Texas-israeli War: 1999

Author: Howard Waldrop

This title alone should draw you in, doesn’t it? Especially if you remember that this was a novel written in the 1970s, Jake Saunders and Howard Waldrop’s story of an Earth that is devastated by nuclear weapon launches (initiated by the British!) and a post-apocalyptic social-political wasteland, is exactly the kind of story you wanna read when thinking about the modern political situation. In a world where an independent Texas has kidnapped the President of the United States, and Coke is only available from Israel! The world that Saunders and Waldrop developed here is remarkable. It is not only a world of political and geographical wonders, but it is a world that is inhabited by new levels of social intrigue, sex, and commercial elements. There is no lack of humorous, and more than a little cheeky, concepts exist in this book. A heavy cruiser battleship named the Judge Roy Bean, and Pittsburgh being the capital of the US, are just the best of ‘em, but there are many more. Of course, it’s incredibly fun reading, and the plot roars all along the way. Following a battalion of super-powered tanks led by Sol Ingelstein and Myra Kalan, we encounter a version of Texas that is not just strange and fantastic, but so thoroughly realized you may find yourself checking the histry books to make sure this didn’t actually happen! Why it’s on the list Because it’s freaking brilliant!