The Gallatin Divergence

North American Confederacy #6

by L. Neil Smith

In a parallel universe to America, George Washington has been executed and Alexander Hamilton is exiled, leaving a government-free country--until, centuries later, several Hamiltonians want to travel back in time to save him

Genres: Science Fiction, Alternate History, Fiction

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 12, 1985

About the author

L. Neil Smith was a Libertarian science fiction author and gun rights activist.Smith was born in Denver, Colorado.

Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.

He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.

Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.

Reviews

[Patrick Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021-03-04 I remember reading this not long (a few years) after The Probability Broach (PB) in the mid-80s and liking it - some parts better than PB and some not as good. Neat speculations on how libertarian societies could work better than our mixed statist culture now.

[Tony Calder · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this a difficult book - there were two or three times when I nearly put it aside. For the first part of the book Smith writes in a style very reminiscent of Heinlein, but a Heinlein who has taken his libertarian ideas to an extreme. The author espouses the idea that an almost complete lack of government, where people are left to run there own lives, will lead to a near-utopian society. Perhaps I'm just too cynical, but I don't think so.

The second part of the book was less Heinlein, but I found it hard to maintain any sense of connection with the characters. They make a series of stupid decisions. But perhaps that is the point - when you live in a libertarian society, and a world-shattering event comes along, you don't get an organised response to it, you just get whoever happens to be around at the time.

[Blake Hiatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but, not up to what L. Neil Smith has written before.

A bit disjointed and, it read more like a "what if" history than the previous installments of the rollicking whodunit Science Fiction stories which involved Detective Win Bear.

I'm giving it three stars, though, it probably deserves a good solid "meh."

[Chris Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review – The Gallatin Divergence – L. Neil Smith – 1985
One more old Sci-Fi novel from the armful I picked up at Apple Wild Books in Littleton, Ma.
I know you’re probably getting tired of these reviews…but, for the sake of completeness, I must forge ahead.
This novel is part of Smith’s North American Confederacy series, an alternate timeline universe the proposes the United States never became Federalist society but instead became an independent loose confederacy.
Which was a possible outcome after the American revolution.
In this particular novel some plucky libertarian heroes travel back in time to the whiskey rebellion period and try to thwart their federalist nemesis.
I guess this would be a sci-fi subgenre of “Libertarian sci-fi”.
Science fiction has always had a streak of libertarian. One need look no further than our friend Heinlein to find it. It’s all very macho and independent living stuff. Self-reliance and smarts. Good-old ingenuity and pluck.
I don’t begrudge anyone their point of view, but this felt a bit sophomoric and even irresponsible. Maybe I’m just entering my grumpy-old-man phase. Everyone believes in self-reliance and freedom until they need something. It’s just too simplistic of a hand-waving political theory. “Wouldn’t we all be better off without a central government?”
Umm…no actually.
The cavalier dismissal of federalism feels somewhat dangerous as I write this in 2025.
The story itself is a revolutionary war era caper with a couple outsized future characters tromping around, apparently trying to make things right in the timeline, but failing.
It’s an interesting artifact, this novel, can’t say it was more than middling.
Chris Russell
ChrisRussellAuthor dot com

[Michael Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps not one of L. Neil's best, but an awfully good story for the most part.
With author Smith, it's easy to get so caught up in the ideas, and his enthusiasm for human rights and individual liberty that one can miss, or forget about, his writing style.
That style is so breezy, and so quick with a quip, L. Neil makes it look easy.
L. Neil has left us, has departed to that great parallel universe in the sky, and I miss him, I miss him as a person, as an ally in the desperate seeking of human rights and individual liberty, and as an author whose works never fail to entertain and often to enlighten.
Rest In Peace, Neil, and know there are many of us who miss you.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1986 grade C

series book A5