Looking for a good read? Here is a recommendation. I have an unusual approach to reviewing books. I review books I feel merit a review. Each review is an opportunity to recommend a book. If I do not think a book is worth reading, I find another book to review. You do not have to agree with everything every author has written (I do not), but the fiction I review is entertaining (and often thought-provoking) and the non-fiction contain ideas worth reading.
Book Review
The Romanovs Resurgent
Reviewed by Mark Lardas
December 1, 2024
“1919: The Romanov Rising,” by Tom Kratman, Kacey Ezell, and Justin Watson, Baen Books, December 2024, 448 pages, $28.00 (Hardcover), $9.99 (Ebook)
A rescue attempt of Romanov Imperial family (sponsored by the Germans hoping to stir disorder in Russia) was partially successful. While Tsar Nicholas, his wife, son, and eldest daughter were killed, his three youngest daughters, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia survived. Tatiana, age 21, declared herself empress, and is leading a war to oust the Bolsheviks.
“1919: The Romanov Rising,” an alternate history novel by Tom Kratman, Kacey Ezell, and Justin Watson picks up where their earlier work, “The Romanov Rescue” left off.
Tatiana I, Empress of all the Russias must make that claim a fact. Isolated in Tosbolsk, Siberia with a small faction of loyal supporters, she has to survive the inevitable Bolshevik counterattack when it comes. Then, she has to unite the rest of the anti-Bolshevik factions behind her banner and drive the Bolsheviks from Russia.
The novel follows Tatiana, her sisters, and her supporters as they rally the world to her cause. They repelling a Bolshevik thrust at Tobolsk; simultaneously launching an expedition to Yekaterinburg to rescue other royal family members. Tatiana dispatches her sisters to Britain, to assure their safety and recruit allies. Their uncle, King George V invited them.
It also explores Russian and world reaction to the new Empress. The arrival of the princesses in the US, especially Anastasia, garners American sympathy. The various White Russian factions are faced with the prospect of a new Tsarina – one promising a constitutional, western-style monarchy instead of an autarky.
“1919: The Romanov Rising” is a modern fairy tale. Its premise is utterly implausible. Assume the Romanov family been rescued with Tatiana surviving to replace Catherine the Great as the first female empress. The odds of this then-21-year-old woman favoring a British-style constitutional monarchy based on American principles would be miniscule. The chances she would get advisors talented enough to overcome Trotsky’s war machine are even smaller.
It does not matter. The story is compelling. People need fairy tales and myth. Their nature is they relate a larger truth, regardless of implausibility. This novel shares that characteristic. It is filled with heroic storybook princesses, valiant knights (or their twentieth century equivalents) that become fearless champions, and foul villains who deserve overcoming. On top of that it is a ripping good adventure. Plus, it offers a world readers wish could actually happen.
My advice is to read the book, and enjoy the story. It is too much fun to skip.
Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City. His website is marklardas.com.