Humanity is still locked in a battle for supremacy with the conquering alien invaders, the Race. The German Reich has finally been subdued and the Race believe it only to be a matter of time before the rest of the planet follows suit. However, they underestimate humanity's desire for freedom and the lengths they will go to gain it.
With America and Russia holding the alien invaders off in a technological standoff, the disorganised red armies of Mao Tse-tung's revolutionaries causing havoc and the ever-increasing dependence of the Race on the addictive substance ginger, the Empire realises that the colonisation of Earth may only be achieved through its total destruction.

'The wizard of If.' Chicago Sun-Times
'Turtledove the standard bearer for alternate history.' USA Today