DBWI: Matthew White's "Confederacy" series.

Well, folks, I finally got around to finishing Matt White's entire 8 book "Confederacy" series yesterday.

Let me tell you, it was pretty fun to read, especially the fact that he went pretty in depth into how U.S. and C.S. culture developed over the next century or so, which was a real treat. He also introduced a number of amazing twists, such as a successful Boxer Rebellion in China, and the rather interesting, although somewhat brief, existence of a Communist government in Australia after a civil war down there.
I do feel there were a few shortcomings, though; for example, how did Prussia survive as an independent state for so long, having been despised by just about every other country in Europe, including Russia? And how was Lazaro Cardenas allowed to run for office in 1949 when anti-Mexican racism was alive and well, and Mexicans couldn't even vote in most C.S. states?

Matt also could have gone a little deeper into the era between the two Great Wars, and I feel he kinda neglected South America and most of Africa as well, which is kind of a shame.

On the other hand, though, he did a stellar job with the Third War Between the States in the late '50s, early '60s, and the collapse of the C.S.A. shortly afterwards.

All in all, despite a few small flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

What are your opinions on the book, btw?
(For those of you who haven't read, but would really like to know more, I can give away a few spoilers here and there).

OOC:
This story is pretty much intended to have been an homage to TL-191, with some original twists added. Matthew White, btw, was an AH writer who used to be active in the '90s and early 2000s but doesn't seem to be around much anymore. Kind of a pity, because he's one of my favorites. :(
 
Is the name of the series Confederacy? I've never heard of this series and would like to read it but couldnt find it on amazon or google!
 
Amazon? You should try Borders and Noble, they're better at finding rare titles, especially sci-fi ones.

I went through the series, yeah having a Bavarian-Austrian alliance be the impetus for Germany was a bit weird, and he really made CSA weirdly cosmopolitan. But the Great Redemption War is something you have to see. The Second Battle of New Orleans, with Unionists pouring into the city aided by the local resistance militias, was really cool.

OOC: He's around, he wrote this book and answers my emails from time to time. Maybe if we all bugged him he'd go back to writing AH again.
 
Amazon? You should try Borders and Noble, they're better at finding rare titles, especially sci-fi ones.

I went through the series, yeah having a Bavarian-Austrian alliance be the impetus for Germany was a bit weird, and he really made CSA weirdly cosmopolitan. But the Great Redemption War is something you have to see. The Second Battle of New Orleans, with Unionists pouring into the city aided by the local resistance militias, was really cool.

OOC: He's around, he wrote this book and answers my emails from time to time. Maybe if we all bugged him he'd go back to writing AH again.

IC: Well, not exactly.....

The CSA, though indeed actually rather tolerant of Austrians, Protestant Poles, Moravians, and a few other immigrant groups, such as French Huguenots, and even some conservative religious Jews(at least those who didn't rock the boat), was still far from cosmopolitan, I think: the few Italians(even the Sicilians!), Catholic French, Catholic Poles, Russians, Greeks, and Scandinavians who made it to the CSA, were treated like garbage, even in somewhat less screwy Texas, and East Asians, Middle Easterners, and South Americans weren't allowed in at all.
And don't forget that all blacks and Mexicans were slaves up until 1907 when Sam Houston, II, signed the Emancipation Law which allowed slaves to buy their freedom.....he was assassinated in August 1908 because of that, as you may remember.

On Germany? Yes, but don't forget that the Rhineland, too, played an important role. When the Second German Empire was created in 1904, the capital ended up being moved to Frankfurt.

And yes, I thought the second battle of New Orleans was tops. :D Though just one slight nitpick: only the Confederate National Resistance Movement actually called it that. Everyone else in North America, including Mexico and the Canadian Confederation(totally independent from Britain, I might add!), just called it the Third War Between the States.

And speaking of Canada, I wonder if the CCF's Joe Wallace could have won a second term as President in '67? The 1967 elections are briefly mentioned towards the end, when Johnny & Madeline Beauvais are sitting in that cafe in Brandon, Manitoba, but nothing else is really said, other than that he was still pretty popular for having supported the anti-establishment rebels in the C.S.A., and that his opponent, though really wealthy, and had lots of cash to throw around, was kind of a flake and seen as really bland....William Lyon McKenzie, I think his name was? Or something like that.
 
OOC: According to the wiki I suspect this is more of a TBWI, but still interesting.

IC: I thought the POD was interesting too. I mean Bragg? who'd have thought... I also liked the whole section on the Confederate purchase of Cuba and how it meant confederates had to work with some of their supposed "inferiors" to govern. I also found the part after the collapse interesting, with LON peacekeeping and Germans marching through Georgia.
OOC::p
 
OOC: According to the wiki I suspect this is more of a TBWI, but still interesting.

IC: I thought the POD was interesting too. I mean Bragg? who'd have thought... I also liked the whole section on the Confederate purchase of Cuba and how it meant confederates had to work with some of their supposed "inferiors" to govern. I also found the part after the collapse interesting, with LON peacekeeping and Germans marching through Georgia.
OOC::p

IC: Yeah, Bragg's defection kinda surprised me too, especially after his stunning victory at 2nd Richmond, but I guess it may have been coming anyhow; he really didn't like the direction the country was taking, and felt that perhaps he'd rather live out his last days in the Union that he once served.

Although, I should point out that the League of Nations ceased to exist in 1939, shortly before the Second Great War broke out in full(You must be thinking of the United Nations), I can think one instance where German troops were fighting in the South; although they were Prussians, and sent to help the Confederates during the First War Between the States, in 1885. That was pretty much it, though.

And I also found the geopolitical situation in Europe to be interesting as well; The U.S. and Canada stayed out of the Great War after the Second War Between the States, and the Confederacy ended up staying out of the Second, due to fear of invasion and occupation by the U.S., though they did covertly supply the German Fascists with plenty of their tech, as they had done for the Whites during Russia's Civil War in regards to ammunition; White later states that this was one of the main reasons for the 3rd, and final, War Between the States.


OOC: TBWI, huh? As in "Triple-Blind What If?" Interesting indeed. :D
 
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