AFTER ALL, THIS IS ENGLAND by Robert Muller (1965)
(also published under the title "The Lost Diaries of Albert Smith")
"October 4th
"This Diary is Dr Blanke's idea. I'm seeing him once a week now, travelling up to London by car on early closing days. He is very sympathetic about my little troubles. Cheered me up considerably by saying that my "condition" wasn't really all that unusual. Though I haven't told him everything, must say I feel relieved. He told me that, since I like making notes, to keep a diary might well give me some relief from depressions, headaches, bad dreams and so forth. Added that I might show him my jottings, but only if I felt so inclined. Bought an exercise book at Wayford's, the thickest they had. There are a lot of things I'd like to write down, but words don't come to me all that easily; I find it all somewhat embarrassing. Like trying to tell Dr Blanke about my little weakness.
"It's eleven o'clock. The house is very quiet. Margaret is still out, rehearsing with the Phoenix Players. I must say, it's taking up a lot of her time. Still, if it gives her pleasure, I like to see her happy. Ronnie is still out with his friends. God alone knows what they do, and where. I wish he'd talk to me the way I talked to Father when I was his age. Only Betty in the house, fast asleep. She seems to be enjoying her second term at St Stephanie's, though it's clearly a more serious business than nursery school. And there is old reliable Rupert, snoring peacefully in front of the fire. Must remember to oil the old mower on Saturday.
"I don't suppose this is what Dr B had in mind. I just don't know. Key in the door. (Margaret?) Better lock this away for now."
I found this book in the second hand book-shop I work in and bought it because of it's interesting cover, which depicts a uniformed ward leader, banner, and ceremonial dagger of the fictional British Action Party. Strictly speaking, the book is future history rather than alternate history. It was written in 1965 and the story, although undated, seems to take place in the near future (i.e. the late 1960s and early 1970s). Prime ministers Macmillan and Wilson are mentioned. Albert Smith is a shopkeeper in a seaside town in south-east England who starts a diary on the advice of his psychiatrist. Smith's diaries continue over several years, during which life in England takes a turn for the worse. A terrorist group called the Vigilates carry out extraordinarily daring and successful attacks on Britain. The Vigilante attacks, along with union strikes, immigration and a general feel of moral malaise and declining British power, result in a surge of support for the newly formed British Action Party (slogan "Britain Awake!") and its charismatic leader Desmond Hearn. After doing well in a general election, a government is formed with the BAP as a minority partner supporting the Conservatives. You can probably guess what happens next (the author is German).
Despite being a little predictable, I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I didn't want to put it down. Despite Smith being anally retentive, a sexual deviant and a clueless bigot the author manages to make him quite a sympathetic character. Throughout the book it seems that there are things going on that Albert is unaware of, and that there are things going on in Albert's life that the reader is unaware of. I found the plot, in which the English peoples' liberties are removed in a slow, piecemeal fashion and always "in the national interest", unsettlingly plausible, particularly because at the time I was also reading a couple of other excellent books; one by Adam Lebor and Roger Boyes called "Surviving Hitler: Corruption and Compromise in the Third Reich", which contains charming anecdotes the everyday life in Nazi Germany, such as how the Gestapo were so overwhelmed by people denouncing their neighbours for invented or petty crimes that they threw 95% of the letters they recieved in the bin. The other book I was reading was "Guantanamo" by David Rose.
I think the title represents two things. Firstly, it represents the idea that we shouldn't put up with coloured people living here, or any other unwelcome change from an idealised pre-war Britain, because "after all, this is England". Secondly, it represents the idea that the English don't need to worry about diminishing civil liberties or extremist political parties because "it can't happen here", "after all, this is England".
I would give this book 10/10. But if you want a copy, I think you'd have to look on abebooks.
LION'S BLOOD by Stephen Barnes.
Aiden O'Dere is an 11 year old boy in an Irish fishing village. One day the village is attacked by Vikings who kill the men and enslave the women and children. Aiden ends up as a the slave of a wealthy Muslim family in Bilalistan (this world's name for North America, populated by Vikings, Egyptians, Moors, Zulus and Aztecs), and makes friends with his master's son, Kai, a thoughtful, ambitious and somewhat Machiavellian 12 year old.
I think this book is good brain candy for people who like alternate history. I enjoyed it while I was reading it but now I've finished it I don't think it's going to stick in my mind. The main characters are likeable and the plot is a page-turner but if you've read the Draka books you may get a feeling of deja vu.
"Lion's Blood" has an interesting POD - Socrates, instead of drinking hemlock, leaves Athens for Egypt and later other philosophers follow him. About twenty years later Alexander the Great is much more successful and ends his life as Pharoah of a Greek/Egyptian Empire. Later, Egypt teams up with Carthage to conquer Rome. One thing that really annoyed me is that despite this early POD historical characters such as Jesus, Mohammed, Leonardo da Vinci and Mozart still exist and occupy the same roles in this world as they did in ours. So I didn't find it at all plausible.
The book did make me appreciate afresh the evils of slavery, though, which I think is what the author was trying to achieve.
There is a second novel called "Zulu Heart"
I would give it 5/10. It would have scored higher if I weren't such a stickler for plausibility and if I hadn't have already read the Draka books.
