The Disunited States of America
Encyclopedia
The Disunited States of America is an alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove
. It is a part of the Crosstime Traffic
series, and takes place in an alternate world where the U.S. was never able to agree on a constitution and has long since evolved with each state as a separate country. The states trade with each other, engage in diplomacy, and even go to war with each other.
and Virginia
: a young girl from California
visiting relatives with her grandmother, and a boy from our world's Crosstime Traffic trading firm.
said that this novel was "the best so far in this Turtledove
series, with characters that you care about and action that, while grim, is plausible and engaging." Publishers Weekly
in their review said "Turtledove delivers lessons on racism and diplomacy for a young adult audience."
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
. It is a part of the Crosstime Traffic
Crosstime Traffic
Crosstime Traffic is a series of books by Harry Turtledove. The central premise of the stories is an Earth that has discovered access to alternate universes where history went differently. "Crosstime Traffic" is the name of the company with a global monopoly on the technology.-Background:The...
series, and takes place in an alternate world where the U.S. was never able to agree on a constitution and has long since evolved with each state as a separate country. The states trade with each other, engage in diplomacy, and even go to war with each other.
Plot summary
The story takes place in the 2090s and concerns two outsiders caught up in a war between OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
: a young girl from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
visiting relatives with her grandmother, and a boy from our world's Crosstime Traffic trading firm.
Development
One of the pre-publication title candidates was "The Untied States of America".Literary significance and reception
Frieda Murray reviewing for BooklistBooklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
said that this novel was "the best so far in this Turtledove
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
series, with characters that you care about and action that, while grim, is plausible and engaging." Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
in their review said "Turtledove delivers lessons on racism and diplomacy for a young adult audience."
External links
See Also
- The Forest of TimeThe Forest of TimeThe Forest of Time is an alternate history novella by science-fiction writer Michael Flynn. It was originally published in the June 1987 issue of Analog magazine...
- Russian AmerikaRussian AmerikaRussian Amerika is an alternate history novel written by Stoney Compton. It is set in a world where Alaska is still owned by Russia.- Background :The story is an alternate history, set in North America, which is made up of several nations:...