Wages of Sin

Name: Wages of Sin
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Harry Turtledove
ISBN: 9798350892840

Author: Harry Turtledove

Narrator: Ana Clements

Unabridged: 11 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/12/2023

Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Synopsis

What if HIV started spreading in the early 1500s rather than the late 1900s? Without modern medicine, anybody who catches HIV is going to die. A patriarchal society reacts to this devastating disease in the only way it knows how: it sequesters women as much as possible, limiting contacts between the sexes except for married couples. While imperfect, such drastic actions do limit the spread of the disease.

The 'Wasting' (HIV) has caused devastating destruction throughout the known world and severely limited the development of technology as well, creating a mid-nineteenth century England and London almost unrecognizable to us. This is the world Viola is born into. Extremely intelligent and growing up in a house full of medical books which she reads, she dreams of traveling to far-off places, something she can only do via books since her actions and movements are severely restricted by law custom.

Meticulously researched and exquisitely detailed in a way only a master like Harry Turtledove can do, this book is a tour-de-force from one of the best historical and alternate history writers ever to write in the genre.

About Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove (he/him) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer whom Publishers Weekly has called the "Master of Alternate History." He has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Hugo Award for Best Novella, the HOMer Award for Short story, and the John Esthen Cook Award for Southern Fiction. Turtledove's works include the Crosstime Traffic, Worldwar, Darkness, and Opening of the World series; the stand-alone novels The House of Daniel, Fort Pillow, and Give Me Back My Legions!; and over a dozen short stories available on Tor.com. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Laura Frankos, and their four daughters.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shannon

The blurb on the cover says "a terrifying tale set in a nineteenth century England ravaged by HIV." IT IS NOT. But once, as a reader, you adjust to the fact that the people at the publisher who decide what to put on the cover to draw sales aren't concerned with what the book is actually about, then......more

Goodreads review by Breezy

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for letting me read this book in advance of publication. Harry Turtledove always makes me see a new perspective, and in Wages of Sin, he does that in spades. We’ve all done it. Imagine a world where one single difference could have a massive impact o......more

Goodreads review by Stephen

Great! As usual, a great read - but this time Turtledove makes the everyday life of people in the weird world he’s created into an exciting adventure in itself. That’s not easy!......more

Goodreads review by Lara

E-book received by way of Edelweiss, thank you! It's a Turtledove alternate history, which is to say that I cannot fault the research and I cared very much for the characters as I read. The plain and chilling premise--what if HIV (known as the Wasting) manifested itself as early as the 16th century--......more

Goodreads review by Elliott

I’m enough of a fan of the alternate history genre that I’ll read new releases from the genre even without any hope of enjoying it. I’ve mentioned elsewhere just how tedious the umpteenth iteration of “What if Hitler won?” is and so I do look forward to the “odd” point of departure. I don’t look for......more