How Few Remain

Timeline-191 #1

by Harry Turtledove

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. Twenty years 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 States of America. And so, in 1883, the fragile peace was shattered.

But this was a new kind of war, fought on a lawless frontier where the blue and gray battled not only each other, but the Apache, the outlaw, and even the redcoat. Along with France, England entered the fray on the side of the South, with blockades and invasions from Canada.

Out of this tragic struggle emerged figures great and small. The disgraced Abraham Lincoln crisscrossed the nation championing socialist ideals. Confederate cavalry leader Jeb Stuart sought to prevent wholesale slaughter in the desert Southwest, while cocky young Theodore Roosevelt and stodgy George Custer bickered over modern weapons--even as they drove the British back into western Canada.

Thanks to the efforts of journalists like Samuel Clemens, the nation witnessed the clash of human dreams and passions. Confederate genius Stonewall Jackson again soared to the heights of military expertise, while the North's McClellan proved sadly undeserving of his once shining reputation as the "young Napoleon."  For in the Second War Between the States, the times, the stakes, and the battle lines had changed . . . and so would history.

Once again, Harry Turtledove has created a thoroughly engrossing alternate history novel, a profoundly original epic of blood and honor, courage and sacrifice, set amidst the raw beauty of young America's frontier wilderness.

Genres: Alternate History, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, War, Fantasy, Civil War

565 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 1997

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

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Pretty well written, but DRY as a desert. Great setting for the future novels but this book was a SLOG, SLOG, SLOG to get through. I will probably read the next book in the series at some point because I love the premise (and I am obviously a glutton for punishment) but I did not really like this one.

Nominee: Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1999)

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Turtledove specializes in writing "Counter-Factuals", an overly pretentious term for alternative history. In "How Few Remain" we are treated to a very different world in which the Confederacy didn't lose the Civil War.

A bit of an explanation is required. The book starts in Fredrick, Maryland in 1862. Soldiers from the Army of Northern Virginia under the command of General Robert E. Lee are moving towards Hagerstown. A Lieutenant, riding through the camp, is stopped by some soldiers who return a package of cigars, inadvertently dropped by the Lieutenant. The Lt. shares the cigars with the soldiers and thanks them profusely for returning the package.

Why is this random event important? The scenario is based on real life save that the package was never returned to the Lt, but rather was recovered by Corporal Barton W. Mitchell of the 27th Indiana Volunteers, part of the Union XII Corps. He found the package of cigars in the campground vacated by Confederate General D.H. Hill. What's so important about a bunch of cigars? Absolutely nothing, except for the pleasure a soldier would get from smoking them. But, it was the paper that wrapped the cigars that has significance. It turned out, after Corporal Mitchell turned over the paperwork to his Captain (Peter Kopp), that the wrapping paper was actually a copy of Special Order 191 which delineated where the Confederate armies were supposed to deploy. Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, the commander of the Army of the Potomac, was able to use the Orders to deploy his forces and use the intelligence to help win the Battle of South Mountain and the Battle of Antietam. Many military historians feel if Lee's orders had not been discovered, the outcome of the war would have been very different.

This is where the book takes up the story. With the orders never having been lost, the Confederates may have been able to invade Pennsylvania and win an early version of the Battle of Gettysburg, which leads to the British and French governments recognizing the Confederate States.

Now it is 1881 and America is divided. In 1881, Republican James G. Blaine has ridden a hard-line platform of anti-Confederatism into the White House, having defeated Democratic incumbent Samuel J. Tilden in the 1880 presidential election. Now, with the CSA purchasing the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which extends the CSA–USA border and gives the Confederates the Pacific port of Guaymas, the United States declares war on the Confederacy.

What makes this such a great story is the sheer number of different characters who people this alternative tale. From the abolitionist Fredrick Douglass to former President Abraham Lincoln (who is now a Socialist) and even Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) as a newspaper reporter and Colonel Alfred von Schlieffen (the German military attache)- they are all here in a different telling of American history. From the conflicts with the Native Indians to the start of a Mormon uprising in Utah there is a lot going on. With a decent grasp of history, the story takes even more depth since you see how certain characters could have possibly played out their roles in this alternative world.

I won't spoil any of the cool stuff, if you enjoy a fictional history then you will certainly love this excellent book.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

RE-READ REVIEW: I’m not sure what motivated me to read this one again. As you can see by my review below, I was bored to tears by it the first time around. I guess I just had a nagging feeling I didn’t approach it correctly or expected something different. Not hurting matters is the fact that I already bought the second book in the series and its concept (WW1 fought between the CSA and USA) is a great one. Well, it certainly was more of a fun read this time around.

