Back in the USSA

Back in the USSA is a 1997 collection of seven short stories by English writers Eugene Byrne and Kim Newman, which was published by Mark V. Ziesing Books.^[1] The title is a reference to the song "Back in the U.S.S.R." by The Beatles. The stories are linked through their setting, an alternate history of the twentieth century in which the United States experienced a communist Second Revolution in 1917 and became a communist superpower, whereas Russia did not. Six of the stories first appeared in Interzone magazine, and the concluding story in the sequence, "On the Road", was written especially for the collection.

Background

Gradually, by 1917 the United States is unstable politically and socially, with overwhelming civil unrest stemming from the massive (and seemingly pointless) loss of American lives in the mud of the Western Front and the increasing gap between the wealthy 'robber barons' and the poor workers, and the massive corruption and exploitation this has resulted in. The Socialist Party of America led by Eugene V. Debs gains increasing support, and soon the unrest has led to a Second American Revolution and Second American Civil War, following which Kane is ousted from the White House, overthrown, and executed for treason. Afterwards, a new socialist order, led by Debs, takes over. The United States of America becomes the United Socialist States of America.

The early idealism of this change is misplaced, however; upon Debs' death in 1926, power is seized by

• In the Air: 1989. As First Secretary
  Peggy Sue
  .
• Ten Days That Shook The World: 1912–1917. A collection of ten vignettes outlining the foundation of the United Socialist States of America, from the assassination of
  Titanic and the American entry into World War I
  in 1914, and the increasing corruption, class-divisions and injustice that saw the Second American Revolution occur in 1917.
• Tom Joad: 1937.
  Tom Joad has been seen. Whilst there, they must contend with a counter-revolutionary conspiracy, the people's unshakeable belief in their hero, and Frank Nitti, Secretary Al Capone
  's personal enforcer, present to ensure that Joad is caught by any means necessary.
• Teddy Bears' Picnic: 1965–1969.
  Indo-China. Following a brutal training regiment, the two are thrust into the brutal war in South-East Asia, where they are captured and imprisoned by Viet Cong
  guerrillas. Upon their escape, Bob returns to Britain and writes a book chronicling his experiences, which later is turned into a movie — and during the making of the movie, he is forced to confront his new lifestyle and the hidden secrets from his terrible experiences that saw Terry shamed and dishonoured.
• Citizen Ed: 1945–1984. The story of Ed Gein — Socialist Hero, local luminary, and horrific serial murderer. For over forty years, Gein and the sheriff of his local town — more than aware of Gein's monstrous perversions and murders — do battle, but the sheriff's attempts to stop Gein's evil are hampered by Party corruption and incompetence and the belief that in a perfect socialist state, a serial killer is an impossibility (this treatment was based upon the actual case of the Ukrainian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted of killing 53 women and children, and the efforts of Soviet detectives in the real-world to capture him).
• Abdication Street: 1972. Cinzia Davidovna Bronstein is a make-up girl at Russia's largest state-owned television station.
  Charles, the Duke of Cornwall, grand-nephew of King Edward VIII
  and heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, is in Russia to marry his bride, Grand Duchess Ekaterina, the spoiled daughter of Tsar Nicholas III, and Cinzia has been assigned to provide his make-up for the television coverage. Much is riding on this royal wedding, including the future of democracy in Russia — so when Cinzia and Charles fall in love, this causes more problems.
• On the Road: 1998. A follow-up to 'In the Air', the USSA has split into the Confederation of Independent North American States (similar to the USSR's successor, the Commonwealth of Independent States), a vaguely connected series of nations riddled with institutional corruption and gangsterism. British reporter Lowe, down on his luck, has returned to the former USSA to follow Robert Maxwell's Freedom and Enterprise Roadshow as it travels Route 66, bringing capitalism, Christianity and Cliff Richard to the former USSA.

Overview

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As is common with much of Newman's work, the stories feature a great deal of

Real-world comparisons

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Individuals

Events and objects

Publication history

• In the Air: Interzone #43, January 1990
• Ten Days That Shook The World: Interzone #48, June 1990
• Tom Joad: Interzone #65, November 1992
• Teddy Bears' Picnic: Interzone #122-#123, August & September 1997
• Citizen Ed: Interzone #113, November 1996
• Abdication Street: Interzone #105, March 1996

References

• ISBN 0-312-19869-8
  .
• Egan, Greg. "Interzone index Issues 1 - 216 Fiction". Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2008.

External links

• Review of Back in the USSA by Steven H. Silver
• Back in the USSA title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database