whitey calls Frederick Douglass by some racist term, you'll want to say "OK Turtledove, I get it!" Gratuitous and awkward sex scenes also appear to torment the reader. Nobody wants hot Mark Twain action, Mr. Turtledove! Although the North America parts of the alternate history are fairly well done, other continents suffer. Why is there a Franco-Prussian War, complete with Communards, exactly the same way as real life? The point of divergence is well before 1870-1871, and Europe is much more heavily invested in North America than in the real world Gilded Age.

This book can be interesting in the minor details it gets right, and some major things slipped past the editors. . .

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Jul 23, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

What if the South had won the Civil War? In the prologue, and defended further in the afterword, Harry Turtledove explains how altering one Confederate blunder in 1862 could have changed everything. The reader who knows his history well will appreciate the craft and truly believable alternate universe. Turtledove takes many famous characters such as Abraham Lincoln, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), James Longstreet, Thomas Jackson, George Custer, Theodore Roosevelt along with many others...and g...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternative-history

Fun alternative history! Pivotal event is during the Civil War, just prior to Antietam, when an aide to Lee drops the battle plans for Union troops to find later. As a result, the North wins Antietam, England and France comes in on the Union side, and the South ultimately loses the war. In this version, those papers are NOT dropped, and the South wins the war in 1862. The major part of this book takes place in 1881, when the CSA purchases the states of Sonora and Chihuahua from Mexico, enabling...more

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Oct 03, 2012 David Elkin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Up to page 216-Great portrayal of historical characters in an alternate time line of the 1880's.

Turtledove did a good job of taking some characters and stretching out a plausible future. Though a few holes can be found in his possible history, it was an excellent story, hurtling to an end you could not predict. I found Lincoln, Jackson, Longstreet, JEB Stuart well done, and Samuel Clemons was spot on. Not so much with Grant. He also did a marvelous job with Fredrick Douglass.

The most interestin...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Kate Sherrod rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Would have been four stars, but took away half a star in revenge for sex It was a near miss for the Confederacy when General Robert E. Lee's aide recovered a document he'd lost, that detailed Lee's entire plan for the invasion of the Union in 1862. Just imagine the disaster that would have befallen those brave Southern boys had that document fallen into Yankee hands! Mercy!

Oh wait, that's not how it happened? Pardon me. I'm from Wyoming. Our school system teaches Wyoming history, to which accoun...more Would have been four stars, but took away half a star in revenge for sex It was a near miss for the Confederacy when General Robert E. Lee's aide recovered a document he'd lost, that detailed Lee's entire plan for the invasion of the Union in 1862. Just imagine the disaster that would have befallen those brave Southern boys had that document fallen into Yankee hands! Mercy!

Oh wait, that's not how it happened? Pardon me. I'm from Wyoming. Our school system teaches Wyoming history, to which accounts of the War Between the States are merely an ancillary in that they explain why a lot of members of the U.S. Calvary charged with protecting Manifest Destiny-enacting white settlers against Red Indians in the West had fewer than their original compliment of digits or limbs, or raging cases of PTSD. I'm hazy on details.

No, not really. But the Civil War still isn't something I've studied too terribly closely, which may be a shame, but then again may not be, as far as my ability to appreciate what Harry Turtledove has achieved in this founding document of his sprawling alternate history of North America, the departure point for which is the aforementioned recovery of Lee's invasion plan. Without that vital intelligence, Turtledove says, the Union might not have won at Antietam, which means President Lincoln would not have had that victory announcement to serve as his springboard for announcing Emancipation, which means Great Britain and France don't have a clear moral choice in deciding whether or not to continue supporting the Confederacy, which means the Confederacy winds up winning the War and North America winds up with four internationally recognized nation states instead of three (well, okay, three nation states and one Dominion).

