American Zone

by L. Neil Smith

Book Overview

In the North American Confederacy . . . People are free--really free. Free to do as they please, whether it be starting a business, running for elected office, or taking target practice in the back forty. There's not a whole lot of government, nor is there a lot of crime, because everyone who wants to carries a gun, and isn't afraid to use it. But someone has bombed the Endicott Building, killing hundreds of people, and Win Bear, the only licensed...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312875266
• ISBN13: 9780312875268
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A good Win Bear/NAC story

The American Zone is a good novel, but you really should read at least some of the other books in the NAC series first to get some perspective on the world presented in this book. Preferably read at least The Probability Broach, the first and best of the series first. The story takes place in an anarcho-capitalist alternate universe. And the story is about how a free society with almost no government would deal with terrorist attacks. It`s a good read with plenty of food for thought. I`ve heard some people say that Neil was trying to cash in on the 9/11 terror attacks with this book. But that is NOT true. While the story is in some ways very similar to what happened on 9/11, note the publication date. This book was already written and scheduled for printing and publication before 9-11-2001.

Great sequal!

If you are like me you find a good series but you catch a book in the middle and nothing makes sense. This is not that book. If for some reason you read this book first there is enough backstory filled in that it all makes sense.

Win, Lucy & Clarissa meet September 11, Confederacy style!

Detective 'Win' Bear of _Probability Broach_ fame is back, this time tracking down terrorists who have bombed a building in Greater LaPorte, the capitol of alternate America (AKA the Confederacy). What's at stake? Not just bringing the bad guys to justice, but the very character of the Confederacy itself. Writing pre-9/11, Smith shows the Confederacy undergoing the same choice between liberty and security that we see today in America. And security in the form of more government can be very, very seductive....If you'd like a wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking look at an America that might have been, try this book. Packed with interesting ideas -- it even has a libertarian take on baseball. Warning! This is not for those who dislike the bracing smell of gunpowder, or the consequences of giving up legalistic 'control' over other people's behavior. I loved it!

Dynamite sequal

Ever since he crossed over from his polluted dying United States to this alternate Confederacy, detective Win Bear has been quite happy about his "plight". He never wants to go back to his birth world especially since he enjoys his work as the only detective in the area and he loves his wife. However, terrorist activities killing thousands apparently caused by some of Win's peers, other crossers, have created a serpent in Eden. Bear knows he must stop this group before some founding fathers get together and form a government like the one he left behind that two centuries earlier destroyed his previous world. THE AMERICAN ZONE might have played out better before 9/11, but in light of that debacle the theme looks weak because the international world is ignored as a threat. Understanding the Libertarian theory that entangling alliances causes much of the trouble including the 9/11 tragedy, most of the audience will still resent the premise that big government leads to big counter acts by terrorists. L. Neil Smith cleverly interweaves Libertarian sermons into his alternate American history tale that will be easier to follow if the audience reads THE PROBABILITY BROACH first as this story follows in sequence. This is a well-written alternate historical novel starring a wonderful hero, but then there is 9/11 to challenge the underlying axiom of Mr. Smith's basic premise.Harriet Klausner

WIN BEAR IS BACK AT LAST!!!!

A new North American Confederacy novel at last. After a hiatus following THE GALLATIN DIVERGENCE, L. Neil Smith has finally returned to his most popular creation, the alternate world first visited over twenty years ago in his classic novel THE PROBABILITY BROACH. As fate would have it, THE AMERICAN ZONE deals specifically with how a truly free society would handle a spate of terrorist attacks. In the wake on 9-11, the issues LNS deals with are incredibly relevant for Americans today. All our favorite characters return, including Lucy Kropotkin and Will Sanders, plus numerous figures from our own world (or similiar realities) appear under different names. Half the fun is realizing which real-world public figure LNS is skewering under another name. As always, there's plenty of action, lots of laughs, and a fine mystery along with the libertarian philosophy. If you can stand to take your freedoms straight, with no chaser, this is the novel for you! Read and enjoy.