Worldwar Franchise

The Worldwar franchise is an alternate history timeline universe created by Harry Turtledove. It begins with the Worldwar tetralogy, followed by the Colonization trilogy, and ending with the novel Homeward Bound.

Works

 * Worldwar
 * In the Balance
 * Tilting the Balance
 * Upsetting the Balance
 * Striking the Balance
 * Colonization
 * Second Contact
 * Down to Earth
 * Aftershocks
 * Homeward Bound

Invasion
The series begins in the middle of World War II, when The Race, a reptiloid alien race invades the Earth. The advanced but primitive Earth (Tosev 3) confuses and frustrates the aliens. Their projected development timeline of Earth shows that it should still be early medieval in culture, that it is early electrotechnological is a surprisingly quick development. That same primitiveness of equipment means the technological strike, by use of electromagnetic pulse is unsuccessful, since the primitiveness of electronics and electrical systems makes them relatively impervious. The low tech pyrotechnic ballistic projectiles also frustrates their defensive systems built around either higher tech or lower tech weaponry defence.

The Race quickly conquers those parts of the Earth that are technologically more primitive than North America or Europe. The Race, because of their reptilian natures, avoids colder areas, so leaving the Soviet Union and Canada relatively more defensible. Australia is wiped out and made into a secure colony, with a comfortable Home-like desert environment.

The rigidity and slothful thinking of the Race leaves quick thinking and insightful humans the room needed to counterattack and win in battles in North America and Europe.

After it is determined that all out nuclear war is needed to subdue the humans, the Race sues for peace, in order not to wreck the planet they want to colonize.

Co-existence
An uneasy and occassionally violated peace exists between the Race, and Germany, UK, US, Japan, USSR. USSR, Germany, US all have the nuclear bomb, Japan develops the bomb in this period. Ginger, a drug unknown to the Race which causes them to go into heat, is illicitly trafficked, being something the Race will readily pay for, that their more advanced technology doesn't counter.

The advanced state of humans leaves many colonists out of work, since their jobs can be handled by primitive humans, so they are unhappily rerolled into soldiers, which were not anticipated to be needed after initial landing and conquest of the planet.

US, Germany, and USSR all have space programs and space stations. Eventually the US goes to Mars. Germany tries to follow suit. Germany gets into all out war with the Race and is destroyed, thus also ending their Mars shot.

Eventually, Earth technology catches up to the Race's.

Return visit
The US manages to build an interstellar ship, and travels to Home, homeworld of the Race. The USSR follows suit, and their ship is in transit through the novel. The Japanese don't complete a ship. The US explores Home. Developments that astonish the Race occur on Tosev 3, resulting in a seemingly impossible FTL ship from the US visiting Home, proving that the US could now defeat the Race in a war. A new Cold War starts, as the Race points out that Earth can be wiped out by using the Race's interstellar ships as high-Tau fractional-c bombardment devices.