hurrah Books

This is one of Harry Harrison's all time greats. His understanding of "what could have been" is unsurpassed.

I could read this book over and over again.

Harry Harrison pre-empts the steampunk novels of the 1990s with this "Victorian" romance set in a parallel world of 1973 where the war of American Independence was won by the British. Travel by sea is slow and cumbersome, so a group of engineers on both sides of the Atlantic come up with a way of building a tunnel that will traverse the ocean. Chief engineer on the British side is Sir Isambard Brassy-Brunel who is in disagreement with the man in overall charge of both sides. Captain Augustine "Gus" Washington, a descendant of the very George Washington who was executed for his traitorous activities against the UK at Lexington, has been awarded the difficult job of co-ordinating both sides of construction. The fact that Gus wishes to marry Brunel's daughter only adds to his problems in this fun, light-hearted SF novel which also features a medium who can allegedly see into the various existing parallel universes. Her only comments regarding our particular timeline regard our weapons capabilities and (naturally) Woolworths, and Marks & Spencers. Good fun

My main complaint is that "A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!" is far too short. Having gone to the trouble of constructing such a fascinating, and fairly consistent, parallel world, Harrison could have written twice or three times as much about it. Many novels benefit from being vigorously trimmed back, as the removal of excess verbiage helps the action to stand out more clearly. Here, the opposite is the case. Apart from the protagonist, Captain Augustine Washington, there is virtually no characterisation - and even he is little more than a heroic stereotype. And the civilisation and culture of a world in which the American colonies never achieved independence are merely sketched, with overwhelming focus on transport technology.

Then again, you can easily zip through the book in a day, and nobody can complain about being bogged down by inessentials. Harrison's artistry allows him to translate us to his alternate universe with a few deft strokes. It is unfair to make comparisons with later novels such as Gibson and Sterling's "The Difference Engine", which give a more three-dimensional impression of Victorian society. (Anyway, "A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!" is set in 1973, although speech patterns and customs are Victorian).

Due to the book's consistent focus on the transatlantic tunnel project, the action is rather intermittent. This will not be a problem for anyone who enjoys descriptions of clever technology, though, as possibilities are opened up that have not been explored even in our world. Some of the ideas may seem questionable - for instance, the artificial islands in the Atlantic, with their hotels, shopping precincts and beaches, might not stand up well to the occasional "perfect storm".

All in all, though, a most enjoyable romp and a big contrast to run-of-the-mill "space opera" science fiction. The introduction by Auberon Waugh and cameo appearances of Messrs Aldiss, Amis and Dick Tracy are a bonus.

Harry Harrison has never been one of my favourite authors, and this book certainly did not change my opinion. But I have to admit, alternative histories have always been my weak spot and in "a Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah" Harrison succeeds pretty well in combining an intriguing victorian setting and and an interesting plot with the enormous engineering project required by the tunnel between England and its North-American colony, USA. As in Harrison's popular science fiction parodies, this book also has a fluent storyline and although it didn't quite catch the level of sense of wonder I expected, at least it managed to keep away the boredom of our mundane world. And isn't that way most of us read science fiction anyway?