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State of Jefferson Stories
Typecasting
Being Governor of Jefferson has its particular perks, and its particular challenges. Particularly if you're a member of this Pacific Northwest state's most famous ethnic minority...with all the extra height and hair that implies.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2016
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Harry Turtledove
566 books1,975 followersDr 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 13, 2021
Typecasting revolves around the fascinating concept that sasquatches are real and they’re an ethnic minority. And one of those sasquatches is a father who doesn’t want his daughter getting treated differently than anyone else, just because she’s a sasquatch.
The sasquatches being real is hilarious but the writer shows us he can really pull off this concept. The truth of the matter is that there’s a beautiful message about stereotypes, being different and acceptance hidden in this short story. It’s also quite a well-written, yet a bit uneventful read.
The sasquatches being real is hilarious but the writer shows us he can really pull off this concept. The truth of the matter is that there’s a beautiful message about stereotypes, being different and acceptance hidden in this short story. It’s also quite a well-written, yet a bit uneventful read.
June 16, 2016
This was a fun little read, based on two ideas. One, that Jefferson became a state (the area in Northern California and Southern Oregon.), sometime after the first world war.
And the second, funner idea was that sasquatches are real, and got elected to the office of Governor during the Depression.
And once you accept those to ideas, the story just runs from there. The story is set in 1980s, during the presidential primaries, but that isn't what the story about. Instead it is about the current Sasquatch governor, and the Ashland Shakespeare festival.
A fun quick read. It is somewhere between a 3 and 3.5 stars.
And you can read it now at Tor
And the second, funner idea was that sasquatches are real, and got elected to the office of Governor during the Depression.
And once you accept those to ideas, the story just runs from there. The story is set in 1980s, during the presidential primaries, but that isn't what the story about. Instead it is about the current Sasquatch governor, and the Ashland Shakespeare festival.
A fun quick read. It is somewhere between a 3 and 3.5 stars.
And you can read it now at Tor
September 1, 2016
Harry Tutledove is probably the undisputed master of the Alt-History drama. He is also a very prolific writer with over 100 books to his name. So why was "Typecasting" the first story of his I have bothered to read? I don't really know. What I do know is I adored this story about fighting for acceptance, and how the subtle social slights have replaced out and out racism of the past.
January 1, 2021
Turtledove is a Craftsman of the Short Story.
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
Harry Turtledove provides a master class on how to turn out an engaging short story about nothing more than a father who wants his daughter to get a fair shake in getting a good role in a college play.
Being Turtledove, though, the setting is a "different history" - in this case the imaginary state of Jefferson, formed from Southern Oregon and Northern California with its capitol in Yreka - and the father the Sasquatch governor of Jefferson.
In this imagined future - actually, since it is set in 1980, it is the past - Sasquatch, Yeti, and other "Big People" exist and Sasquatch are a tiny minority of Jefferson, necessitating an Equal Accommodations law where business has to allow access to 9 foot tall Sasquatch.
The conflict that moves the story is based on Governor Bill Williamson's trip to the (real) Ashland Shakespeare Festival and discovery that his daughter has been cast as Caliban because "she doesn't need make-up for the part."
Think about how simple the plot is, but it is vastly entertaining story because of Turtledove's ability to imagine "what if Sasquatch were real?"
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
Harry Turtledove provides a master class on how to turn out an engaging short story about nothing more than a father who wants his daughter to get a fair shake in getting a good role in a college play.
Being Turtledove, though, the setting is a "different history" - in this case the imaginary state of Jefferson, formed from Southern Oregon and Northern California with its capitol in Yreka - and the father the Sasquatch governor of Jefferson.
In this imagined future - actually, since it is set in 1980, it is the past - Sasquatch, Yeti, and other "Big People" exist and Sasquatch are a tiny minority of Jefferson, necessitating an Equal Accommodations law where business has to allow access to 9 foot tall Sasquatch.
The conflict that moves the story is based on Governor Bill Williamson's trip to the (real) Ashland Shakespeare Festival and discovery that his daughter has been cast as Caliban because "she doesn't need make-up for the part."
Think about how simple the plot is, but it is vastly entertaining story because of Turtledove's ability to imagine "what if Sasquatch were real?"
February 20, 2020
This was a delightful short read that introduced the state of Jefferson, what it would be like to have a Sasquatch as a governor (and honestly, the Pacific Northwest is probably well-suited for it), and how the more things change, the more they stay the same. At its heart, this story is about outsiders coming in without understanding a culture's ways and the backdoor deals one has to make to set things right again.
Also, Sasquatch dads for the win.
Also, Sasquatch dads for the win.
June 24, 2020
In an alternate history with a PNW state named Jefferson, the biggest ethnic minority is sasquatch. When a visiting director from out-of-state casts the sasquatch governor's daughter as Caliban in THE TEMPEST at the Ashland Shakespeare Festival, the governor does a little political wheeling and dealing so she is considered for Miranda.
December 19, 2020
As always, a fun read from Harry Turtledove. A short set in the "sasquatch" universe, I had missed this one. As governor of a new state, he faces some moral dilemmas. Well, he pretty much ignores them.
June 21, 2024
An interesting short story taken in a world where sasquatches are real. In fact, the governor of the State of Jefferson is one. His daughter is having trouble getting a role in a Shakespearian play, but her looks are against her. A satire on racism.
August 5, 2016
This short story had a promising concept, and absolutely horrible execution.
As in, completely simplistic motivations, an utter lack of nuance in the plot, characters, or writing, and a paragraph structure that was basically "sentence-metaphor-sentence," then on to the next paragraph for a repeat! Couple that with a smug, sneering tone that's supposed to be "Look at how sensitive I am!" when it's really just cringe and you get the full effect.
You can read it for free on Tor.com here. I just wouldn't recommend it.
As in, completely simplistic motivations, an utter lack of nuance in the plot, characters, or writing, and a paragraph structure that was basically "sentence-metaphor-sentence," then on to the next paragraph for a repeat! Couple that with a smug, sneering tone that's supposed to be "Look at how sensitive I am!" when it's really just cringe and you get the full effect.
You can read it for free on Tor.com here. I just wouldn't recommend it.
June 15, 2016
Typecasting is an interesting alternative world, but the story was pretty pedestrian. I would have enjoyed seeing something a little more involved on the discrimination front. I also wasn't overly fond of the voice of the narrator, but that's an issue of personal preferences. He was a bit too "dad" for me.
October 22, 2016
An alternative history short story, set in the (fictional) state of Jefferson, in a world where Bigfoots and Yetis are real, and mix with people. The Governor of Jefferson is one of the tall people, tring to help his daughter, an aspiring actress, to get the role she worked so hard for.
June 29, 2021
I keep reading these stories, hoping there will be something interesting, and I come away disappointed. They are incredibly mundane, and feel like background/character study for something else.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews