Bring the Jubilee

I am about halfway through one of the best alternative histories I've encountered so far, Bring the Jubilee. The novel portrays an alternate history in which the South won the civil war. Two elements of Bring the Jubilee make it exceptional: One is the philosophizing about time and free will. The novel delightfully explores the differences between predeterminism and free will, exploring the circular nature of time. The second aspect of the novel that makes it exciting is that it shows how a Union loss during the Civil War might have very well ended up creating a new form of slavery in the North using indentured servants. In many ways, Bring the Jubilee anticipates the daring anti-racist critiques of the recent film C.S.A. (itself an alternate history), but in a more science fiction, and less counterfactual manner. Bring the Jubilee also, unlike so much Civil War alternative fiction, does not subscribe to the cult of victimization that engulfs Southern narratives of alternative fiction. It's a great read, and I encourage you all to pick it up. I can't wait to finish it.