Conquistador (Stirling)

I first saw Conquistador in an airport bookstore, but after reading Dies the Fire, I wasn’t sure I’d like it enough to buy it in hardcover; instead, I put it on my to-read list. I’m glad I did, because it was a great read. The basic storyline is simple: a freshly returned World War II vet accidentally opens a gateway to an alternate Earth where Alexander the Great didn’t die in 323. To sum up, this means that Europeans never colonized North America– so the vet discovers a pristine, mostly uninhabited California, which he proceeds to colonize. Most of the story is set in 2009. Tom Christiansen, an agent for the California Department of Fish and Game, begins investigating some odd findings in a poaching investigation; that leads him, through a fairly interesting series of switchbacks, to the other side of the Gate. I don’t want to reveal too many details of the story, becuase it’s well-plotted enough that I don’t want to spoil it. However, I will say that the characterizations are excellent; the dialogue realistic, and the overall story plausible. Assuming you accept the possibility of the Gate, the rest of the novel’s developments flow logically from the characters and their actions. Highly recommended.