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The New World Order by Ben Jeapes
01/11/2004 . Source: Andy Stout 
pub: David Fickling Books. 442 page hardback. Price: £12.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-385-60686-9. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk
Alternate histories are a perennially popular sub-genre of SF. They're fairly rare in youth fiction though, perhaps because most authors aren't overly confident that their potential audience will know enough about the proper timeline, never mind one that starts messing with reality.
So at first you tend to think that by setting his latest novel in the midst of the English Civil War, Ben Jeapes is making a considerable leap of faith in the efficacy of a creaking education system. Having romped through 'The New World Order' in about two days flat, however, you quickly realise that it doesn't really matter. Even if you thought Charles II was a sequel and Oliver Cromwell a character in 'Conan The Barbarian', you'd enjoy this book. It is a bit of a page-turner make no mistake.
Jeapes' premise is basically that in the midst of the Civil War, England finds itself invaded by an alien race, the Holekhor. The Holekhor are at a roughly WWI technological level, which inevitably has all sorts of unfortunate implications for castle walls and infantry across the land. Their power is also augmented by 'witches' who can tap into ley lines and it's these who have opened a dimensional portal from their home planet at the White Horse of Uffington.
Crucially, the Holekhor share enough biology with humans to be a) largely indistinguishable and b) in certain cases interbreed. Which means Jeapes can place a well-drawn and nicely conflicted youth at the centre of the story, a boy who finds himself both English and alien at once.
The book starts with Cromwell and General Fairfax laying siege to the Cavalier forces at Donnington Castle in Newbury in May 1645. This actually happened but from there on, events rapidly diverge from the timeline. Cromwell eventually becomes what is probably the world's first modern guerrilla fighter. Charles I doesn't even survive long enough for Parliament to lop off his head and Charles II rapidly has to grow up from brattish adolescence to a ruler chaffing under the occupying yoke of far superior forces.
Jeapes handles all this with commendable conviction. While the book is written with the simple clarity that the youth market requires, there's plenty in there for all ages to get their teeth into. The religious discord between the Holekhor and the extremely God-fearing English of that time is handled with aplomb, the technological and militaristic change wrought on the land is all mapped out convincingly and the book's dark moments are robust enough to send shivers down your spine.
If there are any criticisms of 'The New World Order', it's that the ending feels slightly rushed. Jeapes crams quite a lot into this book and you wish that he'd explored a few areas, the Holekhor culture in particular, in a bit more depth and detail. However, though the book ties up its loose ends neatly, there is definitely scope for more. Hopefully, the Holekhor will be back and interfering with the course of English history again some time soon.
Andy Stout
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