(also published under the title "The Lost Diaries of Albert Smith")
"October 4th
"This Diary is Dr Blanke's idea. I'm seeing him once a week now, travelling up to London by car on early closing days. He is very sympathetic about my little troubles. Cheered me up considerably by saying that my "condition" wasn't really all that unusual. Though I haven't told him everything, must say I feel relieved. He told me that, since I like making notes, to keep a diary might well give me some relief from depressions, headaches, bad dreams and so forth. Added that I might show him my jottings, but only if I felt so inclined. Bought an exercise book at Wayford's, the thickest they had. There are a lot of things I'd like to write down, but words don't come to me all that easily; I find it all somewhat embarrassing. Like trying to tell Dr Blanke about my little weakness.
"It's eleven o'clock. The house is very quiet. Margaret is still out, rehearsing with the Phoenix Players. I must say, it's taking up a lot of her time. Still, if it gives her pleasure, I like to see her happy. Ronnie is still out with his friends. God alone knows what they do, and where. I wish he'd talk to me the way I talked to Father when I was his age. Only Betty in the house, fast asleep. She seems to be enjoying her second term at St Stephanie's, though it's clearly a more serious business than nursery school. And there is old reliable Rupert, snoring peacefully in front of the fire. Must remember to oil the old mower on Saturday.
"I don't suppose this is what Dr B had in mind. I just don't know. Key in the door. (Margaret?) Better lock this away for now."
I found this book in the second hand book-shop I work in and bought it because of it's interesting cover, which depicts a uniformed ward leader, banner, and ceremonial dagger of the fictional British Action Party. Strictly speaking, the book is future history rather than alternate history. It was written in 1965 and the story, although undated, seems to take place in the near future (i.e. the late 1960s and early 1970s). Prime ministers Macmillan and Wilson are mentioned. Albert Smith is a shopkeeper in a seaside town in south-east England who starts a diary on the advice of his psychiatrist. Smith's diaries continue over several years, during which life in England takes a turn for the worse. A terrorist group called the Vigilates carry out extraordinarily daring and successful attacks on Britain. The Vigilante attacks, along with union strikes, immigration and a general feel of moral malaise and declining British power, result in a surge of support for the newly formed British Action Party (slogan "Britain Awake!") and its charismatic leader Desmond Hearn. After doing well in a general election, a government is formed with the BAP as a minority partner supporting the Conservatives. You can probably guess what happens next (the author is German).
Despite being a little predictable, I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I didn't want to put it down. Despite Smith being anally retentive, a sexual deviant and a clueless bigot the author manages to make him quite a sympathetic character. Throughout the book it seems that there are things going on that Albert is unaware of, and that there are things going on in Albert's life that the reader is unaware of. I found the plot, in which the English peoples' liberties are removed in a slow, piecemeal fashion and always "in the national interest", unsettlingly plausible, particularly because at the time I was also reading a couple of other excellent books; one by Adam Lebor and Roger Boyes called "Surviving Hitler: Corruption and Compromise in the Third Reich", which contains charming anecdotes the everyday life in Nazi Germany, such as how the Gestapo were so overwhelmed by people denouncing their neighbours for invented or petty crimes that they threw 95% of the letters they recieved in the bin. The other book I was reading was "Guantanamo" by David Rose.
I think the title represents two things. Firstly, it represents the idea that we shouldn't put up with coloured people living here, or any other unwelcome change from an idealised pre-war Britain, because "after all, this is England". Secondly, it represents the idea that the English don't need to worry about diminishing civil liberties or extremist political parties because "it can't happen here", "after all, this is England".
I would give this book 10/10. But if you want a copy, I think you'd have to look on abebooks.
LION'S BLOOD by Stephen Barnes.
Aiden O'Dere is an 11 year old boy in an Irish fishing village. One day the village is attacked by Vikings who kill the men and enslave the women and children. Aiden ends up as a the slave of a wealthy Muslim family in Bilalistan (this world's name for North America, populated by Vikings, Egyptians, Moors, Zulus and Aztecs), and makes friends with his master's son, Kai, a thoughtful, ambitious and somewhat Machiavellian 12 year old.
I think this book is good brain candy for people who like alternate history. I enjoyed it while I was reading it but now I've finished it I don't think it's going to stick in my mind. The main characters are likeable and the plot is a page-turner but if you've read the Draka books you may get a feeling of deja vu.
"Lion's Blood" has an interesting POD - Socrates, instead of drinking hemlock, leaves Athens for Egypt and later other philosophers follow him. About twenty years later Alexander the Great is much more successful and ends his life as Pharoah of a Greek/Egyptian Empire. Later, Egypt teams up with Carthage to conquer Rome. One thing that really annoyed me is that despite this early POD historical characters such as Jesus, Mohammed, Leonardo da Vinci and Mozart still exist and occupy the same roles in this world as they did in ours. So I didn't find it at all plausible.
The book did make me appreciate afresh the evils of slavery, though, which I think is what the author was trying to achieve.
There is a second novel called "Zulu Heart"
I would give it 5/10. It would have scored higher if I weren't such a stickler for plausibility and if I hadn't have already read the Draka books.