The Wild Blue and the Gray

by William Sanders

1916, in an alternative world. The independent Confederate States of America has gone to the aid of its old ally Britain, and become bogged down in the stalemate on the Western Front. At a Confederate airfield in France, a new pilot reports for duty: Lieutenant Amos Ninekiller, of the independent Cherokee Nation, come to see how the white people wage war. He isn't going to like it... A dark antiwar comedy from the author of JOURNEY TO FUSANG and THE BALLAD OF BILLY BADASS AND THE ROSE OF TURKESTAN, now in print again in this new edition, specially revised and corrected by the author. 'THE WILD BLUE AND THE GRAY is a tragicomic alternate look at the first great catastrophe of the twentieth century. Laughter is often the only way to shield ourselves from pain that would otherwise be intolerable. Sanders understands this well--and also that, the more things change, the more they sometimes look the same.' --Harry Turtledove 'God damn! I liked Sanders' new book! It pushes all the right buttons for me -- a great protagonist, WWI fighter pilots, terrific background, and -- mainly -- a fine story with really clever twists. It was one of those where I just wanted to keep going, though he did choose a satisfying place to stop. THE WILD BLUE AND THE GRAY is an absolutely captivating story by one of the hottest new talents in the business. Subtle, strong, gutsy, humorous -- it's got it all. Watch this man. You won't regret it.' -- Roger Zelazny

Genres: Alternate History, Science Fiction, Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

About the author

this is William^^^Sanders

William Sanders served with the US Army Security Agency during the Vietnam War. He is the author of more than 20 published books and many stories and articles; his short fiction has been nominated for major awards, including the Hugo and Nebula, and has twice won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your first stop is the publisher's preview, above. I've been meaning to read this book for years -- it's hard to find. I did finally come up with a reasonably-priced, battered pb copy. Sadly, it's not the book I was hoping for. I was expecting a comedy. What I found was a dark, sometimes *very* dark, war story of an alternate WW1 in France. It's very well-written, but not at all what I was expecting. It might seem unfair to criticize the book for not being what I hoped for, but there you have it.

I'll keep my copy for now It's concise, but not at all appropriate for pandemic relief!

[Anna Ligtenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

ISBN 0446361429 - Not a huge sci-fi fan, when I saw quotes on the cover and inside referring to "Fantasy and Science Fiction", I had fairly low expectations of this book. Sanders set me straight from the start with a wonderfully well-written story full of the kinds of details that will make almost any reader, with even the vaguest knowledge of U.S. history, smile - and sometimes laugh out loud - with recognition.

The Civil War has been re-written and the Confederacy has seceded. The land occupied by the United States in the real world is divided between the Union States, the thirteen states of the Confederacy and the Five Civilized Tribes in this alternate history. While the Union confined their Native American population to reservations, the Confederate States repaid their allies with land they deemed worthless. When a survey shows oil under that land, Cherokee leader Chief Albert Watie sends Amos Ninekiller to war, to find out the strength of the bargaining power this gives them. Amos serves his nation as the entire Cherokee Flying Corps, attached to the Fourth Virginia Pursuit.

Serving alongside him, the one friend he has from beginning to end, is Bill Faulkner. Bill's primary goal is to get out of this war alive and spend the rest of his life writing fiction. How these two men effect the history of the world as we know it is woven neatly into a well-told tale, full of references everyone will understand. The end of Amos' war seems a bit abrupt and comes suddenly. With only a few pages left to go, the reader may wonder if it's possible to tie everything up. The answer, honestly, is no - but the surprise twist at the end was very nicely done, changing, in one paragraph, the entire purpose of the story.

With appearances by characters ranging from Patton (a Major and a Union citizen who cannot really hope to advance to General in the Confederate service) to the daughter of Scarlett and Rhett, from Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton to Mata Hari, Sanders seems to reference anyone and everyone the reader thinks of in relation to the South and/or World War I - and more! With our WWII affected by the happenings in this WWI, the author gave a decades-early nod to the famous Native American codetalkers, which seemed like poor history at first. By the end, the need became obvious as WWII potentially fades from the books.

Chapters apart, the mentions of a white beagle who flies with his owner and, from certain angles, appears to be flying the plane himself and "a new Hun pilot, some sort of nobleman, flies an all-red Albatros" left me singing "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" for days. All in all, a wonderful read that is both a lot of fun AND thought-provoking, an unbeatable combination.

- AnnaLovesBooks

[Not HG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best alternate history novel I've read since "For Want of a Nail". I've read many books since that one so long ago and none were as interesting or well-made until this one.
Great characters, great plot, an interesting backstory that is touched just enough to build the world and leave you curious about the history of that world.
It's a shame there was never a sequel to this.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I got it back in 1991 it was very good. I just found a copy on Amazon for ... Brace yourselves $7,941.98. For a paperback book. I emailed the seller which is a book store and told him I'd sell him my copy for $500 less than his asking price.

[Lee Schlesinger]

I don't know why William Sanders is not more famous or better read. I've enjoyed all of his works I've read.

[Docxen · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book