I've read a bunch of them--he's not a great writer at the sentence level--more of a dispenser of plot. That said, some of his ideas are good enough to sustain a novel in spite of his technical limitations. *Guns of the South* is pretty good, but I've given up on his series novels, which just go on way too long with diminishing returns.
His buddy S.M. Stirling is better, and more audacious in terms of his concepts (the island of Nantucket is mysteriously transported thousands of years into the past). That kind of conceptual leap can turn people off before they start, which is understandable if you prefer something a little more realistic. But if you can live with the basic idea, he's well worth reading.
Both Turtledove and Stirling are fascinated with military themes, and they both spend long sections describing battles and having characters discuss strategy. Your interest in/tolerance for that sort of thing is going to determine to a large extent how much you like reading these guys.
posted 1 year ago. ( permalink )
