Turtledove is the master of alternate history and has a seemingly infinite number of variations on that theme. This is possibly his most popular book though, and the first of his I ever read--recommended to me by a history teacher of my acquaintance. In this novel, supporters of apartheid in South Africa go back in time to try to change the outcome of the American Civil War in the hopes they'd have allies in the future that could change the course of their own history. The military parts are well-done--enough to keep my interest, and I'm not particularly drawn to the genre. The pivotal character in all this is Robert E. Lee--and it's a thought-provoking and historically literate portrait of the man and his times. That said, I did even when reading this book find a certain change of heart hard to believe--and that's even more problematical after watching a documentary on Robert E. Lee--but on it's own terms I still think this well worth the read.