It’s just not really about action or excitement but exploring the alternative history of the series in an almost academic way while spending time with real historical figures like a pre-Mark Twain Sam Clemens, Stonewall Jackson, Frederick Douglass, and best of all, Abraham Lincoln (obviously Booth had no reason to kill poor Honest Abe in this timeline because the south won the civil war. To kind of digress a bit, how much of a pussy move was assassinating Lincoln? It was like a boxer sucker punching his opponent after he’s lost the match and the other guy has his back turned.) It’s still not a fantastic read, but I’m glad I gave it another shot.

PS: I really didn’t need to read and imagine a scene of Custer blowing a load on some woman’s stomach, though. Honestly Turtledove, what the fuck.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: It really sucks when your relationship with a book devolves to the point of it sullenly dwelling in the loser's spot at the bottom of the stack on the nightstand, bookmark dwelling in the halfway point like a jilted lover unwilling to let go, just gathering dust...and I got pretty rapidly to that point with this one, which totally blows because I totally love the concept and already fuckin' bought the second book...honestly, how was I not supposed to. American WW1 fought between the Confederacy and US? I was basically obligated to. I still might read it, but this one was definitely a no-go for me. It committed the cardinal sin of a novel: it's boring. It stupefies me as to how a book centering around a bloody rematch between the States could be boring, but I swear by the Gods it is. It really is.

The characters are all historical figures, and while Turtledove has done his research and can cleverly throw in true traits of the character like Jackson and his lemons they just don't do entertaining stuff. Lincoln spends most of the book hanging out with Mormons...they get all rebel-y later on but it's not fun stuff. The war scenes were terminally dull, which is weird because all the shooting and explosions in Guns of the South were neat, vivid and gripping. It just wasn't good times for me. Also, Turtledove's Confederate hero worship is getting annoying. I was irritated that the Confederates won, which is probably a petty complaint but still. I'm aware that most academics believe the heart of the Civil War was about states' rights, but that doesn't mean I have to give a shit or sympathize. If those states are engaging in slavery they gotta go. Turtledove seems bent on insisting that the Confederates were good guys, but even he ended this by saying "Yeah they began manumission nationwide but only because the UK and France demanded it." If the Confederates don't get thrashed in the next book I'm done. Also, making Custer into a badass hero was unforgivable.

Yeah, I'm not really sure how many different ways I can say "this book was boring". There's certainly good stuff in here--Turtledove is nothing if not imaginative and his attention to detail and obvious research of the actual era clearly come through. It's certainly not a bad book, just not one that connected with me. I can see a lot of people liking this, Turtledove fans or not. Obviously people are into it, as he continues this alternate timeline for like fifteen books...I'm gonna give the next one a try and see if this one was a fluke. I like Turtledove enough to do that, easily. He's kind of weird but I like him. He's creative and the man is a Doctor. A Doctor of what, you ask? Byzantine History. There is nothing cooler than that. Nothing.

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The variety of historical figures he uses in order to fully portray this alternative era and the authenticity of their voices are both compelling. The author's decision not to continue it as a direct sequel to Guns of the South is a little jarring at first, but in this new beginning he lays of a lot of interesting characters.

SECOND READING: Still holds up. He can imagine creative fault lines and explore them in what-if conversations between committed spokespeople.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

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!"

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Chen-song Qin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in Harry Turtledove's alternate history TL-191 (Timeline-191) series, which consists of this stand-alone volume, plus two further trilogies, the American Front series and the American Empire series.

The premise is that Special Order 191 (thus TL-191) by General Robert Lee was not lost as in actual history, but was put into action and caused the defeat of Union forces. Ultimately this caused the recognition of the Confederacy by Great Britain and France, creating two major American powers in North America.

The main narrative of the novel takes place almost 20 years after the American Civil War and Southern independence. The Confederate purchase of two Mexican provinces (Mexico is an empire under emperor Maximilian in this timeline and has provinces rather than states), which breaks the US lock on access to the Pacific Ocean, causes another war between the USA and the CSA. Various characters from actual history appear in the story, from Sam Clemens (a reporter in San Francisco) to Teddy Roosevelt (an enthusiastic volunteer soldier) to a disgraced Abraham Lincoln (now a socialist agitator) to an unscalped George Custer (still a cavalry officer). As the story flows on, new technologies and new alliances change the face of war and the continent.

