I need some good books and the stuff by Harry Turtledove sounds good, but I wasn't sure if anyone here was a fan and can tell me it's worth picking up?

These two series interest me:


Worldwar / Colonization

Incorporates elements of both science fiction and alternate history. In Worldwar, aliens invade during World War II in 1941. The Colonization trilogy deals with the course of history a generation after the initial series, as the humans and aliens work to share Earth. Homeward Bound follows a human spaceship to the alien homeworld where they are later joined by a human faster-than-light spaceship that travels to the aliens' home world 70 years after the first ship left.

Worldwar deals with a military invasion which begins on or around May 30, 1942, by a force of aliens who call themselves the Race, a reptilian species. They had reached Earth orbit in December 1941, but delayed their attack for various reasons.

Although the Race has the advantage of superior technology, their information on humanity had been collected by robotic probe during the 12th century AD. The invaders are surprised to find that humanity had progressed far more rapidly than any other species which they had previously studied and conquered. Contrary to their expectations, at the time of invasion, the Race's technology is only marginally more advanced than the contemporaneous 20th century Earth technology. Their commander hesitates, and considers turning back without revealing their presence to the humans, but finally decides to avoid the disgrace of that course of action.

The narrative follows the intersecting fortunes of a large number of human and alien characters. Notably, the series depicts how the Axis and Allied powers must cooperate to fight the alien menace

Southern Victory

The Confederacy wins the American Civil War in 1862 with the help of the United Kingdom and France. It still operates as an independent nation in the 20th century. Another popular moniker for this series is Timeline-191.

In Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory Series alternate history novels, the point of divergence with recorded history is that the Special Order 191 is not discovered by Union troops, but is instead recovered by a trailing Confederate soldier (despite the fact that there is a small but still un-refuted possibility that the soldier who dropped the order was alone at the time or last in line). Without it, McClellan is unable to find Lee's army and the Battle of Antietam is not fought. Lee reaches Philadelphia and forces McClellan to fight in an unfavorable position. The Confederate States of America is able to crush the Army of the Potomac at Camp Hill, securing with the win support from the United Kingdom and France, so the Emancipation Proclamation never occurs, and the Union is forced to give the Confederate States independence. The USA and CSA with their allies (the USA eventually allies with the World War I-era Central Powers) go on to fight three more bloody wars, first being the fictional Second Mexican War and the last two wars being the Great War and the Second Great War.

I read many of his books, but ultimately some things became a little too predictable and I drifted away. I enjoyed the Colonization series the most.

Those sound like two very different approaches to alternatives! Will have to see what others say on this one.

I read the World War series. A couple of times, actually. I liked them. I've been meaning to pick up the Colonization series at some point.

I read the one about the Confederacy many years back. I enjoyed it.

I've read all of his Confederacy/Great War/World War 2 series and enjoyed them. I read a couple of his alien colonization series books, but lost interest.

If you've never read his "Guns of the South" book (not part of the Confederacy series), then you should. That was the first of his alternate/counter-factual history books that I read, which started me on his literature.

I read them and enjoyed most of them as well.

Orson Scott Card also wrote some alternative America history plotlines. His Seventh Son "Tales of Alvin Maker" series introduces a life in 19th Century frontier America where folk magic is real. I especially liked the concept of folks having unique talents/skills called "knacks". (Very much like many of the SF members).

Alvin Miller Jr. the seventh son of a seventh son, who has a magical birthright which has given him among other things a gift or "knack" for making things. This is the premise for the series the Tales of Alvin Maker. Seventh sons have strong "knacks" (specific magical abilities), and seventh sons of seventh sons are both extraordinarily rare and powerful.

"Seventh Son" is a good first in a series, action, suspense, the fight of good vs evil.

The books involve a number of historical events and figures, but this is a creation of alternate history. What was documented as the Colonial United States is divided in the books into a number of separate countries, including a smaller United States. It displays much stronger American Indian influence in its culture and society, between New England and Virginia and extending westwards to Ohio. (New England is a colony of a Republican England where the Restoration never occurred.)
A monarchy on the Eastern seaboard was founded by the House of Stuart in exile.