That premise established, the action proper of this novel starts up about 20 years later. The Confederacy is buying the provinces of Sonora and Chihuahua from Mexico in order to acquire a Pacific port and the land access to extend its railroads to it. The USA has elected its first Republican President since Abraham Lincoln's one and only term ended in the disgrace of losing the War; this new President needs to look tough and declares war (Lincoln has taken to the railways to travel the diminished United States of America as a quasi-Marxist labor agitator*). Frederick Douglass is an old man, still hopeful that someday, someone is going to give a crap about the countless slaves still in bondage in the Confederacy. Old Yellowhair, George Armstrong Custer, is charged with containing a Mormon rebellion in Utah. Samuel Clemens (whom real history knows better as Mark Twain) reports and editorializes on events in the pages of the San Francisco Call and has uxorious sex with his wife (yeah, I could have done without that mental image too, guys). Jeb Stuart is in charge of moving Confederate troops into the newly-purchased territories as a first step towards colonizing them for the C.S.A. Teddy Roosevelt, Montana rancher, watches events unfolding and hopes the new President will hold fast, but decides his own help is needed to do it and forms up his own Unauthorized Regiment. Etc.

It's always fun to play "What If" over a few beers or whatever, but who else has taken that game to such lengths? Turtledove went on to write ten more novels in this universe he created. Ten. Am I going to read the rest of them?

Well, I'm not sure. This was my first Harry Turtledove, and I did find it diverting and moderately absorbing, chiefly because it was fun to imagine these historical figures in circumstances so radically different from what they're famous for, but, well, those reviewers who have described How Few Remain as historical fan fiction are kind of right. I'm told subsequent books in the series are much, much better than this first book, which news I always greet with irritation; I've just endured 596 pages of this solely so that I understand what's going on in better future books? I'd say that if those future books were solely about Turtledove's own characters, I'd be disinclined to continue, but I can't help but be curious about, e.g. Lincoln, Twain, Roosevelt and Custer** in this alternate timeline. Especially after enjoying the mental spectacle of Custer with Gatling guns. And Lincoln delivering stonking Marxist rants. And Douglass...

Ah me, Douglass. Despite his advanced age, he dons his journalist hat*** and accompanies a Union flanking attack that brings him onto Confederate soil for the first time (he doesn't count his years as a slave because it was still part of the United States then), and when he sees that the little structures he sees burning all over the place are slave shanties, it's impossible not to share his rage. "May they all burn, and all the big houses with them."

Which is to say that, where most of the other historical figures and characters come off as tremendously unpleasant, if not outright assholes, Lincoln and Douglass (ha ha) shine as the novel's only real heroes, both of them old men, generally despised if not outright hated, bowed but not broken, sad but not embittered by the Union's defeat in the first war, only sort of hopeful that a second might change anything but doing their damndest to bring about the changes they hope for regardless of what happens on the battlefields. They make up for any number of disappointments (Turtledove succumbs to a failing that is one of my great pets peeve as a reader, the impulse to use "amber liquid" as a synonym for beer or scotch. Why do you do that, writers? Why do you always pick that beverage as a point to vary your vocabulary, and why must you always invoke the image of body fluids when you do? WHY, WRITERS, WHY?) and ick moments (for some reason, sex scenes involving Mark Twain and his wife, and George Custer and not-his-wife, have scarred me for life). They might even lead me to look into more of this series.

*A lot of people are nonplussed by Turtledove's version of Lincoln, but I think it makes a lot of sense, provided one never forgets that this Lincoln is one who not only did not get assassinated but lived to a ripe old age in a world in which the institution of slavery persisted in North America, and no one in the defeated North gave much of a damn about them (and many blamed the war on them, as alt-Frederick Douglass' story illustrates). So, as Lincoln observes to himself as he prepares to address a fairly unreceptive crowd in Great Falls, Montana: "Without more than a handful of Negroes to exploit, it [the country] battened off the sweat of the poor and the ignorant and the newly arrived and the unlucky." Which is to say that those people wound up having it even worse in Turtledove's alt USA than they did in ours, with no newly-freed slaves to soak up the really dirty jobs. Potentially, this could even have retarded the development of the middle class whose interests and abilities so characterized the 20th century in our world. So yeah, I buy Lincoln as a golden years Marxist under these circumstances. For great justice.

