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From: William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: RI October 2024
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:00:48 -0500
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Robert Woodward wrote:
> In article <vho367$pele$1@dont-email.me>,
>   William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Robert Woodward wrote:
>>> In article <vhlsha$akbr$1@dont-email.me>,
>>>    Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> 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.
>>>>       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_III
>>>> and
>>>>       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington
>>>>
>>>> Now if you want to talk about George II, ...
>>>>
>>>
>>> I must point out that he was the grandfather of George III. It doesn't
>>> appear that Frederick Louis (he died at age 44), son of George II and
>>> father of George III, ever left Europe.
>>
>> A scholarly work by noted historian Avram Davidson claims otherwise.
>>
>> Davidson himself, of course, won the Hugo Award, named after noted
>> historian Hugo Gernsback, handed out by the American Historical society.
>>
>> William Hyde
> 
> I am aware of his distinguished work, especially his history of the
> Scytha-Pannonia-Transbalkania empire, but I don't remember reading that
> work. What is the title?

I think it was "O Brave Old World" in his collection, "The Other 19th 
Century".

William Hyde