How To Survive In An Alternate World Around The 19th Century Of Development – Rex Knight Does It
Wild Nitro – by David C. Brown. ISBN 978-0-9831907-9-0. Published by the author, 2017. ($ 12.99 from Barnes & Noble, paperback). The reviewer received the author’s book in pdf format.
David Brown has composed an epic alternative fantasy story from the 19th century.
Rex Knight is the protagonist. From Rex’s mysterious transport from Earth to his early years in Erden, named after the inhabitants for his planet, he struggles to survive, thrive, and ultimately succeed in great ways. Most of the story is related from Rex’s point of view.
There are other transported breeds and groupings of people. The Wapiti spoke a lingua franca which was primarily English, German and some of the indigenous peoples, the Clovis, their own language. This could support other transports and some indigenous groups, but there is also an alien, non-human race called the Ichneumons that rule a substantial part of the continent that appears to be very similar to 19th century North and South America.
The details of the planet, civilizations and governments here are sparsely scattered throughout the unfolding of history. The Ichneumons vie for control of the world with the mighty Prussian Empire. The area roughly to the east of the United States is controlled by the Prussian Empire. The rest is largely controlled by the Ichnemon. These two empires are in constant conflict for control of this continent. Meanwhile, the equivalent continents of Europe and Asia are divided between the Prussians and their allies and the Mongol tribes who are constantly restless, if not openly attacking, on the eastern borders of Prussia.
Historically, the Ichnemons have conquered and destroyed the majority of the indigenous population. The Wapiti and Clovis have avoided that fate by aligning themselves with the Prussians. That and the rugged wilderness of his area made it that much more difficult for Emperor Ichneumons, Rakakonda, and their troops. Since most of the contact had been through attempts at conquest and other forms of warfare, there is no love lost between the groups. The third major power group here are the slave owners who generally had large cotton plantations and maintained them with slave labor.
The Prussians are entering an abolitionist era and many established institutions are in disarray, but specifically the slave trade has been discouraged and later outlawed throughout the empire. This creates another group that struggles to control its own destiny. These plantation owners want to maintain the status quo of slavery, fearing that they will be ruined by any change.
The plots and intrigues rival any power on 19th century Earth for sure. All of this contributes to the complexity and different perspectives of the storytellers. It also makes for a very intense and complex plot.
The format is chapters divided into sections where the perspective changes between various narrators.
There are too many characters to describe here, but the most prominent are Rex Knight and his partner, Amy Caroom. Amy is wanted, dead or alive, by her own father, Purnell. From this humble beginning, there are numerous and varied characters. Most don’t deserve mention as they go in and out of the narrative, but they go in, they are developed enough to be credible, and then they go out of the perspective of the particular narrator.
One of the main difficulties is the incorporation of the alien race as the main personnel involved in the entire war, the political intrigues and even the antipathy between the slavers and the Prussian Empire that dominates their area.
The plot intertwines and blurs. The characters move on and off the stage. The group leaders and others keep busy with the real and political issues while interacting well and making the plot even more solid.
Lovers of alternate reality and historical adaptations of culture, science, and creatures would love this book and it’s easy to stay interested. Since this is the first in a series of books by a relatively prolific author like Brown, everyone can expect more from this fertile mind.
5 stars.
Review by Chris Phillips