**Though I've got to say that Ol' Yellowhair -- and a lot of other Union military leaders -- comes off as a considerable jerk, even before he gets to Utah, where he's hell-bent on stringing up all the leaders of the Mormon Church ostensibly for inciting the Territory to rebel while the Union wages its second war with the Confederacy, but, one suspects, really over polygamy. Everyone is really obsessed with polygamy in this novel, and perhaps that's true for the times, but man, did the multiple wives jokes get old after a few hundred pages. Also: I didn't think anything could ever really make me hate Teddy Roosevelt, but this book did. I had to keep gritting my teeth and reminding myself this is just a character kind of loosely based on Roosevelt. As were all of the historical figures, of course, even the ones who kept their pants on.

***But somehow never encounters, say, Matthew Brady, whose absence from this novel is glaring. I would have accepted at least a passing reference to how he had died or something, you know?(less)

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Jul 26, 2009 Denis Kaufman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a counterfactual history (what if...?) that starts with a Confederate trooper seeing an officer drop his cigars, which are wrapped in General Lee's general order directing the Confederate Army divide into two forces to attack into Pennsylvania.
In reality, the order was discovered by Union troops and turned over to McClellan's staff. The Union Army defeated the Confederates at Antietam, Lincoln used the battle's outcome to announce Emancipation, Great Britain and France lost their enthu...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-and-enjoyed

This book really made me think. I'd read one of his other novels, Guns of the South, in which time travellers bring the AK-47 to the Confederacy, allowing them to win the Civil War.

This novel was quite different. It starts with a simple premise; what if Lee's orders hadn't been lost and recovered by the North? In Turtledove's eyes, it allowed the South to pull off a win, and backed by the recognition of the British and French governments, were able to establish and solidify the Confederate State...more This book really made me think. I'd read one of his other novels, Guns of the South, in which time travellers bring the AK-47 to the Confederacy, allowing them to win the Civil War.

This novel was quite different. It starts with a simple premise; what if Lee's orders hadn't been lost and recovered by the North? In Turtledove's eyes, it allowed the South to pull off a win, and backed by the recognition of the British and French governments, were able to establish and solidify the Confederate States of America.

This novel begins with the Empire of Mexico making an offer of land to the CSA, which the USA opposses. The CSA's acceptance of the offer is what strkes off the Second War between the States, or what would be the Mexican American war. Many familiar historical figures appear in the novel; Teddy Roosevelt as a young man in the Montana territories, George Custer, the ousted former President Lincoln, Frederick Douglas and others.

What really made me think in this novel was the roll of agressor and defender nations. The USA strikes first against the CSA, responding to a land deal they don't agree with for geo-political reasons. As much as I disagree with some of the policies of the CSA (namely Slavery), I was much more sympathetic to the plight of the CSA than I expected going into the novel, because it appeared to me, that the USA was interfering in a matter that they had no business really getting involved in.

Of course, throughout the course of the novel are other sub-plots. The Mormons in Utah stir up trouble while the USA goverment is distracted. Sam Clemens in San Francisco sits back and editorializes. Lincoln becomes a more outspoken proponent of worker's rights and tries to stir up some Socialist movements through his lectures as part of an effort to revitalize the Republican party, suffering due to two lost wars at the end of the novel.

