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The Disunited States Of America (Crosstime Traffic book 4) by Harry Turtledove
01/03/2007 . Source: Paul Hanley 
pub: TOR/Forge. 288 page hardback. Price: $24.95 (US), $33.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-31485-1. Buy The Disunited States Of America in the USA - or Buy The Disunited States Of America in the UK  check out website: www.tor-forge.com www.tor-forge.com
This book is apparently the fourth in the 'Crosstown Traffic' series. I have read one of the earlier ones but I think one could have happily read this book without having read any of the preceding books as it is complete in itself.
I think it is primarily intended for younger readers but I enjoyed it (aged 57) so perhaps it is the case that a good book will appeal to all ages.
The basic premise is that in our world, about 50 years into the future, they have discovered how to move between dimensions so they have saved their civilisation by trading (or looting) other timelines. They are the only timeline so far as they are aware able to travel between timelines and this secret is jealously guarded and efforts are made to sabotage any other timeline that seems likely to discover the secret. Crosstime Traffic, which operates the inter-dimensional travel, is a somewhat overmighty subject and governments in its own timeline are trying to control it.
The main protagonist in this story is Justin, a teenager from a Time Trading family who, prior to going to university, goes with his mother to visit an America which is similar technological to their own world except that the separate states never unified into the US of A and therefore states like Virgina, California and Texas are separate political entities more or less in a state of permanent hostilities with each other. The other protagonist is a girl, Beckie. She is from the California of the timeline they are in and visiting Virginia with her grandmother who was born there.
The story is basically how these two cope when war breaks out between Virginia and Ohio and both are trapped in a small Virginian town. Engineered plagues, racial uprising and military intervention make it an exciting tale. As always with Harry Turtledove there are all sorts of interesting political parallels with our own time and he does, as does all good Science Fiction, explore current political problems but in the format of an exciting thriller.
One slightly irritating factor is the rather black and white way he has his main characters react to anything that might be remotely classed as sexism or racism but sometimes it is no bad thing to dislike the hero and heroine for being prigs.
I am sure that if you have read any of the 'Crosstime Traffic' books before you will enjoy this one. Those who have read the prolific Mr Turtledove's other books before will generally have encountered ones where the narrative is told from dozens of viewpoints and gives a panoramic view of a vast event such as a world war. This is a more intimate story and perhaps because of the limited viewpoints provides an exciting and coherent tale.
I would recommend it and would suggest you try the other books in the series. I certainly shall be reading the ones I haven't yet read.
Paul Hanley
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