Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance

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**Title** **Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance**

Author	Harry Turtledove
Country	USA
Language	English
Series	Worldwar
Genre(s)	Alternate history/Science fiction
Publisher	Del Rey Books
Released	1 January 1996
Pages	481 (hardcover edition)
ISBN	ISBN 0-345-40221-9
Preceded by	Worldwar: Tilting the Balance
Followed by	Worldwar: Striking the Balance

Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance is an alternate history and science fiction novel by Harry Turtledove. It is the third novel of the Worldwar series, as well as the third installment in the Tosev timeline.

1 Plot introduction
2 Plot summary
3 Characters in "Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance"
4 Major themes
5 Allusions/references to other works
6 Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
7 Release details
8 Sources, references, external links, quotations

[edit] Plot introduction

Now armed with nuclear weapons, the United States and Nazi Germany strike back at the invading Race, which is also having more and more troubles with their soldiers as they become addicted to ginger.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The United States and Germany develop atomic weapons of their own and, alongside the Soviets, engage in a nuclear exchange with the Race. The Soviets may have detonated the first atomic bomb, but it was only because their original sample of plutonium (captured from the Race) was larger than the samples given to the USA and Germany; the Soviets actually lag far behind either of these two countries in their efforts to make their own plutonium, and they used all they had in the atomic bomb they used south of Moscow to stop the Race's main thrust against the city.

Regardless, the Race is in a full state of panic that humans have been able to detonate an atomic weapon, and many commanders are shocked at the number of the Race's soldiers that died in the blast. Straha, third in command of the Conquest Fleet, demands a vote of no confidence in Fleetlord Atvar by the captains of each ship in the Fleet. Such a vote would require a 75% majority to depose Atvar, but the vote falls short at 68%. Atvar remains in control, but he recognizes that most of the shiplords no longer actively support him.

Soon, the Race launches an invasion of the British home islands (by air from south France, flying over German-held north France) and occupy a northern area (which seems to be centered on Oxfordshire and includes Northampton), and a southern area (which seems to be centered on west Sussex). The humans hold onto Market Harborough; parts of the story describe fighting around Blixworth and Scaldwell and Sproston villages which are on the front line between Northampton and Market Harborough. Another section of text describes an artillery and tank battle for Henley-on-Thames. The human forces are exposed to fire from Lizard helicopter gunships many years before humans had such craft in the real timeline. The Lizards ignore warnings from Churchill that such an attack will meet with terrible consequences. The Lizard forces in Britain are subjected to another human weapon they did not anticipate: mustard gas. Totally unprepared for a chemical attack by the humans, the Race's invasion force is devastated and thrown back: a Lizard plan to link their two areas through Maidenhead fails. London suffers heavy bombing and bombardment and loses many landmarks including Big Ben which survived the real world timeline German blitz. The Lizards' northern pocket is obliterated, and their southern pocket evacuates in a hurry by air through Tangmere, which is the Lizards' last airfield in Britain out of range of human artillery. As a result, the British gain access to much intact Lizard technology that was abandoned in the retreat.

China's Communist guerillas also escalate the conflict against the Race.

In one of the Race's bases in Siberia, morale is at an all time low. The weather is a truly miserable condition from the hot one the Lizards are used to, and the Race's soldiers feel they're constantly being sent to their deaths by incompetent commanders. Many have fallen into abusing ginger, which works as a narcotic for them, even though it has been outlawed by Atvar's orders (such disobedience would have been considered unthinkable before they came to Earth). The Race's soldiers are pushed to the breaking point, and when the base commander starts berating the garrison yet again, landcruiser driver Ussmak shoots him in the head to silence him and an insurrection starts; the entire Race base mutinies and makes Ussmak their de facto leader.

[edit] Characters in "Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance"

See list of Worldwar characters for fictional and historical characters.

[edit] Major themes

While the premise of the series can be seen as absurd, the real themes explored are that of human struggle facing a great enemy, as well as technological advances in times of need.