This book is fairly typical Harry Turtledove. His grasp of history allows detailed descriptions of (changed) events and places, and the narrative covers both high level strategic decisions and everyday lives of regular people. Unlike some of his other works, the number of viewpoint characters is large enough to provide variety, but not so large that they become unwieldy. All in all, this is a good start to a classic series.

[Ronnica Fatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was disappointed that the book focused almost exclusively on historical people, because I was interested in imagining what life would be like for the common person if the South had won the Civil War. But I soon realized that the people who were made famous in our history weren't necessarily rising to fame in this alternative history. Where would Mark Twain be without a defeated South? A newspaper editor in San Francisco. Where would Lincoln be if the North hadn't defeated the South? Alive and disgraced, trying to redirect the attention of the Republican party.

Apart from the unnecessary sex scenes (who cares, anyway?), I find this to be an intriguing concept pulled off in a realistic way.

[Clay Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about a world war between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. Probably the best in the series

[Beth Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly-enjoyable and thoroughly-researched alt history jaunt that explores the repercussions of a Confederate victory during the Civil War. The book jumps between perspectives on both sides of the conflict, and is wonderfully nuanced. People are people, and are complex creatures... though Custer is the easiest one to hate, no question. I do wish there had been some female perspectives as well, but I understand why there were not because of the tight military and political focus, mostly on men who survived the previous conflict--or on rising stars, such as Theodore Roosevelt. Since I wrote about Roosevelt in my own alt-history series, I especially enjoyed Turtledove's take on the impetuous young civilian using his wealth and charisma to gather a volunteer troop almost twenty years in advance of when he actually assembled his Rough Riders.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alternate history is such a complicated but interesting field of writing. I love imagining the world as it might have been, and from Turtledove's more wild flights of fantasy (The World War II series where aliens invade in 1942, for instance) to his more pointed, alternate-for-the-sake-of-reading-historical-figures pieces (like the excellent "Guns of the South") he proves himself a thorough historian and an imaginative fiction writer.

I have my issues with the way Turtledove likes to write from so many perspectives, but appreciate the wide view it gives us, even if some very interesting characters seem to suffer for it. Poor Sherman in this novel - and perhaps even more tragic, poor General Grant (I am torn between his fate in the novel or in real life being worse). This is a book that reads history in a way that has the US building on the weaknesses it learned from the early years of the Civil War instead of the lessons it would learn in the latter years, once the army found its footing and more importantly, its general.

While some of the lines of history here dragged - specifically that of JEB Stuart toward the end, in my opinion - and while I have never really LOVED his portrayals of Lincoln, this story is competently written, with only the weaknesses of his somewhat jumpy storytelling to make me complain. I wish we would have had a greater sense of the larger war instead of such small, tantalizing pieces, but perhaps this is all we get. The war itself is pondering, and perhaps that is why I feel the story is somewhat pondering at times too. The tension of a war desperately fought is absent, and the lack of soldier perspectives (which Turtledove so frequently uses in his other stories) leaves us largely outside of combat. The whole war is believable - just sometimes unsatisfying.

Still, Mark Twain is witty, Teddy Roosevelt is heroic, and Custer is a giant, blustering piece of shit. Frederick Douglass is desperate in a world where forward momentum against slavery is slow, and where the South is shored up by allies in Europe. The potential of this universe, so fully realized and researched, interests me the most. The Great War: American Front promises to be even more interesting, and perhaps my frustration with the Army of the Potomac will see some relief when Roosevelt gets old enough to fight like hell from the steps of the White house, and not just the empty fields of Montana circa 1881.

If you liked this book, Turtledove's "Guns of the South" is a must read; as are Bernard Cornwell's Arthur novels, as long as you like swords as much as you like muskets and tredegars.

[Arsalan Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who enjoys history, this book is an absolute treat. I started getting into Alternate History a while back and slowly I started discovering the genre from the 'The Man in the High Castle.’ However, my passion for alternate history solely focused on either TV series, movies or even small YouTube videos. In no way, I would have considered dedicating my time towards reading something as a hobby. Neither did I consider 'historical fiction' was a genre.

