“Heroes typically led hard, lonely lives. And with few exceptions, their defining quality was sacrificing themselves for others. They get the glory, but not much else.”

Einstein Must Die! (Fate of Nations, #1) by Chris Kohout is the type of series that I have been trying to find for sometime now. Kohout, a Seattle resident, is originally from Georgia. He decided that there was something more to life than computer programming and decided to write a book. Kohout doesn't have much a public biography, but he did tell me he was in the Marine Reserves in college, which is good enough background information for me.

Several years ago a colleague asked me if I had read any good Steampunk. I had no clue what Steampunk was, but I was told I would like it. I went to the library and checked out a few books and was sorely disappointed. I thought to myself, how can I not like this. This should be a top fiction genre for me. However, once something turns me off, it is usually impossible for me to pick it up again, like The Hobbit. Now years later I received a request to review a book and as usual almost automatically approved it, but froze when I saw Steampunk. I thought would this book turn out like The Hobbit for me? Thirty years of trying but unable to get through it. I chose to be adventurous and approved it. I would have to read it; I have a deadline.

Deadline or not, Einstein Must Die!was a very unexpected pleasure. My hesitant start turned into rapid page turning and interest. I really did get caught up in the story and really enjoyed it. For those unfamiliar with Steampunk, it is a story usually staged in the Victorian era, but with almost modern technology but in a primitive form. Imagine, as in this story, a giant military tank, the size of a house, with enough firepower to take out a small army, and with the mind of America’s best military strategist downloaded into a mechanical brain to operate the entire system … and the whole thing is powered by a coal burning steam engine. Obviously, you will need a willing suspension of disbelief to follow the story, but that is true with many stories. Without it, Star Wars, vampires, superheroes and a host of other fiction would not exist. It’s mostly a matter of how easy the story is to accept. Einstein Must Die is as easy to accept as putting pointed ears on Leonard Nimoy and believing he is an alien. It works that well.

Its 1910 and England is going to war against the United States. Luckily for the US, President Theodore Roosevelt is not having any of that. America has it secret weapon in the works and a team of the best and brightest to give it the technological edge. England is hungry for the Texas oil and Alaska gold and is willing to take it by force. To match America’s brain trust, England has Einstein and his radiological bombs. America’s hope lies in the down and out Tesla who is on the very edge of bankruptcy. Einstein Must Die! gives the reader everything that can be expected in an action type book. There is, of course, the war, secret missions, betrayals, possible love interests, and some unexpected twists and turns.

The characters are historical, but not necessarily the actual people. If I said “a man in a leather jacket on a Harley” you would begin to make assumptions about the person and create a character greater than the nine words I spoke. The same goes in the book. With the mention of the Thomas Edison character, I immediately thought of the inventor who took credit for his work and other people’s work, petty, electrocuted an elephant to show AC current was dangerous, generally not a nice guy and someone you could really trust. That, as it turns out, is a very good description of the fictional Edison. There is enough of a historical context to set the stage and enough room to make it interesting fiction. There is also enough historical information on the Tesla/Edison conflict in the book to make other interactions between the two seem plausible. Perhaps even more interesting will be the development of the Teddy Roosevelt/Winston Churchill conflict.

I can honestly say that this book renewed my faith in Steampunk. It is well written, the characters are terrific, the storyline is great. There were a few minor points that gave me a little difficulty. The mention of NATO standard ammunition was confusing, especially since the US and England were at war. Also, the young girl, Madeline, uses language that is out of place at times, but that may be to tool to help separate her from the adults and possibly show a bit of a rebellious nature. These are very minor points and do not distract from the story. If Kohout can keep it up, The Fate of Nations is going to be an outstanding series.


Book Review by Joseph Spuckler




Autor Alliance link to the review:

Author Alliance ( )

Unfortunate to make Einstein appear to be a bad guy. Ever. ( )

The author mixes steampunk, alternate history, fantasy and sci-fi. A bonanza for all types of fans. I was thinking this work would be a great tool for YA readers to get them interested in history. Start a conversation of what types of armaments fit which century or decade. Use it with students who do not take to reading favorably. But trust me, even for us grown-up types, it's a treat. My thanks to the author and LibraryThing for a complimentary copy. ( )

This book starts out as a rollicking tale.
Then half way through we now end up using the mind and feelings of a 12 year old Madelaine as a child soldier in a weapon of mass destruction.

Deleted this trash from my Kindle

http://www.child-soldiers.org/

Child Soldiers International is an international human rights research and advocacy organisation. We seek to end the military recruitment and the use in hostilities, in any capacity, of any person under the age of 18 by state armed forces or non-state armed groups.

This applies just as well to written works ( )

But first a rant from me to potential readers. If you have wasted your time reading the low rating reviews, please ignore them. Those people take themselves too seriously. The author had no intention of writing a historically accurate fiction story..This book is a fine example of creative writing. Without this type of writing, would Jules Verne be a household name today?

The positive reviewers have explained the storyline very well. For me, I enjoined the cast of characters immensely. The improbable juxtaposition of real events and people makes for an enjoyable bit of entertainment. That is what this book is - a few hours of unabashed fun reading. Take this book for what it is meant to be and you will be pleased. ( )