Not By the Cover
Days of Infamy
by Harry Turtledove
December, 7 1941. "A day that will live in infamy" said FDR
days later. What if, the Japanese had followed up their devas-
tating attack on Pearl Harbor with a land invasion? Could the
poorly prepared United States Army hold the Territory of
Hawaii?
Harry Turtledove, former professor of Byzantine history
at UCLA, almost single handedly has invented - or at least
significantly contributed to - the genre of alternate history.
For history buffs, science fiction enthusiasts and lovers of
technology, Turtledove explores elaborate, mainly historical
and military what if questions. What if the south had won
the civil war? What if the Spanish armada hadn't been sunk
by the British?
In "Days of Infamy," Turtledove writes from the perspec-
tive of many characters, both Japanese and American. The
Japanese point of view is particularly effective. To think that
Americans would extend a white flag shows they have no
honor, in the mind of a Japanese infantryman, spoon fed sto-
ries of the glory of dying for the emperor since youth. The
cruelty visited on American POW's was inevitable.
Turtledove specializes in multi-book extraganzas, serials con-
tinued over the course of 3-6 novels. "Days of Infamy" is no
exception, with enough loose ends undone to leave room for
several more installments.
All in all, a solid, competent effort by Turtledove. He has
done WWII at least two times before, so this is indeed well
trodden ground. Still worth a read for this niche genre fans.
Check out "Days of Infamy" by Harry Turtledove at the
Sherrard Public Library today.
-Review by Larry Sandhaas