Joe Steele

Written by Harry Turtledove

Narrated by Richard Poe

From "the master of alternate history" comes a standalone novel reimagining a 20th century in which a young Joseph Stalin immigrates to America, calls himself Joe Steele, and turns the United States into an autocracy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490668840

Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove (he/him) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer who Publishers Weekly has called the "Master of Alternate History." He has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Hugo Award for Best Novella, the HOMer Award for Short story, and the John Esthen Cook Award for Southern Fiction. Turtledove’s works include the Crosstime Traffic, Worldwar, Darkness, and Opening of the World series; the standalone novels The House of Daniel, Fort Pillow, and Give Me Back My Legions!; and over a dozen short stories available on Tor.com. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Laura Frankos, and their four daughters.

Reviews for Joe Steele

[velopunk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great alternate history! Joe Steele (Stalin) wins the 1932 Democratic nomination after FDR and Eleanore are killed in a fire set by Steele's operatives. Four Supreme Court Justices are executed after declaring Steele's New Deal legislation unconstitutional. Work camps are opened for Steele's critics, otherwise known as wreckers. The story is told through two newspapermen brothers. One works for Joe Steele as a speech writer. The other has been sent to the camps for trying to investigate FDR's death and the arson behind it. World War II breaks out. The leader of the USSR is Leon Trotsky. Several leading generals are executed in purges after the Japanese attacks caught them by surprise, including Douglas MacArthur. Also executed is Albert Einstein because he held back information on the development of the atomic bomb because he was opposed to it. Hyman Rickover becomes the head of the Manhattan project. The bomb is not available to use on the Japanese and the home islands are invaded by Russia and the United States. Japan is divided into North and South, ala postwar Korea. Like Korea a war breaks out started by North Japan. Both Russia and the U.S. now have atomic weapons and use them in the conflict. J. Edgar Hoover runs the GBI, the Government Bureau of Investigations and ends up in charge of the U.S. after Steele's death. I hope there is a sequel.

[setnahkt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Harry Turtledove writes page-turners; they aren’t great literature but you want to see what happens next. In this case, the premise is a Russian family immigrates to California, where they have a son. He changes his name to Joe Steele (it’s commented that his original family name “sounded like a sneeze”) becomes a lawyer and is elected to Congress. In 1932, with the country deep in the Depression, he vies for the Democratic presidential nomination, proposing his “4 Year Plan” in completion with Roosevelt’s “New Deal” – well, spoilers would follow, but you can probably guess what happens.
Contemplating Steele’s career – which Turtledove makes perfectly plausible – gives me a different take on FDR. I know people of my parent’s generation saw him as the next best thing to The Second Coming. I am therefore grateful that FDR was an affable and basically decent dilettante rather than someone more nefarious; a number of his confidants urged him to assume dictatorial powers (including, reportedly, Eleanor). He probably could have if he’d tried. He didn’t. He may not have had the best possible response to the Great Depression – but it wasn’t the worst possible, either. I will think on that some more.

[dmclane_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harry Turtledove is known for the revisionist history genre, and this story fits the bill completely. Personally I find it interesting to play the game of “what if . . . “ but I'm sure there are those that would be completely bored by the speculative nature of the genre. That being said, once again Harry has done a wonderful job of playing the game and making it seem plausible. I want to thank the publishers, NetGalley, and of course the author for the opportunity to read another enjoyable installment of his work.