Gunpowder Empire
LC Class PS3570.U76 G85 2003 | | |
Followed by | Curious Notions |
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Gunpowder Empire is a 2003 alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove. It is the first part of the Crosstime Traffic series.[1]
Plot
In the novel, Jeremy and Amanda Solter are two teenagers living in the late 21st century. Their parents work for Crosstime Traffic, a trading company using
In the intervening centuries, the Romans advanced to the extent of inventing
An important aspect of the book is that
When the youngsters' mother becomes sick, their father takes her back to their home time for treatment, expecting to come back in a few days – but the cross-time travel equipment suffers a break in link, stranding Jeremy and Amanda in Polisso just as the Lietuvan Army crosses the border, placing Polisso under siege. At the same time, the Roman authorities begin to grow suspicious of their trade mission and the origin of such items as watches and Swiss army knives which they offer for sale and which no artisan in the Empire can match.
Reception
Roland J. Green, reviewing for Booklist, said, "Seemingly a series opener intended to introduce the concept of parallel worlds and Turtledove's take on it, the book succeeds as an homage to parallelworlds pioneer Piper and a well-told, engaging tale."[2] Peter Cannon, reviewing for Publishers Weekly, said, "Turtledove presents his teenaged heroes with a series of moral choices and dilemmas that will particularly resonate with younger fans. This is a rousing story that reminds us that "adventure" really is someone else in deep trouble a long way off."[3] Don D'Ammassa, in his review for the Journal Chronicle, praised the novel, saying, "I really enjoyed this one, which had lively characters and events, and whose setting seemed much more interesting and better realized than that in the author's other recent novels."[4]
The novel's name is derived from the concept of Gunpowder empires, referring to historical Muslim empires which remained stable over centuries due to their possession of gunpowder and artillery; in the novel, the surviving Roman Empire develops along similar lines.
See also
- Agent of Byzantium
- Germanicus trilogy
- Lest Darkness Fall
- Roma Eterna
- Romanitas
- Warlords of Utopia
- Bread and Circuses (Star Trek: The Original Series)
- Gunpowder empires (actual historical empires)
Notes
References
- ^ "Uchronia: Crosstime Traffic Series". www.uchronia.net.
- ISSN 0006-7385.
- ISSN 0000-0019.
- ISSN 0195-5365.
External links
- Review by Steven H Silver
- Gunpowder Empire title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database