Harry Turtledove–the master of alternate history–has
recast the tumultuous twentieth century and created an
epic that is powerful, bold, and as convincing as it is
provocative. In Drive to the East he continues his saga of
warfare that has divided a nation and now threatens the
entire world.
In 1914, the First World War ignited
a brutal conflict in North America, with the United States
finally defeating the Confederate States. In 1917, The
Great War ended and an era of simmering hatred began,
fueled by the despotism of a few and the sacrifice of
many. Now it’s 1942. The USA and CSA are locked in a
tangle of jagged, blood-soaked battle lines, modern
weaponry, desperate strategies, and the kind of violence
that only the damned could conjure up–for their enemies
and themselves.
In Richmond, Confederate president
and dictator Jake Featherston is shocked by what his own
aircraft have done in Philadelphia–killing U.S. president
Al Smith in a barrage of bombs. Featherston presses ahead
with a secret plan carried out on the dusty plains of
Texas, where a so-called detention camp hides a far more
evil purpose.
As the untested U.S. vice president
takes over for Smith, the United States face a furious
thrust by the Confederate army, pressing inexorably into
Pennsylvania. But with the industrial heartland under
siege, Canada in revolt, and U.S. naval ships fighting
against the Japanese in the Sandwich Islands, the most
dangerous place in the world may be
overlooked.