The Five Star Republic: City of the Sun Book One

Webb (the Sinbad Chronicles series) and Enstice (Landscapes of the Mind) successfully collaborate on this first volume of an alternate history trilogy, premised on a very different 19th century for Australia. Victoria Colony’s goldfields make it a valued asset of the British Empire—and when the miners go on strike, the empire responds with force to suppress it, as happened in real life in 1854. In this parallel world, however, the Independent California Rangers have pledged to defend the strikers, identifying with their slogan: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Aware of the Rangers’ commitment, British troops trick them into leaving the Eureka stockade unguarded before massacring strikers and unarmed bystanders alike. That incident leads to the eventual realization of the title, as revolution is launched against the English, aided by technological innovations aimed at creating a city powered by solar energy. As in the best alternate histories, the authors facilitate buy-in by using real historical figures, such as inventor John Ericsson, the creator of the USS Monitor, who published a design for a solar-powered steam pump in 1870. Harry Turtledove fans are in for a treat..(Oct. 26)