Jump to ratings and reviews

Blood and Iron (American Empire, Book One)

“Blood and Iron is a masterpiece.”—Sci Fi Weekly

World War I—The Great War—has ended, and an uneasy peace reigns around the world. Nowhere is it more fragile than on the continent of North America, where bitter enemies share a single landmass and two long, bloody borders. In the North, proud Canadian nationalists try to resist the colonial power of the United States. In the South, the once-mighty Confederate States have been pounded into poverty and merciless inflation. The time is right for madmen, demagogues, and terrorists. With Socialists rising to power in the U.S., and a dangerous fanatic in the Confederacy preaching a doctrine of hate, more than enough people are eager to return the world to war.

“A master storyteller as well as a trained historian with an imagination . . . [Turtledove] has succeeded in taking title as the premier writer in [alternate history], relentlessly asking what if one or two key events in our reality happened differently. The result is fascinating.”—Houston Chronicle

“Turtledove is a master at weaving details of ordinary life into a much bigger canvas to produce a world that so easily could have been our own. [It] is what keeps readers coming back for more.”—Tulsa World

656 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2006

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Harry Turtledove

572 books2,046 followers
Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.

Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.

Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
23 (60%)
4 stars
11 (28%)
3 stars
4 (10%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
2 reviews
December 2, 2025
good political analysis

I appreciate the depictions of how different demographics reach political positions. I also like some of the character depictions. Not a complete novel. More of an installment.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review