I must give Harry Turtledove credit for inspiring within me to explore this genre in this beautiful and well-crafted world in 'How Few Remain.' Even though I am a history buff, I, unfortunately, did not have as much knowledge of the American Civil War as I should. However, going through Turtledove's book invigorated my curiosity to research on that part of history as well. When I initially started the book, it was with the intention of gaining some context for the next book and its time-period of the First World War, which was my main focus. Sufficient to say, that I have not only gained some context for the next novel but have also increased my knowledge about another historical event (The American Civil War), the people involved and its consequence which is truly valuable, apart from getting the usual entertainment and literature value.

Since I am not an avid Novel reader (this being the second novel that I read in my entire life), I cannot comment professionally on the language, tone or the style of the author. However, what I can say, is the scenario and the research on all characters done is extensive. The only shortcoming I would say this book would have is in building the plot, reaching up to the war. Although it provided good context, it was boring. I would also say most of Samuel Clemens dedicated time was boring (though not all). However, once the war kicked off, it was hard to keep down. Every chapter ended in a cliff-hanger, wanting you to go on.

Overall, I would say this is a beautiful piece of work, and I cannot wait to get started on the next installment of Turtledove's Southern Victory series. For all those who are fans of 'Alternate History' and 'Historical Fiction', would highly recommend, especially if you are trying to get into the genre.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 a grinding story, and fans of war books might not mind.

A couple things I found interesting:
* No one explains what happens to Lee. He's barely mentioned. I kept waiting for a big reveal - for example, Grant makes a brief cameo - and... nothing. It's sort of implied that he's dead, but little more than that is said. But it's not as if history was revised to the point that he wasn't a brilliant general because he's frequently cited as such by other characters.
* Longstreet was somewhat infamous for being a believer in the defensive war and lots and lots of entrenchments. In the book, it almost seems the opposite. Is this bad research, or purposefully showing that politicians can't allow a defensive war?

The book did drag, but ultimately I enjoyed it. I'm not sure a non-Civil War nerd would care very much. I thought it did interesting things with the continuation of slavery in the South, the continued settlement of the West, industrialization of the countries, and the change to modern warfare - both the technology that was changing and the isolationist stance of America.

So the only 2 revised history books that I think I've read have been this one and Roth's The Plot Against America. I've enjoyed both of them, and would like to read some more if anyone has any recommendations.

[Ali Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 HellThe Great War: BreakthroughsBlood & Iron The Center Cannot Hold The Victorious Opposition Return EngagementThe GrappleDrive to the EastIn at the Death

[The other John · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 it had already been written. How Few Remain is that tale, an enjoyable read in its own right. The year is 1881 and after almost 20 years of Democrats in the White House, the president is once again a Republican. He's itching to regain some lost glory, and when the Confederate States of America expand their territory by purchasing the states of Sonora and Chihuahua from Mexico, President Blaine considers it sufficient cause to start military action. The resulting war is told from the viewpoint of various characters. It's the same technique Mr. Turtledove uses in The Great War, but in this case, the featured characters are all famous characters from our own history--Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson, Frederick Douglass, Samuel Clemens and a disgraced ex-president, Abraham Lincoln, among others. Mr. Turtledove does a good job breathing life into these characters, sending me to the Wikipedia to scope out what these people were really like. And, of course, also sending me to the bookstore to hunt down the subsequent titles in this alternate history epic.

[Andrew Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This eleven-book series has kept me occupied for the last three months, the longest I have read one style of writing as one sitting, rather than jumping between authors. That style isn't always the best: within and between each book, it can get repetitive. This compares favourably to Turtledove's other works though, with less "active misogyny" occurring (although the female characters dwindle), less predictable pacing and some more variation between characters.

How Few Remain is excellent for anyone interested in history, with historical characters and a great look at how this different timeline affects their lives and the American continent. If you don't fancy a huge slog, this may be worth reading as a standalone.
Great War stands out (in a good way) as the largest divergence from our timeline, and perhaps has the most balanced cast of characters.
American Empire, which I feared would be an awkward middle child, actually holds up pretty well without any pitched battles. The cast evolves to include a newer generation and the parallels with our own timeline are at their best.
Settling Accounts has some of the best action, technology and some great landmark moments, to cap off a great series.

[Alexander Seifert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first piece of Turtledove I've ever read, and--I would argue--still one of my favorites.

I think Turtledove is his best when he combines historical and non-historical characters. Furthermore, I appreciate when he gives a little more variability to those he selects as viewpoint characters. In this work, we have Abraham Lincoln, the disgraced former President, and Frederick Douglass, to provide the reader with two immensely unique views. I think I enjoy it more because, by actually telling the story through historical figures, we can see Turtledove at his best, when he is flawlessly taking what we know and giving it an intelligent new spin.

