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We Install and Other Stories
From Harry Turtledove, bestselling author of the Worldwar series and The Guns of the South, a collection of nine stories and three essays that illuminate his broad storytelling range
Harry Turtledove earned the title “master of alternate history” from Publishers Weekly for his thought-provoking novels that turn historical facts into gripping tales of possibility. But his writing talent goes much further. We Install offers a showcase of styles, from humor—in “Father of the Groom,” a scientist with a penchant for wild experimentation helps his love-struck son by synthesizing a wedding ring out of two carrots—to classic science fiction, as in the Hugo Award–winning “Down in the Bottomlands” and “Hoxbomb,” in which a regular guy just trying to make a living selling scooters has to deal with some very odd competition. The alternate history tale “Drang von Osten” begins on a bloody battlefield in World War II and ends somewhere quite different. In the brand-new “Logan’s Law,” a man discovers that sometimes, second chances really do work out. The book’s three essays tackle the diverse subjects of how to write alternate history, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and the history of Chanukah.
We Install will delight longtime Turtledove fans and new readers alike with its rich offerings from one of the finest craftsmen writing today.
Harry Turtledove earned the title “master of alternate history” from Publishers Weekly for his thought-provoking novels that turn historical facts into gripping tales of possibility. But his writing talent goes much further. We Install offers a showcase of styles, from humor—in “Father of the Groom,” a scientist with a penchant for wild experimentation helps his love-struck son by synthesizing a wedding ring out of two carrots—to classic science fiction, as in the Hugo Award–winning “Down in the Bottomlands” and “Hoxbomb,” in which a regular guy just trying to make a living selling scooters has to deal with some very odd competition. The alternate history tale “Drang von Osten” begins on a bloody battlefield in World War II and ends somewhere quite different. In the brand-new “Logan’s Law,” a man discovers that sometimes, second chances really do work out. The book’s three essays tackle the diverse subjects of how to write alternate history, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and the history of Chanukah.
We Install will delight longtime Turtledove fans and new readers alike with its rich offerings from one of the finest craftsmen writing today.
274 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
47 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Harry Turtledove
566 books1,973 followersDr 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 9, 2015
Truthfully, I didn't read every story. This was a two-week library book, so I had to give it back before I finished. (Insert sadface emoji here.) But the stories I did read were terrific. "Down in the Bottomlands" and "Hoxbomb" linger in my mind. In both of these stories, Turtledove creates complete, detailed, realistic, wholly believable alternate worlds. I read somewhere that in order to write science fiction, you have to ground the reader (or viewer, if you're talking about movies) in a familiar reality; people who've been married for a long time squabble, police work is a lot of foot-slogging drudgery lit by flashes of inspiration, humanoid species will harbor racist and stereotypical opinions about the other humanoid species inhabiting the same planet. That describes the stories in the book perfectly. (The reasons for the mutual dislike between the humans and the aliens who share a planet in "Hoxbomb" were both fascinating and hilarious.) Each of the stories I read was a jewel of thorough, thoughtful and inventive storytelling.
August 26, 2015
A mixed bag that provides an interesting overview of the author but may disappoint readers who are looking for a bunch of alternative history short stories. This is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, mainstream and some thoughts and essays. Have to say I found the essays the least interesting, but if you are interested in how an author thinks and want to go beyond the stories, then this may be your thing. The best stuff lies amongst the sci-fi, Hoxbomb and Down in the Bottomlands which is great and probably the kind of story people might hope the book was packed out with. These are highs along with Under St Peter’s which is a clever bit of fantasy/horror which will leave you thinking long after you have finished the book. There are some attempts at humour which didn’t work for me (We Install for instance) and one long story about WW2 that I completely missed the point of. The rest are generally “okay” but not the sort of stories that really grip you or make you think.
So very much a mixed bag.
So very much a mixed bag.
May 2, 2018
Harry’s early fantasy novels and alternate history short fiction, published in the mid-1980s, weren’t bad. His first full-blown alt-hist novel, Guns of the South, was also pretty good. But shortly thereafter, he began cranking out novels as fast as he could type and their quality degraded badly. Of the sixty or so mostly fat books he’s published in the past twenty-five years, many are unreadable.
