Dale R. Cozort’s American Indian Victories
is an intriguing examination not only of a variety of alternative
historical scenarios but also a look at how alternate history is
constructed. Cozort provides
the reader with some of the historical background needed to make sense of
his alternate historical scenarios, pointing out areas which are ripe for
counterfactual musings. He
then creates scenarios of varying plausibility based on the information he
has provided. These scenarios
are basic backgrounds, not full-fledged narratives by any means.
Cozort’s speculations range over the entire
American continental masses, with discussions of South, Central and North
American Indian culture. Similarly,
he feels comfortable with a range of periods, whether the pre-Columbian
Incas or the Susquehanna of the seventeenth century.
Not all scenarios are dealt with in the same depth, but Cozort has
clearly done research into the cultures and political histories involved.
However, one of the weakness with American Indian
Victories is that although Cozort sounds like an expert, he fails to
identify his source material throughout, which weakens many of his
arguments and calls some of his facts into question.
He further weakens his arguments by the inclusion of comments such
as “I seem to recall.” While
this level of factual checking may be appropriate for a Usenet discussion
or cocktail conversation, in a book, it appears to indicate sloppiness.
Despite these questions of source material, Cozort
does seem to have a strong and thorough understanding of the period,
geography, and historical theory concerning the Indians who ranged
throughout the Americas both before and after Columbus’s expeditions.
He is able to put his finger on what makes for good alternate
history not just from an historical perspective but also by asking what
departure points could be used to create an interesting narrative
speculation. While some of
his ideas appear rather far-fetched, such as a Carthage influenced Mexico,
however Cozort acknowledges the shortcomings of such musings.
While Cozort is versed in alternate history, American
Indian Victories stands in a vacuum within the genre.
He makes no references to other works of alternate history or
speculative fiction either to use as examples or to critique.
The field is rife with them, from Robert Silverberg’s The Gate
of Worlds to Pamela Sargent’s Climb the
Wind and Suzanne Allés Blom’s Inca. While the crux of Cozort’s book is creation of realistic
alternate histories, these and other works could have been used to
demonstrate what authors do right or wrong.
One of the things which sets Cozort’s scenarios
apart from many full-fledged alternate histories is his complete
repudiation of the Great Man theory of history.
Many, perhaps most, alternate histories tie themselves to an
individual as the focal point of history.
Without requiring a narrative hook, Cozort is able to speculate on
the macrohistorical events and trends which are a major force in
establishing our history as we know it.
American Indian Victories is interesting not
just for its examination of counterfactual scenarios, but also, perhaps
moreso, for its examination of the techniques of history which are used in
creating believable allohistories. Too
often, authors create alternate history backgrounds with only the minimum
ideas behind them, ignoring some of the larger issues, or even completely
changing history for no reason.
Readers looking for either a story or an historical
document will be let down by American Indian Victories, however
those who are trying to get a feel for possibilities and, more
importantly, the methodology of alternate history will find the book to be
a treasure trove of information as Cozort explains what must be done and
lays the foundation of his alternate histories, even if he doesn’t
completely build the societies he describes.