Even if you don't go on to read the 10 books that follow this one, I would recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys fiction, military or otherwise. The man is at his best here.

[William Mego · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all honesty, the character development as well as the writing itself wasn't of a standard that made me want to continue reading a ELEVEN or so book series. Lazy repetition, characters which all seemed the same.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, (thought the premise was brilliant,) but his writing style did not work at all with my brain. Every page was a struggle. Too bad.

[Fabrizzio Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this wasn't my first introduction to alternate history, it definitely was the first to have been more than just an article. Though I am not as knowledgeable about the context behind the civil war, (and especially some of the more prominent figure of it besides Abraham Lincoln), years ago I was able to read this book out of pure chance, and now to be able to read it again was a nice refresher and reminder of what got me hooked to this genre.

How Few Remain is set in an alternate timeline, where the CSA (Confederate States of America) succeeds to be its own independent nation separate from the USA (United States of America. The book follows the tensions, a "generation after" the first civil war, and the 2nd war between the states. Reading how the USA was essentially isolated by the CSA and their allies, being the British and French, really gave me a surreal thought, as the thought of having them as our primary enemy never really crossed my mind. It was also fascinating to me seeing Abraham Lincoln not being the man of glory to have brought this nation to be great, but being hated by the people he promised to reunite gave an even more reassuring sense that this isn't the history the reader is familiar with. I loved how it would switch perspectives from the both nations, providing information and different points of views for the reader to dive into. It gave a nice sense of balance, very interesting in my opinion. Warning though, It does get a tad boring during the beginning, but once you get into the mood and are interested in this genre of books its a fun book to have completed. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a good many years since I've cracked a Turtledove book, and this one, like a lot of his work, has left me with mixed feelings.

First, it's most important to point out that this novel is the first in a longer series (the "Southern Victory" or "Timeline-191" series for which Turtledove is probably most widely known). The series is an attempt at a sort of overarching epic that spans 80-ish years of alternate history, and is as far as I know unique in the genre for its reach and popularity. I've previously read some of the series before (the American Empire trilogy) and liked it, so I thought I might go back to the beginning and get the complete picture.

"How Few Remain" is set twenty years into the alternative history world of Timeline-191, with a second war between the United States and the independent Confederate States. Through some politicking and relying on strong international allies, the Confederate States makes a move to purchase two northern Mexican states from the ailing Empire of Mexico, to which the United States responds by declaring war. The USA, despite being much larger than its opponent in terms of population and economy, finds itself overwhelmed; the army is understaffed and woefully mismanaged (seriously, Turtledove writes his American generals as if they're complete idiots), and the country is surrounded on all sides by enemies (the CSA to the south; the British and Canadians to the north; and the Royal Navy along the Pacific coast).

Anyway, on to the pros and cons of the novel:

PRO's:
-Turtledove is a decent writer, and he does a good job of adopting a sort of "slice of life" perspective in his novels. Particularly in this series, Turtledove chooses a large amount of "viewpoint" characters that he bounces between, providing the reader (generally) with a good understanding of what this timeline looks like from different perspectives. HOWEVER, I get the feeling this novel in particular is the weakest of his in this regard, as all of the viewpoint characters in this one are historical. Granted, he does a great job at characterizing some of them (the Lincoln and Roosevelt chapters are particularly good, I think), but unlike some later books in the series, the viewpoint that you tend to get from this book is very much from the perspective of the elites of the time. It's generals, politicians, and newspapermen all the way down. This isn't really a pro or a con, it just is (though I prefer the viewpoint of his later books focusing on fictional people from all walks of life).
-The timeline gets a lot of flak for being unrealistic, but as far as alt-hist goes it's probably one of the most plausible. Let's face it, any timeline in which the Confederates won the Civil War is already so wildly outlandish that it's impossible to craft an entirely plausible narrative around it.

CON's:
-Why did we need a sex scene with George Custer? It serves absolutely no purpose in the story, and one wonders if Turtledove didn't write it just to fulfill the stereotype of alt-hist novels including cringey sex scenes. It disturbs the flow of the story and just feels skeezy.
-The book succeeds in making war boring. The best parts of the novel are those that have relatively little to do with the front lines (Lincoln, Clemens, Douglas, most of Roosevelt). The timeline's major epic battle (Louisville) is a rough read just because of how yawn-worthy it makes the entire affair.
-Let's face it; in the post-November 2016 world, reading a novel which puts slaveholding "heroes" of the Confederate States in anything resembling a positive light is just tremendously hard to read. I am so vehemently ideologically opposed to half of the viewpoint characters in this novel that I find it often hard to digest. I don't think Turtledove personally harbors any reprehensible views (then again I barely know anything about the guy), but he seems to have far too great an interest in presenting a slaveholding society in a way that is far too positive than it deserves.