He still writes short stories that are more or less science fiction, but those have also become much less enjoyable than his earlier work, and this collection of a dozen pieces published 1993-2013 exemplifies that. Some of them, like the title story and “Drang von Osten,” are one-joke “gotcha” stories, the sort of thing you’d find as a space-filler in the old ASTOUNDING. “Hoxabomb,” a story about cohabitation of a planet with very alien aliens, has some interesting bits but tries way too hard. “Birdwitching,” based on the fact that Harry, his wife, and his eldest daughter are all avid birders, is (unfortunately) just silly; it reads like a script for the old TV series Bewitched. The best story here, “Down in the Bottomlands,” is also by far the longest (a full third of the volume). It’s about the dangers of an arms race in a world in which the Mediterranean remained an empty basin, and in which Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons co-exist with some tension. Note that it’s also the earliest story in the collection. It has also been published in expanded form as a full novel.
Actually, the best stuff here are two essays, “The Ring and I” (about the author’s literary love affair with Middle Earth) and “Alternate History: The How-To of What Might Have Been,” which should be required reading for anyone attempting that sub-genre. So the book is worth your time, but get it from the library and approach what it offers selectively.
He still writes short stories that are more or less science fiction, but those have also become much less enjoyable than his earlier work, and this collection of a dozen pieces published 1993-2013 exemplifies that. Some of them, like the title story and “Drang von Osten,” are one-joke “gotcha” stories, the sort of thing you’d find as a space-filler in the old ASTOUNDING. “Hoxabomb,” a story about cohabitation of a planet with very alien aliens, has some interesting bits but tries way too hard. “Birdwitching,” based on the fact that Harry, his wife, and his eldest daughter are all avid birders, is (unfortunately) just silly; it reads like a script for the old TV series Bewitched. The best story here, “Down in the Bottomlands,” is also by far the longest (a full third of the volume). It’s about the dangers of an arms race in a world in which the Mediterranean remained an empty basin, and in which Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons co-exist with some tension. Note that it’s also the earliest story in the collection. It has also been published in expanded form as a full novel.
Actually, the best stuff here are two essays, “The Ring and I” (about the author’s literary love affair with Middle Earth) and “Alternate History: The How-To of What Might Have Been,” which should be required reading for anyone attempting that sub-genre. So the book is worth your time, but get it from the library and approach what it offers selectively.
April 29, 2019
Many years ago, I read much more science fiction and alternate history than I do now. That was when I was first introduced to Harry Turtledove and his novel The Guns of the South, an alternate history of the American Civil War. When I discovered that a collection of his short stories, novellas, and essays was on sale, I admit I felt nostalgic and bought it. I'm glad I did.
The twelve offerings in this collection range from three essays (which I had the least interest in) to his fiction. My favorites were "Father of the Groom" in which a mad scientist is faced with his son's Bridezilla; "Birdwitching" about a neighborhood's fierce annual competition in counting the various species of birds that visit; and two novellas-- "Hoxbomb" and "Down in the Bottomlands."
These last two are both actually mysteries, so I didn't stray that far from my current preferred milieu, and they both concern aliens, alien landscapes, their customs, and the uneasy truces that exist between them. In both novellas, different sides must work together to both solve the crimes and to keep the peace. "Hoxbomb" and "Down in the Bottomlands" both prove that Turtledove can pretty much write whatever he wants and do it well.
If you want an excellent author's tips on how to write alternate history, or if you're in the mood for humor or a bit of alien investigation, We Install: And Other Stories is a good collection with which to spend a few hours.
The twelve offerings in this collection range from three essays (which I had the least interest in) to his fiction. My favorites were "Father of the Groom" in which a mad scientist is faced with his son's Bridezilla; "Birdwitching" about a neighborhood's fierce annual competition in counting the various species of birds that visit; and two novellas-- "Hoxbomb" and "Down in the Bottomlands."
These last two are both actually mysteries, so I didn't stray that far from my current preferred milieu, and they both concern aliens, alien landscapes, their customs, and the uneasy truces that exist between them. In both novellas, different sides must work together to both solve the crimes and to keep the peace. "Hoxbomb" and "Down in the Bottomlands" both prove that Turtledove can pretty much write whatever he wants and do it well.
If you want an excellent author's tips on how to write alternate history, or if you're in the mood for humor or a bit of alien investigation, We Install: And Other Stories is a good collection with which to spend a few hours.
