Sherman

by Joseph Hurtgen

The Seminal Indians recruit William Tecumseh Sherman as a time traveler and political lobbyist. He visits American presidents and advocates for greater environmental protections. But the presidents don't receive Sherman well, and many of the Seminals want a more radical approach to fixing America's problems and exacting vengeance against the people that destroyed their ancestor's way of life.From Andrew Jackson's destruction of Natives to the racist and fascist rule of the 45th president, Dick Powers, Sherman and the Seminals encounter the worst America has to offer.

232 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2019

About the author

I am a student of science fiction, always reading new and old SF. After finishing a PhD in English Literature with an emphasis in Science Fiction Literature, I started a blog to review and analyze SF.

I have 1 published book examining what I call archival embodiment--using people as information storage.

I write science fiction. I have a lot of ideas about what science fiction should do and I try to jam it all in there. Sci-fi should:
1. examine science and technology, often creating novums--new tech
2. constitute a critical interrogation of society--it is cultural commentary
3. make people laugh

All of the best science fiction authors do most or all of those three things really well.

Aside from all that, I live in Campbellsville, Kentucky with my lovely wife Rebecca and daughter Frances. We go on walks as frequently as possible. We have a park and a lake nearby, so there's always something pretty to see. Rebecca reads a lot of detective fiction. Frances is really into Charlie Brown, Garfield, and Calvin and Hobbes. I like books by Philip K Dick, Bruce Sterling, and Steven Kotler.

Reviews

[Amani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a time traveling novel that was well-written. Sherman fights for environmental rights and it’s a fantastic scientific story as well. I enjoyed reading about the Rebels and Lightfoot. I also liked how it kind of resembled the book, “The President is Missing.”|| Overall, I enjoyed it but the only reason it’s not a 5 star for me is because of the ending. I wanted a happy or bitter-sweet ending but this one was pretty sad... especially for Sherman.|| As a writer, I enjoyed reading about the journey Sherman went through. ||

[Mark Everglade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherman is a wonderful novel that is one of the most unusual books I’ve ever read. It’s equally science fiction and historical fiction, but it's also full of post-modern satire. Like history, it refuses to be categorized into any single category. It reads like Cloud Atlas with a touch of Idiocracy and Sliders, but goes beyond those limitations.

Time travel in the book is a narrative device to fuel a post-modern deconstruction of grand historical narratives. If someone wants a novel that, like Poseidon, constantly changes as you try to grab onto it, full of scientific discoveries and the weirdest, wildest plot you've read, you've got that. For those who want a deeper, philosophical inquiry into our current political milieu, fueled through the perspectives of both the powerful and the powerless, you've got that as well. Masterfully done.