As a setting for alternate history, WWI is criminally underutilized. This was The Great War, the fall of empires, and the molding of an entirely new world! There are heaps of unexplored changes which could be explored! So I was quite excited to jump into what counts as a technothriller from the early 20th century set in the waning days of the Great War in 1918. Could the formation of the Soviet Union have been prevented, even at such a late stage? The Romanov Rescue, seeks to tell that tale!
Written by three authors, Tom Kratman, Justin Watson, and Kacey Ezell, it was very much a group effort piece. It shows though, that each of the authors has a solid expertise and has rigorously investigated the material and skills available to soldiers of the time period. I can't quite say where each author took over - a bonus to the book - but a few sections did have distinct voices. Overall though, it blended quite seamlessly together and for a three person effort, that's no mean feat!
Set in early 1918, in the midst of the work for the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, we follow the musings of one Max Hoffman, who is effectively running the show as Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepare their great offensive of 1918 (another overlooked point in alternate history) and he stumbles upon a rapacious band of Latvian Riflemen. Musing on how awful the communists are, he wonders if anything can be done to stop them. Enter captured Russian Imperial Guardsman Daniil Kostyshakov. Fresh from an escape attempt, he is approached with an intriguing mission, how would be like to rescue the imprisoned royal family from the clutches of the Bolsheviks?
If that sounds like a mad plan, or the setting of a crazy thriller, you're right! From here its a plan on how to carry out the mission, how to recruit troops for it, and where on Earth they can get what they need when the war is still raging!
We follow many fun Russian characters. In truth the Imperial Guards made the best of the book, from Daniil, to Kaledin to Turgeney, they all had their quirks and fun ideas which hooked me on them. The story then largely follows their attempts at reconstituting an Imperial Guard unit for the rescue, training for the rescue, and covering the minutia of details on how to actually accomplish these goals. Otherwise we follow a strategic recon team who scout the way, and the stories of two guards at where the Royal Family is being held, Chekov and Dostovalov. These two add an excellent depth and personal touch to the events on the ground, and gets into some pretty fun intrigue which has far reaching effects on the outcome.
I enjoyed the German crew of the L5 Afrika Schiff so much. It added a very clever element to the whole drama. The equipment seems odd for even buffs of WWI, but when compared between 1914 and 1918 the world was a very different place and the things which could be learned very different! The authors definitely put a lot of thought into the technology, tactics, and how to make that realistically work, which educated me quite a bit on many of the fascinating details of airship launches, flight, and what interesting uses they might have had.
Then the story takes us across much of Russia, and through many various halls of power. The long recon led by Turgeney has some signature fun moments, from piracy to a train robbery. However, it also contains many of the more lagging sections of the novel. For instance, the entire section which took place in the smuggling vessel might have been better excised, if simply for tying up a lot of narrative time which might have been better spent elsewhere, and from there it used far too much 'rape as drama' for my taste. This did though, include many worthwhile action scenes.
My only other critique might be that the story attempts to humanize the Romanov's a bit too much. Certainly it is to be remembered that they were people, but the former tsar and tsarina were relentless autocrats who were actively undemocratic and engaged in bloody reprisals against their own people all in the name of autocracy. Telling the story through their children's eyes was a far better choice both stylistically and when it came to arriving at a much more thrilling finale.
I was impressed that the authors managed to end up pulling together such a large cast of characters to - eventually - a single location. There are many clever plot points, twists, and overall revelations that I was kept in rapt attention to details until the very end.
The story rapidly reaches a very action packed crescendo, with all the action and maddening complications despite meticulous planning one could hope for. In fact the final act doesn't pull its punches and I was caught off guard by just how insane the situation became. Despite the best laid plans and all the training in the world, there truly are some things you just can't prepare for! A very unique and ultimately satisfying read which does leave me wondering how the world might have turned out otherwise.
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