West and East (War That Came Early Series #2) »

Hugo-winner and historian Harry Turtledove is equally renowned in science fiction for his rigorously thought-out alternate history novels and in fantasy for his tales of the supernatural placed in historically accurate settings. For Baen, he has written "The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump", and the popular "Gerin the Fox" series, "Wisdom of the Fox" and "Tale of the Fox". He has also authored the Ingram bestseller "Guns of the South" and the genre bestsellers in the "World War" series for Del Rey.

The New York Times bestselling master of alternate history further explores what would have happened had Hitler been forced to start World War II earlier than he did, in this sequel to Hitler's War.

Publishers Weekly

Having laid out the course of "the war that came early" in 2009's Hitler's War, Turtledove focuses on turning his characters from stock military figures into specialists. In this version of WWII, the Nazis fail to take Paris. The German war machine, apparently fed by infinite soldiers, turns not only to the western and eastern fronts but also north to Denmark. The novel most fully shines when the characters are allowed to strive for their full potential: Czech sniper Vaclav Jezek adopts an antitank rifle as his favorite weapon; German pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel ingeniously modifies his aircraft; Soviet soldier Chaim Weinberg becomes a Party propagandist; and the Goldman family tries to achieve a semblance of normal life in Nazi-ruled Münster. The war is always present, though, and there's plenty to satisfy fans of military strategy, tactics, and armaments. (Aug.)