Post by exorcist on Jul 29, 2007 13:19:08 GMT -8
I just finished work on a new book, thought you all might want to take a little peek-
The basic departure from reality is that a Confederate spy arrives in London with Documented proof of how powerful th Union War Machine is becoming. (By 1865, teh Union Navy was larger than the Royal Navy in terms of total tonnage) European Impreialists draw the conclusion that teh US will use it's new-found power the same way they would themselves; to dominate the world and it's commerce. Therefore, the British Government decides that the South must nto be allowed to fall.
France is ready to join the effort, but both Empires underestimate the amount of force needed to break the Union. Foreign intervention has turned a Civil War into a struggle for national survival from the Union point of view.
The storylines are vast, so I limit the book to what is seen, discussed and done by seven people. William Brighton is a British sailor of humble origins who enters the war with and chip on his shoulder. His heroic deeds cause him to rise in English society… as high as a man such as he is allowed to go. Theodore Wicher the 2nd is a rising star in the New York Times. Writing under the byline of Durance Vile, his propaganda stokes the fire in the belly of the Union beast. Sergei Mantychskaya is a Russian Cossack who’s travels will take him from Poland to Texas, the long way around. He is either a barrel of laughs or a Holy Terror, depending on the situation and your point of view. Jarred Voight is a US Marine, and gets more lines than any other character. A driven achiever, his career spans most of the Unionist efforts. Hamp Bramblett is a young Confederate officer from the upper class of Virginia. His meteoric rise burns him out, and this man disintegrates before our very eyes. Otto von Schlabach is a frustrated Prussian adventurer and Mercenary. His actions will literally take him a world away from where he started. Princess Tasanee is a Siamese Princess, a very precocious and dedicated young girl. Her part in all this might seem minor at first, but her personality development is needed to explain the stunning, outrageous manner in which she strikes the blow that wins the war.
To begin with, the first chapter introduces all the characters and explains their backgrounds and the current situations in the first week of January, 1863. Billy is enlisting, Sergei is headed off to quell a rebellion, and Ted is being drummed out of camp by a General who despises reporters. Jarred is finding out that he is about to make a last stand on Cape Hatteras, Otto is being banished to San Francisco, and Hamp is the only one involved in actual combat. The Princess is assigned to learn a European language.
1863 is a hesitant year filled with confusion and disasters for the Union. Maine is lost, and so are all the Union positions between New Orleans and Cape Hatteras. Russia joins the war on the Union side, but can do little for the US at first, aside from moral support. Billy saves his flagship with a daring stunt, Otto kicks California into shape, and Serge begins his long trek to Alaska.
In 1864, the war expands to frightening proportions. Spain joins the “Allies” but does little to help the confederacy, their aim is to take advantage of the chaos in South America, and re-build their colonial empire. On that continent, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are fighting Paraguay. Spain sides with the Triple Alliance, but instead of helping crush little Paraguay, they seize the Nitrate-rich Guano islands off Chile, thus pushing Chile and Peru into the war on the Union side.
That is a minor sideshow compared to what happens in North America. The Allied strategy to break the Union is a three pronged attack to converge where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet. The plan fails, partly because Serge’ and his Cossacks arrive in Canada in the summer and raise hell all the way to the British supply lines. Jarred and his men just barely manage to escape from Hatteras, and battles with Hamp on his way out. Both men are badly hurt, and Jarred is given a new assignment. He is sent to lead a Military Mission to Russia, but is diverted to Prussia, and does everything he can to involve that nation in the war.
Otto flees a scandal, and reaches Thailand by the end of the year. He is assigned an interpreter; Tasanee. In the last two years she has matured into a comely, sharp-edged woman. Her closest brother and her fiance’ have both been killed in grizzly accidents.
1865 sees the war spiral into a truly global conflict. Jarred gets his wish, but first Prussia must defeat Austria. Once they do, Russia invades the Ottoman Empire, and opens up the Balkans and Anatolia up and fronts in the war. The Czar cannot break through to the Middle East right away; Britain has been keeping a large army in reserve for just such an emergency.
At the same time, two decisive battles are fought in North America. Off Martha’s Vineyard, a colossal naval battle is fought between the Royal Navy and all the Ironclads the Union can muster. Billy earns his second Victoria Cross, but his side looses this one. Days later, Ganral Lee confronts the Army of the Potomac at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Hamp is there, and also looses his first battle, right along with General Lee.
Meanwhile, Otto has proven to be the staff genius he always claimed to be. He has done such a good job of re-organizing and training that the King of Siam decides to enter the war, on the Unionist side. As soon as the monsoon ends, they invade Cambodia to rectify old injustices, and meet with stunning success.
Once Austria has been dealt with, Prussia knocks France out of the war, with help from Jarred and some borrowed Russian Troops. A united Germany is born, and the focus of the war shifts to Turkey while the Confederacy begins collapsing. Union-instigated slave revolts undermine the South, and give some much-needed stature to the Blacks in America.
