 First edition (US) | |
| Author | Harry Turtledove |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Big Dot Design |
| Language | English |
| Series | American Empire |
| Genre | Alternate history novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
Publication date | June 25, 2002 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 512 |
| ISBN | 0-345-44421-3 |
| OCLC | 49952193 |
| Preceded by | American Empire: Blood and Iron |
| Followed by | American Empire: The Victorious Opposition |
American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold is the second book in the American Empire alternate history series by Harry Turtledove.[1] It takes place during the period of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression (specifically from 1924 to March 4, 1934). During this era in Turtledove's Southern Victory world, the Confederate States of America, stretching from Sonora to Virginia, is led by Whigs (with the fascist Freedom Party gaining more and more power) while the United States of America (which has been occupying Canada, Newfoundland, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Sandwich Islands) is controlled by Socialists.[2]
The title is derived from the apocalyptic vision appearing in Yeats' poem The Second Coming: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, / The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned; / The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity."
- ^ "Uchronia: Great War Multi-Series (Southern Victory)". www.uchronia.net.
- ^ David Soyka. "The SF Site Featured Review: American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold". Sfsite.com. Retrieved 2010-10-13.