Review: Patton&#8217;s Spaceship
<p><cite>Patton&#8217;s Spaceship</cite> (John Barnes; Open Road Integrated Media) is a new e-book release of an effort from 1996.</p>
<p>Parts of the early action, in which the protagonist loses his family to a vicious terrorist group of unknown (and very exotic) origins, seem sadly dated in light of the even greater viciousness that terrorist groups of thoroughly well-known origins  have since exhibited.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, much of this novel is an entertaining alternate-history adventure, presenting (among other things) the most grubby and creepily plausible portrait of a U.S. under Nazi domination I have seen.</p>
<p>Alas, I must report that Barnes tends to get a bit too cute in name-checking historical figures. In the most extreme instance of this he makes the poet Allen Ginsburg into an action hero. That move is perhaps best read as unintentional comedy; for some intentional comedy, see if you can spot Robert Heinlein&#8217;s cameo appearance.</p>
<p>Barnes has written better, before and since.  But this isn&#8217;t bad.</p>