In short, would I recommend this book? I... dunno. If you're a completionist and want to read the entire series and explore this world that Turtledove has crafted, then sure. If you're a Civil War buff who wants a "what if" of the same flavor, you might enjoy it (though only if you're the type of person who is maybe a bit too into the whole Lost Cause bullshit). If you're into the idea of seeing historical figures doing ahistorical things (and specifically if you're into the idea of exploring what Lincoln's life might have looked like if he wasn't assassinated), then it's worth a read.

All in all I'll give it a generous 3/5. It wasn't a slog for me (despite its length), but that is partially because Turtledove's chapter structure makes it easy to take a small bite out of the novel here and there, nibbling away at it on train rides or grabbing a few chapters before bed. I'm looking forward to continuing the series, not because this novel was particularly strong, but because I know some of what is coming up is going to be worth it.

[Meredith Landow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe

I have read almost every book by turtledove. I enjoy his work. This book was not as good as most of his writings. It is certainly worth reading if you plan to read the rest of the series, which is great.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense, complex, but frequently engaging and realistic study of an alternate outcome to the Civil War. Turtledove writes with the clear eye of a newspaper reporter, and makes the various machinations and battling factions believable and easy to follow.

[Nathan Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than guns of the south. Turtledove is a talented writer despite the book being a bit dull and dragging on at points. Will continue the series.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent ideas and stories, but not executed very well. Most of the story is dialogue driven, but that’s the worst part of the writing. Would have been better if it was a third shorter.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Turtledove’s *How Few Remain* opens like a deep inhalation of alternate air—familiar but tinged with the strange, the scent of a history ever so slightly warped. Published in 1997, it’s the first novel in what would become his magnum opus of counterfactual America—the sprawling *Southern Victory* series—and it remains one of his most elegant and unsettling thought experiments. The premise is disarmingly simple: the Confederacy wins the Civil War.

But Turtledove doesn’t treat that as a parlor game. He treats it like a wound. He lets it fester, deepen, and calcify into a society that looks both horrifyingly alien and disturbingly recognizable. If Ward Moore’s *Bring the Jubilee* felt like a dirge for lost causes, *How Few Remain* feels like an anthem to the terrible persistence of them.

The book begins twenty years after the South’s triumph—1881, a generation later. The Confederacy is independent, arrogant, expansionist, and thriving on the moral rot of its foundation: slavery. The Union, humiliated and diminished, stands north of the Mason-Dixon line nursing resentment and envy. Europe has chosen sides — Britain and France support the South, seeing in it a geopolitical counterweight to the American colossus that never came to be.

The stage is set not just for another war but for a reconfiguration of destiny. But Turtledove, ever the patient craftsman, doesn’t leap into grand battles at once. He builds a world. Slowly, meticulously, with the historian’s obsession and the novelist’s flair, he lets us feel the texture of this alternate century — the sound of its newspapers, the smell of its railways, the rhythms of its politics. It’s almost sensuous, in that way. You *live* in his alternate world before the guns even fire.

And then, of course, the guns do fire. The Confederate States, confident and swollen with hubris, attempt to expand westward into Montana Territory. The United States, cornered and furious, rises to resist. The Second War Between the States begins — a conflict that’s both a mirror and a mutation of the first. It’s not just about territory anymore; it’s about ideology, about the unresolved trauma of a nation split along moral fault lines. And through the smoke of that coming war, Turtledove populates his stage with an ensemble cast that is, frankly, dazzling in its audacity: Abraham Lincoln, not the martyr of history but a humbled, radicalised socialist writer; Frederick Douglass, the conscience of a fractured republic; George Custer, not the doomed cavalryman of Little Bighorn but a blazing war hero; Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), sharp-tongued and disillusioned; and a rising Confederate officer named George Pickett — among others. Each of them is drawn with that peculiar Turtledove gift: half myth, half man.

