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From: William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: RI October 2024
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:25:03 -0500
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Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 11/19/2024 1:21 PM, William Hyde wrote:
>> Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>> In article <vhgg0u$1f9mv$1@dont-email.me>,
>>> William Hyde  <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>>>> Here we are again, possibly less late than usual with books from 
>>>>> October.
>>>>> As is traditional (and possibly required): The links below are Amazon
>>>>> affiliate ones which could potentially earn me something should you
>>>>> choose to buy through one.
>>>>>
>>>>> ====
>>>>>
>>>>> Acts of War: A World War II Alternative History
>>>>> (The Usurper's War Book 1)
>>>>> by James Young
>>>>> https://amzn.to/3UAZsmc
>>>>>
>>>>> Collisions of the Damned: The Defense of the Dutch East Indies
>>>>> (The Usurper's War Book 2)
>>>>> by James Young
>>>>> https://amzn.to/3AryUx3
>>>>>
>>>>> Here's the first two books of what I believe is to be an alt-hist
>>>>> WWII trilogy.
>>>>>
>>>>> The jumping off point for this universe is that the British take
>>>>> out Hitler in a bombing raid on Berlin.  They had no idea where he
>>>>> was -- it was just one of those lucky accidents of war.  Or, in
>>>>> this case unlucky accidents of war.
>>>>>
>>>>> Unlucky because taking out Hitler proved a very good thing for the
>>>>> Germans.  Himmler came in after sidelining Goering (possibly fatally,
>>>>> I don't quite recall),
>>>>
>>>> Plausible enough, but I suspect that "Der Treue Heinrich" would have
>>>> been dead in the same ditch as Goering and the generals would have 
>>>> taken
>>>> over, in effect at least.  Perhaps with a nonentity like Hess as 
>>>> titular
>>>> leader.
>>>>
>>>> Of the leaders only Goebbels had any talent for backstabbing, but I
>>>> don't think the army would put up with him.
>>>>
>>>> Besides, if the author wants a German leader who is keen on peace
>>>> Goering is the ideal choice.  Having looted to his heart's content, he
>>>> was happy to enjoy his wealth and status (and morphine) without the
>>>> risks of war.
>>>>
>>>>   and said to the Brits basically: Look Hitler
>>>>> was really a loose cannon and things got out of hand.  What's done
>>>>> is done, and we're not giving back anything our boys died for, but
>>>>> is there really any reason we still need to be at war?
>>>>>
>>>>> Churchill said 'yes', but was eventually turfed out in favor of
>>>>> Eden
>>>>
>>>> Let me guess, the author looked up a list of UK cabinet members and
>>>> threw a dart?  Eden was well down the list of possible PMs at this
>>>> point, with only the war having restored him to the leading circle from
>>>> the pariah status he was consigned to in the late 1930s.
>>>>
>>>> And if peace broke out certainly an appeaser like Halifax would have
>>>> been handed the job.  Might as well say they gave the PM position to
>>>> Brendan Bracken.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   who turned out to be what some people have always suspected
>>>>> and made peace.
>>>>
>>>> And some people think that Washington was George III's illegitimate 
>>>> son.
>>>>
>>>> Or at least I could convince some of that.
>>>>
>>>> Sounds like an author to avoid.
>>>>
>>>> William Hyde
>>>>
>>>
>>> No, this is entirely my fault.  Rather than going back to the book
>>> while I was writing the review, I was going on my memory which was
>>> entirely wrong on at least two issues: battle cruiser vs battleship
>>> and Halifax vs Eden.  I don't know why I had Eden on the brain when
>>> I was definitely familiar with Halifax, but it was Halifax who was
>>> the accommodationist PM in this setting, not Eden.
>>
>> Makes sense then.
>>
>> An author not to be avoided.
>>
>> I'm still going to run with the George III thing as soon as I can find 
>> a likely victim.
>>
>>
>>
>> William Hyde
> 
> Seeing as George III was born in 1738 and George Washington was born in 
> 1732, that did not happen.

So says fake history.

William Hyde