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The War That Came Early: West and East |  | Author: Harry Turtledove
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
Buy Used: $12.99
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 13143
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.4
ISBN: 034549184X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345491848
ASIN: 034549184X
Publication Date: July 27, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In 1938, two men held history in their hands. One was Adolf Hitler. The other was British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, who, determined to avoid war at any cost, came to be known as “the great appeaser.” But Harry Turtledove, the unrivaled master of alternate history, has launched a gripping saga that springboards from a different fateful act: What if Chamberlain had stood up to Hitler? What would the Nazis’ next move have been? And how would the war—which Hitler had always regretted waiting eleven months to start—have unfolded and changed our world?
Here, Turtledove takes us across a panorama of conflict fueled by ideology and demagoguery. Nations are pitted against nations, alliances are forged between old enemies, ordinary men and women are hurled into extraordinary life-and-death situations. In Japanese-controlled Singapore, an American marine falls in love with a Russian dance hall hostess, while around him are heard the first explosions of Chinese guerilla resistance. On the frontlines of war-ravaged rural France, a weary soldier perfects the art of using an enormous anti-tank gun as a sniper’s tool—while from Germany a killer is sent to hunt him down. And in the icy North Atlantic, a U-boat bearing an experimental device wreaks havoc on British shipping, setting the stage for a Nazi ground invasion of Denmark.
From an American woman trapped in Germany who receives safe passage from Hitler himself to a Jewish family steeped in German culture and facing the hatred rising around them, from Japanese soldiers on the remote edge of Siberia to American volunteers in Spain, West and East is the story of a world held hostage by tyrants—Stalin, Hitler, Sanjuro—each holding on to power through lies and terror even in the face of treacherous plots from within.
As armies clash, and as the brave, foolish, and true believers choose sides, new weapons are added to already deadly arsenals and new strategies are plotted to break a growing stalemate. But one question looms over the conflict from West to East: What will it take to bring America into this war?
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 solid Turtledove, entertaining September 5, 2010
Van Den Broek
As a huge fan of Turtledove's work, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I can hardly wait for the next part in this series. Even though I could see how some people might complain about lack of depth in character development, or a sometimes noticeable repetitiveness of themes or phrases, I actually really appreciate these elements in Turtledove's writing style in this book, as it leaves more room for my imagination (to develop the characters by myself) and helps me keep track of the story and the various people in it (e.g. whatshisname, the tall guy who keeps bumping his head). Excellent read, and thoroughly entertaining (in particular after part one: Hitler's War).
The Divergence Widens August 30, 2010
Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
West and East (2010) is the second Alternate History novel in the War That Came Early series, following Hitler's War. In the previous volume, American Marines left Peking by train on the way to Shanghai. The French and British counterattacked the Germans and drove them away from Paris. Japanese troops fought through the woods toward the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
In this novel, Peggy Druce is an American civilian who was caught by the German attack on Czechoslovakia. She had made it out of the country, but is now trapped within Germany. She had a ticket on the Athenia, but it was sunk before reaching Copenhagen.
Sarah Goldman is a Jew in the German town of Munster. She lives with her father and mother. Her brother Saul is wanted by the Gestapo for killing his abusive labor gang supervisor.
Julius Lemp is the commander of the Kriegsmarine submarine U-30. His boat had accidentally sank the Athenia. Goebbels blamed the British, but the High Command is very angry with Lemp. So his boat was selected to field test the schnorkel, an experimental device.
Chaim Weinberg is a soldier in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the International Brigade in Spain. He is a communist, who had volunteered to fight with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War to defend the liberty of the people.
Joaquin Delgadiollo is a soldier in the Nationalist army in Spain. He was conscripted into the army and has no particular ideological bias.
Vaclav Jezek was a Czech soldier when the Germans invaded his country. His unit was pushed across the country and then many escaped to Poland. He is now in France fighting the Germans. He has an anti-tank gun that is less effective against more heavily armored panzers, but is still useful as a sniper rifle.
Alastair Walsh is Welsh and a veteran of the first World War. Now he is a Staff Sargeant in the British Expeditionary Force fighting in France.
Luc Harcourt is a French poilu. He is a private first class, but that doesn't get him any privileges.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel is a German Stuka pilot. The son of a minister, Rudel does not drink or smoke. He is not well liked by other pilots.
Willi Dernen is a German landser. He is serving under Awful Arno Baatz. Willi is beginning to learn how to manipulate his sadistic corporal.
Theo Hossbach is a German panzer radioman. He was the only survivor of his former crew. Now he has a new crew, with Heinz Naumann as the panzer commander and Adalbart Stoss as the driver. Adi is a newbie, fresh out of panzer school.
Sergei Yaroslavsky is a pilot in the Soviet Air Force. He flies an SB-2 bomber. It had been a hot plane in Spain, but the Bf-109 is much faster.
Pete McGill is a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is now stationed in Shanghai.
Hideki Fujita is a Sargeant in the Japanese Army. He has been recently transferred to the Siberian Front from Manchukuo. He doesn't like the forest.