What’s remarkable about *How Few Remain* is how seamlessly it integrates its real-world figures into the machinery of fiction without reducing them to gimmicks. Lincoln’s arc, in particular, is heartbreaking and luminous. In this timeline, his Emancipation Proclamation never came to be.

The South won before he could transform the war into a moral crusade. Stripped of his presidency, Lincoln becomes an almost Tolstoyan figure — poor, bearded, furious, writing revolutionary tracts about the dignity of labour and the tyranny of the capital-owning class. It’s like watching history’s ghost in exile. You can feel the ache in every line — the tragedy of potential unrealized, the grandeur of a moral vision that history itself betrayed. When he meets Frederick Douglass in this world, their conversations crackle with a quiet fury, the kind born of knowing that righteousness without power is just poetry.

Turtledove’s choice to frame Lincoln as a socialist pamphleteer is brilliant, because it distills the novel’s central philosophical question: what happens to moral conviction when history erases its moment? If Moore’s Hodge Backmaker was crushed by the weight of the past, Turtledove’s Lincoln is set adrift in the ruins of the future. He becomes an emblem of defiance, of conscience unfulfilled. And yet, through him, the Union’s spirit flickers — not in victory, but in resistance.

Custer, on the other hand, is all bluster and brittle charisma. In this world, he survives Little Bighorn, becomes the embodiment of martial glory, and steps into the role of America’s avenger. But beneath the swagger, Turtledove paints a man intoxicated by destiny — a symbol of America’s addiction to its own mythos.

His duel with Confederate general Stonewall Jackson (one of the novel’s most riveting narrative threads) becomes almost metaphysical — not just a clash of armies, but of visions. Jackson represents a kind of fatalistic piety, Custer the raw secular will to power. Watching them circle each other feels like watching two ideas — divine providence and human pride — grapple for the soul of the continent.

Stylistically, Turtledove writes with the steadiness of a historian who has seen too much. His prose isn’t flashy, but it’s inexorably immersive. He knows when to linger and when to march on. The rhythm of his sentences mirrors the rhythm of war — long stretches of quiet observation punctuated by bursts of chaos. And unlike many alternate historians, he resists the temptation to make his characters mere chess pieces. They think, they suffer, they rationalise. There’s even a strange intimacy to his descriptions of politics — the smoky rooms, the cautious alliances, the little hypocrisies that shape empires.

One of Turtledove’s recurring themes — and *How Few Remain* embodies it in full — is the moral blindness of victory. The Confederacy in this world is triumphant, but it’s hollow at its core. Its society is gilded with European admiration and wealth, but spiritually stunted, built on human bondage and denial. Turtledove doesn’t caricature it; he anatomises it. He shows us its arrogance, its genteel self-justifications, its smug belief in divine sanction. And in doing so, he holds up a mirror to the complacency of all nations that mistake success for virtue.

But the novel isn’t mere allegory. It’s emotionally alive. The letters between soldiers, the reflections of journalists, and the weariness of veterans — all feel painfully authentic. There’s a scene where Douglass speaks at a Northern rally, and his words ring with the same prophetic electricity that animates his historical speeches. “A people who forget what they have been made to suffer,” he warns, “will be made to suffer it again.” That line, fictional as it is, reverberates beyond the page. It’s Turtledove’s thesis in miniature.

There’s also the subtle but devastating motif of industrial transformation. In the real world, the postbellum United States became a colossus of innovation and mechanised might. In Turtledove’s version, that energy curdles. The Confederacy industrialises to sustain its military ambitions, but without moral direction; the Union industrialises to survive, its factories humming like angry hearts. The machine becomes both saviour and curse.

War itself becomes a factory process — efficient, impersonal, relentless. Turtledove sketches this transformation with eerie calm, letting readers see how technological progress and ethical regression can coexist.

And then there’s the title: *How Few Remain*. It comes from Kipling’s “Recessional” — “Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, / Lest we forget — lest we forget!” The choice is deliberate, almost chilling. Turtledove’s alternate America is a world that forgot — forgot its founding ideals, forgot the moral cost of compromise, and forgot what it means to be united not just by geography but by conscience. The “few who remain” are those who still remember — Lincoln, Douglass, a handful of radicals who refuse to accept the world as it is. The title turns into an invocation, a prayer for the moral memory of nations.

