Back in the USSA

Techdread · May 21, 2011

I recently noticed that one of my favourite Alternate History books, if not my favourite book, Back in the USSA didn't have a thread on here. So I thought that I should correct this, especially after I saw the fan made script for its trailer in the trailer thread on here.

I know that Back in the USSA isn't a completely authentic Alt. History book, especially since it contains larges amounts of pop culture references and characters, but I'm curious to see what other people have thought of the book.

edvader · May 21, 2011

Was this Kim Newman's book about a Socialist USA?Read it and liked it.I will try and find a copy?There was another book in which the US occupies what is now the former USSR after WW3 and tries to import ITS concepts to Russia.

Techdread · May 21, 2011

edvader said:
Was this Kim Newman's book about a Socialist USA?Read it and liked it.I will try and find a copy?There was another book in which the US occupies what is now the former USSR after WW3 and tries to import ITS concepts to Russia.

Yes, that's the one. Took me forever to find it; live in the UK and was only printed in US. What was this other book? Sounds like an interesting read

stirlingdraka · May 21, 2011

I would like to read it but I live in the UK as well.

Techdread · May 21, 2011

stirlingdraka said:
I would like to read it but I live in the UK as well.

I found it on Amazon, but it's over £60 if I remember correctly...This is what we get what wanting to read a book published in the US over 10 years ago in relatively small numbers

stirlingdraka · May 21, 2011

Yeah I agree.

Techdread · May 28, 2011

One of the things that I like to get some help on with it is who the leaders of the USSA, Great Britain and Russia are throughout the book's history.

Here's what I have so far:

USSA
Eugene Debs (1917-1926)
Alphonse Capone (1926-195?)
Barry Goldwater (195?-196?)
Richard Nixon (197?-197?)
Unknown (197?-198?)
Unknown (198?-198?)
Unknown (198?-198?)
Kurt Vonnegut (198?-1991)

Great Britain
Winston Churchill (1940-1955)?
Anthony Eden (1955-1966)?
Enoch Powell (1966-19??)
Alan Clark (19??-19??)

Don't have much on Russia other than Kerensky was the first PM there, Kissinger served as Premier during the Indochina War and Smoktunovsky was assasinated as a mirror of JFK. Anyone think they might be to help with this?

wilcoxchar · May 28, 2011

It's an excellent book. The stories and the history were entertaining.

Yelnoc · May 29, 2011

techdread13 said:
One of the things that I like to get some help on with it is who the leaders of the USSA, Great Britain and Russia are throughout the book's history.

Here's what I have so far:

USSA
Eugene Debs (1917-1926)
Alphonse Capone (1926-195?)
Barry Goldwater (195?-196?)
Richard Nixon (197?-197?)
Unknown (197?-198?)
Unknown (198?-198?)
Unknown (198?-198?)
Kurt Vonnegut (198?-1991)

Great Britain
Winston Churchill (1940-1955)?
Anthony Eden (1955-1966)?
Enoch Powell (1966-19??)
Alan Clark (19??-19??)

Don't have much on Russia other than Kerensky was the first PM there, Kissinger served as Premier during the Indochina War and Smoktunovsky was assasinated as a mirror of JFK. Anyone think they might be to help with this?

How in the Hayle does Debs get elected in 1916?

wilcoxchar · May 29, 2011

Yelnoc said:
How in the Hayle does Debs get elected in 1916?

Debs isn't elected. After the assassination of TR and the assumption of the presidency by Charles Foster Kane, Debs is smuggled back into the US by train from Nicaragua to lead the socialist revolution.

Wolfpaw · May 29, 2011

Yelnoc said:
How in the Hayle does Debs get elected in 1916?

He's preceded by a very corrupt and all-around-evil President Charles Foster Kane, who started out as VP to a Teddy Roosevelt who is killed during a labor dispute in Chicago.

Fenrir_Angerboda · May 29, 2011

Yelnoc said:
How in the Hayle does Debs get elected in 1916?

Charles Foster Kane is basically Tzar Nicholas II.
Debs is Lenin.

that pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Malta · May 29, 2011

I honestly still don't get the ending, was it nuclear or godzilla?

B_Munro · May 29, 2011

I read it a while back: entertaining, but definitely wins the Harry Turtledove Award For Cut and Paste History.

Bruce

Techdread · May 30, 2011

Tomb said:
I honestly still don't get the ending, was it nuclear or godzilla?

I think that it's supposed to be a 'Meltdown' created thought as a reference to Godzilla, in response to the fire on the oil-streaked Pacific created by the flare from Los Angeles in-fighting

B_Munro said:
I read it a while back: entertaining, but definitely wins the Harry Turtledove Award For Cut and Paste History.

Bruce

That is one part of the book that lets it down in terms of accuracy. Although I think the book was written as entertainment more than an accurate and realistic attempt at looking at a Red Revolution in the US. There are moments that go against this direct mirroring of history in relation to its own history, though, albeit to put history back onto a more mirrored version i.e. Communist North Vietnam is made as a result of France going Red and them leaving ideologues there whilst pulling of their colonies to help them out

Just a question if anyone can help; what is the song 'My Socialist Heart' based on? I've looked at Sinatra's song from '53 and couldn't find any that seemed to fit the transposing of the lyrics into their melody, so I think it must be a song by another artist like 'My Way' has become 'God's Way' by Ken Dodd

edvader · May 31, 2011

I will try and get the title.US wins ww3 and tries to make the former USSR into a copy of itself complete with McDonald's in Moscow, etc.Book is called U.S.S.A.Author is David Madsen.It is or was a future murder thriller.Try googling it on google.Hope this helps.It may be out of print.

A.M. Turtle · May 31, 2011

Fenrir_Angerboda said:
Charles Foster Kane is basically Tzar Nicholas II.
Debs is Lenin.

that pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Charles Foster Kane the character based off Hearst? So is it Hearst but the publisher didn't feel like having to worry about Hearst Corporation suing?

arlindi193 · Apr 13, 2012

USSA
Eugene Debs (1917-1926)
Alphonse Capone (1926-195?)
Barry Goldwater (1954-1969)
Richard Nixon (1969-1979)
Ted Kennedy (1979-1991)
Kurt Vonnegut (198?-1991)
Gus Hall (1991-2000)
Al Gore (2000-present)

Aelita · Apr 13, 2012

B_Munro said:
I read it a while back: entertaining, but definitely wins the Harry Turtledove Award For Cut and Paste History.

Bruce

It's not meant to be a strict counterfactual. It's a satire of the Cold War, and American anti-communism. The USSA's familiar figures transformed into commies ape a lot of Russian events like the purges and the collectivizations, but they dress it up in the exact same kind of rhetoric as they did IOTL as capitalists.

I'd also like to note that I loved the book, and it's part of the genesis of my own TL, and ultimately why I stayed away from the cliche "USSA". I wanted to make a history of a revolution that didn't just recapitulate all the tragedies of OTL, and represented something authentically plausible.

Greg Grant · Apr 13, 2012

A.M. Turtle said:
Charles Foster Kane the character based off Hearst? So is it Hearst but the publisher didn't feel like having to worry about Hearst Corporation suing?

I think the intent was more to use fictional characters in general to make the whole thing less serious and a more fun read - an open acknowledgment of the ASB nature of the work to avoid questions of plausibility. That being said, it does work hard on creating a workable universe once you accept the premise and was generally well written.

UK people, have you tried half.com or is that only for continental US shipping?