Conquistador: A Novel of Alternate History by S. M. Stirling Published by ROC on 2003
Genres: Type II - Hard/Soft
Pages: 596
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Premise – Point of Divergence (POD)
Firstside: 1946, John Rolfe accidental creates a portal to the line that is subsequently named New Virginia.
New Virginia: This universe is one in which Alexander the Great lived a full lifespan, creating an empire that stretched from Spain to India. In this world, the MAcedonian Empire proved so strong and durable that it redirected the barbarian migrations of the Goths, Vandals, and others eastward towards China and the rest of the Far East. As a result, what remains of China is a hodgepodge of Indo-European dominated states, the Americas remain undiscovered by the Old Worlds, and technology has barely progressed to a medieval level.
The Story
Oakland 1946. Ex-soldier John Rolfe, newly back from the Pacific, has made a fabulous discovery: a portal to an alternate America where Europeans have never set foot - and the only other humans in sight are a band of very curious Indians. Able to return at will to the modern world, Rolf summons the only people with whom he is willing to share his discovery; his war buddies. And he tells them to bring their families ...
Los Angeles, twenty-first century. Fish and Game warden Tom Christiansen is involved in the bust of a smuggling operation. What he turns up is something he never anticipated: a photo of authentic Aztec priests decked out in Grateful Dead T-shirts, and a live condor from a gene pool that doesn't correspond to any known in captivity or the wild. These finds soon lead him to a woman names Adrienne Rolf - and a secret that's been hidden for sixty years ...
The Review
One of my favourite books ever, and one I have read multiple times. I mean, what could be better than two swashbuckling Rangers (ex-rangers but now serving wildlife rangers) and a beautiful heroine dressed in black and leather boots who shanghais them to the other side of the gate.
There’s even a nod at multiple other alternate realities in the library of one of the main characters, and in the slogans of some of the ruling families, I mean ‘Down Styphon!’. What’s there not to like.