The Culture

One of the sub-genres of science fiction that I enjoy is alternative history. This book is a prime example. Its premise is what if Britain had removed the rocket scientists from Germany at the end of World War II and dominated the space race?

The book postulates an impressive time line of achievements:

1948 – First satellite in orbit round the Earth

1950 – First man in space

1953 – First manned multi-stage rocket launch

1956 – First space station established in orbit round the Earth by now. First Moon landing.

1960 – Moon base established by this point

1969 – Mission to and colonization of Mars

By 2001 – Missions beyond inner solar system and multiple space stations in existence.

The story describes the single-mindedness and determination of one man to ensure that Britain remains great and that the Empire survives in the post war era. The story is told in flashbacks as he is called to account for the price paid for his success.

The book was written by comics legend, and long time advocate of space travel, Warren Ellis who is clearly of the generation who were promised jet packs and space colonization. The art by Chris Weston is fabulous – I love the way the rockets are inspired by the engineering that went into the Spitfires, Hurricanes, etc. The book is short, as it compiles a three issue series, and I would have loved it to be longer as the main story is quite slight – the main interest is in the timeline of achievements and those gorgeous ships – and maybe more could be made of the attitude of the rest of the world – America, for example, is only launching its first space mission in 2001. A great sci-fi story that is well worth a look and crying out for a sequel as there are many unanswered questions worth investigating.