How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove, 0340715413, Lowest Book Price Finder

Customer Reviews:

Great Alternate History Novel

How Few Remain is about a fictional second American Civil War (the Confederates having one the first in 1863) set in 1881. The war kicks off, as the Confederacy tries to purchase two large provinces off the Empire of Mexico, in a bid to expand westwards to the Pacific. The U.S. wants to stop this from happening.

There is a wide range of characters in the book, mostly real people, e.g General Custer, Theodore Roosevelt, General 'Stonewall' Jackson etc, and a few fictional ones thrown in as well.

The book is fairly well paced, and there is quite a lot of action going on, in many parts of the continent, to go along with the diplomacy in both Washington and Richmond. I found the book an enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it.

First Class (but history lessons needed first!)

This is the first Harry Turtledove book I've read - and I'm sure it won't be the last!

It's a fascinating read, but would probably have been less confusing if I had known more about the actual outcome of the real Civil War - don't know about you, but I certainly didn't learn much about it at school!

Great mix of historical figures and fictional people, lots of action, and a real desire at the end to know what happens next.

Looking forward to reading the next ones in the series.

Probably Turtledove's Best

I was introduced to Turtledove by a friend who was a colleague of his when he was still teaching history at UCLA. That was with the "World War" series, which is a lot of fun, if a bit silly. "How Few Remain" has the downside of having started the interminable Great War/American Empire/Return Engagement series, with their dismal characterization and mindless parallels of the historical 20th century, but taken on its own, How Few Remain is the best thing of Turtledove's I've ever read. In particular, his treatment of Abraham Lincoln is superb - much of what he has Lincoln say in the 1880s was in fact lifted from speeches and letters from before he became president, so they ring perfectly true to character, and at the same time illuminate how far ahead of his time Lincoln was as a social thinker. If only Turtledove would use this sort of technique more often, instead of just churning out repetitive prose!

Every element of great alternative history

This book is an example of alternative history at its best. To me, there are two elements to great alternative history. The first and most obvious is that the writer gets the history "right" - not accurate, of course, but believable. "Pure" alternative history is about what might have been; as such it should be reasonably plausible, with people and developments that must ring true to their times. Here Turtledove excels, demonstrating both imagination and a familiarity with the period. His sequence of events in developing a "second War Between the States" is logical, and he captures famous personalities - such as Abraham Lincoln, "Stonewall" Jackson, and Samuel Clemens - with considerable accuracy, portraying figures that are recognizably the same people that we know from our past.

Yet the people he depicts are more than just caricatures of historical reputations. This gets to the other component of first-rate works from the genre - strong character development. Within the context of a second conflict between the two halves of the former United States (over the acquisition of Mexican territory by the Confederacy), the reader sees them as they react to the circumstances of the war and how the war, in turn changes them. It is this aspect which makes the book riveting from beginning to end and essential reading for anyone interested in exploring how things might have turned out differently.

Contains every element of great alt history

This book is an example of alternative history at its best. To me, there are two elements to great alternative history. The first and most obvious is that the writer gets the history 'right' - not accurate, of course, but believable. 'Pure' alternative history is about what might have been; as such it should be reasonably plausible, with people and developments that must ring true to their times. Here Turtledove excels, demonstrating both imagination and a familiarity with the period. His sequence of events in developing a 'second War Between the States' is logical, and he captures famous personalities - such as Abraham Lincoln, 'Stonewall' Jackson, and Samuel Clemens - with considerable accuracy, portraying figures that are recognizably the same people known from American history.

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