Publisher's Synopsis
Mankind's history is bound up in the fabric of fate, a strong cloth, tough and closely woven. It is the beginning of 1918, the last year of the greatest war in human history to date. All the belligerents stagger on their feet. Starvation is an ever-present reality, while disease waits in the wings. In Russia, no longer a belligerent but, instead, rapidly descending into civil war and chaos, a lone family-father, mother, four beautiful young girls, and a brave but sickly boy-await their own fate, shivering and hungry in the dark, hoping and praying for salvation. Their relatives in England have turned their backs. The guards set over them do little but torment them. They look Heavenward, but God doesn't answer. They know they're a threat to the new regime, a threat that will, in time, be eliminated. But even the strongest fabric has flaws. An escaped prisoner of war, caught, injured, and punished, but still highly capable, might be one. An airship, returned and at loose ends after a failed mission to Africa, might be another. A German general, taking a wrong turn on his nightly walk and suddenly coming face-to-face with the reality of the monster rising in the east, would be a third. Follow, then, as the general gives the orders, the prisoner of war raises the men from among his fellows, and the airship launches itself forward to contest fate, to tear the fabric of time, and to effect The Romanov Rescue. ". . . this alternate history employs vibrant steampunk vibes and aptly captures the uncertainties of the tumultuous era, as well as the courageous desperation of the world-weary men and women involved. Fans of detailed and technical military fiction will enjoy this, as well as those who appreciate real historical figures as characters." -Library Journal About The Romanov Rescue: "This alternate history employs vibrant steampunk vibes and aptly captures the uncertainties of the tumultuous era, as well as the courageous desperation of the world-weary men and women involved. Fans of detailed and technical military fiction will enjoy this, as well as those who appreciate real historical figures as characters."-Library Journal About the Carrera series: "[I]nterplanetary warfare with . . . [a] visceral story of bravery and sacrifice . . . fans of the military SF of John Ringo and David Weber should enjoy this SF action adventure."-Library Journal "Kratman's dystopia is a brisk page turner full of startling twists . . . [Kratman is] a professional military man . . . up to speed on military and geopolitical conceits."-Best-selling author of America Alone Mark Steyn on Tom Kratman's uncompromising military SF thriller Caliphate "Kratman raises disquieting questions on what it might take to win the war on terror . . . realistic action sequences, strong characterizations, and thoughts on the philosophy of war."-Publishers Weekly About Tom Kratman: "[Baen publisher] Toni [Weisskopf] and I disagree about everything except about how good his books are."-John Birmingham
