The Pugnacious Peacekeeper/The Wheels of If

by Harry Turtledove, L. Sprague de Camp

Paperback, as shown, HEAVILY browned & tanned, crease in back top outer cover-corner, APPEARS NOT READ. 1990 1st ptg thus. Guaranteed.

Genres: Alternate History, Science Fiction

185 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

About the author

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 scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.

Reviews

[Tomislav · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Tor Double #20, of a series of 36 double books published from 1988 to 1991 by Tor Books. It contains two novellas. Unlike most of the volumes in the series, this one is not bound tête-bêche (back-to-back and inverted). There is only one cover. The novellas are listed here alphabetically by author; neither should be considered “primary.”

The Wheels of If, by L. Sprague de Camp (1940) ***
This was originally published in the October 1940 issue of Unknown Fantasy Fiction. In 2016, it was nominated, but did not win a Retro Hugo in the novella category. In this alternate history setting, New York is now New Belfast, the capital of Vinland, speaking a language sort of like Dutch or Old English among the descendants of Vikings. For no known reason, New York lawyer Allister Park of our world, wakes up in the body of Bishop Ib Scoglund in that world. Once there, while trying to get home, he is caught up in a conspiracy against a campaign for the civil rights of the native American Skrellings. Within the genre, this and de Camp’s Lest Darkness Fall, are considered pioneering works of alternate history.

The Pugnacious Peacemaker, by Harry Turtledove (1990) ***
This is the original 1990 publication of a sequel to The Wheels of If. Harry Turtledove also wrote a 1993 prequel forming it into a series. That prequel novella “Down in the Bottomlands” won the 1994 Hugo Award in the novella category. All three were published together in the 1999 anthology Down in the Bottomlands and Other Places. In it, Scoglund serves as a diplomat attempting to prevent war between a 20th century Incan Empire and South American Muslim colonists. While The Wheels of If was based on some studied alteration of history, this seems like an outrageous mix-up. However, Turtledove is a good choice to pay homage to de Camp.

[Leons1701 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four Stars for "The Wheels of If". Not de Camp's best work but far from bad. Just wish I could say the same about Turtledove's contribution. Well, I suppose I could. I mean, "The Pugnacious Peacekeeper" isn't truly bad, it just isn't very good either. Even at his best, Turtledove has never had the deft and lightly humorous touch de Camp had, and this is not his best. There's an annoying subplot with Park/Scoglund trying to get laid which is supposed to add the humor I suppose but mostly just serves to show off Turtledove's usual biases.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wheels of If is a novella that was published in the October 1940 issue of John W. Campbell's Unknown fantasy magazine. It's one of the early alternate worlds stories, telling the story of Allister Park, a somewhat unpleasant lawyer from our world who's sent on a wheel of probability into a series of alternate universes in which the present Earth is significantly different from the one he knows due to events happening differently in the past causing the present to change. He uses his wits and skill to rise to power in the world he eventually ends up in, all the while trying to find his way back home, but when the opportunity arises, he eventually decides he's happier where he is. It's a classic tale, and the Turtledove novella published in this 1990 volume is a sequel to it. Turtledove is primarily known for his multiple volumes of alternate world military sagas, but I really didn't much care for his de Camp pastiche. The alternate-worlds set up is completely abandoned, and Park is just trying to negotiate a peace between the Incan empire and the Moslem invaders. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, but I got the feeling that Turtledove was feeling particularly anti-Middle East as he wrote it. De Camp's story feels more modern in many ways, though maybe Turtledove was trying for a 1940-feel of attitude. I found the two de Camp continuations by David Drake that Baen published (Lest Darkness Fall/To Bring the Light and The Undesired Princess/The Enchanted Bunny) to be far more enjoyable. This one was published as part of the Tor Doubles line but doesn't fit the same format. The stories aren't printed back-to-back and in opposition to one another, and there's only a single cover, a kind of bland one with the illustration shrunken down to a tiny little box in the middle. I'll keep the de Camp at four stars and rate the Turtledove at two and average them out.

[Stian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read, but a pleasurable one. Having read many of Turtledove's books, I started reading this one with some past experience in alternative-history. The first part of the book is the original work of L. Sprague de Camp, which has aged well, considering it being an SF story from 1940. The 2nd part is Turtledove's homage to L. Sprague de Camp, where he attempts to write in the same style as the original writer while at the same time expanding the universe of Alister Park (Bishop Ib Scoglund).

This could be troublesome, as it seems hard to successfully "copy" someone else like that, but it works and it reads as better than Turtledove's usual writings!
Don't get me wrong, Turtledove has produced many interesting and challenging works, but they are often more interesting in their scale, than in their literary value. In this homage though Turtledove is "forced" to drop many of his rather annoying traits (Turtledove readers will know what I mean).

The result is quite enjoyable and very different from most alternative history works; I for one has not tired of Civil War or WWII scenarios, but its refreshing with something very different (not to give away too much; Muslim/Arabic state in South America vs survived Inca Empire)
I recommend this for alternative history fans, Turtledove fans and furthermore to those who are new to the genre, as this might be a nice introduction to it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "double" paperback, with two stories. The first is one I read before, in the 60s--"The Wheels of If" by L. Sprague de Camp, from 1940. It's a classic of alternate history. A New York district attorney, Allister Park, finds himself in the body of Bishop Ib Scoglund. Not only that, but Park finds himself in another reality. New York is now "New Belfast" and it's in a country called Vinland. It seems the Vikings were able to establish a permanent colony in North America and it's become an independent country that has attracted a lot of Anglo-Saxon and Irish immigrants. Park not only survives but becomes a major player in the politics of Vinland. I give this story *****. The next story, "The Pugnacious Peacemaker"(1990) by Harry Turtledove is a sequel to de Camp's story. While it's good to see the Bishop again and to have Vinland's world filled in a little more, Turtledove's story does not add much. Park/Scoglund is sent to South America to negotiate peace between the Inca Empire and the Arab emirate based on the coast of Brazil. I give this story *** or ***1/2. Overall, this book then rates ****. I have to say I'd like to see more of Allister Park. Perhaps he could take over the world...

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

📱 a fun read. I really don’t know why Turtledove novel comes first in the volume though since it’s the sequel