Reader’s Diary

Julian Stockwin

Tom Kydd is master’s mate on a frigate at the beginning of this, the fourth in Stockwin’s excellent wooden ships and iron men series. Kydd courts a married woman, takes part in a secret mission to Venice, gets involved in a fleet mutiny, and fights in a major naval battle. Action, characterization, setting, and technical detail are all present in generous quantities.

This may be the best book ever written in this genre, Patrick O’Brian not excepted.

Harry Turtledove

This is the latest volume in Turtledove’s seemingly endless exploration of “what if the South had won the Civil War”. Now he’s up to 1941 and the Nazi-like South (along with its allies Britain and Japan) has just made a surprise on the US (which is occupying most of Canada, with help from the Republic of Quebec).

I’m such a sucker for this kind of book that I try to overlook Turtledove’s many faults as a writer. What’s odd is that one of his historical novels under the name “Turtletaub”, was well-paced and written in a lively style. His alternate histories plod along with little to distinguish one character from the next other than their names.

This book, though, has indications that he - or his editors - might be learning a thing or two. I’ll keep reading the series regardless - there aren’t many books that explore a blitzkrieg from Covington, Kentucky aimed at Lake Erie with the goal of splitting the US in two.