Talk:Inconsistencies in Turtledove's Work

Robert Lansing
Aren't 50 years of butterflies enough to think that people who were enemies in OTL could be friends in the ATL?


 * You'd think so but HT offers more evidence to the contrary than anything. The point is, both known secretaries in Roosevelt's Cabinet seem to have been chosen by HT for no other reason than that they filled those spots at the same time in real US history, which is INSANE!!


 * As for arguing for butterflies in general, the case is weakened somewhat by the fact that we're discussing an AH story whose root philosophy is "Let's change one variable and watch how everything else unfolds in parallel fashion over a long period of time." Turtle Fan 16:58, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Patton
In regards to inconsistency no.8 under Southern Victory, Patton's family was from Virginia. His grandfather fought for the south in the Army Of Northern Virginia. If the south won the war, its possible and even likely he would have been born in the south.Bschur 18:57, 28 March 2008 (UTC)


 * AAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


 * We should start imposing discipline for repeating that tired old whine. Turtle Fan 03:18, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

Arizona and New Mexico
The Arizona Organic Act had passed the U.S. House before the POD and would likely have passed the Senate in 1863 despite the changed circumstances. 4.154.5.115 02:51, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Quebec and Labrador
The border between Quebec and Labrador was not settled in OTL until 1927 with a settlement by the British Privy Council that was totally in favor of Labrador. It is unlikely that the Republic of Quebec would have accepted that boundary and at minimum gained the boundary used on official provincial maps today. 4.154.5.115 03:07, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't recall any mention of the boundaries in the books. If you are basing it on the maps, then all the Great War maps are incorrect since the current provincial boundaries in OTL were the ones depicted on those maps and were not set until the 1920s too. Until then, Ontario and Quebec only included the watershed of the Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence. They did not include the former Hudson's Bay Co. holdings of Rupert's land around Hudson's Bay / James Bay. In my opinion, map errors should not be considered HT Inconsistencies since they are not his work. ML4E 03:03, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

That's not the case. Save for the Quebec-Labrador boundary dispute, the boundaries for all of Canada's provinces had reached their current form by 1912 in OTL. The boundary between Ontario and Quebec was set in its final form in 1898 with Ungava added to Quebec in 1912. 4.154.2.205 23:53, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

My mistake, 4.154.2.205 is correct. This is a link to a Government of Canada website that gives the [1912 Provincial Boundaries] which should have been the base map for the GW books. you can see the smaller Labrador boundaries that he is taking about. Never-the-less, I don't think HT mentioned this one way or the other so I don't think it should be considered an inconsistency. ML4E 03:08, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Josephus Daniels
Another Josephus Daniels inconsistency is that in OTL, he lived until 1948 and IIRC, the USN at that time did not name ships after living people. Of course, he may have died sooner in TL-191. 4.154.2.205 00:26, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Worldwar
Barbara larrsen forgets the meaning of fubar between in the balance and titling the balance

In Down to Earth the ratio of men to women on the Lewis and lark is given as 3 to 1 while in Aftershocks it is 2 to 1


 * Well, throw 'em in there.


 * In the latter's case I seem to recall it had something to do with the second US starship joining the first. In the former's--HT sure loves giving himself the chance to insert the little quip about "fouled up, but not really" into the dialogue. Turtle Fan 00:11, 19 August 2008 (UTC)


 * They can't; it's protected. TR 15:35, 19 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Only against unregistered users. Turtle Fan 22:46, 19 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Dialogue from on of Johnson's scene indiactes that they don't have the crew ratios combined. I made the edit.--Darthbalmung 01:53, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Tau Ceti
Are you sure they didn't say "about ten light-years"?

And by the way, isn't Tau Ceti supposed to be too metal-deficient to form terrestrial planets? Turtle Fan 04:57, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Isabella's and Albert's Wedding
That's one of the oh-so-few here that's been addressed to even my satisfaction. Philip wanted her married before he installed her in London, and his brother obliged. Furthermore this was his stated plan when he planned the campaign. I guess after back-to-back ascensions of single women, neither of whom produced an heir of any sort, he might have expected the stability offered by a married queen taking the throne right away, with promises of children to come. Though now that I think of it, the Hapsburgs were never said to have produced issue either, meaning that the RB English, like the OTL ones, had to wait (assuming the Stuarts assumed the throne in 1603 as in OTL) sixty-six years between kings with sons and undisputed heirs in place. (And there were those who disputed Edward VI, since his mother was so far from unique in having been queen and even the most Protestant of monogamists were growing weary of the queen-of-the-month club. That takes us all the way back to Henry's birth in, what was it, 1491?  England went the entire sixteenth century without a single prince being born and making his birth stick.) Turtle Fan 04:22, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Ophelia Clemens
Didn't exist. Clemens oldest daughter in OTL was Olivia Clemens, named for her mother. She went by Susy. TR 00:19, 5 December 2008 (UTC)