August 24, 2016
Hoxbomb is a really good story of alien and human societies living side by side and what happens when a crime is committed. Down in the Bottomlands is an excellent novella with an alternative Earth setting and features a backdrop of a great desert valley and an atrocity that must be solved and stopped. We Install is a very short cute story with a play on words. The others were mostly OK but aren't worth mentioning. It shows the range of Turtledove's grand ideas and writing.
July 26, 2024
A mixed bag of fiction and non-fiction, short stories and novellas. Some good, some okay.
There is, however, in the longer pieces, some amazing world building. Hoxbomb and Bottomlands have fully realized worlds which I’d love to see more of.
There is, however, in the longer pieces, some amazing world building. Hoxbomb and Bottomlands have fully realized worlds which I’d love to see more of.
July 27, 2015
Science fiction is a big house with a lot of rooms. Turtledove has managed to leave his calling card in almost all of them, and includes a couple of thought-provoking essays as well. Once again, I send hearty and heart-felt thanks to Net Galley and Open Road Integrated Media for permitting me to glimpse this collection in advance, and free of charge. It goes on sale in August of this year.
I used to read more science fiction than I do now; one reason is that a big branch of it has veered into tech-speak that requires more knowledge than I possess in that field. But another reason also occurred to me as I read these stories, sometimes voraciously and at other times more tentatively, and that is that sci fi requires a flexible mind, and as we get older, our brains don't bend as readily. Now that I know it, I will require myself to read it more frequently, because they say to use it or lose it, and I'm not ready to surrender yet. I did find that there were too many characters and relationships introduced in too little time for me to keep up with "Down in the Bottomlands". This one won the Hugo Award, so I am fairly sure the flaw is mine rather than his. Maybe those of you that are younger and more oriented toward this genre will find it more to your taste.
However, I loved "Hoxbomb", a thought-provoking twist on the notion of computers having intelligence of their own. And I actually laughed out loud during parts of the first selection, "Father of the Groom", and also "Birdwitching". The temerity of "Under St. Peters" left me nearly breathless with admiration; the guy will end up on the Banned Books list for sure if this collection sells well.
Maybe most intriguing of all is the subgenre of alternate history. Turtledove's essay made me want to roll up my sleeves and write again. How much fun could it be?
All told, this is a meaty collection that the sci fi lover should read when it's possible to do so. I promise you'll have a great time, and stretch your mental muscles in the process.
I used to read more science fiction than I do now; one reason is that a big branch of it has veered into tech-speak that requires more knowledge than I possess in that field. But another reason also occurred to me as I read these stories, sometimes voraciously and at other times more tentatively, and that is that sci fi requires a flexible mind, and as we get older, our brains don't bend as readily. Now that I know it, I will require myself to read it more frequently, because they say to use it or lose it, and I'm not ready to surrender yet. I did find that there were too many characters and relationships introduced in too little time for me to keep up with "Down in the Bottomlands". This one won the Hugo Award, so I am fairly sure the flaw is mine rather than his. Maybe those of you that are younger and more oriented toward this genre will find it more to your taste.
However, I loved "Hoxbomb", a thought-provoking twist on the notion of computers having intelligence of their own. And I actually laughed out loud during parts of the first selection, "Father of the Groom", and also "Birdwitching". The temerity of "Under St. Peters" left me nearly breathless with admiration; the guy will end up on the Banned Books list for sure if this collection sells well.
Maybe most intriguing of all is the subgenre of alternate history. Turtledove's essay made me want to roll up my sleeves and write again. How much fun could it be?
All told, this is a meaty collection that the sci fi lover should read when it's possible to do so. I promise you'll have a great time, and stretch your mental muscles in the process.
August 29, 2015
REVIEW: WE INSTALL AND OTHER STORIES by Harry Turtledove
WE INSTALL AND OTHER STORIES is an enlightening showcase of glimpses into the vast range of genius exemplified by acclaimed master author Harry Turtledove. Nine stories, one brand new, will delight readers and inspire a rush to read Mr. Turtledove' s longer works. Three essays cover Chanukah, Tolkien--and from a master of the genre, alternate history.
Turtledove fans will rejoice, and new readers will discover reasons why this long-time award-winning author is so widely acclaimed.