If alternative history appeals, I'd recommend this book. The politics are interesting enough to allow someone to reconsider some of their moral views, as I did. There's also plenty of action though not much romance, though there are several mentions of sexual relationships. (less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Holden Attradies rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternative-history

This series is by far my favorite alternative history series, but this is by far the worst in the series. At it's best it's only a few pegs above a well written fan-fiction. It's hard to believe that Harry Turtledove's writing improved so much so fast (or maybe he was just phoning this one in...). The lack of any female voices in the narrative is especially noticeable if you have read further works in the series, and the lack of them really hurts this book. It really is only worth reading as a p...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Oleksiy Kononov rated it 4 of 5 stars

Had the South won the Civil War, today's world would have been much different. Unlike The Guns of the South, in How Few Remain Turtledove played only with real historical facts of the 1860s. Trifles (lost Lee's message) might have lead to serious consequences, and I fully agree with the offered sequence of alternate historical events (lost message - won battle - British & French intervention - North's capitulation). After all, in the real Civil War very few Union generals were competent, and...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Gregory Koch rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an excellent book. Some details were a bit of a stretch, granted. But it was somewhat amusing the references to real-life. For instance, when Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is a newspaper writer and he says he could never become a novel writer because the job doesn't pay well. Although I can't imagine Lincoln as a socialist, although in the edition I read, Turtledove left a note at the end saying he felt Lincoln would feel the same way of the relationship between company and employee as he...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm sure American history buffs would love this kind of book, as there is no question that Turtledove does an excellent job of researching his history and the possibilities of an alternate universe like this one, but I found this to be only okay, despite an interesting premise.

I guess my biggest criticism is that it just all felt very straightforward and plain. The Second Mexican War (as the conflict in 1881 between the USA and CSA is apparently referred to) is pretty much the entire story of th...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read "Guns of the South" (Turtledoves earlier take on the South winning the Civil War with help from time traveling South African white supremacists and while that one was a good story this was better suited for those folks who like a more plausible and less fanciful take on alternate history. Considering Turtledoves meticulous attention to historical detail you can't help but believe his alternate history is fact by way of plausibility. His use of historical characters to draw you in and rela...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history, audio-book, genre-blending, science-fiction

All fiction asks "what if?" (What if a boy named Huck Finn ran away with a slave named Jim and sailed the Mississippi?) Science Fiction and Fantasy do this to an even greater extent (What if a scientist was able to re-animate a human corpse using lightning?) Within Sci-Fi & Fantasy the sub-genre of Alternative History takes actual events from History and asks what if they had happened differently (What if Hitler's Germany had won World War II?) Harry Turtledove is considered the master of Al...more All fiction asks "what if?" (What if a boy named Huck Finn ran away with a slave named Jim and sailed the Mississippi?) Science Fiction and Fantasy do this to an even greater extent (What if a scientist was able to re-animate a human corpse using lightning?) Within Sci-Fi & Fantasy the sub-genre of Alternative History takes actual events from History and asks what if they had happened differently (What if Hitler's Germany had won World War II?) Harry Turtledove is considered the master of Alternative History and in this novel he asks: "What if The North rises again - in the stunning saga of the Second Civil War?"

It's been a generation since the South defeated the North in the Civil War, and a disgraced Abraham Lincoln now roams the United States preaching the gospel of socialism. Meanwhile, the Confederate States have purchased territories from the Empire of Mexico. This would extend the CSA's rule from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the United States decides that they should not be allowed to expand, and thus begins the Second Civil War. Many familiar names appear as the story unfolds: George Armstrong Custer patrols the frontier of Kansas using the new fangled Gatling guns against the Indians; General Stonewall Jackson is the supreme military commander of the Confederate forces and directs the Battle of St. Louis; Frederick Douglas is a journalist from Rochester, New York who travels to the dangerous border covering the war; J.E.B. Stuart leads the CSA forces in the newly annexed south-west territories; and Samuel Langhorne Clemens is the editor of a newspaper in San Francisco with a loving wife and two children. The characters are all as vivid as one could hope for and the action of the war - both on and off the battlefield - moves the story along keeping the reader wondering what "happened" next.