In this story, Peggy is not allowed to ride a train to any destination without proof of passage to America. Then a contact in the American embassy suggests that she write Hitler about the problem. She gets permission to go to Copenhagen shortly thereafter.
Things are getting worse for Sarah and her family. Her father in now working on the labor gangs. Then they have to purchase yellow stars with their clothing ration and sew them on their clothing to show that they are Jews.
Lemp and his crew notice smoke on the horizon coming from British warships. They stalk the two heavy cruisers and a light cruiser using their schnorkel. All three surface ships sink into the North Sea.
The International Brigade is transferred to Madrid. Chaim captures a Nationalist. Afterward, he tries to reeducate the enemy soldier in the communist dialectic.
After Joaquin is captured, he listens to Chaim explain how he has been exploited. After the term is explained, he agrees that he has always been exploited, but asks what he can do about it. The reeducation stirs up doubts, but doesn't instill any respect for communism.
Jezek is told by a French officer to turn in his anti-panzer gun. His friend Halevy translates the comments. Jazek gets to keep the gun and also receives a truck load of ammunition for it.
Walsh leads his unit in the counterattack and then the retreat back toward Paris. The Allies are not very aggressive and seem unable to sustain attacks against the Germans. Walsh has been back and forth over the same ground several times.
Harcourt is also fighting between Paris and the border. He gets promoted to corporal and is assigned new recruits for familiarization with the facts of warfare. They don't even know to hit the dirt when artillery is incoming.
Rudel has an idea about mounting cannons under the Stuka wings to take out enemy panzers. First he talks to Sargeant Dieselhorst, his tail gunner. Then he asks his armorers if it will work. They send him to engineers soliciting ideas from the frontline troops. He gets to try out the idea with his own plane.
The Czech with the elephant rifle is becoming a pest. A sniper is assigned to take him out. Dernen gets to assist the sniper.
Theo is having problems with his new crew. Naumann and Stoss are angry with each other. The cutting comments are not helping them to achieve their objectives.
Yaroslavsky is having problems with his navigator Mouradian. The Armenian has a big mouth and runs it too much. The NKVD has made inquiries.
McGill has fallen in love. Vera is a White Russian without papers. All his buddies tell him that he is being stupid, but Pete vehemently disagrees.
The Japanese have taken the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Fujita is very tired of Soviet air raids and snipers. The trees block his vision and the Russians are very good at camouflage. He very much wishes to return to Manchukuo and its wide open expanses.
This tale takes the war into 1940. Even the Germans are beginning to think that the war is a mess. But the Allies do not have their act together either.
For some reason, many of the characters are Jews. And they are really upset with the Germans. But they still consider themselves as Germans. At this point in the war, many Aryans go out of their way to express their distaste for the anti-semitic policies of the Nazis.
Everybody seems to be waiting for the Americans. The next installment is The Big Switch. Read and enjoy!
Highly recommended for Turtledove fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alternate history, combat on land and sea, and ordinary people in a warzone.
-Arthur W. Jordin
 A rapid descent into repetition August 22, 2010
Ed B (Vancouver, BC)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have read almost everything Turtledove has written from the recasting of the Byzantine Empire to the various alternate history series. A lot of these series were very well-written and interesting. I was looking forward to this series, because it has always seemed one of the major missed chances in history that Germany wasn't confronted in 1938. Several of the panzer divisions that crushed France two years later were equipped with Czech tanks that Chamberlain made a gift of to the Nazis.
With this second book, the idea has fizzled out and been overwhelmed by Turtledove's focus on detailed examination of the smoking habits of a dozen or so minor characters who have minimal importance in the scheme of things. About half the 448 pages are devoted to descriptions of the characters smoking, which is tedious beyond belief.
A good alternate history series needs to have a balance between the plotlines of ordinary characters who show what's happening in the trenches, and some material from the POV of high-ranking or close to high-ranking characters so we can see the more interesting developments of strategy. This series has only the low level characters, with the only one drawn from history (if you can call his autobiography history, rather than fiction) being Hans Rudel, the Stuka pilot.
This will the the last book in the series I purchase, and I have to regard the money paid for this volume as not well-spent.
 Only If Desperate For Something To Read August 17, 2010
John L.T. (Castro Valley, CA USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Another entry in another multi-volume saga that drags on forever and goes slowly nowhere. When Turtledove delivers a single, stand alone novel, one is so relieved that perhaps those works get more praise than they deserve. Here, again, we go, deep into a world of "what if" that should be fascinating but is just flat and boring. One dimensional characters, stereotypes, ridiculous dialogue, repetitious writing, and many needless pages. Yes, these are Turtledove specialties and areas where he really excells. Unfortunately, where he fails is in the areas of excitement, freshness, originality, and holding the reader's interest. Here, again, we go...
 I am a big fan but not of this book. August 5, 2010
Dale C. Flowers (Florida)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I gave this book a try because of the enjoyment Mr. Turtledove's previous works of alternative history have given me. Reading this book through page 107 was as far as I would go as there are so many other better (I hope) books in my reading queue. A filled in used book of Mad Libs might have been a better buy. If I hear from someone that it gets any better from page 108 and beyond maybe I'll give it another go. Still a Turtledove fan though.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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