WE INSTALL AND OTHER STORIES is an enlightening showcase of glimpses into the vast range of genius exemplified by acclaimed master author Harry Turtledove. Nine stories, one brand new, will delight readers and inspire a rush to read Mr. Turtledove' s longer works. Three essays cover Chanukah, Tolkien--and from a master of the genre, alternate history.
Turtledove fans will rejoice, and new readers will discover reasons why this long-time award-winning author is so widely acclaimed.
November 24, 2025
Turtledove has built his reputation as the undisputed monarch of alternate history, but We Install and Other Stories shows he’s just as comfortable slipping into compact, idea-rich short fiction.
The title alone hints at something delightfully offbeat—what exactly are “we” installing? Appliances? Empires? Alternate timelines? Turns out, a bit of all of the above.
The stories here work because Turtledove does what he’s always done best: he takes a single conceptual hinge—one switch, one decision, one weird invention—and swings an entire world on it.
His prose is steady, unfussy, and almost deceptively approachable. Blink, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in a timeline where Caesar never died, or where AI quietly inherited the administrative burdens humans keep avoiding.
The standout quality across the collection is Turtledove’s sense of play. Yes, the historical rigour is there. Yes, the speculation is tight. But there’s a sly humour vibrating under everything. He writes like a man who knows history is absurd, humans are absurd, and fiction is the best place to show both truths without anyone calling the cops.
“We Install,” the titular story, might be one of his most charming pieces—a blend of soft sci-fi, workplace banter, and philosophical poking at free will. What starts as a simple job becomes a sly commentary on the systems—political, technological, emotional—that shape our choices without our consent. Very Turtledove. Very cheeky.
Other stories highlight his range. Some feel like warm tributes to classic sci-fi—Asimov, Clarke, and even a touch of Bradbury’s wistful warmth. Others lean into dystopian dread with the kind of “uh-oh this already feels real” energy that makes you want to check your phone’s privacy settings. And then there are the purely speculative nuggets—brief, sharp, and clever.
Turtledove also excels at endings. They don’t slam the door; they click it shut. Often, you’re left thinking the story is still spinning somewhere just outside the page.
That lingering effect? Chef’s kiss.
If you’ve ever wanted a sampler of Turtledove’s imagination without committing to a thousand-page alternate-World-War-II epic, this collection is exactly the right launchpad.
Light, smart, witty, and sneakily profound.
Recommended.
The title alone hints at something delightfully offbeat—what exactly are “we” installing? Appliances? Empires? Alternate timelines? Turns out, a bit of all of the above.
The stories here work because Turtledove does what he’s always done best: he takes a single conceptual hinge—one switch, one decision, one weird invention—and swings an entire world on it.
His prose is steady, unfussy, and almost deceptively approachable. Blink, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in a timeline where Caesar never died, or where AI quietly inherited the administrative burdens humans keep avoiding.
The standout quality across the collection is Turtledove’s sense of play. Yes, the historical rigour is there. Yes, the speculation is tight. But there’s a sly humour vibrating under everything. He writes like a man who knows history is absurd, humans are absurd, and fiction is the best place to show both truths without anyone calling the cops.
“We Install,” the titular story, might be one of his most charming pieces—a blend of soft sci-fi, workplace banter, and philosophical poking at free will. What starts as a simple job becomes a sly commentary on the systems—political, technological, emotional—that shape our choices without our consent. Very Turtledove. Very cheeky.
Other stories highlight his range. Some feel like warm tributes to classic sci-fi—Asimov, Clarke, and even a touch of Bradbury’s wistful warmth. Others lean into dystopian dread with the kind of “uh-oh this already feels real” energy that makes you want to check your phone’s privacy settings. And then there are the purely speculative nuggets—brief, sharp, and clever.
Turtledove also excels at endings. They don’t slam the door; they click it shut. Often, you’re left thinking the story is still spinning somewhere just outside the page.
That lingering effect? Chef’s kiss.
If you’ve ever wanted a sampler of Turtledove’s imagination without committing to a thousand-page alternate-World-War-II epic, this collection is exactly the right launchpad.
Light, smart, witty, and sneakily profound.
Recommended.
Read
September 12, 2025This is a book of short stories (and a few nonfiction essays) by an author of science fiction and alternate history. The offerings are quite a mixed bag. A few of them (“Father of the Groom,” “Birdwitching,” and the title story “We Install”) are mostly funny. Those were my least favorite because the jokey tone felt forced to me, like someone trying too hard.
