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In the mid-1870s, a violent spray of comets hits Earth, decimating cities, erasing shorelines, and changing the world’s climate forever. And just as Earth’s temperature dropped, so was civilization frozen in time. Instead of advancing technologically, humanity had to piece itself back together...In the twenty-first century, boats still run on steam, messages arrive by telegraph, and the British Empire, with its capital now in Delhi, controls much of the world. The other major world leader is the Czar of All the Russias. Everyone predicts an eventual, deadly showdown. But no one can predict the role that one man, Captain Athelstane King, reluctant spy and hero, will play...

S.M. Stirling's acclaimed hardcover debut-and a top ten Locus bestseller for two months-The Peshawar Lancers takes readers to an alternate 21st century earth, where boats still run on steam, messages are exchanged by telegraph, and the British Empire controls much of the world from India. But the Czar of all Russias is preparing for global conquest...

Publishers Weekly

Aimed at readers who thrill to King, Empire and the fluttering Union Jack, as well as to brave white heroes, their faithful dusky-skinned servants and sneering villains, this alternative history from the bestselling author of the Islander novels supposes that in 1878 "a series of high-velocity heavenly bodies struck the earth," wreaking havoc throughout Europe and North America. Because much of the British merchant fleet survived the "Fall," the English upper classes were able to escape to the Asian subcontinent. As a result, the British raj, extending from Delhi through India, Afghanistan and the Kashmir, still exists in the 21st century, though the technology consists of 19th-century vintage railways, hydrogen airships and a turbine-powered building-sized "Engine," the equivalent of a computer. It's a nifty premise, but in trying to continue in the grand tradition of such adventure writers as Kipling, Lamb and Mundy, whom Stirling acknowledges as influences, the author fails to inject much life into his stock characters, from the heroic Captain Athelstane King of the Lancers and the captain's memsahib sister, Cassandra, to King's Sikh companion, his trusty Muslim servant and the inevitable wise and helpful Jew. Unfortunately, this is less history altered than simply stopped, and the story is wordy pastiche rather than active inspiration. Not without humor, appendices survey the worldwide consequences of the Fall, complete with the succession of British monarchs from Victoria on. (Jan. 8) Forecast: Given recent events in Peshawar and the Northwest Frontier area, this novel is bound to attract more than usual attention. But since its tone is so at odds with today's grim reality, it may beconsidered by some in dubious taste. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

In the mid-1870s, a violent spray of comets hits Earth, decimating cities, erasing shorelines, and changing the world?s climate forever. And just as Earth?s temperature dropped, so was civilization frozen in time. Instead of advancing technologically, humanity had to piece itself back together?. In the twenty-first century, boats still run on steam, messages arrive by telegraph, and the British Empire, with its capital now in Delhi, controls much of the world. The other major world leader is the Czar of All the Russias. Everyone predicts an eventual, deadly showdown. But no one can predict the role that one man, Captain Athelstane King, reluctant spy and hero, will play? In the mid-1870s, civilization froze in time when comets hit the earth. Instead of advancing technologically, humanity had to piece itself back together. In the 21st century, boats still run on steam, messages are delivered by telegraph, and the British Empire controls much of the world from its capital in Delhi. The other major world power is the Czar of Russiawho is preparing for global conquest. On an alternate Earth irrevocably transformed by a violent spray of comets in the 1870s, the planet is controlled by two superpowers--the British Empire and Russia--who appear to be heading for a deadly showdown Overview: 1945: An ex-marine has discovered a portal that permits him to travel between the America he knows-and a virgin America untouched by European influence. 21st century: The two realities collide... "An Alternate History novel, set in about 2025 AD in a world that was hit by some comet fragments in 1878, depopulating much of the Northern Hemisphere from Russia to North America."--Author's website