Rating: 
Summary: well-thought out, but ponderous at times
Review: While many fans of alternate history will tell you this is a lnadmark in the genre, the finest ever written, I thought that would be exaggerating. Sobel's other work is in the field of economics, and he puts that knowledge to good use by detailing the economic history of this timeline, going through bull markets and recessions. But after a while the endless economic analysis gets plodding.This isn't written as a novel, but rather a historical text from the alternate timeline's view. It is quite the treatise. I was amazed and amused at the extent to which Sobel carries the joke, including a 15-page bibliography of "sources" from the other history, a preface by himself from the other history, and a closing "critique" supposedly by another historian in the other history. The subtitle to the book, found on the title page, is the only place you see anything admitting his history isn't real. But this works aginst Sobel sometimes. I was unable to find any sources from our history, even ones written before the two timelines diverge dealing with the years both have in common. These years are footnoted with materials "written" long after the fact. I think real sources were called for here; and for showing why certain real people would behave as they do here. Sobel's work also could stand some better proofreading. Every now and then, people who were born well after this timeline breaks from ours appear (Lincoln, Edison, Rockefeller, etc.) Some play larger parts than others. But most of them have no business existing in this world, let alone in similar roles (Edison was still an inventing genius, Lincoln still became a lawyer). Sobel could also have used a proofreader to avoid internal inconsistency. Sometimes you read something which doesn't go well with what you read a few pages back. Winfield Scott is mentioned as learning of key Mexican war plans in 1850 as Governor-General of North America, but on the next page it says he resigned in 1849! Either he was in office or not. But the inconsistencies don't amount to anything major. All in all, it's still a good alternate history book.
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