A few of the stories turn on a single “what if” point. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It, and We Feel Fine,” says that as wild foxes can be bred to have cute dog-like appearances and friendly dog-like personalities, how might it be if humans were bred to be innocent and happy? The war story “Drang von Osten,” I can’t tell you what that is about without giving it away. But I googled the title, which is not explained in the story. “Drang von Osten” means “drive from the east.” During WWII Germany had a saying “Drang nach Osten” which means “drive toward the east.”
“Under St Peter’s” speculates about a truly different future for Jesus Christ. It’s got a twinge of horror to it. That one would surely ruffle some feathers, but highly religious people aren’t likely to read it.
“Hoxbomb” is a police whodunnit that takes place on a planet where humans and an alien race coexist, barely, with mistrust and prejudice. The hoxbomb is a kind of tool of genetic warfare. A human baby is born with its genetic code scrambled and its parts all mixed up. Investigators of both races have to work together to figure out who did it.
The long story “Down in the Bottomlands” is far and away my favorite. The bottomlands are a deep trench on a foreign planet, something like our Grand Canyon, but I think deeper. A tour guide is leading a mixed group of tourists on donkeys down into the trench. The world building, which felt natural and smooth to me, includes the different nationalities and cultures of the people, as well as the history and geology and environment of the park. Then the book turns into a mystery, with murder, espionage, and a terrorist plot.
Turtledove is clearly a writer with a broad range. The cute and silly stories I probably would not go out of my way to read again, but I would enjoy more like “Bottomlands,” which felt like it had depth and complexity, as well as some light humor.
A few of the stories turn on a single “what if” point. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It, and We Feel Fine,” says that as wild foxes can be bred to have cute dog-like appearances and friendly dog-like personalities, how might it be if humans were bred to be innocent and happy? The war story “Drang von Osten,” I can’t tell you what that is about without giving it away. But I googled the title, which is not explained in the story. “Drang von Osten” means “drive from the east.” During WWII Germany had a saying “Drang nach Osten” which means “drive toward the east.”
“Under St Peter’s” speculates about a truly different future for Jesus Christ. It’s got a twinge of horror to it. That one would surely ruffle some feathers, but highly religious people aren’t likely to read it.
“Hoxbomb” is a police whodunnit that takes place on a planet where humans and an alien race coexist, barely, with mistrust and prejudice. The hoxbomb is a kind of tool of genetic warfare. A human baby is born with its genetic code scrambled and its parts all mixed up. Investigators of both races have to work together to figure out who did it.
The long story “Down in the Bottomlands” is far and away my favorite. The bottomlands are a deep trench on a foreign planet, something like our Grand Canyon, but I think deeper. A tour guide is leading a mixed group of tourists on donkeys down into the trench. The world building, which felt natural and smooth to me, includes the different nationalities and cultures of the people, as well as the history and geology and environment of the park. Then the book turns into a mystery, with murder, espionage, and a terrorist plot.
Turtledove is clearly a writer with a broad range. The cute and silly stories I probably would not go out of my way to read again, but I would enjoy more like “Bottomlands,” which felt like it had depth and complexity, as well as some light humor.
September 13, 2018
Truthfully, I only read Down in the Bottomlands, but I loved every minute of it. I thought the characters were realistic (for being something completely different) and the growth they showed in the small amount of time afforded in short stories was amazing. The scenery was vivid and I felt like I was truly there. All of it, I feel, was really well done for having been a short story.
December 13, 2019
The real world of Turtledove
One of my favorite Turtledoves. Because there is a lot of Turtledove in it. Turtledove novels don't have nearly so much. They are good, but they are their own worlds. Here you enter the real world of the real Turtledove. Which turns out to be an interesting place as well, worth the visit, especially if you're a writer.
One of my favorite Turtledoves. Because there is a lot of Turtledove in it. Turtledove novels don't have nearly so much. They are good, but they are their own worlds. Here you enter the real world of the real Turtledove. Which turns out to be an interesting place as well, worth the visit, especially if you're a writer.
January 30, 2020
Another interesting compendium of shorts and essays. Some a bit longer: Down in the Bottomlands is a novella, a crime drama, an alternate history story, and more. There's an essay about writing alt-hist. Every one is a good read.