I'm a huge Sci-Fi & Fantasy reader, but have never been much into Alternative History for some reason. Also, I must admit that I have been reluctant to try Mr. Turtledove due to my own preconceived notions. You see, being from the North, I was never very interested in a story in which the South won the Civil War. I now freely admit how wrong I was - this novel was thoroughly enjoyable! If you like Historical Fiction, then chances are good that you'll enjoy Harry Turtledove's exploration of "what if" there were a second Civil War in the 1880s. I listened to this book on audio, and while it took me a while to finish it (21 CDs), I enjoyed listening to the talented and prolific George Guidall. (As of this writing, there's even an excerpt from this audio book on George's website!)

One of the hallmarks of great fiction (speculative, or otherwise) is that it makes you stop and think – and maybe even reconsider what you thought – about the given subject. How Few Remain certainly made me reconsider my views of the historical figures and events surrounding the Civil War.(less)

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Jan 22, 2013 ali askye rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-finish

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 19, 2009 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first only of a lengthy alternate history. There are, so far, I think 11 books, taking a history that diverts from ours in that the Confederacy won, partially by the intervention of the British and French. This book starts the series with a second Civil War in the 1880's, and follows through to the end of WWII, as fought by the North versus the Confederacy. Much as I love alternate histories, and much of Harry Turtledove's writing, some of his books have been weak and seemed rushed;...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Kristen Schrader (Wenke) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, pilgrims-thru-civil-war

While well-written, deeply descriptive, and obviously thoroughly researched - the novel left me feeling just ho-hum. While the premise of the South winning the civil war, and then another war breaking out is intriguing and exciting, I feel this book doesn't live up to the potential.

I love the characters in this book. All are well-developed. The narrative is descriptive to the point that I can see it clearly in my mind.

However, it fails to live up to the grand scope that "second civil war" brin...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Caroline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history, civil-war, 1st-in-a-series

How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove is speculative historical fiction. It’s a “what-if” tale, as in “what if the Confederate States had won the Civil War?” What would have happened then? How would our country’s history have been different? In this novel, set in the 1880s, the CSA tries to gain additional territory by way of Mexico, the USA objects and the two go to war again. Lincoln and Custer still live, Mark Twain is a reporter in San Francisco, James G. Blaine is president, and the Republican...more How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove is speculative historical fiction. It’s a “what-if” tale, as in “what if the Confederate States had won the Civil War?” What would have happened then? How would our country’s history have been different? In this novel, set in the 1880s, the CSA tries to gain additional territory by way of Mexico, the USA objects and the two go to war again. Lincoln and Custer still live, Mark Twain is a reporter in San Francisco, James G. Blaine is president, and the Republican party is in shambles.

Prose is easy to read, with rather more battle detail than I would like, but that’s just me. It is paced well. No one is a main character. Rather, the narrative is divided up between a dozen or so historical people. Custer, Longstreet, a still-alive Stonewall Jackson, among others. What Turtledove excels at are his characters and their voices. Lincoln sounds like Lincoln, Twain sounds like Twain. A young Teddy Roosevelt is especially well-drawn.

My main problem has nothing to do with Turtledove’s writing style. It’s just that entire concept of alternate history makes me a little uncomfortable. I find the premise to be perilously close to fan-fiction. Instead of cheerfully rearranging someone else’s fictions to suit his own fancy, Turtledove is cheerfully rearranging actual facts! For example, what did poor Livy Clemens ever do to deserve her removal from history? (In this version, Twain is happily married to a woman with the unlikely name of Alexandra). Also, Abraham Lincoln is now an elderly Marxist? Really? Ooo-kay.

Of course, these changes, these “what-ifs” are entwined into the very bones of the concept and is all part of the fun. What if Lincoln had not been re-elected in 1864, and not been assassinated in 1865 and had instead come to be an idealistic champion of the proletariat? What if there was a northern USA and a southern CSA? How would that have changed the world scene? Fascinating speculation does not even begin to describe it.

Fascinating, yes, to a degree but I don’t know that I was as entranced as to continue with the series.
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Aug 07, 2012 Tom rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I grudgingly give this book a second star because Turtledove, as usual, did his research, and it pays off generally, especially in terms of his characterization of Sam Clemens (Mark Twain), a man whom you feel like you've met after reading this.

