Napoleon in America “best alternate historical fiction since Gettysburg”

In a review of Napoleon in America on the excellent Adventures in Historyland website, Josh Provan writes:

Naively we ask ‘what if Napoleon escaped?’ But that is just the beginning….

A thousand cans of a thousand worms are let open by this one action, and Selin demonstrates a cool mastery over each response. Creating a highly believable, authentic and not too far fetched or overblown scenario that is almost at the other extreme understated rather than implausible.

Populated by real people, speaking much as they might have, with scrupulous adherence to their historical beliefs, each new figure is a brilliantly researched vignette….

Napoleon is particularly well drawn, displaying a good blend of loud and quiet moments. He is always speaking in proverbs and quotable blurbs, acting like a ‘baby of 52’ to quote one character, setting out for a quiet existence in exile, yet slowly becoming more and more active, following his old pattern. We are drawn on here, fascinated to see Selin’s vision for her very plausible Napoleon, and where it will lead….

The book ends with a bang, and the promise of unfinished business. All in all I’d say this is the best alternate historical fiction I’ve read since Gettysburg.

Click here to read the full review.