Why I Read It: It was the longest resident on my TBR list. Reality: A novel that isn’t bad, but in hindsight is incredibly problematic given the author’s race. Victor is a tracker of runaways for the federal government, but his latest assignment uncovers a plot even more nefarious.Įxpectation: A history-flipping tale of empowerment.

The resulting wonder at what could have been takes a lot longer to digest, if at all.100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: In an alternate America, slavery was never fully abolished and an underground system that aids people fleeing for a better life is still up and running. Winters prose is face paced and readable. Underground Airlines is highly recommended. The premise is a foundation upon which the story is built but the resulting consequences are more familiar to present day than we may want to acknowledge. Underground Airlines may require the reader to consent to the alternate history premise of the story: slavery of black people is legal and exists in four of the United States of America. Inevitably the seeds of oppression produce corruption and revolution into which all are drawn. Utilizing people like Victor to track down and recapture their chattel is one such defense.

This labor force is the oil of the Hard Four economies and along with the various private corporations, they protect and defend their status vehemently. The legal slave states, the Hard Four, provide the labor force that produce goods for the rest of the country, legally and covertly. Winters alternative history thriller is just that-a tightly wound page turner that twists traditional standards into confused pretzels.

But things are starting to get complicated he is beginning to reminisce about his past and question his present. While he is bound to answer to his manager, Bridge he is not geographically enslaved, his life is not unbearable and he is proud of his accomplishments thus far.

Although recaptured he is microchipped and has been trained to hunt down and capture fellow escapees. Victor grew up on a plantation but escaped when he was a young teen. The main character is a quasi-freed black man living outside of the Hard Four states. It is present day America except for this: the Civil War did not happen and four states have legalized slavery.

Underground airlines book review