Joe Steele Mass Market Paperback – 1 Dec. 2015

"Joe Steele" is the English language equivalent of "Joseph Stalin."This disturbing alternative history novel takes as its' starting point what might have happened if the family of Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili had emigrated to the US shortly before he was born, instead of staying in Georgia. (That's the Georgia which was then part of Russia.)In this novel, instead of changing his name to Josef Stalin and becoming General Secretary of the Communist Party in Russia, he changes it to the English equivalent and stands to be President of the United States.The story is seen from the viewpoint of two brothers, Charlie and Mike Sullivan, both journalists. One of the brothers tries to tell what he believes to be the truth about Joe Steele while the other tries to reach an accommodation with the Joe Steele juggernaut: each finds that both courses of action carry a very high price.I describe the book as disturbing because most of us would like to believe that a mature democracy such at the USA - or Britain - could not fall under the sway of a man like Stalin. This novel reminds us that kind of complacency can be dangerous ...One of the best of Turtledove's recent novels, I had trouble putting this book down.

I had read the original story 'Joe Steele' some years ago and liked it so I jumped at the chance of buying this. The novel kept close to the original story in terms of the general plot but took a different view point which was refreshing. Like everything I read by this author, I found myself absolutely engrossed. I would strongly recommend.

good

Very much enjoyed this - all Turtledove's usual limitations, but a fascinating yarn.

A novel of alternate history, which speculates as to what might have happened if the parents of the young man who became known as Joseph Stalin in history as we know had emigrated to America prior to his birth.This was originally published as a short story in an anthology called 'Stars: original stories based on the songs of Janis Ian' but this takes the idea of that story and expands it to novel length.The book runs for four hundred and fifty three pages, and is divided into twenty eight chapters.It does contain some strong language and adult moments.It's also complete and self contained in one volume, and not part of any series or trilogy.Starting in 1932, we see Joe Steele [the name he took here] through the eyes of two viewpoint characters. Mike and Charlie Sullivan. Joe Steele, who rose from worker to champion of workers rights to politican to governor, is the main rival to Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the Democratic Party Convention. He gets the nomination, and in due course the Presidency. But one of the two brothers has his suspicions about him.We follow them through the years as President Steele sets out to rebuild America. With new laws that gradually change things people are used to. The brothers, through having differing opinions about the President, are about to go down very different life paths...This takes a short while to get going, but becomes pretty engrossing as it does. If you're used to the writers style you will know exactly what to expect. Including the occasional bit of repetition. But he remains as capable and professional a writer as ever. Mike and Charlie don't initially feel too different as characters and you may struggle at points to recall which is which, but both are convincing in their way as ordinary people and citizens of the time.There is a lot of food for thought on offer from this book though, and that is when it gets really good. It shows how easy it is for a land to fall to tyranny, and what happens to those who oppose it and those who go with it. This is what we see via what happens to each of the brothers.It does drop off a little slightly in the middle as it goes through world war two, as the history here isn't all that different to the one we know. But then picks up again in the final third as things start to go rather differently.But the finale of this book is really quite brilliant, in the way it ends the story, and comes back to the food for thought that it offered earlier. You will not forget the final paragraph of this for a long time.Very close to one of the best things Harry Turtledove has ever done, and a very good read indeed.

Not at all plausible. Stalin growing up in the USA would have had completely different cultural influences. It was extremely rare for the children of immigrants to win high electoral office, given the general voter prejudice for All-American values. In the absence of Stalin, Zinoviev rather than Trotsky would have been likely to emerge as Soviet leader: or perhaps Sverdlov, who died in 1919. Trotsky had little chance since he was unpopular with the pre-1917 Bolsheviks since he'd been an enemy with his own faction. Einstein could not have suppressed the notion of the atomic bomb, since other physicists had the idea first and were pushing it. It anyway began as a British project, one of several which the USA took over. J. Edgar Hoover, presented here as Stalin's henchman, was appointed in 1924 by a Republican president. It's full of improbable stuff like that.

In this timeline Joseph Stalin's parents immigrant to America before he's born and he ends up becoming President for Life