December 31, 2020
Nice Collection for Turtledove Fans
Good mix of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, mainstream fiction, and non-fiction. We Install and Into The Bottomlands were my favorites but there was really nothing in the collection that I disliked.
Good mix of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, mainstream fiction, and non-fiction. We Install and Into The Bottomlands were my favorites but there was really nothing in the collection that I disliked.
June 20, 2024
A very good collection of stories and essays.
I particularly liked the stories:
Down in the Bottomlands
Under St. Peter's
Hoxbomb
Perspectives on Chanukah was informative and especially meaningfully having been written so soon after September 11th, 2001.
I particularly liked the stories:
Down in the Bottomlands
Under St. Peter's
Hoxbomb
Perspectives on Chanukah was informative and especially meaningfully having been written so soon after September 11th, 2001.
October 31, 2018
Some of these short stories are enjoyable, some not so much.
May 29, 2022
Turtledove has a lot of great ideas but I just don’t like them
December 6, 2023
I'm a sucker for Sci-fi short stories, and these were some pretty good ones.
June 28, 2017
I'm not hugely into short stories, but I do love Harry Turtledove. Some of these were silly, some were fantastical, and some were very enjoyable. I really liked "Down in the Bottomlands" and "Hoxbomb." My favorite thing about this book is that before each story Turtledove wrote a little blurb about his inspiration for it. I really liked seeing those glimpses into his life. I may not have loved every piece of this collection but I am hungry to read the few books of his I haven't read yet.
February 22, 2017
Another anthology
Typical anthology. Some great, some okay, some not so good. But I love Harry Turtledove writings since Guns of the South.
Typical anthology. Some great, some okay, some not so good. But I love Harry Turtledove writings since Guns of the South.
October 1, 2015
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Harry Turtledove earned the title “master of alternate history” from Publishers Weekly for his thought-provoking novels that turn historical facts into gripping tales of possibility. But his writing talent goes much further. We Install offers a showcase of styles, from humor—in “Father of the Groom,” a scientist with a penchant for wild experimentation helps his love-struck son by synthesizing a wedding ring out of two carrots—to classic science fiction, as in the Hugo Award–winning “Down in the Bottomlands” and “Hoxbomb,” in which a regular guy just trying to make a living selling scooters has to deal with some very odd competition. The alternate history tale “Drang von Osten” begins on a bloody battlefield in World War II and ends somewhere quite different. In the brand-new “Logan’s Law,” a man discovers that sometimes, second chances really do work out. The book’s three essays tackle the diverse subjects of how to write alternate history, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and the history of Chanukah.
"We Install" will delight longtime Turtledove fans and new readers alike with its rich offerings from one of the finest craftsmen writing today.
*3.5 stars*
From the get-go, I have to say that I wasn't taken by the non-fiction essays. It may be that I was hoping for something "different" but that's not to say they weren't well written - they just weren't to my taste.
The fiction, however, was an improvement. I had read "Father of the Groom" previously but it never hurts to read good short stories more than once. Beyond that, we have a hit-and-miss collection of fantasy, horror, humour and some alternative fiction blended all together that mostly works. However, if you come to this book looking solely for Alternative history, then you may be a little disappointed.
Paul
ARH
Harry Turtledove earned the title “master of alternate history” from Publishers Weekly for his thought-provoking novels that turn historical facts into gripping tales of possibility. But his writing talent goes much further. We Install offers a showcase of styles, from humor—in “Father of the Groom,” a scientist with a penchant for wild experimentation helps his love-struck son by synthesizing a wedding ring out of two carrots—to classic science fiction, as in the Hugo Award–winning “Down in the Bottomlands” and “Hoxbomb,” in which a regular guy just trying to make a living selling scooters has to deal with some very odd competition. The alternate history tale “Drang von Osten” begins on a bloody battlefield in World War II and ends somewhere quite different. In the brand-new “Logan’s Law,” a man discovers that sometimes, second chances really do work out. The book’s three essays tackle the diverse subjects of how to write alternate history, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and the history of Chanukah.
"We Install" will delight longtime Turtledove fans and new readers alike with its rich offerings from one of the finest craftsmen writing today.
*3.5 stars*
From the get-go, I have to say that I wasn't taken by the non-fiction essays. It may be that I was hoping for something "different" but that's not to say they weren't well written - they just weren't to my taste.
