In "After The Downfall", Harry Turtledove ventures into the world of alternative fantasy; a German soldier in the dying days of the Third Reich is magically transported to a world of dragons, unicorns, magic, and warring races. Yes, you read that right; a Nazi in a fantasy world. Only Turtledove has the audacity to attempt such a crossover; the result is entertaining, yet ultimately middle-of-the-road. 

Can Turtledove make a rank-and-file Nazi a compelling protagonist? Captain Hasso Pemsel is no Heinrich Himmler, but mercifully (for the sake of the story) he's no "good guy on the wrong side", either - Pemsel believes in the superiority of the German race and the inferiority of everyone else. At long last, we think, a believable protagonist who willingly marches under the banner of antagonism. Realism! Moral dilemmas! Character development!

But once Hauptmann Pemsel gets his bearings in this strange new world, the surprises end. Pemsel falls in the no-man's-land of two races that absolutely despise each other - the blonde and beautiful Lenelli, and the dirty, downtrodden Grenye. At this point, the "all bets are off" sign is taken down, because you know what's coming next. It's not boring, by any means, but maybe it was too ambitious a concept to attempt - there would have been riots in the streets if Turtledove's Nazi had not seen the error of his ways.

Characters in "After the Downfall" aren't memorable by much measure - Pemsel's change of heart and mind takes a mind-numbingly long time (although, considering that he is, in fact, a Nazi, an overnight conversion might not have worked). The people in the fantasy world conform to their real-world counterparts - the Lenelli are beautiful, but heartless and completely convinced of their rightful domination over all they see. The Grenye, by comparison, live the oppressed and persecuted life, but have hearts of gold and fight the Lenelli for survival, not conquest. Still, there's enough chemistry between Grenye, Lenelli and German to keep things interesting and moving.

The book ultimately loses points for the "good guys lived happily ever after" ending and the somewhat-expected developments once Pemsel finds himself among the Grenye. Where the book does get points for is Turtledove's imagination and ambition (never let it be said that the man lacked either, especially the former), and his command of military tactics. Pemsel's frustration at explaining 20th century warfare to people who ride unicorns and use magic lets Turtledove go to town with his extensive knowledge of combat maneuvers; it makes sense to the characters in the book who have no idea how to attack via double envelopment, and the people reading the book who have no idea how to capture a bridge.

"After the Downfall" won't be remembered as Harry Turtledove's most mindblowing novel, but it's certainly a worthy piece of work and an entertaining and fun read.