Return Engagement

In an electrifying alternate 1941, a fragile global peace hangs by a thread, with powerful nations like Japan, Imperial Russia, and Britain each pursuing their own agendas. The true flashpoint, however, lies in North America, where the United States confronts the expansionist Confederate States of America. Jake Featherston, the megalomaniacal leader of the CSA's Freedom Party, consolidates his power through brutal suppression of a 'Negro rebellion.' Across the border, Al Smith, the Socialist U.S. President, symbolizes hope for a nation scarred by war and depression. The uneasy calm shatters when Featherston launches a devastating aerial assault on Philadelphia, igniting a full-scale war. This gripping installment plunges readers into a vortex of destruction, betrayal, and unchecked fury, as Turtledove masterfully explores the complex characters and chilling political realities of a world spiraling into an unimaginable conflict that even its instigators struggle to control.