The fiction, however, was an improvement. I had read "Father of the Groom" previously but it never hurts to read good short stories more than once. Beyond that, we have a hit-and-miss collection of fantasy, horror, humour and some alternative fiction blended all together that mostly works. However, if you come to this book looking solely for Alternative history, then you may be a little disappointed.
Paul
ARH
June 30, 2015
“We Install and Other Stories,” by Harry Turtledove is a collection of mostly previously published fiction and non-fiction. I have been a Turtledove fan for over 25 years, since reading a Turtledove book gifted to me from the grand father. I’ve read as much Turtledove as I could get my hands on in the last decades. Most of the time, I haven’t been disappointed.
“We Install” was a cute quick read. I must confess, I completely skipped over the three non-fiction essays contained in this collection. I understand that Dr. Turtledove is a very versed person with knowledge spanning many subjects, but when I think Turtledove, I think speculative and alternate history fiction. I’m simply uninterested in non-fiction.
Turtledove has kept me enthralled for years by his fiction, and the remaining fiction stories in this collection are no different. A mix of speculative and historical stories are contained in this collection allow a varied sampling of Dr. Turtledove’s range of talent. This collection is a must have for any diehard fan, but I fear the casual or new fan may find this collection a bit cerebral.
Because I have to weigh my own Turtledove fandom against what the average reader might consider, I’m forced to only rate this collection three stars.
“We Install” was a cute quick read. I must confess, I completely skipped over the three non-fiction essays contained in this collection. I understand that Dr. Turtledove is a very versed person with knowledge spanning many subjects, but when I think Turtledove, I think speculative and alternate history fiction. I’m simply uninterested in non-fiction.
Turtledove has kept me enthralled for years by his fiction, and the remaining fiction stories in this collection are no different. A mix of speculative and historical stories are contained in this collection allow a varied sampling of Dr. Turtledove’s range of talent. This collection is a must have for any diehard fan, but I fear the casual or new fan may find this collection a bit cerebral.
Because I have to weigh my own Turtledove fandom against what the average reader might consider, I’m forced to only rate this collection three stars.
April 17, 2016
A mostly good set of short stories, and a couple of non-fiction pieces thrown in for good luck.
1. Father of the Groom - What if a bridezilla was real? (12p)
2. We Install - Solar systems. Literally (4p)
3. Alternate History (Non fiction) Explaining what makes a good alt-history story. (10p)
4. Drang von Osten - A bad example of alt-history (24p)
5. Hoxbomb - Science Fiction murder mystery (54p)
6. Logan's Law - General fiction (10p)
7. The Ring and I - (Non fiction) how JRR Tolkien made the fantasy genre (10p)
8. Birdwatching - How bird watching could be interesting (16p)
9. Down in the Bottomlands - Sci Fi / Alt Earth? A Good mystery (100p)
10. Perspectives on Chunukah - (Non Fiction) discussion on Jewish history (6p)
11. Under St Peter's - The new pope discovers a very old secret (16p)
12. It's the end of the world as we know it, and we feel fine - Sci Fi/Alt Hist Genetic future (12p)
Some have described it as hit and miss. But the length of the stories makes them all an easy read, and well worth reading.
1. Father of the Groom - What if a bridezilla was real? (12p)
2. We Install - Solar systems. Literally (4p)
3. Alternate History (Non fiction) Explaining what makes a good alt-history story. (10p)
4. Drang von Osten - A bad example of alt-history (24p)
5. Hoxbomb - Science Fiction murder mystery (54p)
6. Logan's Law - General fiction (10p)
7. The Ring and I - (Non fiction) how JRR Tolkien made the fantasy genre (10p)
8. Birdwatching - How bird watching could be interesting (16p)
9. Down in the Bottomlands - Sci Fi / Alt Earth? A Good mystery (100p)
10. Perspectives on Chunukah - (Non Fiction) discussion on Jewish history (6p)
11. Under St Peter's - The new pope discovers a very old secret (16p)
12. It's the end of the world as we know it, and we feel fine - Sci Fi/Alt Hist Genetic future (12p)
Some have described it as hit and miss. But the length of the stories makes them all an easy read, and well worth reading.