In 1866 Jarred leads an amphibious landing that out-flanks Constantinople, and this soon leads to a Turkish surrender. Greece and Italy have joined the Unionist side, and things also take a turn for the better in South America. During the dying gasp of the Confederacy, Hamp, Serge and Ted all cross paths in Texas. All through the war, Ted has been using people like Otto, Jarred and even Sergei for stories, and he goes to the West because he thinks someone is trying to kill him. (He is right. After kidnapping President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth has been tracking down Durance Vile.) Three major characters die at Adobe Walls within feet of each other.
Once Siam has settled its score with Cambodia, it turns on Burma and Malaysia. These campaigns bog down, and Tasanee makes a daring, forbidden move. She takes a cardboard “Ironclad” to Singapore, to try and trick the British into surrendering. Otto goes after her to stop the hair-brained scheme, and winds up getting dragged along with it. Extraordinary circumstances and fierce determination see them through an incredible day… with just a tiny bit of help from Billy Brighton. The little British tar has had enough of an endless, bitter war, and decides to do something for himself for once.
A bond has formed between Otto and Tasanee during their adventures together, which blossoms into exactly the kind of relationship would land a Princess in hot water. However, King Mongkut of Siam soon arrives magnanimously blesses the union, and recognizes Singapore as a colony of Germany. This gives Siam a nice little buffer between themselves and the other great imperialist power in Asia; teh Dutch. For Otto, Tasanee and even Billy, it is a very happy ending.
Jarred and his International Corps of Prussians, Russians and Americans have finally been stopped by the British, in Egypt. Tragically, this is where Jarred meets his end. He is not felled by a bullet, but by malaria that he contracted when he was within sight of the Pyramids. He dies without any trace of self-pity, proud that he has been able to accomplish so much in so short a time.
The sudden, inexplicable fall of Singapore has shocked the British Empire. The hard-liners are not ready to quit, however, and neither is the new Prime Minister; Disraeli. Buoyed by reports of new super-weapons, he might have continued the war for months… were it not for the intervention of Queen Victoria. President Lincoln was evacuated from the last Confederate Capitol and sent to England. He has been a house guest at Windsor Castle, and the President and the Queen have been able to come to an understanding.
The book ends in the same place it began, with the same maid eaves-dropping on a meeting that sees Disraeli dismissed and the war brought to a close. Lincoln assures Victoria that the United States has no desire to conquer the world, but hints that perhaps Imperialism is no longer the right way to go.
I still have to sell this thing. How does it sound to you?
Plausible, entertaining, worth 2 years of my time?
The basic departure from reality is that a Confederate spy arrives in London with Documented proof of how powerful th Union War Machine is becoming. (By 1865, teh Union Navy was larger than the Royal Navy in terms of total tonnage) European Impreialists draw the conclusion that teh US will use it's new-found power the same way they would themselves; to dominate the world and it's commerce. Therefore, the British Government decides that the South must nto be allowed to fall.
France is ready to join the effort, but both Empires underestimate the amount of force needed to break the Union. Foreign intervention has turned a Civil War into a struggle for national survival from the Union point of view.
The storylines are vast, so I limit the book to what is seen, discussed and done by seven people. William Brighton is a British sailor of humble origins who enters the war with and chip on his shoulder. His heroic deeds cause him to rise in English society… as high as a man such as he is allowed to go. Theodore Wicher the 2nd is a rising star in the New York Times. Writing under the byline of Durance Vile, his propaganda stokes the fire in the belly of the Union beast. Sergei Mantychskaya is a Russian Cossack who’s travels will take him from Poland to Texas, the long way around. He is either a barrel of laughs or a Holy Terror, depending on the situation and your point of view. Jarred Voight is a US Marine, and gets more lines than any other character. A driven achiever, his career spans most of the Unionist efforts. Hamp Bramblett is a young Confederate officer from the upper class of Virginia. His meteoric rise burns him out, and this man disintegrates before our very eyes. Otto von Schlabach is a frustrated Prussian adventurer and Mercenary. His actions will literally take him a world away from where he started. Princess Tasanee is a Siamese Princess, a very precocious and dedicated young girl. Her part in all this might seem minor at first, but her personality development is needed to explain the stunning, outrageous manner in which she strikes the blow that wins the war.
To begin with, the first chapter introduces all the characters and explains their backgrounds and the current situations in the first week of January, 1863. Billy is enlisting, Sergei is headed off to quell a rebellion, and Ted is being drummed out of camp by a General who despises reporters. Jarred is finding out that he is about to make a last stand on Cape Hatteras, Otto is being banished to San Francisco, and Hamp is the only one involved in actual combat. The Princess is assigned to learn a European language.
1863 is a hesitant year filled with confusion and disasters for the Union. Maine is lost, and so are all the Union positions between New Orleans and Cape Hatteras. Russia joins the war on the Union side, but can do little for the US at first, aside from moral support. Billy saves his flagship with a daring stunt, Otto kicks California into shape, and Serge begins his long trek to Alaska.
