FICTION

1920: America's Great War

by Robert Conroy
Baen. 2013. 512p. ISBN 9781451639315. $25. SF
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Conroy (Rising Sun) turns his alternate history talents to a reimagining of the Great War in this action-filled novel. "What if…," Conroy conjectures, "Germany had won the battle of the Marne in 1914?" His introductory note explains that this isn't far-fetched and that a swift victory over the French Army and the British Expeditionary Force could have resulted. The slightly mad Kaiser Wilhelm views America as weak and covets the oil of California, and, presto!, the Germans and their ally Mexico invade the American Southwest. Fighting rages between Texas Rangers and the Mexican Army near San Antonio, but the main event is the defense of San Francisco, virtually cut off from the rest of the country by saboteurs.
VERDICT Conroy offers up a believable scenario and heroics galore on the part of the good guys, ranging from trench fighting to the first tank charge. His characters, though, come straight from central casting and feature straightforward military heroes, their plucky girlfriends, and dastardly traitors. Still, this should be good fun for alternate history buffs.
Reviewed by Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids , Jan 31, 2014
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