Otherwise, this was disappointing on a number of levels. I expected a conflict of epic grandeur, of two brother nations at each other's throats with tensions, reversals, and twists: triumph and tragedy on both sides. No such luck.

You can guess how it wil...more

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Apr 09, 2008 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 30, 2011 Lani rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicalfiction, kindle

I'm actually a little shocked that I hadn't read this before. Seriously? Revisionist history about if the South had won? Lincoln a Socialist? Custer a crazy person? Stonewall Jackson alive? FREAKING LONGSTREET FOR PRESIDENT?!?!?!

So yeah, the book is pretty much right up my alley.

But the book is LOOOOOOONG. And I read trashy fantasy, so I have a pretty high tolerance for lengthy books. Even I started to fade about 60% in (according to my Kindle). It's possible I just wasn't in the mood for such...more

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Nov 24, 2007 The other John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history

I'm afraid I read this one out of order. Back last year, I happened to stumble across The Great War: American Front, which tells a tale of World War I in a world where the Confederate States of America is an actuality. The characters in the book referred, from time to time, about a second War between the States that had occurred in the 1880s and had served to create deeper divisions between the North and the South. I found myself wishing that I could also read that tale, foolishly unaware that i...more

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Oct 12, 2007 Ryan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

As an historian, I always enjoyed thinking what things could have happened based on minor events. So when I saw this book I was very excited to read it. Until I became slightly disillusioned with the genre.

Abraham Lincoln becoming a communist after being kicked out of the oval office for starting a losing war didn't bother me so much. But the idea that Utah Mormons would use the Second War Between the States to attempt secession from the Union is ridiculous. For one thing, tensions between Mormo...more

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Jun 06, 2007 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alternate History! What if the "lost order" was never lost and General Lee's invasion of the North was not halted at Antietam? Harry Turtledove answers this question with an amazing alternate history: The South wins the war in 1862 and the Confederacy becomes a separate nation.

Now, twenty years later, U.S. President--James G. Blaine--plans to invade the South to stop its expansionist activities. Confederate President--James Longstreet--has just penned a deal to buy the northern territories of a...more

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May 07, 2009 Matte rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009

really wanted to like this, but was unable to read more than 100 pages. I should have guessed something was up when I discovered that this author writes more books a year than puppy mills crank out designer breeds. The writing was so artless and the characters flatted by such a feckless imagination. I thought my father would like this, and we could have something to bond over, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

I am glad I checked this out at the library and didn't actually pay for it...more

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Jan 20, 2013 John Betts rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-history

In this novel Turtledove tackles the "what if?" concerning a victorious South without the low-grade sci-fi tricks, but a different ending to a real-life event that cost the Confederacy dearly in the Civil War. The story takes place in 1881, a generation after the South won their independence. A second war breaks out between North and South over expansion into the West, thus adding further fuel to their mutual enmity. An interesting look at what might have been if the events of the Civil War had...more

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May 08, 2012 Bryan Bridges rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Legitimate speculation on what might have happened had the South won the Civil War. Any historian can read it and come to a “makes sense” conclusion while those who simply love a good war story can enjoy a work of fiction based on the real people they learned about in school—Lincoln, Jackson, Custer, and Twain, among others.

I only had two issues with this book. One is length—not of the novel itself, but of the story. Turtledove's other parts in this series are split among three or four novels. S...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Sean Mcculloch rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked it better than Guns of the South- it feels more.. I don't want to say "realistic", cause it's not.. "historical", I guess. You get to see more of a sweeping change in what happens to both countries. The use of real historical characters helps with this, though I can imagine that some might find it over-indulgent.

(And the Mark Twain sex scene took me a while to wrap my head around. Not because it's a bad scene or anything, but because I kept saying to myself "That's Mark Twain.. gettin'...more

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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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