In 1864, the war expands to frightening proportions. Spain joins the “Allies” but does little to help the confederacy, their aim is to take advantage of the chaos in South America, and re-build their colonial empire. On that continent, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are fighting Paraguay. Spain sides with the Triple Alliance, but instead of helping crush little Paraguay, they seize the Nitrate-rich Guano islands off Chile, thus pushing Chile and Peru into the war on the Union side.
That is a minor sideshow compared to what happens in North America. The Allied strategy to break the Union is a three pronged attack to converge where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet. The plan fails, partly because Serge’ and his Cossacks arrive in Canada in the summer and raise hell all the way to the British supply lines. Jarred and his men just barely manage to escape from Hatteras, and battles with Hamp on his way out. Both men are badly hurt, and Jarred is given a new assignment. He is sent to lead a Military Mission to Russia, but is diverted to Prussia, and does everything he can to involve that nation in the war.
Otto flees a scandal, and reaches Thailand by the end of the year. He is assigned an interpreter; Tasanee. In the last two years she has matured into a comely, sharp-edged woman. Her closest brother and her fiance’ have both been killed in grizzly accidents.
1865 sees the war spiral into a truly global conflict. Jarred gets his wish, but first Prussia must defeat Austria. Once they do, Russia invades the Ottoman Empire, and opens up the Balkans and Anatolia up and fronts in the war. The Czar cannot break through to the Middle East right away; Britain has been keeping a large army in reserve for just such an emergency.
At the same time, two decisive battles are fought in North America. Off Martha’s Vineyard, a colossal naval battle is fought between the Royal Navy and all the Ironclads the Union can muster. Billy earns his second Victoria Cross, but his side looses this one. Days later, Ganral Lee confronts the Army of the Potomac at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Hamp is there, and also looses his first battle, right along with General Lee.
Meanwhile, Otto has proven to be the staff genius he always claimed to be. He has done such a good job of re-organizing and training that the King of Siam decides to enter the war, on the Unionist side. As soon as the monsoon ends, they invade Cambodia to rectify old injustices, and meet with stunning success.
Once Austria has been dealt with, Prussia knocks France out of the war, with help from Jarred and some borrowed Russian Troops. A united Germany is born, and the focus of the war shifts to Turkey while the Confederacy begins collapsing. Union-instigated slave revolts undermine the South, and give some much-needed stature to the Blacks in America.
In 1866 Jarred leads an amphibious landing that out-flanks Constantinople, and this soon leads to a Turkish surrender. Greece and Italy have joined the Unionist side, and things also take a turn for the better in South America. During the dying gasp of the Confederacy, Hamp, Serge and Ted all cross paths in Texas. All through the war, Ted has been using people like Otto, Jarred and even Sergei for stories, and he goes to the West because he thinks someone is trying to kill him. (He is right. After kidnapping President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth has been tracking down Durance Vile.) Three major characters die at Adobe Walls within feet of each other.
Once Siam has settled its score with Cambodia, it turns on Burma and Malaysia. These campaigns bog down, and Tasanee makes a daring, forbidden move. She takes a cardboard “Ironclad” to Singapore, to try and trick the British into surrendering. Otto goes after her to stop the hair-brained scheme, and winds up getting dragged along with it. Extraordinary circumstances and fierce determination see them through an incredible day… with just a tiny bit of help from Billy Brighton. The little British tar has had enough of an endless, bitter war, and decides to do something for himself for once.
A bond has formed between Otto and Tasanee during their adventures together, which blossoms into exactly the kind of relationship would land a Princess in hot water. However, King Mongkut of Siam soon arrives magnanimously blesses the union, and recognizes Singapore as a colony of Germany. This gives Siam a nice little buffer between themselves and the other great imperialist power in Asia; teh Dutch. For Otto, Tasanee and even Billy, it is a very happy ending.
Jarred and his International Corps of Prussians, Russians and Americans have finally been stopped by the British, in Egypt. Tragically, this is where Jarred meets his end. He is not felled by a bullet, but by malaria that he contracted when he was within sight of the Pyramids. He dies without any trace of self-pity, proud that he has been able to accomplish so much in so short a time.
The sudden, inexplicable fall of Singapore has shocked the British Empire. The hard-liners are not ready to quit, however, and neither is the new Prime Minister; Disraeli. Buoyed by reports of new super-weapons, he might have continued the war for months… were it not for the intervention of Queen Victoria. President Lincoln was evacuated from the last Confederate Capitol and sent to England. He has been a house guest at Windsor Castle, and the President and the Queen have been able to come to an understanding.
The book ends in the same place it began, with the same maid eaves-dropping on a meeting that sees Disraeli dismissed and the war brought to a close. Lincoln assures Victoria that the United States has no desire to conquer the world, but hints that perhaps Imperialism is no longer the right way to go.
I still have to sell this thing. How does it sound to you?
Plausible, entertaining, worth 2 years of my time?