Turtledove, being both a historian and a novelist, has an uncanny sense of inevitability. He knows how history moves — not in leaps but in slow, grinding turns of ideology and circumstance. You can feel the tectonic plates shifting beneath every conversation, every minor battle. By the end, when the war concludes not with resolution but with a kind of exhausted stalemate, the reader is left in that quintessential Turtledovian space — the uneasy knowledge that history never ends; it only mutates. The Confederacy survives again, the Union endures, but both are poisoned by what they’ve become. The dream of America — the myth of unity — remains suspended, trembling, unfinished.

What makes *How Few Remain* extraordinary, though, is its moral vision. It refuses to glorify war or revisionism. It doesn’t fetishise the Confederate victory or indulge in nostalgic kitsch. It stares straight into the abyss of what might have been and forces us to confront our own world’s fragility. The alternate past becomes a commentary on the present — on how nations justify oppression, how they mythologise failure, and how they rewrite guilt into destiny. Reading it today feels unsettlingly familiar. The Confederacy’s propaganda machine, its appeal to “heritage”, and its obsession with sovereignty — all echo in modern political rhetoric. It’s not history at all; it’s a prologue.

Yet, despite its bleakness, there’s something deeply humane in the novel’s undercurrent. Turtledove’s affection for his characters, even the flawed ones, never fades. He allows them dignity, even when they’re wrong. Custer’s pride, Lincoln’s bitterness, Douglass’s hope — all are drawn with compassion. That’s perhaps Turtledove’s greatest gift: the ability to see history not as a ledger of nations but as a mosaic of souls.

And so, *How Few Remain* stands as more than the opening salvo of a long saga. It’s a meditation on contingency, on the fragility of progress, and on the ways history punishes arrogance and rewards endurance. It’s less about the war that was lost than about the humanity that remains — how few, indeed, but how fierce.

[Nicholas Caruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

The good old funny American alternate history of American alternate history

[William Sariego · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not normally a big fan of alternative, historical fiction. This book however was excellent. I'll certainly move on to The Great War trilogy from here. My favorite character in the yarn is probably Samuel Clemens. I think Turtledove nails his wit and sarcasm.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having tried out several alt-history books from Harry Turtledove, I eventually had to just put them down and walk away. His style is overly wordy and tedious, and the first third of any of his alt-history books always have weirdly stilted conversations to get the reader up to speed.

While this doesn't fit this specific book, here is an example conversation can be easily found one or more times in seemingly every single Harry Turtledove alt.history book:

Lights up; Act I, Scene I. The scene: a woman and a man, each of no historical importance, having a "normal" conversation in the United States of America, ca. 1960. Action!

Woman: "There's not a cloud in sky -- what a lovely Summer day!"

Man: "Yep, it sure is nice! What do you have planned for today?"

Woman: "Oh, I think I'll go to the shopping mall. Those new mini-skirts from the mecca of high-end fashion that is Atlanta sure are groovy!"

Man: "Nice. It sure is a great shopping mall. Did you know it was built next to the site of one of the last battles of the Second American Civil War?"

Woman: "Oh, that's right! When Horatio Seymour beat Abraham Lincoln in the election of 1864, he sued for peace to allow the Confederacy to leave the Union. When Seymour died from an heart attack, his Vice-President George Custer took over, who later turned around and launched a sneak-attack on the CSA on July 4th, 1869. He was impeached when he lost the war. I must have forgotten all about that major battle that was just down the street, ha ha!"

Man: "Yep! It sure is funny how all of that history worked out. It's also rather odd how we seem to have this weird innate need to discuss historical matters from 100 years ago right in the middle of a normal conversation in 1960's suburbia!"

Woman: "I know, right? Golly gee, I wonder what would've happened if Lincoln had stayed on as president after 1864?

Man: "Ha ha, now that's just crazy talk! History would be all kinds of topsey-turvey then!"

Together: Man and Woman laugh.

Camera pans out. Man and Woman stop laughing, look up, and admire the American flag that is gently waving in the Summer breeze. It has decidedly less that 50 stars.

Fade to black. End Act I, Scene I. Cut; that's a wrap.

Note the stilted conversation, where a routine discussion by thoroughly unremarkable characters morphs into a recap of events 90+ years ago, in a ham-fisted way for the author to catch the reader up on (1) what is different now and (2) what was the key divergence point from the normal timeline to produce that difference.

Mr. Turtledove follows this same exact pattern throughout seemingly every one of his books, as if he is on auto-pilot and that is literally the only mechanism he knows how to get the altered timeline inserted into the plot of his books; to tell not show the reader what is going on.

The author has done well in the alt-history cottage industry, but his style is just too wonky for me.

Pass.