Curious Notions (Crosstime Traffic book 2) by Harry Turtledove
01/01/2005 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: TOR. 272 page hardback. Price: $23.95 (US), $33.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-30694-8. 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.tor.com and www.sfsite.com/~turtledove.html/
An organisation called Crosstime Traffic based on our version of Earth operates in our universe 'alternates'. In each 'alternate', the history of Earth has taken a different turn. This may sound familiar to those fans of TV's 'Sliders'. The idea comes from string theory which states that there are universes literally piled on each other - so close but impossible to reach.
For Paul Gomes and his father, it's just a job. Working for Crosstime Traffic, they move where necessary within the different alternates. They are traders and secret agents, finding food for their own dimension that suffers from a lack of resources whilst offering illegal technology to those who can afford it and keeping an eye on developments within their 'country'.
This time, the alternate is an America that was overrun by the Germans after World War I. Having occupied the country for over one hundred years, the Germans maintain a high degree of secrecy around technological developments and also operate a two-tier state where most of the power is still held by the occupiers.
As soon as Paul and his father arrive, they realise that their position is compromised and when they are approached by German officials, panic and name a trader in China Town as their source of the illegal technology. By doing this, they set off a chain of events that leads to the intervention of the Chinese Tongs and put their lives and liberty in further danger.
It's a great idea and Turtledove is an old hand at using alternatives to set stories but this particular tale feels rather tired. Using the German state, pre-Hitler, gets him out of any difficult questions about Fascism and nothing much is made of how an occupying power would really develop over a long period. Not much happens in the book either and it breaks down into a series of conversations between Paul and his father, his Chinese friend Lucy and so on with occasional dramatic events. It drags, is repetitive and offers no insight into the historical context that make it worth reading either. 'Gunpowder Empire' was more enjoyable but this was rather a disappointment.
Sue Davies
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