There are six published books in the series and evidently "Master Alvin" forthcoming.

Good reads-

Yes, I am a fan of his, kinda worried, nothing from him recently, he had been putting out novels quite frequently couple years ago.

Some of his series I just couldn't get a grip on.
But I really enjoy what he writes.

A second vote in favor of "Guns Of The South"

Same here. I couldn't get into the Earth series.

I think Card got a bit burned out during the "Ender's Game" movie development. Like some of our other favorite books that ...very slowly made it to movies (sometimes successfully and sometimes not), it's a long journey.

A few from my list of favorite books I would like to see done properly into movie(s):

Harry Harrison's series "Deathworld" and
"The Stainless Steel Rat".

Joe Haldeman's series - "The Forever War"

Frederik Pohl's series - "Gateway" & "Beyond the Blue Event Horizon"

Jack Chalker's - "Well World Series"

Leo Frankowski's Conrad Stargard series - "The Cross Time Engineer" & sequels. (Whew, do the liberals hate this guy)...

A. Bertram Chandler's John Grimes future space travel series - first is "The Road to the Rim"

Tad Williams and his Otherland series. First book is "City of Golden Shadow". It's about kids who jack in to a future virtual internet and discover that they can't get back out without completing their gaming/which becomes their reality/quests

Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon"

More Terry Pratchett books about Discworld and the wizards. His movies "The Color of Magic" and "Hogfather" were hilarious (of course it helps if you appreciate British humor, it's not for everyone)

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera Series - (In the land of Alera, where people bond with the furies — elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal )...

Piers Anthony's "Blue Adapt" series

...that's enough for now, you get the idea

Not alternate history but alternate present: On a friend's recommendation I just bought but have not yet read SM Stirling's "Dies The Fire". Technology stops working. No electricity, no internal combustion, no gunpowder, etc.

Time travel, not alternate history, was pretty good when I read the Poul Anderson 'Time Patrol' series back in my younger years.

And not alternate history, but great sci-fi and politics is just about everything by L Neil Smith. Ok, the Lando Calrissian books are not great, but they paid his bills. Try "The Probability Broach".

I read Guns of the South and really enjoyed it.

quote:

Originally posted by onegeek:
Not alternate history but alternate present: On a friend's recommendation I just bought but have not yet read SM Stirling's "Dies The Fire". Technology stops working. No electricity, no internal combustion, no gunpowder, etc.

I read Dies The Fire upon recommendation here and enjoyed it, but the later books get a bit too much into Lord Of The Rings type stuff for me.

I'm not 100% certain but I think the creators of the sadly short-lived NBC series Revolution got their inspiration from this series, the major difference is mankind reverts back to around an 1800-level of technology in Revolution while in Dies The Fire it's more like the year 1200.

I guess the thing about Dies the Fire and zombie apocalypse, dystopian (I.E. the entire presidency of the last president) is that I like to have the challenge of mulling over "What would I do in that situation"?

Just started reading Stephen Coonts - "Liberty's Last Stand". (Boy, that is a scary thought).

Here's the storyline-

President Barry Soetoro, the villain of bestseller Coonts's provocative thriller, is due to leave office in five months when he uses a convenient terrorist attack to declare martial law, adjourn Congress, suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and become the dictator of the United States. He fires CIA director Jake Grafton (last seen in 2013's Pirate Alley) and throws him in a federal detention center in West Virginia along with hundreds of conservative politicians and political commentators. Grafton's ex-CIA pal, Tommy Carmellini (also last seen in Pirate Alley), decides he's going to bust his old boss out of jail. Meanwhile, Texas secedes from the union and begins seizing U.S. military bases.

Very intriguing so far-

Yep, Guns of the South was the one I read. Really good.

I've read several of his series - Southern Victory series, The War That Came Early, and Worldwar as well as some standalone books: Guns of the South and The Man with the Iron Heart.

Yes, fair to say I like his stuff.