Fitzgerald's War

zoomar · Sep 27, 2005

Fitzpatrick's.. not Fitzgerald's.. War

How many have read this? I picked it up because of the zeppelins on the cover and presumed it would be alternate history. Instead it is one of the most fascinating and best written "alternate futures" I've ever read. Just the most minimal explication (the best kind) of how this retro steampunk victorian feudal puritan society developed in 400 years, a great narrative approach with two conflicting points of view, and a great story with great characters. Although I had a hard time accepting/understanding how and why this future developed, I really didn't care after the first 20 pages. Plus, I think much of it is intended to be read as an unflattering allegory about the modern USA's role in the world. Probably the most imaginative and enjoyable thing I've read in a long time. I can't wait to see what he writes next.

Ivan Druzhkov · Sep 27, 2005

Finally, THREE people have read Fitzpatrick's War! This is another one of my favorites, though I do have a few complaints (Namely, why couldn't the guy doing the commentary [Dr. Van Buren, I believe] actually make the effort to factually refult Bruce's points instead of constantly saying "No he didn't, no he didn't!" like a TV pundit?). Overall, it wasn't bad for a first book.

zoomar · Sep 27, 2005

Ivan Druzhkov said:
Finally, THREE people have read Fitzpatrick's War! This is another one of my favorites, though I do have a few complaints (Namely, why couldn't the guy doing the commentary [Dr. Van Buren, I believe] actually make the effort to factually refult Bruce's points instead of constantly saying "No he didn't, no he didn't!" like a TV pundit?). Overall, it wasn't bad for a first book.

Oops, you'd think I'd get the name of one of my favorite new books right! Fitz-PATRICK, Fitz-PATRICK!!

Only three of us, eh?

Actually, I rather liked the fact that the editor/commentator came off as sounding like an arrogant and opinionated jerk. It sounded exactly like the kind of editorial comments someone working in an authoritarian and rigid society would make.

David S Poepoe · Sep 27, 2005

I really enjoyed it when I read it. I thought it was very well written.

Aldroud · Sep 27, 2005

Read it last year. I think I picked it up the week it came out, got it on hardback. The Zepplinss are what did it for me.

I loved how the prissy, neo-victorian editor inserted his comments because 'of COURSE it wasn't the way he said it, EVERYONE knows that!'

Reminds me very much of some nations that lack a good, hard-core 1st Amendment.

David S Poepoe · Sep 27, 2005

Aldroud said:
Read it last year. I think I picked it up the week it came out, got it on hardback. The Zepplinss are what did it for me.

Same exact thing with me. The zeppelins got me to buy it.

zoomar · Sep 27, 2005

Ahhh, it is amazing what zeppelins can do to otherwise rational people. Too bad the actual novel had fairly little to do with zeppelins...other than to postulate the fascinating feudal premise they each zeppelin was owned and operated by a single family, who served as captain and crew.

What a neat book!

Superdude · Sep 27, 2005

I.

Love.

This.

Book.

Flocculencio · Sep 27, 2005

Hmmm.I have to get my hands on a copy
The local library in my part of berkeley had it but it was out and reserved. I shall have to hunt around the libraries here in Reading...

Diamond · Sep 27, 2005

Most excellent book. I read it on Ivan's recommendation and loved it. I hope there are more books forthcoming set in this world - there's so much that could be done with it.

Ivan Druzhkov · Sep 28, 2005

I was wondering...did everyone find the book plausible? I was talking about this book with my mother, and she didn't buy the idea that the Yukons would be such a static society, or that no other world power could come up with a way to even the playing field against the Yukons. What do you guys think?

Diamond · Sep 28, 2005

I think it's plausible. There are plenty of societies today that are just as static, if not so widespread. In the book, I seem to remember something about that North American dictator unleashing waves of plagues - that could account for why no other region has been able to compete. They're still rebuilding. Granted, China and India have billions of citizens, but given all that prime agricultural land, it might not have taken too long to build back up to those numbers, while still not having a tech edge, thanks to Yukon safeguards (the Storm Machines) already in place to prevent it.

Archangel Michael · Sep 28, 2005

Has it come out in paperback yet?

fortyseven · Sep 28, 2005

Yes, I got it in PB few weeks ago.

Diamond there's a lot less people in Bruce's time than in Iz's (the 21st century dictator).

Ivan Druzhkov · Sep 29, 2005

Archangel Michael said:
Has it come out in paperback yet?

Yes, in Canada at least.

fortyseven said:
Diamond there's a lot less people in Bruce's time than in Iz's (the 21st century dictator).

Yeah, it's mentioned at one point that the world's population before the Four Points War is around 4 billion. In the Yukon Confederacy, thanks to Yukon estate laws, the population is a paltry 30 million.

Mojo · Oct 1, 2005

Spoiler

I'd like to know how they got such advanced medical tech. In the book they used microbes that a the salts out of the Australian desert to make it ariable and had vaccicines for Ebola plus they could do quite a bit of genetic engineering.

Ivan Druzhkov · Oct 3, 2005

Mojo said:
Spoiler

I'd like to know how they got such advanced medical tech. In the book they used microbes that a the salts out of the Australian desert to make it ariable and had vaccicines for Ebola plus they could do quite a bit of genetic engineering.

I wondered about that too. Can work in the advanced biological sciences be done without electrical devices? Or are the Timermen "helping" to invent this stuff, and thus carefully control how it is disseminated into the Confederacy?

Diamond · Oct 3, 2005

Ivan Druzhkov said:
Or are the Timermen "helping" to invent this stuff, and thus carefully control how it is disseminated into the Confederacy?

That was the impression I got.

Grimm Reaper · Oct 8, 2005

I just got a copy, I may comment later.

The Lurker · Oct 13, 2005

that's one of the best boosk I've read this year, no doubt at all. The author also did a REALLY good job with the idioms he was writing in, too--'victorian' memoirs and old-style history and so on.

GREAT book!