May 3, 2016
I don't usually care for Turtledove's novels (I've read a few), but I enjoyed all these stories. Not a dud in the bunch. Two of the most interesting are Hugo-winning "Down in the Bottomlands" and the essay, "The Ring and I." "Bottomlands" seems to take place millions of years in the past or millions of years in the future in a dried up seabed, surrounded by mountains holding back the oceans. Was it one of the ancient lakes of the Pleistocene in the US? The hints are the presence of humpless camels and that the people aren't quite homo sapiens, although they act and think like modern humans. "The Ring and I' echoes my own experience when I discovered Lord of the Rings in the 1960's at about the same age as Turtledove. One thing that struck me is that he agrees with me that Tolkien was such a giant that he spawned, not only imitators, but imitators of imitators of imitators, making it hard to find good Heroic Fantasy (as well as making it mandatory that all heroic fantasies must be trilogies).
November 1, 2015
We install is a collects of the author's stories and three essays. His Hugo award winning story "Down in the Bottomlands". Is excellent. It is my favorite story in the collection. Harry Turtledove is an author that I haven't read very much. This turned out to be a good introduction to his stories that aren't alternative history.
The author's writing is excellent -- it's witty and invities you to read his book. I think that this book is a good introduction to Harry Turtledove.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
The author's writing is excellent -- it's witty and invities you to read his book. I think that this book is a good introduction to Harry Turtledove.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
August 5, 2015
As you may have guessed from the title, this is a collection of 9 short stories and 3 essays by Harry Turtledove. A couple appear in print for the first time, the rest are reprints from story collections or SF magazines. I had read "Father of the Groom" and "Birdwitching" before, but still enjoyed encountering them again. The others were new to me, but quite enjoyable tales. There is a mix of mysteries, over the top Sci Fi and Fantasy, a tall tale or two and a war tale that seems to come out of headlines. If you enjoy short stories and or tales by Harry Turtledove, you will not be disappointed with We Install!
March 6, 2016
Overall, not a bad book. I was a bit disappointed that the title of the book was taken from a short story that was only four pages long, but I got over it. The novella "The Bottomlands" was one that won Turtledove a Hugo Award and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed very much reading about his perspectives on science fiction and alternative history as you don't often get to see or hear that much about what authors think about their genres.
It is far from the best thing that Turtledove has ever published, but I thought it was still worth buying and I will put it on my already crowded bookcase with all my other Turtledove books.
It is far from the best thing that Turtledove has ever published, but I thought it was still worth buying and I will put it on my already crowded bookcase with all my other Turtledove books.
July 19, 2016
Another great collection of Turtledove short stories and novellas. It was especially fun to see a few short non-fiction essays from Harry. Most of the stories fall into one of two types - a short fun quirky sci-fi or fantasy story such as Father of the Groom or Birdwitching, or a straight up alternate history, such as Drang von Osten or the excellent Down in the Bottomlands. The one caviat about this collection is the repeat of Down in the Bottomlands, which was previously published in the 1999 collection Down in the Bottomlands (and other places). That however is a mix of Turtledove and L. Sprague De Camp, so this is the better collection for pure Turtledove goodness.
February 7, 2016
Like others mentioned, its a mixed bag. Some stories were fun. Others, like the endless WWII one, I finished but sad that I made the effort. Also don't get why Turtledove prefaced all the pieces with some little anecdote. None heightened the story and most had nothing to say, leaving me disappointed before I'd even started.
I had lunch with him once through his publisher. He might just be shy but he wasn't much of a dining companion so overall I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did enjoy some of these stories.
I had lunch with him once through his publisher. He might just be shy but he wasn't much of a dining companion so overall I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did enjoy some of these stories.
April 15, 2015
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Like most short story collections, this is a pretty mixed bag. Some of the stories are alright, a few are pretty good, and there are a few stinkers. I think the most successful was Down in the Bottomlands, and the nonfiction pieces were my least favorites. I wouldn't really recommend this as a starting point for Harry Turtledove, people who really enjoy his works would be the ideal audience.
Like most short story collections, this is a pretty mixed bag. Some of the stories are alright, a few are pretty good, and there are a few stinkers. I think the most successful was Down in the Bottomlands, and the nonfiction pieces were my least favorites. I wouldn't really recommend this as a starting point for Harry Turtledove, people who really enjoy his works would be the ideal audience.
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