Damned Fine War [Paperback]

I love alternate history books. But you expect two things from them - some basic historical accuracy and some plausibility. Sadly, this book is seriously flawed in both respects.

For example, at one point when Sgt. McKinley reaches US lines at the beginning, US troops are armed with M-14s ... a 1950's/60's version of the M-1 Garand that simply didn't exist in 1945. A major gaffe that shows piss poor editing as well as crappy research. Later on when McKinley saves the "lost patrol" one of the soldiers there has a BAR ... which, according to Mr Yenne is a "20mm" calibre weapon. Bzzt. Wrong. .30-06 ... say 7-8mm or so. Again, piss poor editing and crappy research.

As far as plausibility is concerned ... no explanation for Stalin going insane is offered. And Stalin, while crazy, knew that he was in no position to fight a war with the Western Allies in 1945. This just comes out of the blue for no obvious reason or believable justification. The author shows no comprehension of logistical reality, either, having defecting Soviet troops seamlessly integrated into western allied forces virtually overnight ... despite having different caliber weapons, vehicles etc.

This is the sort of book you buy for a long plane flight or bus trip and throw away, finished or unfinished, at the end.

I've never felt the need to write a review before, but after reading the other reviews for this book, I had to speak out.

I had high hopes for this book. And while I, too, noticed quite a few goofs regarding the weaponry (for example, in the climactic shootout between Patton and Stalin, Patton's driver, wielding a Colt 1911, "squeezed the trigger and felt the hollow click of an empty chamber"--anyone who knows anything about how the 1911 is supposed to operate will tell you that this could happen only if the gun was malfunctioning), I was willing to let such goofs slide. I was even willing to overlook all the implausible scenarios spun for the author's version of WWIII (need I mention that ridiculous shootout again?). What bothered me most was the terrible writing.

Whatever you think of Patton, the fact is that the man was larger than life. He had a presence--gravitas--that was undeniable. Just look at George C. Scott's portrayal if you don't know what I mean. None of that gravitas came through in this book. Patton's lines could have been spoken by Omar Bradley and nobody would have known the difference. I don't call this a "positive" or "negative" depiction of Patton--I call this a "bad" depiction. Whether you think Patton was a genius or a madman, in the book he comes off as bland. I had the same complaint about the depiction of Stonewall Jackson in that unwatchable movie "Gods and Generals." What made Jackson so interesting is that he was nuts--take that nuttiness away and you could call him "Drywall Jackson."

Then there were the love scenes between Nate McKinley, the stereotypical farmboy, and Rosie O'Leary, the spunky newspaper reporter. These were so cloying that they made me gag. I found myself skipping entire chapters when they were together--something I never do. And if Nate insisted on calling his sweetie a "Celtic goddess," he could have had the decency to do this only once or twice. Several times each page was just a little excessive.

Certainly, historical research is important to any alt-hist story. But alternate history is not only about the facts. Alternate history, like any other genre of speculative fiction (or fiction generally, for that matter), is about the storytelling. The problem with this book is that the author, despite what should have been compelling material, failed to tell a decent story.

Don't waste your money on this book. If you insist, go to Goodwill--that's where you'll find my copy.

I, too, enjoy alternate history. Unfortunately, this book has far too many CLANKS that remind you that you are reading an author who doesn't know much of anything about what he's writing about. Like the previously mention M-14s -- CLANK. And as for the 20mm BAR -- CLANK -- no wonder the poor guy thought it was too heavy, the author had Supersized the gun. And would maps have been so hard to include in a military novel? Apparently so.

The main characters, aside from the historical ones, were simply unbelieveable. Even Patton could never make so much as a small mistake in this unexpected conflict. This was more like "The Hardy Boys Go To War" ... and stay faithful to "dead" dream girls. Gimme a break.

However, the absolute worst aspect, for me, was the grossly inaccurate portrayal of the people of the Caucasus. Mr. Yenne would have you believe that they are horse-worshipping Central-Asian yurt-dwellers when nothing could be farther from the truth. How do I know? I have lived in Tbilisi for most of the last three years and I know that part of the Caucasus fairly well. Certainly much better than does Mr. Yenne.

Is there regional friction in the Caucasus? Sure there is, but Chechnya was a non-issue then, mostly because Stalin had depopulated it by mass executions and forced resettlements. As for the Azeris hating the Georgians? Bull pucky. Read the classic *Ali and Nino* for a better understanding, quite unlike the feelings between, say, Azerbaijan and Armenia. And as for the Don Cossacks, well, there are a lot of cossacks and their simplistic portrayal was unknowledgeable at best.

Good alternate fiction assumes some basis in fact, from which interesting twists may be developed. There was little such in this book and no interesting twists whatsoever. The money I spent on this book was wasted but I will not repeat that mistake with any of Mr. Yenne's other efforts. Save yours.

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